walking my dog is a nightmare

[JoanneF]

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if he sees other dogs then they immediately become the main attraction

Then you are still too close to them (or the other things).

Think of it like this. If your house was on fire and someone wanted to discuss your favourite football team's performance, you wouldn't be interested in that conversation because your focus would be, quite rightly, on your burning home. It's a little bit similar - he can't focus on the ball because he sees other things that are far, far more worthy of his attention.

So your best way of training him to focus on you instead is to do it in very low distraction environments until he, and you, are much better at it.

 

[JudyN]

Also - if he wants to just sit and look at a dustbin lorry/person/dog for a few minutes, then that's fine, just as it would be if a child wanted to sit and watch an earthworm, or a plane going overhead, or whatever. A 'walk' doesn't have to focus on actually walking. OK, it can be boring for you, but it is your dog's walk.

 

[Robins mum]

Also - if he wants to just sit and look at a dustbin lorry/person/dog for a few minutes, then that's fine, just as it would be if a child wanted to sit and watch an earthworm, or a plane going overhead, or whatever. A 'walk' doesn't have to focus on actually walking. OK, it can be boring for you, but it is your dog's walk.

Robin spends a lot of time (@ 2 years old!) sniffing and leaping after or at other dogs! He lowers himself down and waits excitedly but very still and when I think we are ok I've got it all under control - ! BOING! spring bursts! LOL!

 

[C.K.B]

It sounds like you’ve got some great advice and are taking positive steps to working with your pup!

I’m still actively working with my dogs for similar behaviour, mostly to keep them away from/be disinterested in other dogs, as you never know what could happen if they continuously approach strange dogs.

One thing that I found really helped with one of my dogs who really wanted to say hi to every dog he saw was engagement with us, as some people have already mentioned in the thread. I started by calling his name while on walks at random times and every time he looked at me or stopped he would get a treat. I think in turn it’s helped somewhat with his recall as when he is off lead he now waits for us or actively checks in and stays close as he knows he’ll get a treat. He even stops to accept a treat if a dog passes by and will completely ignore them just to get a reward. This took quite a while to build up and I still do it every walk, but we tried to change it up by running with him and getting him engaged with us, using toys or having him run between us while on lead. It’s a small step but is easy to do each walk and seems to have helped us bond even more as he just wants to be around us and listens to us better.

Good luck with everything!

 

[Robins mum]

Robin spends a lot of time (@ 2 years old!) sniffing and leaping after or at other dogs! He lowers himself down and waits excitedly but very still and when I think we are ok I've got it all under control - ! BOING! spring bursts! LOL!

Well Robins done a great trick now! .........Dog walker was standing with him on the tow path waiting for another dog to go past - Robin sitting quietly at her side - ...... then it was all suddenly far too much for him to cope with as he saw a muzzle on the other dogs face...... Robin leapt at the dog to play! Poor dog walker (at the age of 71! ) flat on her face with broken ribs!!! What can I say!? ...........

 

[Victoria Salter]

i got my first puppy( shitzu) at the end of april....he is now 8 months old and walking him has become a nightmare due to the fact he is distracted by just about everything when we are out..if he sees someone walking down the street he just sits down and refuses to move until they have disappeared out of site......he refuses to go the way i want him to most of the time and i dont like dragging him in his harness, as for interacting with other dogs he just goes mental with excitement and he gets tangled up between ther owners legs/leads you name it...its got to the point where i try not to let him go near other dogs to avoid these scenarios...when he sees dogs approaching in the park he just sits down and waits for them or runs at them straight away...i cant even think about letting him offlead as he doesnt even come back to me when he is on the stretch lead...have tried to get him to come back to me or walk using treats but this doesnt really stop him from being distractd plus i realise this is a bad habit to get into...i am trying to build up a relationship with him whilst out walking to get him to do what he is told but its getting worse...my wife gets treated the exact same way as does my daughter when they are walking him...any helpful info would be really appreciated

The best way is to not let him walk the way he wants to walk and only walk the way you want him to walk. If he refuses to walk the way you want him to, either stop for a few minutes or walk the opposite way from where he wants to go/be.
A good thing to do might be to just walk with him the way you want to go, even if it means forcing him, as long as you don’t hurt him by choking him with the collar or hurt his neck or anything, and then when he does walk the way you want him to, give him praise, affection and a treat. This way, he should eventually learn to walk the way you want him to, because he will learn that it’s good to do so, and he might get a treat and some praise and pets if he behaves correctly.
As for the other dogs, as soon as you see another dog, and he reacts, stop walking, correct him verbally (not scolding, yelling or abuse), perhaps turn your back and ignore him whilst he’s being too excitable. When he is calm, reward him with a treat, some praise and some pets. Keep exposing him to other dogs and keep doing this. Eventually, he may learn to be calm, even when the other dog/s is/are still there and haven’t moved on yet. When he has learned to be calm in their presence, you could move towards the other dog/s. If he reacts excitably again, verbally correct him, stop walking towards them, turn your back and ignore him. When he is calm again, praise, treat and pet him, and move closer to the other dog/s. Keep correcting and rewarding him until you are able to get really close to another dog/other dogs. If he reacts excitably at them even when really close, verbally correct him, come away from them, ignore him and then either approach that dog/those dogs again or approach another dog/s. If the other dog/s seems reactive to him, take him away, and get away yourself, to keep him and you safe. If, on the other hand, the other dog/s are not reactive, keep trying! When he is good and calm and interacts in a calm and friendly manner, or is just calm around the other dog/s, reward him heavily. Keep practicing this. Eventually, he should learn to be well-behaved around other dogs.