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I am trying to train my dog. She is doing so much better in only a few days. The problems/challenges she has range from barking at kids on bikes, to barking at anyone who talks to us as we are out walking and lunging at other dogs.
Today I had her out with my son, just walking, treats in pocket. This little kid keeps riding by us (we kept moving around) on his bike. My dog barks, then the kid starts to imitate her, pretty soon, the dog is all worked up again.
I asked him very nicely to stop barking at her and he just road by and ignored me. Fortunately an adult was with him and told him to stop it.
Another problem I have is whenever I reprimand her, my son jumps in and says 'it's okay...' trying to soothe her. I have told him NOT to say anything when I am correcting the dog or giving commands.
It's so hard to break the habits when others reinforce them...I am so frustrated!! She was doing great for me but then others just mess up my work.
You can't really do much about people outside your family other than what you did but your son needs to understand.
Have him watch episodes of the 'Dog Whisperer'.
He's taught me alot.
It's so hard to break the habits when others reinforce them...I am so frustrated!! She was doing great for me but then others just mess up my work.
I truly, but truly, wish I was surprised by this thread... but I'm not.
In your original thread, you described a myriad of problems - let us take the "leash reactivity" in this case, but in reality it is bigger than that. You can't afford a trainer - fine, that's the way it is. But at the end of the day you continued to insist that your dog "just wants attention" or "was being friendly" and you decided to ignore the signals your dog is sending you.
Now before you get in a tizz, I'm not saying your dog is not friendly and/or your dog does not want attention ... but what I am saying is that both of the above have sweet FA to do with a) her reactivity on a leash &/or b) her barking at people talking to you.
Until your dog is retrained - kindly, correctly, and with at least a basic understanding of canine communication from your side - there is NO reason anyone else should walk the dog. Do you realise how confused your dog must be?! One minute there's reinforcement of previous behaviour. The next minute there's not. By this point your dog doesn't know which way is up and you haven't even begun to tackle the fact that the dog is 100% NOT focused on you when you need her to be. Hang on.... does your dog even know that it is you she needs to focus on?!
Leash-reactivity does not happen because your dog is friendly. Leash reactivity does not happen because your dog wants attention. Leash reactivity happens because your dog has an issue with being on the leash!
You do realise that while she's out walking, if she is given a treat and that treat is not given at exactly the right time, all you are doing is reinforcing the very behaviour you're trying to change?!
Your dog sounds like a typical Lab or Lab-mix - a very "in your face" type of dog that needs to learn good, basic manners of focusing on you when you ask followed by an obeying of a command and a lessening of "exuberence" so that she can safely and comfortably interact with both other humans and other dogs.
I am trying to train my dog. She is doing so much better in only a few days. The problems/challenges she has range from barking at kids on bikes, to barking at anyone who talks to us as we are out walking and lunging at other dogs.
Today I had her out with my son, just walking, treats in pocket. This little kid keeps riding by us (we kept moving around) on his bike. My dog barks, then the kid starts to imitate her, pretty soon, the dog is all worked up again.
I asked him very nicely to stop barking at her and he just road by and ignored me. Fortunately an adult was with him and told him to stop it.
Another problem I have is whenever I reprimand her, my son jumps in and says 'it's okay...' trying to soothe her. I have told him NOT to say anything when I am correcting the dog or giving commands.
It's so hard to break the habits when others reinforce them...I am so frustrated!! She was doing great for me but then others just mess up my work.
Leave the dog at home and send your son to training classes.
Please realize I am not a 'dog expert' so I will have to slowly re-read your post.
Secondly, I have a husband who walks the dog as well and he will not listen to me about 'what I do.'
So basically it's me fighting a losing battle, I guess?
She's smart as a whip, but until I can get everyone on board I guess I am S.O.L. as they say.
So basically it's me fighting a losing battle, I guess?
Yes, she's very lab...bouncy bouncy....
Not at all - just because you went down in round one, does not mean you're out for the count. However.... you might need to work on the human side of the equation before tackling the dog. Training rifled with inconsistencies can be worse than no training at all because the dog just ends up totally confused.
Firstly the males in your family need to get on board - they need to be made to realise that what they are doing is not helping the dog. In fact, they're making it worse. They need to understand that dogs think like dogs and not like humans. They need to understand that your dog is in a constant state of anxiety while being walked - and that's not a nice place for her to be. So - twist the knife a bit here - if they care about what's best for the dog... they need to stop. They're adding fuel to the fire.
As far as your son is concerned - it might be useful to make the analogy of a day at school. One day the teacher praises and gives out gold stars for .... well, let's say, raising his hand to speak. The next day, he raises his hand and gets told off. Back and forth, back and forth. After a few days would he know how to speak out in class without being told off?! Make him aware that his actions have undesirable consequences for the dog. He loves the dog... so he needs to help you to help the dog.
Here, this is not a full explanation, but it might be a useful tool for you. A lot (most?) of leash reactivity comes stems from the fact that the dog is - basically - suffering from a lot of conflicting emotions, and usually this is accompanied by issues of self-esteem (low) with a dog. Her issue with bicycles is not an unusual one at all. She, for whatever reason, sees them as the devil's handiwork. They scare her, so she doesn't like them. Ever hear the saying the best defense is a good offense? It applies to the dog in this case.
So she needs to be desensitised to bikes... not hard, AND your son could help you. You work slowly (starting with just a stationary bike) and only move on to the next step once the dog is 100 + 10% comfortable. She'll realise that bikes can be safely and comfortably ignored.
May I suggest a book with wonderful exercises & techniques that are easy for you and your family to follow? It's called "Click to Calm" by Emma Parsons. It'll start you at the beginning and get you to where you need to go. Take a minute to imagine a calm, happy dog going for a walk and enjoying herself. Picture yourself able to enjoy the walk too. It's a much better place for everyone concerned.
Thanks for the advice. I will discuss it with the family and get that book you mentioned.
i have to applaud you for the fact that you are so concerned and want to do all you can to make your dog a happy, contented part of the family. five horses gives awesome advice and i'm learning from her also. that's the beauty of this forum.
so kuddos to you and i know how hard it is to get the other people in the family to be on the same page. good luck!
to make your dog a happy, contented part of the family.
And that is what we should all strive to acheive.
GS - I appreciate that these may not be the best of times for you. It's all too easy to feel as if you might as well give up... there's no help from family, times are tough, and every time you try to make progress, it's undone. I understand that frustration, truly I do.
Two things: every cloud has its silver lining... as cliche and annoying as that is, use the time you have now productively. A clicker costs around 99 cents or so... and your time is free. Set aside some serious training time with the dog - start small if that's all you feel you can manage or that's all you feel the dog can deal with initially. 10 minutes, 15 or whatever it is - it is beneficial. There are tons of video and articles online about clicker training too... have a read, take a look.
Please, for your sake and for the sake of the dog, do not dwell on what's been done already. There's no point and it doesn't do either/any of you any good. Start fresh. Set realistic goals however large or small. Engage your son - get him to help you make a chart or something else where boxes can be checked off and progress measured. There are wonderful benefits for children in learning about responsibility, dedication, and having to do things even though sometimes we may not really want to... like when it's pouring with rain and the dog needs a walk.
Realise that perhaps you were trying to sort out too many things at the same time ... after all, you are human. List specific behaviours in the order that require "fixing" and tackle each one individually. A lot of this will gel as it all progresses, but if you give yourself something to measure it with.
And most, most importantly remember one thing: To err is human. To forgive is very, very canine.
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A mini-rant of my own
However.... you might need to work on the human side of the equation before tackling the dog. Training rifled with inconsistencies can be worse than no training at all because the dog just ends up totally confused.
Take a minute to imagine a calm, happy dog going for a walk and enjoying herself. Picture yourself able to enjoy the walk too. It's a much better place for everyone concerned.
