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Pupforum presents your training questions answered by professional dog trainers.
Dawn has a background in competition in breed and the obedience ring, the whelping box, trained her own ‘registered therapy dog’, herding, tracking, lure coursing, water work training, field training, agility, and sailing with her boat trained dog. Dawn was one of the few trainers utilizing ‘positive reinforcement’ based methods before it’s popularity. Dawn has been interviewed by authors for a variety of articles such as Dog Fancy and The Washington Post. The Washingtonian Magazine chose Dawn as one of “Washington’s Best Dog Trainers”. As the owner, and founder of Merit Puppy Training, LLC, she continues to teach group classes and also works as a private consultant.
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[Edit]
8/29/2005
I have a 1.5 yr old rescued female Doberman. She is a sweet dog, but gets a little aggressive when on a leash and we meet up with another dog. She lunges and barks wildly. I have her in a basic obedience class right now, but would like some advise on what to do to control her behavior when walking past yards that have dogs in them. Thanks. Paul G (paulg, Indiana)
I use food, and I make sure my dog is hungry and has not been fed prior to training; my dog is fed as he is being trained. Any and all interactions with your dog is training, teaching, playing regardless of where you are ---- you are always in control and aware of what is happening and how your dog is feeling.... that's just the way it is.
Tell your dog to SIT before he goes off the deep end. Sometimes leashes can cause what we call "barrier" frustration, but due to all the barking and lunging we're never quite sure what will happen if the dog is allowed to say HI to the other dog because he/she is so worked up. Even the nicest of dogs can get into it with another dog when frustration levels are at a high level. Anticipating what triggers your dog to react a certain way allows you the time to observe (and get to know your dog real well) so you can tell your dog WHAT to do first
before he goes on his own agenda.....you can relate this to 'putting the breaks on after you already hit the car in front of you' ...it's too late.
You need to know your dog and read him well, anticipate what may happen and how your dog will react and put him on YOUR agenda and tell him to do something that is incompatible with what HE wants to do, it sure is better to sit for a treat rather than bark at another dog....try to imagine your goal, you would like your dog to think this way, "Gee when I see another dog I sit and get a treat, seeing other dogs makes good things happen for me". This takes work and time and patience, nothing happens over night. You may also want to inquire about a Gentle Leader from your instructor - you need hands on instructions in order to use it properly, this tool may help you.
I also congratulate you on adopting a rescue, it's a major contribution of yourself to give a home to a dog in need, plus the baggage that comes with a dog whose history may be unknown so you are in 'unchartered' waters, and trying to make a difference in the dog's life, especially the time it may take you to help your dog get over some of her issues.
Good Luck, I wish you well, and hope I gave you some food for thought.
Always, Dawn
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