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Hi all,
I have a 15-month-old lurcher pup who is fantastic and is doing great with his training. It might be easier to give some background on him before asking for advice.
He was the runt of the litter and very badly bullied by his siblings, to the point where he couldn't be kept or transported with them. We worried about how this would impact his social interactions, but we immediately saw how much he loved other dogs. We made the mistake of over-socialising him as a pup, and therefore, our biggest challenge with him has been his obsession with other dogs. He would pull on his lead, not move, not pay attention to us, or have any interest in even his favourite treats. We've worked with a trainer about this; he has come a massive way and can often ignore them when walking.
When he was about 6 months old, another dog bit him badly on the back leg. We worried this could impact his behaviour with other dogs, so we made sure to continue to socialise with him but take it at his own pace. He did great, and although he was slightly more wary of other dogs, he was still dog-obsessed.
Flash forward to now. When he sees a dog, he will freeze and stare. If given the chance, he would go and say hi to them and we do let him say hi to dogs that seem up for the energy of a young lurcher. When he greets another dog, he shows typical signs of fear: ears flat back, hunched position, tail between legs. But he also wants to say hi and initiate the greeting, and once he sees the dog is friendly, he wants to play. It is like he has an inner struggle where his heart says he wants to see the dog, but his head tells him to be nervous. We want to make sure that he doesn't become reactive or have other dogs react badly to him, so we are keen to help him but aren't sure of the best way to do it. We have worked hard on his training, and teaching him to ignore dogs has been a huge accomplishment, but we also don't want him to fear them either. I wondered if anyone had advice on how to help him overcome this fear without encouraging him to go to the other extreme of being dog-obsessed.
Really appreciate any advice
I have a 15-month-old lurcher pup who is fantastic and is doing great with his training. It might be easier to give some background on him before asking for advice.
He was the runt of the litter and very badly bullied by his siblings, to the point where he couldn't be kept or transported with them. We worried about how this would impact his social interactions, but we immediately saw how much he loved other dogs. We made the mistake of over-socialising him as a pup, and therefore, our biggest challenge with him has been his obsession with other dogs. He would pull on his lead, not move, not pay attention to us, or have any interest in even his favourite treats. We've worked with a trainer about this; he has come a massive way and can often ignore them when walking.
When he was about 6 months old, another dog bit him badly on the back leg. We worried this could impact his behaviour with other dogs, so we made sure to continue to socialise with him but take it at his own pace. He did great, and although he was slightly more wary of other dogs, he was still dog-obsessed.
Flash forward to now. When he sees a dog, he will freeze and stare. If given the chance, he would go and say hi to them and we do let him say hi to dogs that seem up for the energy of a young lurcher. When he greets another dog, he shows typical signs of fear: ears flat back, hunched position, tail between legs. But he also wants to say hi and initiate the greeting, and once he sees the dog is friendly, he wants to play. It is like he has an inner struggle where his heart says he wants to see the dog, but his head tells him to be nervous. We want to make sure that he doesn't become reactive or have other dogs react badly to him, so we are keen to help him but aren't sure of the best way to do it. We have worked hard on his training, and teaching him to ignore dogs has been a huge accomplishment, but we also don't want him to fear them either. I wondered if anyone had advice on how to help him overcome this fear without encouraging him to go to the other extreme of being dog-obsessed.
Really appreciate any advice
