A class can help dogs better interact; Mary R. Burch, Ph.D.
I hate to walk my dog because he always barks at the other dogs that pass by. Charlie's a very sweet, 6-year old, neutered corgi, but when other dogs come near, he starts pulling at his leash, snarling and barking. I yell "No!" and pull back on the leash, but that only mildly reins him in. He's never attacked another dog, but he does scare them and their owners. I don't know why he does this; he's nice to my friends' dogs when they come by. Do you have any advice to help make walk time less stressful?
There are a number of reasons a dog will lunge and bark at other dogs while on a leash. It sometimes happens if a dog is particularly aggressive, but this doesn't sound like your corgi, as you say that your dog is nice to your friends' dogs, suggesting that his problem is specifically with unfamiliar dogs. Other reasons a dog might behave this way could be fear, acting protective of its owner, wanting to play, or a lack of adequate socialization with other dogs.
You mention that you've tried an approach that involves corrections -- yelling "No!" and pulling on the leash -- and this hasn't worked for you. Don't worry, there really are ways to make walk time more fun. Below I've given several approaches to try to make life easier for you and Charlie.
1. Consider enrolling Charlie in a Canine Good Citizen class. Teaching your dog to react appropriately to other dogs is one of the core parts of this program and a class would give you and your corgi opportunities to practice and learn this skill with other dogs.
2. Another thing to try is to only move toward another dog if your dog is behaving acceptably. If he lunges and barks, turn around and go back in the opposite direction away from the other dog. When he settles down, you can turn him around and try again. I've had good success with this procedure.
3. I also recommend trying this "shaping" procedure for dogs who lunge on the leash. You start by walking your dog behind another dog. Can he do this? If so, move to the next step and try parallel walking. Will your dog walk side by side with another dog (with both dogs on a leash)? The last step is walking toward another dog. The two dogs should start about 20 feet apart, gradually moving closer. You can see from these suggestions that you'll need a structured practice session and some helpers with dogs to work on this. This is why we it often works best for you and your dog to enroll in a training class.
4. If he will sit and stay on command, you can also have your corgi "sit and watch" as another dog passes by. Give him treats for sitting quietly and watching. Later, you can graduate to stand-and-watch, then "heel" as you walk by another dog. This method involves your corgi knowing how to sit-stay and walk beside you on the leash when you give him the command.
Do you have an animal behavior question for Dr. Burch? E-mail your questions to mary@pawnation.com. If you have questions or concerns about your pet's health, you should consult your veterinarian as soon as possible. Unfortunately, Paw Nation is not staffed to address individual questions about pet health, and we want your pet to stay healthy!
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I so admire and repect Dr. Burch's methods. I must be honest and say that I have employed none of them even though I own 4 dogs and 1 cat. But I would sure love to be able to say ny brood is social and well behaved but they are not.
Please know it is not their fault. It is all mine. I am somewhat disabled and have not been able to take these guys to any classes. Please keep up the good work and keep allowing errant owners such as myself access to your good advice
hey everyone...the best way to have a good dog is to begin with a pup not a full grown dog. pup is much easier to train.
take the pup to the dog park as often as you can - nearly everyday is best. this will allow him to socialize (without it you may have a real struggle). other tecniques may eventually work out for you and your dog however, this is the best and most proven. the benefits from this are numerous beginning with a pup.
never use treats to train, never give your dog a stuff toy from a pet store, raise your pup using a kennel in your house...small one to fit his size...graduate to a larger as he grows (you will be amazed, when he becomes tired how he will seek it out). i have found the best and only thing to allow pups, being trained for a family, to have to play with are the families socks. do not play tug of war EVER with your pup...just allow the pup to find them on his own...don't make a big deal out of the fact he has located one...just let him do it...this i have found really can connect the owners. take one he has been involved with and on occasion toss it in his kennel.
there are so many things humans do to take a wonderful pup and turn them into trouble. very simple stuff that requires more time the first six months of a pups life than a human is willing to put in. having a pup evolve into a wonderful pet has nothing to do with a pet store or treats. could write for hours of my experiences. my dogs are connected to me. they learned from the beginning. they do not beg for anything instead, they look to me. they do not get rattled by other dogs for more than a second or two. they require no leases...unless rules from the world apply.
I read your post and just have to say you are actually doing nothing wrong. Dogs are territorial, so if you teach them you are the leader of the pack, they will obey you (most the time). Don't let anyone ever tell you differently. Dogs going after other dogs is normal behavior. Some are more aggressive than others, but it is all pretty much the same.
Personally, since I teach piano and have kids coming into my home, I'd go for a cat. Unless teased, they'll usually behave very well. The cats I mean.
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Yelling and yanking will only escalate the undesired behavior. When another dog is approaching, turn and walk in another direction. As the dog improves, begin to use a sit-stay and watch me. This is merely a matter of improper training from the beginning, and a failure to follow common sense methods.
Tony,
What you describe is animal cruelty and you can be put in jail if caught. I'd advise you to control your actions because one day you wil come in contact with a dog who will rip out your throat when you try to beat it.
Good Luck with your so-called training techniques. People like you should be put on a leash along with the untrained animals.
They say dogs are a good judge of character, I can see why they bark at you. I am just wondering if you kick your customer's 150 pound Rotweiler in the head? No? Just little dogs. I thought so. The size of your "manhood" is showing.
DOGS CAN SENSE TENSION FROM THIER OWNERS THROUGH BODY LANGAUGE AND TENSION ON THE LEASH , CAUSING THEM TO BE TENSE
I have an 11 yr old corgi that liked playing with the big dogs until he got one year old when they would roll him. I had problems in Hawaii because I was trying to protect him at the dog park, and would take him away if he became short with other dogs. My kennel in Austria said aggressiveness happens often on a leash, because dogs are not allowed to determine their rank. She had several big dogs at her house, all off leash, and when I left him there, they quickly came up with a pecking order and he was fine. in fact, she joked that he tried to protect her all the time. Your dog needs to be off leash with other dogs, for at least an hour.
Kicking a dog in the head stinks of animal cruelty. What's wrong with you?
Would these techniques work for a mail career hating cattle dog? She lunges at every U.S. Mail truck, FedEx, or UPS one that drives by and I worry about her safety. Right now my boyfriend makes her sit but she still focuses all of her attention on the trucks and attempts to jump out in front of them. Is there a way to desensitize her to these trucks in a similar way as you describe doing if the problem is another dog?
Tony,
Something else is showing as well as your lack of common sense; it is called stupidity and the size of your anatomical organ, of which you seem to be lacking a great deal of; I do do hope this dog turns on you someday, and then YOU will know who is BOSS. You are a freaking moron, and an idiot and an animal abuser! You are no better than Michael Vick. Did you take lessons from him or know him? You are supposed to be the adult, it doesn't appear to me that you are even close; SHAME ON YOU! You take all of your aggression out on an innocent animal, some day that animal is going to turn on you when it has had enough. We are supposed to be their voices, NOT THEIR BOSSES!
Tony,
You are a jerk and a coward. Why are you bragging about secretly kicking someones "small" dog?
My "medium" dog would've bit you and when I came back in the room and realized what you did, well, I cannot reference any horror film that would describe what I'd do to you, scum.
Tony,
Instead of kicking the dog, why didn't you kick the owner?
You claim they never trained "the mutt", and considering they pay you, you owe your client honesty, don't sneak around kicking your customers pets, talk to the owner about putting there dogs somewhere else in the house.
Also, what is your service business, I would love you to come to my home and kick my dog, so I can pay you for your "service business"
You should be arrested for animal cruelty. I sure hope you don't have any, but if you do please do the humane thing and either find GOOD homes for them or have them euthanized. If I came up to you shouting "NO, NO" in Chinese would you know what I was saying? Well, idiot, the dog doesn't know either.
You can use whatever excuse you want to for being a jackass, but "broken skin" does NOT impress me. If that were the case I'd kick my roses every time I prune them. Nope, you need to be in jail sharing a cell with the biggest meanest guy there who just happens to LOVE dogs and HATE you.
Hey,Tony, your command of the english language really shows your stupidity!!
You sound like a complete IDIOT.One can only pray &hope that someday someone "trains" you in the same manner in which you treat other animals.
I was taught never to abuse another man or animal. The Marines taught me that there exceptions to be applied in extreme situations----you qualify you little coward !!!!!!!
you need to have your a$$ kicked the same way !
Tony, I agree with you, you wouldn't have a lion attack and say "Oh he has to eat to!" you wouldn't have someone molest you and say "Oh! they have their needs".. The dog is running after him with ONE purpose.. Tony didn't go there to kick the dog... he didn't walk pass and kick up it up the road, the dog/mutt CHARGED HIM!... as far as I know, if he lives in USA (it is NOT rabies free), if in UK(well it is) but never the less... why should he expose himself to all the bateria possible infection (which IS POSSIBLE to lead to amputation) for the dog to have his territory pleasure in biting him. Who will stand still while a dog tries to bite them really isn't that smart. I have 4 akitas, now i do not hit them, so don't accuse my of "cruelty" because i never had reason to early training etc, FIRM training too, they know i'm the boss(i guess you can say from my bullying but they love me). But ask me this question, if I by any chance found them dog with it's teeth around my 5 year old daughter, should i say oh awwww he wanted some lunch! GET REAL PEOPLE IT'S AN ANIMAL NOT A HUMAN... i would fidn the closest gun or knife!
Dogs are pack animals and the best way to address this type of alpha-dog behavior is for the owner to take the role of the alpha dog. I'm not supporting Tony's crude methods, but I do think some obedience lessons and a good pinch collar goes a long way toward teaching any dog that their owner must be obeyed. Once the dog realizes that, they can be easily trained to do anything.
We must stop treating our dogs like they are little people! They are not, and to do so is just as cruel and demeaning as beating them - think about it.