walking

[archie2018]

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Hi, I have a 8 year old rescue jack russel cross he is an absolute angel in doors but once out on the lead he turns into a wild thing, he twizzles constantly jumps on walls, can escape any form of collar/harness, and will attack other male dogs, I used to enjoy dog walking but not any more, thought he would improve with age but no difference, any help appreciated

 

[JoanneF]

Do you know his backgroud? Has he always done this with you? There are escape proof harnesses available, for his safety as well as other dogs' that would be a first step.

 

[archie2018]

Hi, He has always done it, but is somewhat worse than he was. As far as I know he had never been on a lead till I got him, I have tried quite a few different harnesses, I now take him to a dog walking field, which is hired by the hour so no worries about other dogs, but its not that local and of course it does cost, otherwise just have to be vigilant,

 

[JoanneF]

Is it the lead (maybe with the collar or harness) that is the main problem or is it other dogs?

 

[archie2018]

mainly the lead walking, I can always avoid other dogs

 

[JoanneF]

One of the things to check is that he doesn't actually have any physical discomfort. Different styles of harness sometimes have bits that catch behind elbows, fasteners in places that pinch, or bits that rub. If you are sure all is well there, you could try getting him accustomed to it by having a very light lead attached to his collar around the house, just to trail behind him. Cut off the handle loop though so it doesn't catch on anything. You could even use a length of ribbon.

Once he is ok with that, you want him to relax to lead pressure. This video explains it really well.

Have a look, see what you think.

This behaviour seems to be quite deeply ingrained so please don't expect a quick fix.

 

[Violet Turner]

Hope this paragraph helps: So around 30% of rescue dogs will come to you with aggression in one way or another, it’s unusual to see a dog that only has one type of aggression, normally they have two or three types of aggression. Most aggression stems from the first 16-17 weeks of a dog’s life when they haven’t been socialised at all or properly, the second most is neutering a dog too early in their life. I am still amazed to hear some dog trainers say ‘Just neuter them it will solve it’ which it won’t, it will only make the dog worse and stay in a puppies mental state. It may surprise you to know that over-vaccination can cause aggression, as can neutering. You will want to take him to the vet and rule out any medical problems with the aggression and make sure it’s only mental. There are lots different medical reasons why a dog could be showing aggressive behaviors. They range from Lack of socialization Neutering, Pain, Epilepsy, and Diabetes. I was recommended this when my old rescue dog was playing up - 3in1 harness

I found this article about lead aggression I hope it helps - https://positively.com/contributors/how-i-stopped-my-dogs-leash-aggression/

If you need any more information I am happy to help in anyway as I have had experience in this topic and in general I’m happy to help out other dog owners.

Does he have any health problems?

 

[archie2018]

One of the things to check is that he doesn't actually have any physical discomfort. Different styles of harness sometimes have bits that catch behind elbows, fasteners in places that pinch, or bits that rub. If you are sure all is well there, you could try getting him accustomed to it by having a very light lead attached to his collar around the house, just to trail behind him. Cut off the handle loop though so it doesn't catch on anything. You could even use a length of ribbon.

Once he is ok with that, you want him to relax to lead pressure. This video explains it really well.

Have a look, see what you think.

This behaviour seems to be quite deeply ingrained so please don't expect a quick fix.

thank you for your help will try what is suggested on the video

 

[archie2018]

Hope this paragraph helps: So around 30% of rescue dogs will come to you with aggression in one way or another, it’s unusual to see a dog that only has one type of aggression, normally they have two or three types of aggression. Most aggression stems from the first 16-17 weeks of a dog’s life when they haven’t been socialised at all or properly, the second most is neutering a dog too early in their life. I am still amazed to hear some dog trainers say ‘Just neuter them it will solve it’ which it won’t, it will only make the dog worse and stay in a puppies mental state. It may surprise you to know that over-vaccination can cause aggression, as can neutering. You will want to take him to the vet and rule out any medical problems with the aggression and make sure it’s only mental. There are lots different medical reasons why a dog could be showing aggressive behaviors. They range from Lack of socialization Neutering, Pain, Epilepsy, and Diabetes. I was recommended this when my old rescue dog was playing up - 3in1 harness

I found this article about lead aggression I hope it helps - https://positively.com/contributors/how-i-stopped-my-dogs-leash-aggression/

If you need any more information I am happy to help in anyway as I have had experience in this topic and in general I’m happy to help out other dog owners.

Does he have any health problems?

Hi, no he doesn't have any health problems, he is only aggressive with male dogs, he was neutered at about 2-3 years old, he is so good with people cats ect, will look at the harness suggested, its just his behaviour on the lead . thank you for your suggestions

 

[Violet Turner]

Dog to dog aggression, it is vital that you listen to your dog, it could be that he is really worried or in pain or could also be that he has had a bad experience with a male dog. There are many reasons why here:

1. He could be frightened
   
   
2. He may feel the need to dominate
   
   
3. He could be curios
   
   
4. Very excited
   
   
5. Stressed if another dog comes in his space
   

Sometimes, what we think is aggression may be the result of hyper energy, eagerness, or natural inquisitiveness. Therefore, in dog-to-dog aggression cases, it is important to understand what your dog is feeling, and what he is trying to say.

Step 1.) Be calm, what I mean by this is for you being very assertive, because dogs know what we are thinking. If you are calm then he shouldn’t bite another dog or growl/bark.

Step 2.) Teach avoidance I have found that avoidance is probably the most effective when I move my eyes from both the dog, as well as the owner. I keep my eyes forward, and keep walking at a natural pace so the dog doesn’t think you’re anxious.

Step 3.) Create a barrier you can do this by moving to the other side of the road or into a driveway, and waiting for the other dog to pass.

There is loads more steps but they are very self-explanatory.

 

[leashedForLife]

.

I have several suggestions - but the very first is to buy or borrow a copy of Click to Calm .
If $$ is a concern, used copies are often available online, or buy the e-book version, or borrow it from the library - if need be, via interlibrary loan.

Re the escapes from collars & harnesses - I'd suggest not wearing one, but two:
a W-I-D-E sighthound-style martingale round his neck for safe restraint without strangling him,
& a Gentle Leader headcollar for fine control of his head & his eye-gaze: he can't go off like a firecracker if he can't fixate on the other male dog, posture, & stare at him, as a prelude to his tantrum; turning his head aside with the GL is very safe, uses minimal force, & is extremely effective.
Using a very-short coupler with snaps at both ends, connect the ring under the chin of the GL, to the martingale.

It takes an average of 7 to 10-days to properly introduce & habituate a GL headcollar so that the dog wears it happily, without fussing - remember to use a LIGHTWEIGHT 6-ft leash, with light hardware! - bull-snaps, inch-wide webbing leashes, & 4-inch long spring clips are overkill, as the headcollar makes it impossible for the dog to use the wt of his body, the power of his torso, or the strength of his LEGS.
All he's got to work with are the muscles of his neck - so U don't need hefty hardware or heavy-duty leashes. An ordinary half-inch wide nylon webbing leash, with good box stitching where the snap is attached & the wrist-loop is sewn, will be more than sufficient. Heavier hardware & big fat leashes transfer their wt directly to the NOSE STRAP of the headcollar, nagging at a dog, making them uncomfortable & hyperaware of the nose-loop, so that they are tempted to repeatedly paw or thumb at it in an effort to remove it.

here's an excellent example of how to introduce a GL -

at first the dog is marked & rewarded for looking at the GL; then for leaning toward it, taking a step toward it, sniffing it, etc; then hold it up, & reward every instance of contact. Finally, teach the dog to stick his own face into the nose-loop while U hold it open, again marking & rewarding, & last, teach him to STAND with the noseband on his face while U fasten the buckle. :thumbsup:
It must be fitted properly, so that the lower edge of the noseband -STOPS- at the upper-edge of the dog's nose leather, where the hair stops. Adjust it by unlocking the snap under the chin & moving both ends slightly [tighter or looser], then lock the snap by pressing the flip-up down firmly until it audibly pops.
Once it's adjusted, PIN THE OVERLAP of both straps on the far side of the buckle with a safety-pin, otherwise the oils from the dog's haircoat will make the buckle of the neck-strap slide over time, & it will slowly become escapable - he will flip the noseband off with his thumb, & if the headcollar isn't coupled to the martingale, or if the leash is not on the martingale, he'll be off & gone!
Now when U want to put it on or take it off, use the buckle on the neck-strap & don't mess with the nose-band at all; wash the GL by putting it into a lingerie bag & washing it with the laundry, in cold or warm water - not hot; hang it to dry, the buckled neck-strap over a doorknob is perfect.

More later - it's 11-PM & i want to get to bed...
- terry

.

 

[archie2018]

thank you will take on board your suggestions

 

[leashedForLife]

.

habituating a headcollar starts as above, teaching the dog that every interaction on their part with the GL is rewarding - they look at it? Mark + Treat!... They take 1 step toward it? Mark + Treat!... They lower their nose toward it? Mark + Treat!... They TOUCH it with their nose? Mark + Treat!

Literally every time they interact with the headcollar, as U gradually raise the bar for what behavior U're rewarding now, results in happy experiences: a marker clearly communicates THAT'S what we want, & a high-value pea-sized tidbit immediately follows the marker.

Warm, brief, low-pitched praise can come in-between the mark / treat moments, or for even better results, shut up during actual training sessions [5-minutes or less in duration] & speak only between sessions. Humans yammer at their dogs far too much, & minimizing chatter helps to clarify what's going on, for the dog.

OK - U've introduced the GL happily, & U've reached the stage where the dog cheerfully shoves their own nose into the nose-loop, & STANDS there while U buckle the neck-strap. The GL was properly fitted days ago, & the neck-strap overlap is safety-pinned on the far side of the buckle, so that it cannot loosen & slide gradually open; the bottom edge of the nose loop STOPS at the dog's nose-leather, & cannot be pulled off their face. // Now what?

Now the dog wears the GL for every meal, morning & evening.
Using masking-tape, secure the leash-ring loosely to the neck-strap, so it does not dangle & swing under his chin, but is neatly out of the way. Put their measured meal into the bowl, call them, ask the dog to insert their nose in the loop by holding the nose-loop open in front of them, buckle it, put the bowl on the floor, they eat; as soon as they're done, ask for a SIT, unbuckle the GL, take it off, deliver the palmed tidbit. // Do this for at least 2 days, maybe 3; it should become a seamless part of the daily routine, quite ho-hum.

On day 3 or 4, depending on how well the dog responds, ADD "every walk" to the times that the dog wears the GL, but the leash goes on the other collar - in this case, that wide martingale [one inch wide is good; 1.5-inches isn't excessive for a JRT-cross].
He still wears it during meals, so he now wears it 7 or more times daily - 2 meals, plus at least 5 potty-trips for the average dog. Every time he exits to potty, even for 15-seconds to wee, he wears the GL without the weight of a leash; plus, every time he's out for a nice walk, he wears the GL.
After 2 more days [day 5 or 6], add "every fun event" to the times he wears the GL - during play with another dog, play with U indoors, while exploring the pet-supply, playing tug, playing fetch or chase-the-ball, anything.

[Don't leave the GL on during car-trips - it's too easy for the dog to slice the nose-loop open with their pre-molars in a matter of minutes, & for the same reason, s/he never wears it unsupervised, only when an adult is attentively watching.]

It's day 7 or 8; the dog should now be very comfortable wearing the headcollar; he should perk up & get happy AS SOON AS HE SEES IT, because he's learned something good comes right behind it - a meal, a walk, play, adventure. He should be wearing it 10 to 12 times a day, for varying periods, & completely ignoring it.
Now, take off the masking-tape to free the leash-ring, pocket the GL, & step outside with the dog leashed on the martingale collar. Take out the GL, hold the nose-loop open so he puts his face into it & stands to have it buckled; couple the leash-ring to the D-ring on the martingale [use a short narrow coupler, with lightweight spring-clips], clip the lightweight leash to the leash ring, & immediately start walking briskly, with a cheery 'Let's go!'

This is when the dog is likely to balk, if he's going to balk at all - the 1st time he feels the funny sensation of weight on his nose, from the leash. Make it a SHORT walk - 5-minutes is plenty, 3 is fine, and 10 is much-too long. We want forward movement, at a brisk pace, & no thumbing the nose-band! Keep him moving, turn about & go home, enter, take it off. How did he do? - if he was completely engrossed in the world around him & keeping up with U, terrific! - U did a perfect job in the habituation period. Click!
If he stopped once or twice to paw at or thumb the nose-band, not too bad - but keep him moving the next time. // If he sat or lay down to try to drag the noseband off his face, bad human! - Shame! Don't dawdle, don't meander, & don't stroll aimlessly - choose a visible goal, & walk TOWARD that goal, purposefully.
Please leave that mobile-phone in yer pocket, & do not take it in hand during these walks - focus on the dog. Turn off the ringer. Agony, i know - shut it off, anyway; the world can stagger along without U for a bit.

Once he's worn the GL with the leash for the 1st time, U're over the hump - he should not be fussed by the wt of the leash, the next time, but keep his walks brief & take more of them, for a day or two, to minimize the chance that he'll sour on the GL. Then begin lengthening them to his usual duration. // Novel or exciting places, such as the pet-supply with other dogs & dog-lovers around, the beach, etc, will distract him from the wt of the leash on his foreface & make thumbing the noseband less likely. Take advantage of this to add duration to his sessions, wearing the GL with the leash attached.
Keep pairing meals with the GL - without the leash, of course - just to practice having him put his face in the loop, & stand to have it buckled before he's given his meal.

Within a week after his first walk with the leash on the GL, he should be wearing it for 30-minutes or more without attempting to thumb the noseband off once. // The children in my summer training-camp were each given a GL at our 1st class, & it was fitted properly & pinned to size that day; their 1st homework was to use the written instructions over the next week, & habituate their dogs to their headcollars. A week later, every dog arrived wearing their GL for class, & none were fussing; the dozen kids ranged from an 8-YO girl to an 11-YO a boy, & the dogs were adults of every size from a JRT-mix to a Dane-Lab cross, from 10-pounds to 125.
Kids have the advantage of not having 35 to 40-hr a week jobs, so they can devote a lot of time in short sessions to training; this is extremely effective.

- terry

.

 

[Violet Turner]

.

habituating a headcollar starts as above, teaching the dog that every interaction on their part with the GL is rewarding - they look at it? Mark + Treat!... They take 1 step toward it? Mark + Treat!... They lower their nose toward it? Mark + Treat!... They TOUCH it with their nose? Mark + Treat!

Literally every time they interact with the headcollar, as U gradually raise the bar for what behavior U're rewarding now, results in happy experiences: a marker clearly communicates THAT'S what we want, & a high-value pea-sized tidbit immediately follows the marker.

Warm, brief, low-pitched praise can come in-between the mark / treat moments, or for even better results, shut up during actual training sessions [5-minutes or less in duration] & speak only between sessions. Humans yammer at their dogs far too much, & minimizing chatter helps to clarify what's going on, for the dog.

OK - U've introduced the GL happily, & U've reached the stage where the dog cheerfully shoves their own nose into the nose-loop, & STANDS there while U buckle the neck-strap. The GL was properly fitted days ago, & the neck-strap overlap is safety-pinned on the far side of the buckle, so that it cannot loosen & slide gradually open; the bottom edge of the nose loop STOPS at the dog's nose-leather, & cannot be pulled off their face. // Now what?

Now the dog wears the GL for every meal, morning & evening.
Using masking-tape, secure the leash-ring loosely to the neck-strap, so it does not dangle & swing under his chin, but is neatly out of the way. Put their measured meal into the bowl, call them, ask the dog to insert their nose in the loop by holding the nose-loop open in front of them, buckle it, put the bowl on the floor, they eat; as soon as they're done, ask for a SIT, unbuckle the GL, take it off, deliver the palmed tidbit. // Do this for at least 2 days, maybe 3; it should become a seamless part of the daily routine, quite ho-hum.

On day 3 or 4, depending on how well the dog responds, ADD "every walk" to the times that the dog wears the GL, but the leash goes on the other collar - in this case, that wide martingale [one inch wide is good; 1.5-inches isn't excessive for a JRT-cross].
He still wears it during meals, so he now wears it 7 or more times daily - 2 meals, plus at least 5 potty-trips for the average dog. Every time he exits to potty, even for 15-seconds to wee, he wears the GL without the weight of a leash; plus, every time he's out for a nice walk, he wears the GL.
After 2 more days [day 5 or 6], add "every fun event" to the times he wears the GL - during play with another dog, play with U indoors, while exploring the pet-supply, playing tug, playing fetch or chase-the-ball, anything.

[Don't leave the GL on during car-trips - it's too easy for the dog to slice the nose-loop open with their pre-molars in a matter of minutes, & for the same reason, s/he never wears it unsupervised, only when an adult is attentively watching.]

It's day 7 or 8; the dog should now be very comfortable wearing the headcollar; he should perk up & get happy AS SOON AS HE SEES IT, because he's learned something good comes right behind it - a meal, a walk, play, adventure. He should be wearing it 10 to 12 times a day, for varying periods, & completely ignoring it.
Now, take off the masking-tape to free the leash-ring, pocket the GL, & step outside with the dog leashed on the martingale collar. Take out the GL, hold the nose-loop open so he puts his face into it & stands to have it buckled; couple the leash-ring to the D-ring on the martingale [use a short narrow coupler, with lightweight spring-clips], clip the lightweight leash to the leash ring, & immediately start walking briskly, with a cheery 'Let's go!'

This is when the dog is likely to balk, if he's going to balk at all - the 1st time he feels the funny sensation of weight on his nose, from the leash. Make it a SHORT walk - 5-minutes is plenty, 3 is fine, and 10 is much-too long. We want forward movement, at a brisk pace, & no thumbing the nose-band! Keep him moving, turn about & go home, enter, take it off. How did he do? - if he was completely engrossed in the world around him & keeping up with U, terrific! - U did a perfect job in the habituation period. Click!
If he stopped once or twice to paw at or thumb the nose-band, not too bad - but keep him moving the next time. // If he sat or lay down to try to drag the noseband off his face, bad human! - Shame! Don't dawdle, don't meander, & don't stroll aimlessly - choose a visible goal, & walk TOWARD that goal, purposefully.
Please leave that mobile-phone in yer pocket, & do not take it in hand during these walks - focus on the dog. Turn off the ringer. Agony, i know - shut it off, anyway; the world can stagger along without U for a bit.

Once he's worn the GL with the leash for the 1st time, U're over the hump - he should not be fussed by the wt of the leash, the next time, but keep his walks brief & take more of them, for a day or two, to minimize the chance that he'll sour on the GL. Then begin lengthening them to his usual duration. // Novel or exciting places, such as the pet-supply with other dogs & dog-lovers around, the beach, etc, will distract him from the wt of the leash on his foreface & make thumbing the noseband less likely. Take advantage of this to add duration to his sessions, wearing the GL with the leash attached.
Keep pairing meals with the GL - without the leash, of course - just to practice having him put his face in the loop, & stand to have it buckled before he's given his meal.

Within a week after his first walk with the leash on the GL, he should be wearing it for 30-minutes or more without attempting to thumb the noseband off once. // The children in my summer training-camp were each given a GL at our 1st class, & it was fitted properly & pinned to size that day; their 1st homework was to use the written instructions over the next week, & habituate their dogs to their headcollars. A week later, every dog arrived wearing their GL for class, & none were fussing; the dozen kids ranged from an 8-YO girl to an 11-YO a boy, & the dogs were adults of every size from a JRT-mix to a Dane-Lab cross, from 10-pounds to 125.
Kids have the advantage of not having 35 to 40-hr a week jobs, so they can devote a lot of time in short sessions to training; this is extremely effective.

- terry

.
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Blinking heck how much writing wowzers!