Training my reactive dog

[Larley]

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Hi,
I’m hoping to get some advise. I have a really reactive dog she’s a mix I rescued her as a pup and she is 2 now but she has a bad sense to guard our house. I have a lot of land and she has free roam of it she has always refused to step foot in the house she she is a outside dog but we live next to the sea so get a lot of people passing through property to fish. She will bark and some people she will try and bite at there feet. I have done training with her she knows sit lay down we are working of stay Command but the struggle comes in with recall. She just cannot separate come and guarding. On a lead she is really good and when in the garden with no one around she listens and comes but if there is someone there she is oblivious of what I’m saying. How can I keep her full focus on me and not on guarding. I have tried sitting with her and trying to keep her focus on me as people walk by and praising her for it but as soon as I go to walk off she will try and run at them. We have to keep her on the lead through the day and allowing her off during evening. I and just unsure on where to start with her. I train with treats and praise but no matter how much I train she just doesn’t stop. I have 2 other puppies both rescued from the street and don’t want her behaviour rubbing off on them.

 

[JudyN]

I'm not sure whether you would ever be able to train her out of this completely and reliably, and presumably if she did bite someone there could be severe consequences. The first step would be to manage her environment so that she never gets close enough to them to make her react. So you would be right at one end of the land with her, and when someone walked across in the distance, you would give her a really good treat. Repeat, until when she sees someone in the distance, she turns to you in happy expectation of a treat. Then you reduce the distance slightly, and repeat... and so on. But of course the situation changes when you're not there and she's off lead. And it must be confusing for her, as she sees this as your land, and strangers are invading it.

I do think that for her safety, and that of others, you might be best thinking of long-term management strategies - maybe build her a big enclosure/run and make sure you walk her regularly. Unless, of course, you are able to fence off the areas where the public is permitted.

I'm not an expert though, so others may have some thoughts.

 

[Larley]

We built her an enclosure and she kept escaping it she hated being in there. We have to lock her up when we are not in the garden and fencing off the area we can’t do the side of the sea is government property and we was told to take the gate down when we put it up. She will aggressively bark at the fishermen and I go out and sit with her trying to keep her attention on me and praise her for it but she looks out the corner of her eye and growls very hard to keep full attention. When walking on walks there’s no problem at all sence or guarding is gone just when in the garden. She is so loving and listens so well but as soon as she sees someone walking towards the property she goes into defence mode and barks aggressively. As we haven’t mastered her recall she has to be on a long leash but I allow her off when I’m around as I can be on look out if someone starts to approach but would love to be able to have her feel people can walk through without her feeling she has to guard

 

[JoanneF]

When you say people pass through your property to get to the sea, are they all taking the same path? If so, could you fence just that path?

 

[Larley]

It’s a little hard to explain so I live right by the sea and it’s a big bit of land but we tried to put a gate up before and the government told us we have to take it down as the fish men were complaining but because of the lay out it’s very hard to put a fence surrounding the area. We have sea at the front and mountain behind. Kind of hard to explain without seeing it. If I could fence it I would and my mind would be at ease

 

[Hemlock]

You have to manage this because you won't train out the "guard" in a guardy dog. Training is never 100% but management is, and you have come to us for help in what is a potentially serious situation - well done.

Rethink the enclosure. Make her one she can't get out of, make it as big as you can, with an inward overhang so she can't jump or climb out. There should be a small roofed area she can access for bad weather. Then enrich it with hidden toys for her to find, one of those children's sandpits that you can close when she is not in there (to keep cats from fouling it) and hide things in there for her to find. Conceal some high-value treats, and the first few times, stay in there with her so instead of being shut away from her people, she is sharing an area with you and making fun discoveries. You won't have to be in there for ever but start by being company for her until she sees it as a happy place.

Meanwhile walk her on a lead, as you have been doing, while she is on the property, and each time she barks at strangers (which is perfectly reasonable in her eyes) take her a distance away from them until she settles. Don't be tempted to put her in the enclosure as a "punishment" - it must be her good place to go where you do things together.