On lead behaviour

[JoanneGeary]

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I was wondering if anyone could shine a light on the following behaviour. We are keen caravanners and we take Harley with us all the time. We attach a lead to the wheel of the caravan and he has about 5 mtr ls to roam. Everytume dogs and their owners walk past past Harley ignores them but looks with interest, then as soon as he is in a lead its like someone has flicked a switch and he want to interract with every dog (not aggressively just overly playful) I don't know why. Please can anyone help x

 

[JoanneF]

I've moved your post to its own thread as its quite a specific behaviour.

I just wanted to clarify a couple of things. Do you mean his behaviour changes when he is on a normal lead rather than the 5m one? And is it only at the caravan that he does this?

 

[JoanneGeary]

I've moved your post to its own thread as its quite a specific behaviour.

I just wanted to clarify a couple of things. Do you mean his behaviour changes when he is on a normal lead rather than the 5m one? And is it only at the caravan that he does this?

Yes behaviour changes when on walking lead. He is as calm as anything on the caravan lead and dogs can walk within 2feet.of him. We put him on a normal dog lead and he changes completely and wants to interact with everything that moves x

 

[JoanneF]

And - sorry for the questions but it helps build the picture - only at the caravan, or at home too?

 

[Hemlock]

It could be that the walking lead lets other dogs get close enough for him to react, but on the longer lead he feels he can move around more and is "protected" by the caravan. Very often what owners see as "wanting to play" when on a walking lead is really hyperexcitement because the other dogs are getting too close and he feels restricted, which subliminally tells him he can't get away. Therefore he has to shout/bounce etc.

This is all surmise as we can't actually see what is happening. What is he like offlead with other dogs?

 

[JoanneGeary]

And - sorry for the questions but it helps build the picture - only at the caravan, or at home too?

Well he is never in that situation at home. When walking at home he displays the same behaviour on the lead.

 

[JoanneGeary]

It could be that the walking lead lets other dogs get close enough for him to react, but on the longer lead he feels he can move around more and is "protected" by the caravan. Very often what owners see as "wanting to play" when on a walking lead is really hyperexcitement because the other dogs are getting too close and he feels restricted, which subliminally tells him he can't get away. Therefore he has to shout/bounce etc.

This is all surmise as we can't actually see what is happening. What is he like offlead with other dogs?

Hi
He has no recall at all. So he is never off lead. Once we meet other dogs and he has introduced himself he will then ignore the other dog. I have been in secure fields with another dog and he just runs, chases and plays. Other dogs do try to attack him for some reason and take an instant dislike.

 

[JoanneF]

I think @Hemlock's theory sounds likely.

 

[Feverfew]

I'm just wondering how long Harley has been with you, and how long he has been behaving in this way?

I see also you are looking for an important post specifically on Romanian dogs. It's one of the best and most accurate descriptions I've seen of what is going on for these and other street dogs. Every sentence is a gem of wisdom - highly recommended!

 

[arealhuman]

I too have a Romanian rescue dog, lovely little chap he is, too. I'm certain their background can account for much of this. I'm afraid I can't offer any useful advice, but I can say ours has zero recall too but our plan is to start working on that soon.

 

[wub1234]

Fundamentally, he doesn't want to be on a lead! Even the best-behaved dog will prefer to be unleashed, so I think a lot of the change in behaviour comes from that. All you can really do is try to reinforce good behaviour and keep plugging away over a period of time.