Territorial barking at other dogs- HP assist dog

[englishsp]

I have a one-year-old intact male English cocker that I got 2 months ago from a private rescue (someone helping the original owner). He's doing great in almost every way - comes 98% of time (outside on 30' leash & in house), sits, long stays, lies down, waits, me out the door first, fetch and drop, only 4 potty mistakes in 2 months, only one in last 5 weeks - a real sweetie, great with kids, adult people and meeting new dogs.

One big problem, outside in our yard (1 1/2 acre field) he totally loses it when another dog and owner walk by on our street, even from 100-125 feet away. It's a popular road for joggers, bikes, etc. but mostly he's very cool. Just other dogs/dog walkers push his buttons.

He stretches himself out long, rear end lowered, rear legs back long, head and shoulders raised, lunges and pulls full strength on leash, refuses sit/down, and barks aggressively and out of control. There's been some improvement lately but, honestly, I don't like how hard I have to jerk his leash to get his attention and he continues whimpering, and barking long after the dog is gone. He even did this with a dog he already met and behaved well with.

I would add that I'm a quadriplegic in a wheelchair and I'm concerned about losing hold of the lead. My hands are fragile and I can't stress my hands this much. If not for this problem he's everything I've wanted in every way, the perfect service dog for me because of his size, usual gentleness, sweet temperament, easy train-ability, and innate fetch/retrieve instinct. He's very food oriented but when this happens I need my limited hand strength to hold the lead, not offer treats.

Any thoughts? thanks in advance.

[lizzybeth727]

Welcome to chaz!

It sounds like your dog is probably not aggressive (though impossible to tell for sure without seeing him), but is just reactive - he's so excited and distracted by the presence of anyone, that he cannot control himself.

The first thing I would suggest is to read "Click to Calm" and start learning about how to use clicker training to teach the dog how to be, well, calm, when one of these distractions comes along. I would also suggest not taking him out of your yard until you have practiced the mechanics of clicker training (which, BTW, you can definately do even if you can't physically click a clicker, you can use a marker word or other sound instead of a clicker.... I believe this is discussed in "Click to Calm"), and have gotten a handle on the situation with no distractions.

Personally, I'm a professional service dog trainer and have trained many dogs to work with someone with limited strength and/or movement. While I do think that you can work through this problem with this dog on your own, I HIGHLY suggest hiring a private trainer to help you. Though a service dog trainer would be most appropriate, most pet dog trainers are just as capable of working with reactive dogs, and most can also help you teach the dog service dog tasks. You can check out Association of Pet Dog Trainers - Dog Training Resources for a trainer search if you don't already have a trainer.

As for holding the leash, my organization has designed a J-shaped hook that we attach to power chairs and hook the leash onto. This way the person does not have to hold the leash at all (as many of our clients cannot hold the leash at all), and does not have to worry about holding the leash while giving treats.

I probably don't need to tell you this, but this behavior is extremely unacceptable for service dogs. Not only is it detrimental to your saftey and potentially dangerous for the people your dog reacts to, letting people see that your "service dog" acts like this in public hurts every other service dog owner who has to fight for their public access rights. Not only should you not put a service dog vest on this dog, you should not take him into public at all until you get a handle on this situation.

[Brattina88]

I agree with Lizzybeth, and I second Click to Calm! There are training games (as I like to calm them) specifically for dogs who react to other dogs like this. I bought and read the book when I didn't have any behavioral problems, it is a good read. I used some of the attention getting tips with Maddie. Now it helps if any behaviors arise with the fosters.

I did notice that you said he is intact. Are there any plans to neuter in the future? Just wondering. Sometimes dogs can be a bit territorial. Does he react to a dog like this when away from the home?

And, for your hands, maybe a head halter (or there are other types of harnesses) would help - he won't be able to jerk you as bad until he learns the deal. I've seen several service dogs here with them, even though they don't appear to need them.

and this is totally off topic - but I'd love to see pics of your boy

[englishsp]

Thanks for the welcome Lizzy and Bratt. I appreciate your helpfulness and I'll consider all your advice.

I agree with you that I shouldn't put a service vest on him and I wouldn't because he isn't there at that level yet. Also, I don't necessarily need a formally designated service dog; I need a dog who handles himself well and does what I need done in my context. The worst case scenario is I'll end up with a great dog with one unresolved issue from his first year before I got him. I think we can work this one out though.

In his defense, I've only had him 2 months, he's a cheery little dog and well behaved with strangers, the groomer, and every dog he's been nose to nose with. He only does this long distance while in his own yard. When he does this, he wags his tail...I think he's reactive partly because he wants to play with the other dog?

Lizzy, can I see the J hook online? And Bratt, he's a b&w parti, can I e-mail you the pics?

[Dekka]

Hey, you can post pics on photobucket and share them with everyone.

[lizzybeth727]

Originally Posted by englishsp

Lizzy, can I see the J hook online?

I PMed you.

[englishsp]

I pretty much solved the worst of the barking problem over the past week and a half.

When I saw a strange dog coming I got loud and had him sit. The first 2 times I cupped his face in my hands and said "watch me" so he didn't totally lose it, then I started stuffing treats in him to take his attention off the other dog, while saying "quiet." Now, he barks 2 or 3 times when he first sees a dog, I get him to sit/stay, and I say "quiet" - he holds it until the dog is out of sight, and I give him one treat as a reward.

He needs more reinforcement before I would leave him on a long leash out of my reach, but on a 4 foot leash he's now under control and behaving.

[lizzybeth727]

Glad to see you took our advice.

Good luck.

[ihartgonzo]

You're pushing your dog past his threshold... that is the point at which he reacts. He is a reactive dog. Work with him at the point just before threshold - 150 feet if you need to!

Physically/verbally correcting your dog is likely to take his reactiveness right into full-blown aggression, especially at his highly impressionable age! Physically forcing him to keep quiet might seem like the easiest way to correct this issue, but you are most likely creating many more behavioral problems with a rushed, confusing aproach. You are not changing how he feels when he sees other dogs and people, you are simply supressing his reaction, and teaching him not to vocalize his discomfort and fear. Instead of forcing him into silence, teach him to actually enjoy seeing other dogs and people, and view that as a consistently positive/rewarding experience. A service dog needs to reliably focus on you at all times, without needing to be physically reprimanded.

Please, follow the GOOD ADVICE that you recieved from Lizzybeth and others...

[englishsp]

Originally Posted by ihartgonzo

You're pushing your dog past his threshold... that is the point at which he reacts. He is a reactive dog. Work with him at the point just before threshold - 150 feet if you need to!

Physically/verbally correcting your dog is likely to take his reactiveness right into full-blown aggression, especially at his highly impressionable age! Physically forcing him to keep quiet might seem like the easiest way to correct this issue, but you are most likely creating many more behavioral problems with a rushed, confusing aproach. You are not changing how he feels when he sees other dogs and people, you are simply supressing his reaction, and teaching him not to vocalize his discomfort and fear. Instead of forcing him into silence, teach him to actually enjoy seeing other dogs and people, and view that as a consistently positive/rewarding experience. A service dog needs to reliably focus on you at all times, without needing to be physically reprimanded.

Please, follow the GOOD ADVICE that you recieved from Lizzybeth and others...

Thanks Gonzo. What I did seems to have worked quickly to break the pattern. A walker with a German Shepherd passed us this afternoon and Paki didn't even look his way; we just kept walking. Yesterday a contractor brought his Springer in the truck, no problem. And, last Friday, my tree guy's two Newfoundlands. I'm pleased with the progress.

I still have some concern, and time to think about a longer term method, but I'm not seeing your downward spiral into "full-blown aggression" quite yet. There's a lot of dog walkers along my road and I hear the barking from yard to yard a half a mile in either direction as they pass. Hey, dogs bark.

I haven't turned my dog into a stone cold psychotic killer yet, thanks. It's an ongoing process, a few kinks to work out, mine and his, but overall going very well. Lighten up.