BC/Lab behavior issue

[JBgirl85]

Good afternoon,

 

I have an neutered 8-month black lab/border collie mix pup. I have never owned either of these breeds before; my other two are a 4 year-old beagle and a 14 year-old husky mix.

 

The behavior issue that I find most pressing, and that I really don't know how to deal with, is the watchdog behavior. The example situation was completely my fault as my attention was not fully on him. Anyhow, I was outside messing with the hose when a neighbor walked by with their dog on a leash. Bear, my pup, immediately started barking and ran out into the street to bark at the neighbor. Luckily my inlaws live in a very laid back neighborhood and the chance of him getting hit was slim, but I want to nip this in the bud. It took me about 30 seconds to call him back during which he was barking with his insanely deep bark but at the same time wiggling super hard like he wanted the person to pet him (he has never seen this neighbor before).

 

He has been socialized quite a bit. When we take him to the dog park or Lowes or equivalent, he is totally chill with new people and dogs. Well, as chill as a wiggling monster can be. I have an e-collar for my beagle, but would like to use it on Bear as a last resort type thing as I think he is smart enough to figure out when it is on him and when it isn't. When I am with him, I can usually get his attention in seconds and he doesn't run after the distraction, instead focusing in me. He was about halfway between me and the street in this situation and took off before I could react. Relevant suggestions would be most appreciated.

[GentleLake]

IMO, for an 8 month old pup's first offense I'd think that more training was in order before I'd consider anything as draconian as a shock collar.

 

Actually, I wouldn't consider a shock collar at all. They're cruel and there's always the possibility that it could create either a neurotic or an aggressive dog.

 

An 8 mo. old pup is entering a developmental stage where he'll be testing new behaviors and both testing and learning his boundaries. Being protective of the home front is one of those things. He needs to be taught in a kind and positive way that strangers, both humans and dogs, are allowed to walk by his home. You can do this by having him on a leash and rewarding him for appropriate behavior when someone walks by. You may have to arrange for some people to walk by so that you can set him up to have good experiences when they do.

 

It may also be helpful to consult a trainer to help with things like this, which is basically impulse control.

[Pat Anderson]

Your dog is young. He needs to have a good recall before he is in an unrestrained area. He is young and it will be a few more months at least to obtain this but do work on his recall playing games to get him to come to you. Never be angry if it takes a little longer at first, always welcome him when he comes like Ice cream Cake and so very happy to see you so he always wants to come to you.

 

When that is done, teach him to always sit and look at you if there is a strange dog. Then after doing that he should take his cue from you. Maybe it will be ignore or maybe greet the dog but the cue should be from you. This takes about 3 months to teach but your dog will not be an adult dog for over a year yet and just think how kids in the 12 to 20 year range are impetuous and know your dog is also and needs to be taught restraint.

[Gloria Atwater]

Oh, goodness, an e collar shouldn't even be part of his vocabulary. He's a baby and he won't have much impulse control for a very long while to come. Both BCs and labs can be very silly and impulsive, so you need to take the long view and plan for patient, consistent training for your little guy.

As for this situation, my recommendation is either don't take him out there off-leash, or if you have him out front, keep him on a long line. Tie it to your belt if need be, but just don't let him have the opportunity to repeat that behavior. I like Pat's idea of taking him on leash and teaching him to look at you, when you meet another dog. Is your guy food motivated? Go for the goodies and just take your time with him. He'll get there, but it won't be over night.

A friend of mine also has a lab/BC cross. That dog grew from the world's silliest pup to the world's dearest, happiest, most loving, silly and wonderful dog ever. I think you're going to have a long and laughter-filled life with yours.

~ Gloria

[JBgirl85]

Yes, my pup is quite hilarious and has very few faults. He is so willing. I do look forward to seeing him as an adult. Again, the shock collar was a last resort in the most dire of senses and I take full responsibility for him having the opportunity to go after someone. I really do like the idea of having him sit and look to me when he sees someone strange. Do you have any suggestions on methods for training that? Maybe a youtube video? Lol. Thanks for the great replies!

[GentleLake]

Have you used clicker training? That's how I taught my bratty dog to look at me.

 

If you haven't used a clicker, start by learning the basics of that. I'm sure there are many YouTube videos.

 

Then you start with the dog on a leash and just wait for him to look at you. He will sooner or later 'cause he wants to know what's up and why you're just standing there. Immediately click as soon as he makes eye contact. Lather, rinse, repeat over and over until he's looking at you often for the clicks. Then add a "Look at me"or Watch" cue -- or whatever you ant to call it.

 

It's actually pretty easy and one of the first things many trainers offer in puppy or manners classes because it's an important basic skill to build off of for more complex behaviors and for general attention.

 

Good luck. I'm sure you'll have lots of fun teaching him this.

[Camden's Mom]

This is a really fantastic tutorial video for training a focus command. She goes through all of the steps very clearly and even talks about using a word like "yes!" if you aren't using a clicker to train. Also, she has provided follow up games that you can play with your dog to reinforce the focus command and behavior.

 

 

Check it out and have fun training this one!

[JBgirl85]

Awesome! I actually do use the word yes and I use his name for the look at me. Right now he looks when not super distracted but not for very long so we are working on length and more distraction, separately. I use the clicker at home but when I am out or practicing agility with my beagle then i use the word yes as I am terrible at multitasking with my hand while trying to position my body or looking out for potential distractions. I just wasn't sure if there was a specific way to get him to associate weird things with sitting and looking at me. With my beagle, the only thing that ever made her suspicious was a pile of rocks on the side of a park trail. I just had her come close to sniff it and then she was fine. This works for Bear too but it isn't feasible to let him sniff everything that makes him suspicious, unfortunately.

 

It seems to be a protective thing when he is in a spot he claims as his own. For instance, we went to a new dog park today (his first road trip to visit family) and as I was clipping on their leashes in the car, he briefly woofed at a couple of dogs walking by but once he was on the ground, no problem. I've never had such an extreme watchdog before, just one who would shy and woof if people tried to get near him, so this is all new to me.

[Camden's Mom]

I also lack the coordination to use a clicker all of the time. I really only use it when we're "shaping" and during structured training time, otherwise I use "yes!". Plus, I know I'd eventually forget or lose the clicker and then where would I be?

 

The key to training him to associate certain things with a specific behavior is basically to ask for it *every time* that thing happens. I don't ask for a "sit and watch" every time we pass someone (because I live in the burbs and we'd never get anywhere, lol) but do ask for him to "heel up" with me. I ask for a "sit and watch" whenever we're on a trail and a horseback rider or bicyclist passes us. It's taken some time, but I've noticed that he's started to offer these behaviors before I ask for them.

 

I've trained this with him on our many, many walks together, but you could also set a situation up to reinforce it more quickly. Ask someone who walks their dog in your neighborhood to walk past multiple times and have your dog sit and focus each time. Just keep in mind that dogs are not particularly good at generalizing so if you only work on this in one area (say, in your front yard) he may just assume that's the only place that these new rules apply.

[GentleLake]

I also lack the coordination to use a clicker all of the time. I really only use it when we're "shaping" and during structured training time, otherwise I use "yes!". Plus, I know I'd eventually forget or lose the clicker and then where would I be?

 

 

I often use a mouth click. I never have to worry about leaving my mouth behind . . . not that that's always a good thing.