How can I cure on-lead lunging?

[Slubberdegullion]

Pup is nearly 10 months old now.

We have almost very good walking to heel. People (who don't do lots of fussing over her), children, bikes, even cats and squirrels are all noted and ignored with 'leave it'. Other dogs on the other hand are not. She is so very very desperate to say hello (nothing aggressive at all ever) that all my strategies so far are failing, and my shoulder is now hurting.

When we see another dog approaching she immediately starts to pull. I'm not letting her reward herself for pulling on the lead to get to the other dog so I get her to sit and give her the wait command.

I've tried 'watch me' but she watches me with one eye and the dog with the other which made it impossible to click and treat and get the timing right for rewarding her looking at me.

She will wait perfectly until the other dog is within about 10metres, then the quivering with excitement starts and the bottom millimetre by millimetre levitates off the floor. No amount of repeated command or even treat waggling will get her to refocus on me. Roasted frickin chicken was being waggled around today: ignored.

Then when the dog is within reach we get the lunge and scrabble scrabble scrabble with me hanging off the end.

The two most annoying things are that I would reward her, doubly, first with the treat and then she could greet the dog, if only she didn't pull to get to it.

Other thing is once the initial greeting is over and done with she is a perfectly obedient dog again.

What should I try now, people who have overcome this?

I will watch this thread with interest. Our pup is almost 5 months and sounds very similar ... although not quite as well-trained..... yet!

I was hoping the novelty of meeting other dogs would wear off in time!

Not so far PurpleFrog, in fact it's getting worse. I wonder if hormones might be partly to blame as I'm expecting her first season fairly soon.

What sort of dog do you have Slubberdegulllion? IME of just the one dog who is now almost three, they do get a little less interested, but my Springer turned from MrWanttoplaywitheveryone to MrArsey who now picks fights with most things he meets. I think it was as a result of being too over friendly in his puppy days and frequently being told off by older dogs. It will come, persevere. I have sciatic nerve problems through beinng dragged about by my noseonalead.

same with our 8 month old insane lurcher.

I found some really, really stinky dried fish skin rolls at Pets at Home, which are good at keeping him focused on me and not other dogs.
Other than that I don't have any words of wisdom .
But will watch thread with interest.

coatgate, she's a blacklab - and a strong muscly one now too.

joosey I've yet to get out the big food guns (sardine cake [blee] or bits of liver [slippery fingers nice] but I suspect that if the very niclovely roast chicken (that I was going to have in my sandwich today but sacrificed to the bleeding dog in the name of training) doesn't work then nothing (foody) will.

Most infuriatingly when she is off lead if she sees another dog I can get her to recall no problems. This is because she knows that off lead there is the chance of getting a tennis ball thrown if she comes back.

Can't use the holy-of-holies tennis ball though when we are in the middle of town though.

Very good if she comes back when off the lead - mine only started doing that properly when nearly two. As a puppy he would completely ignore me if there was the chance of a sniff and a chase with another dog.

My dog is totally and utterly unmotivated by food. He will not even accept a treat when he brings his ball back. And trying to establish eye contact with him if there is a duck a goose or a hen in the vicinity, forget it. I could wave a sirloin steak under his nose and he would ignore it. I know people have referred to high value treats on other threads, but I have yet to find anything that will shift his focus from something live with feathers.

He is very handsome though

LOL @ the waving of sirloin.

That's a bugger your dog doesn't care for food coatgate. We have several dog walking friends who are likewise. I get out the cheese string and my pig-dog is ping! 'oh-hello-i-love-you' and our dog companion gives me a 'whatever' look.

Well I know some people may not agree with this, but have you thought of a choke lead. Not the ones with chains, but the fabric/rope ones - we had a pulling dog and this cured her. You have to be very careful that it's not tight when the dog is properly at heel, and when the dog has tightened it by pulling you need to instantly loosen it.

We tried all sorts of food treats with no luck, and using a lead like this stopped her within about a week - it only ever went tight when she pulled too hard, and as soon as the resistance stopped it was loose. I know some people don't approve but it may work for you.

I have a dog that pulls and the only answer has been the 'gentle leader' lead that controls them their nose. It's a pleasure to walk her now and even my children (under my supervision) can walk her.

Thanks for your replies frosty and joni. I'm very reluctant to use any sort of different lead or device to stop this behaviour.

We have used a clicker ever since she came home at 8 weeks and everything else I have wanted to train with her has worked like a dream. Her walking to heel started to deteriorate a few months ago and in frustration I bought a halti. She hated it [understatement] so we went back to basics, got the clicker out and now she is (most of the time) back to walking beautifully.

Since starting this training malarkey i've got quite interested in how dogs learn. Instead of stopping the behaviour I'd really like to work out a way where she does want I want (waits until I give her the command to approach another dog, and then to do it on a loose lead) at the same time giving her what she wants (greeting the dog).

I'm sure there is a way. The clicker hasn't failed us so far.

How much time can you give to this?

Have you got a friend with a dog?

If you have get them to walk towards you with their dog on lead. The minute your dog starts to go crazy or get excited ask your friend to turn around. You say nothing.

When your dog is calm again they can come towards you again - when your dog goes crazy your friend turns away.

Your dog begins to learn that when he goes crazy the other dog goes away.He will learn this quite quickly.

The problem however is that he then has to transfer this to all dogs and of course not all dogs will turn away but if you can proof it with as many doggy friends as possible it will start to work. Then you can put a word to the calm behaviour eg "meet nicely".
then when he is lunging around like crazy ask him to "meet nicely" and he should realise that he will need to calm down to approach the dog.

His reward of course the best in the world to play with the other dog

I have one good friend with a dog who would do this for me, although her dog pulls like mad on the lead...we might be able to cure them both at the same time

Is the training and command transferable to humans? Not to humans (my dc don't pull on their leads ), no I mean if my mother or dh appeared she would lunge to greet them too. Can I train 'meet nicely' with them doing the same turning round and walking away technique?

I'm just saying it worked for me Slubber. I tried everything and it didn't really help. I also ended up with a bad back. Good luck

Yes it will work - if you are consistent.

I'll have to brief my friend and offer cake compensation for looking like a loon outside the school gates come monday.