Lead walking - help!

PinkChick

We have a sheltie who turned one last month. Lovely dog with a great personality. Absolutely love him to bits. He barks out the window at people etc and through gate but this is well known in that breed, he is a good guard dog I guess. It's his walks that are causing issues. If we have him off the lead he is fine. He sniffs other dogs etc but nothing to worry about. We don't take him off the lead unless we are in UCD and even then only for a few minutes at a time. So most of his walking is on the lead. He has always suffered a bit with leash aggression. Definitely a different dog when he is on the lead. He barks at people and dogs and pulls pretty badly. Recently he has started being a bit more aggressive towards other dogs when on the lead. He snarls and makes to go at them. I don't like this at all and want to nip it in the bud asap. I've a baby due in a couple of months and would like to be able to bring the dog and baby for as many walks as possible on my own but I feel I need to have him in a better position. He is small, even for his breed, and I have no problem controlling him. But I don't like the behaviour he is showing. I know it's down to me and don't blame him at all. I feel I'm letting him down by not knowing how to do it properly. I have no problem putting in the time to get it right. My biggest issue is that I don't know how to do it. Should I bring him to classes or is it possible to do it on my own (with my husband). I've looked online but there are so many differing pieces of advice. A lot suggest getting someone else with a dog to help out by using the dog as bait so to speak but we don't have that option. He would know the dogs we could use too well for that. It's only strange dogs he does this to.

VonVix

Have you done any classes with him in the past?

There are two things I would do if I were you, going on the assumption you have little to no experience with regards training.

1. Go to basic obedience classes, a reward based one. Get your sheltie used to being around dogs on a lead but doing something else to occupy his mind. A good trainer will be able to advise you on how to handle it if they witness the behaviour in class and give you a plan, it could be more frustration than anything else. Shelties are a very sensitive breed, they pick up on everything.

2. Bring treats with you on walks. All the time. Everywhere. I do this with my shelties, I turn the park into a playground for them. I reward behaviour I like (calmly walking by buggies or children for example, they can be a bit freaked out by them). Work on a "watch me" command where your dog makes eye contact with you (there are videos on Youtube about how to do this), if he is doing something else/engaging with you, he won't have time to be barking at things that annoy him. One of my boys had a habit of going in a circle around me to sneak up behind a dog walking by me to sniff their behind, when I worked on eye contact with him I was then able to get him to trot next to me looking up at me as a dog walked by.

Does he ever get to meet dogs while on lead in a calm manner or is this just something that has gotten worse? Is he used to meeting dogs off lead instead?

bluecherry74

I've been having similar issues with one of my dogs - he's absolutely fine off the lead, but on the lead he goes nuts barking, growling and jumping when we meet other dogs. This only started recently when we began regularly meeting other on lead dogs who bark and growl at him. As a result, he only ever does it when he's on the lead and we're approaching another on lead dog. Can you think of anything similar that might have triggered this behaviour in your own dog?

My solution was to start bringing a bag of really tasty treats on walks with me. Not his usual everyday treats, but something special like pieces of hot dog or sausage. Whenever I see another dog approaching I get him to sit and feed him treats until the other dog has passed, praising him all the time. At the start it was very difficult to get his attention but once he got used to the idea of treats he started to pay more attention to me than to the other dogs. The reasoning behind doing this is to condition your dog into associating other dogs with good things.

So at the moment, it's: "other dog is coming --> this makes me nervous/anxious/excited --> must bark and show him I'm not afraid".

What you want is: "other dog is coming --> this means my owner gives me treats --> must sit and get my treats"

For now you need to put as much space as possible between your dog and other dogs. I try to walk my guy in open spaces as much as possible, like green areas or the park, to avoid being surprised by another dog coming around a corner. I also cross the road whenever we see another dog approaching before getting him to sit for treats (although I'm getting to the stage where I won't have to do that much longer). It's also a good idea to walk at times when there aren't too many dogs around. You want to meet a few, but not so many that your dog gets worked up the whole time.

You could also look at getting a calming band: http://www.tilleyfarmshop.com/acatalog/Calming_Bands.html The idea behind these is that they help make the dog more aware of their mouth. It sounds a bit crazy, I know, but when a dog reacts to another dog by barking and growling, they're acting purely on instinct and lose all sense of their surroundings. The calming band supposedly helps by putting pressure on the dog's muzzle when they open their mouth to bark. I'm using one and while it's definitely not a magic fix, I have noticed an improvement with it. You will still need to put in the time training.

Ashbx

I have had this exact issue with my border terrier. I live very close to UCD too - il keep an eye out for the aggressive sheltie the next time!

I have had Chip for 4 years and its only in the last year I have really noticed a difference with her. She is still a bit iffy with dogs coming head on towards her but no longer barks at EVERY dog she sees. What I found that worked is to re-direct them the moment they react (and I mean before the barking starts, once they are barking its already too late). The moment you see her ears perk up - you get her attention. Then reward her with treats. As she gets better, I started making Chip sit when we saw a dog and we would both sit and watch the dogs go past. If she stayed silent, she got a treat. We have been doing this for a few months and its only now I notice the difference. She still reacts (tightens on the lead and VERY inquisitive towards the dogs) but doesn't lunge or bark anymore. I no longer bring the treats out and just give her loads of praise if she is good.

While you are training her, if you see a dog and she starts reacting walk the opposite way or go down a side road. I also make sure I stand inbetween Chip and the other dogs and body block her.

I really know how you feel though. Its embarrassing, frustrating and does kind of put you off walking the dog. Be persistent and it will get better. I wouldn't bother paying for a trainer unless you find that the training that you do really doesn't work.