Barking at dogs and people when on walks

[Mum of Ted]

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Our 2 yr old sprokerpoo has since the age of about 7mths barked at other dogs and lunged when walking past them. He is a completely friendly dog who just wants to play but he can't walk passed another dog without either trying to lunge at it or bark. He barks at people sometimes too. He's never had a bad experience with dogs or people. We've had advice from trainers...keep distance, try to keep him focused on us, get his focus the second he sees the other dogs, turn direction, place ourselves in between, keep calm, he feels the tension, treat when he stops barking, nothing has worked. He is a perfect dog indoors. Very obedient, a bit of a velcro dog inside the house. My husband is retired and so the dog is hardly on his own, even when we leave him he is ok and settles on his bed with a kong or a whimzee with the radio on. He loves a car ride but whenever we go on walks he is never settled...always looks excited and like he's never seen the outside world before! New walks in new areas are a pain as he pulls and is like a 8 week old puppy. His recall is ok but we never have him off lead when other dogs are on the lead.as he will run up to them, he plays but then barks and his focus is lost on us. When there is nothing else about he listens well. We've tried a small shaker can that worked when he was a puppy to stop him barking when the doorbell rang as he kept barking for ages once they'd gone..., it worked..sonwe thought it would have the same response out on a walk...it didn't. Our 2 daughters have stopped walking him because he is frustrating as a simple walk around the block can turn into a nightmare with him barking, pulling back to see other dogs or lunging and having to cross over or change route. We've got about 20 different leads, he pulls. When we stop he stops and checks in, we continue but he then pulls again. We do this every walk but he just never gives in. Any walk he acts like a hyped up dog. He has an hr walk a day and we play with him in doors. We often go to a forest at.weekends where he gets off lead time. Please help. We have spent loads on trainers and can't keep going. We love him loads and he is so loveable...cant make out if he's anxious, nervous or over excitable. His body language looks excitable when on walks, he never calms. Advice please.

 

[JudyN]

Have you tried a front-fastening harness, or a halter such as a Halti or Gentle Leader? I'm not a great fan of halters, but they can work very well. And they don't have to be permanent - if they help him walk without lunging, it then gives you more opportunities to reward 'nice walking'. If he does keep lunging though, there's the potential to damage his neck (opinions differ on this), so you might not want to persevere.

Also, and it's a long shot, is there anywhere you can walk him where you can avoid other dogs? If you take him somewhere relatively quiet, then if he does see a dog and kicks off, you could just stand/sit still and completely ignore him (take a book/think Zen thoughts) until he stops. The moment he stops and turns his attention to you, praise and reward, and walk the other way.

It might be better to split his walks into 2 or 3 a day (maybe shorter) - this could help balance his energy levels across the day, and each walk will be less exciting.

Maturity will help a lot, so don't give up!

 

[AlexM83]

How is he before you leave the house with him? Does he leave the house all big energy and excited? If so maybe try and wait until he’s calm before starting the walk?

We had a large rescue dog, our beautiful Bear, who sadly passed last year and he was very reactive. In the end we made sure he was in a chilled state before leaving, we would change direction to avoid dogs before they were close enough to have him react.

Example: He would see dog up ahead, a very quick turn of direction and a good boy with treat as long as he didn’t react. We were simply rewarding him seeing a dog without reacting. If he did react a stern Ah At noise was made and we would change direction. No pulling or correcting him on the lead etc, the vocal correction was enough. We were able to get him closer and closer to dogs with zero reaction doing this and soon didn’t have to change direction.

It’s blooming tough but keep at it. Consistency is key and trying to remain calm and patient. Good luck.

 

[Mum of Ted]

Have you tried a front-fastening harness, or a halter such as a Halti or Gentle Leader? I'm not a great fan of halters, but they can work very well. And they don't have to be permanent - if they help him walk without lunging, it then gives you more opportunities to reward 'nice walking'. If he does keep lunging though, there's the potential to damage his neck (opinions differ on this), so you might not want to persevere.

Also, and it's a long shot, is there anywhere you can walk him where you can avoid other dogs? If you take him somewhere relatively quiet, then if he does see a dog and kicks off, you could just stand/sit still and completely ignore him (take a book/think Zen thoughts) until he stops. The moment he stops and turns his attention to you, praise and reward, and walk the other way.

It might be better to split his walks into 2 or 3 a day (maybe shorter) - this could help balance his energy levels across the day, and each walk will be less exciting.

Maturity will help a lot, so don't give up!

We have tried the halti, gentle and gencon..he hates them around his nose and as he pulls and barks it sounds like he is choking. We've had different harneses too. At the moment we have a over the head one that attaches front clip and back..but if on the back he pulls more and on the front it lifts his leg up and it twists...when on both it just doesn't last long before he's pulling. He is always in a high state of excitement until 7pm when somebody somewhere turns him off and he sleeps for England! We have a relatively good sized garden where in the better months he is out in lots and we throw the ball amd he can do his zoomies..but while the days are short and dark he doesn't spend much time other than to go to the toilet. My worry is if we spend too many walks avoiding dogs he'll never get used to them. Forgot to mention that last week he went to his first ever board for half a day just down the road and she has 2 labs..he was absolutely fine with them.and the video she posted to us of him on a walk was on a harness and he was a perfect specimen of a dog. She said he wasn't a puller and has amazing focus....Yet when we walk him he pulls and we do exactly as she did, ah, ah, back, stop and wait..does having 2 other dogs make that much difference...why didn't he bark at them when walking with them? How come he walked perfectly, literally for a dog walker and totally the opposite for us. We change tone in our voice and give treats once he is showing good behaviour.....he's a spoilt dog but not with food, just love although we always have treats on a walk to reward. We've tried slip leads too but they hurt his neck as he pulls. Sorry if this is a little muddled but as you type thjngs come into your head that you think might help someone understand him...he's a very clever boy but we can't seem to calm him. He has also taken calming tablets for 3 months..didn't change him one bit.
Socialising classes are so expensive.

 

[JoanneF]

Have a look at this thread - it was written more from a context of dogs reacting through fear rather than excitement but the same principles apply.

Thread 'Dog Reactivity' Dog Reactivity

Also, I think we have said before, you need YOU to be the source of all fun and good things so he gets far more excitement from engaging with you than with other dogs. Do you play with him on walks, randomly ask for behaviours and reward, training etc?

I'm glad you have stopped using the shaker can, that sort of thing doesn't do anything apart from interrupt a behaviour. Any dogs that do stop what they are doing are only suppressing their behaviour, not choosing a better one.

 

[Mum of Ted]

So the last 2 days we've changed 2 things that have been suggested for our pulling dog, the barking will have to wait because I can't cope with both.
We are now doing 3 short 25 minute walks around the block covering the same roads and lanes rather than an hrs walk with lots of pulling and getting frustrated. We've found he is slightly less excited, only a little but it is noticeable enough to see it...as he's already been out, the 3rd walk is much better. Also when we think he's getting too far ahead we say 'back' and stop..he is almost already instantly coming back and we reset. He will always stop but sometimes doesnt come back to our side so if he doesn't we then give hime a second to make the right choice..if he still doesnt come back we then say 'this way' and change direction for a couple of steps then back to the way we were heading. We're thinking that although he hasn't come back to our sode he still hasn't been able to carry on forward because we've changed dorection. Not sure what to do still when he spots another dog, even on the other side of the field he was lunging to get to them. Today I just tirned around but he was still spinning round me to see them. I ignored and wjen they had gone we carried on. Should I once he sees a dog get.him to sit in front of me, and have a little moment.

 

[JudyN]

That sounds like good progress The down side of getting your dog to sit when he is kicking off is that he's now even more stressed as he has to bottle it all up. My dog used to kick off if he spotted a cat on a lead walk. He was a big dog and I would have struggled to drag him away even if I wanted to, so I just stood still, held on tight, and waited until he had blown himself out. The moment that he calmed down, I'd praise/treat and walk on (and repeat if necessary). Eventually, this worked, and if we saw a cat he would choose to make a real effort to keep himself under control as we walked by (if the cat was directly ahead, I'd turn and take a different route, as getting really close would have been asking too much).

 

[Hemlock]

I agree don't use the 'sit'. I'd recommend you get yourself between your dog and the other(s) and create distance (it's fine to turn back, get the other side of a rubbish bin, whatever) and quick-march away. As we increase the distance so we reduce the threat. If we try to immobilise the dog (e.g. with Sit) we increase the stress. I liken it to - if you were afraid of wasps and a wasp settled on the window of the room you were in you'd be tense, but if the wasp came nearer you might feel you had to shout and it or wave your arms to fend it off. But if I got between you and the window and calmly walked you away from it, you would be less reactive until you were far enough away from the wasp that you weren't at all bothered. It wouldn't be long before you'd see a wasp and trust me to take you away to where YOU (not I or anyone else) felt safe.

 

[Mum of Ted]

Thankyou, I understand the wasp scenario and can see how Ted would be more anxious if I'm making him sit while other dogs are around. Sometimes we cant always change direction especially if we're on the high road and a dog is coming towards us but on the other side of the road. Ted will spot them and lunge or bark. If i turned I'd be walking then infront of the other dog and Ted would be forever turning back. In this case I normally just carry on, hold tight and wait for him to stop...this is when I get anxious and no matter how many times people say keep calm it's hard! I have feelings of frustration at Ted, sadness because he is for some reason in a pickle, disappointment that we haven't trained him right and then I wish I was the person the other side of the road walking their 'unreactive dog' on a lovely easy dog walk. Nobody told me that having a dog could be so debilitating. But, we march on and I am thankful that through advice on here we have had less pulling generally as the stop and back is working. And btw we are using a rabbitgoo harness which he doesn't mind having on, using the front clip a the moment, hoping that once he is consistent we can move to the back clip and then eventually to his lovely normal lead that matches his collar. All in good time.

 

[Mum of Ted]

Thankyou, I understand the wasp scenario and can see how Ted would be more anxious if I'm making him sit while other dogs are around. Sometimes we cant always change direction especially if we're on the high road and a dog is coming towards us but on the other side of the road. Ted will spot them and lunge or bark. If i turned I'd be walking then infront of the other dog and Ted would be forever turning back. In this case I normally just carry on, hold tight and wait for him to stop...this is when I get anxious and no matter how many times people say keep calm it's hard! I have feelings of frustration at Ted, sadness because he is for some reason in a pickle, disappointment that we haven't trained him right and then I wish I was the person the other side of the road walking their 'unreactive dog' on a lovely easy dog walk. Nobody told me that having a dog could be so debilitating. But, we march on and I am thankful that through advice on here we have had less pulling generally as the stop and back is working. And btw we are using a rabbitgoo harness which he doesn't mind having on, using the front clip a the moment, hoping that once he is consistent we can move to the back clip and then eventually to his lovely normal lead that matches his collar. All in good time.

 

[Mum of Ted]

Thankyou, I understand the wasp scenario and can see how Ted would be more anxious if I'm making him sit while other dogs are around. Sometimes we cant always change direction especially if we're on the high road and a dog is coming towards us but on the other side of the road. Ted will spot them and lunge or bark. If i turned I'd be walking then infront of the other dog and Ted would be forever turning back. In this case I normally just carry on, hold tight and wait for him to stop...this is when I get anxious and no matter how many times people say keep calm it's hard! I have feelings of frustration at Ted, sadness because he is for some reason in a pickle, disappointment that we haven't trained him right and then I wish I was the person the other side of the road walking their 'unreactive dog' on a lovely easy dog walk. Nobody told me that having a dog could be so debilitating. But, we march on and I am thankful that through advice on here we have had less pulling generally as the stop and back is working. And btw we are using a rabbitgoo harness which he doesn't mind having on, using the front clip a the moment, hoping that once he is consistent we can move to the back clip and then eventually to his lovely normal lead that matches his collar. All in good time.

 

[Hemlock]

He is rather gorgeous!

When you feel yourself tensing up, sing. Seriously. Not out loud but in your mind. It's really hard to be tense and sing at the same time. Opera, rugby songs, pop songs, sea shanties - whatever. And always walk your dog on the inside so your body is between him and the other dog, even if they are the other side of the road.

This will pass - honestly.

 

[JudyN]

My worry is if we spend too many walks avoiding dogs he'll never get used to them.

Sorry, I meant to pick up on this. The best you can aim for is your dog seeing other dogs and going 'meh, boring', and the worst is for your dog to be repeatedly kicking off, as the more he does it, the more it'll be reinforced. If you can avoid dogs for now, it means walks are automatically calmer, and you are more important - you can get his focus on to you and make you the most rewarding thing in the environment.

Then, if/when you do see a dog, hopefully it will be at a distance where it's still relatively boring, and you have more chance of being able to get his attention on you, and reward him for that attention. You can get to the point where when he sees a dog at a distance he'll turn to you rather than focus on the dog.

Then, having done this groundwork, you can gradually increase the level of distraction, i.e. number of dogs or how close you are to them - keep rewarding calm behaviour or focus on you, and if he does kick off, you know that you've gone too far too soon. (Of course, this is just the theory - in practice, dogs will appear when you're not expecting them, so you can only do your best.) There's more on this here: Dog Reactivity

Also - I can't remember if I've already said this, but as he matures this will become easier - those teenogre years are never easy, just like in humans. And the more you can prevent the behaviour, the less likely it is to become ingrained.

 

[Flobo]

One of the boys I walk was highly reactive to other dogs in the distance, never mind getting close, as well as joggers, cyclists etc etc. He was so reactive that twice in the early days, when avoidance wasn't possible, in his frenzy he made contact with my leg. It's been just over a year now and with a lot of work and consistency, keeping every walk as calm as is possible and I (and his owner) use the 'watch me' technique, he is like a different dog. Don't get me wrong still if a random dog manages to get too close he will react, but his reaction will be a 1 or 2 with quick recovery, instead of literally off the scale! Another thing I do with him is sit on a small hill at the edge of a golf course, here he can watch other dogs but they can't get close, he's so relaxed doing this now that he's even chosen to lay down and watch the golfers instead. This may not sound like much, but it is huge for him.

I suppose I'm just saying, hang on in there, keep the walks as consistently calm as possible(this is key I have found) and as @JudyN says above get his focus on you. The dog I mentioned will, 9 out of 10 times now, clock a dog and just instantly look at me for his treat and we'll just walk on. He's not perfect of course, but way, way more manageable and a lot more relaxed than he was a year ago!

Can I also add teaching 'this way' and randomly changing direction at any point through your walk, not just when you spot another dog, is also good practice, as you did mention above. You want your boy to be fluid in changing with you and not batting an eyelid. It also helps keep their focus on you.

 

[Mum of Ted]

He is rather gorgeous!

When you feel yourself tensing up, sing. Seriously. Not out loud but in your mind. It's really hard to be tense and sing at the same time. Opera, rugby songs, pop songs, sea shanties - whatever. And always walk your dog on the inside so your body is between him and the other dog, even if they are the other side of the road.

This will pass - honestly.

Ah, not thought of that..I will definitely try it tomorrow.