Dog barking when on the lead

[Bobloblaw]

I have two collies, both rescued at 6 months(ish) dog2 has always been very nervous, he used to wee everywhere and duck his head to the ground if anyone/thing walked/ran by. He has started barking and pulling if we see another dog when we're out and he's on the lead, he is pretty big and probably looks quite intimidating, if I see the other dog first and can get him to sit and stay with a treat then he is ok but otherwise he barks and pulls until they've gone. He is fine when off the lead and will run around and play with any other dog. I'm not sure what to do now...

[Shalloween]

I think you're doing the right thing with the sit and stay. Try to do this from a distance at first,draw your collie's attention to the other dog by saying something like Look, Dog! then reward immediately. Over time as your dog associates seeing other dogs with a treat try getting closer to the other dog before doing the Look, Dog! reward.

That's the theory anyway. Good luck.

[Shalloween]

Just one other thing. He is probably ok with other dogs as he's off the lead and knows he can escape. On lead he can't so he's frightened and barks. Now when you see other dogs your concern about barking might make you tighten the lead making escape even harder for him, so try to keep the lead loose (I know it's hard) so that he has some wriggle room and doesn't sense tension from you making him even more fearful.

[Bobloblaw]

That's really helpful thank you, I will try that tonight, although he does break the mould and is pretty slow on the uptake! We saw two toy poodles this afternoon and he didn't bark, lots of treats and praise, two minutes down the road and he went bonkers at a spaniel.

You are definitely right though, I do tense up which I need to work on.

Thanks