Dog Training Advice please: particularly barking & running for other dogs

[BumpBirthBaby]

Short post but can elaborate later:

I have a 7 month old Labrador x Collie rescue puppy. Had since 8 weeks so any behaviour is probably down to me (and family) as the owners. She is a wonderful, kind, loveable, people & dog friendly dog and a wonder however we have certain issues which we want to SORT ASAP.

She sadly hasn't been allowed full exercise (cartilage came away from her shoulder) which has led to behavioural and training issues, meaning I haven't been allowed to do to any classes, or do off the lead work in months :(

She is shared between my mother and I (loves and respects us both) as I live at home 4 days, work away in London 3 days.

She barks at noises, the cat a lot and most annoyingly sometimes stares at us then BARKS very loudly in our faces, at the postman, in the morning at 5am if she fancies it!
We want to sort this but I am unsure how?

• Should we train her to 'be quiet' and then 'bark' on common
• Use a citronella spray collar
• Other suggestions?

She could come to London with me but not if she barks so much in a shared building. She does not bark when left alone in house when out, but will if we leave downstairs whilst upstairs (say having a bath, etc) (not at night only in day)

We have now had two lessons with a gun dog training friend. He has given great advice. We have binned the extendable lead and halti is in cupboard and exchanged for a slip lead at the advice of trainer. She is being whistle trained BUT... she will NOT listen if she sees another dog? Being in a large dog area, this is IMPOSSIBLE to avoid, annoys other owners, makes me feel guilty!

I think most of our issues stem from lack of training and lack of her being allowed to socialise during the strict rest the vet put her on. She isn't 100% better so we cannot fully entertain her (no ball throwing, no long long walks etc) she is kept occupied with KONG, has toys, and is very happy in general.

Any advice would be most welcome. She is our first dog and we are very active people, but haven't been able to allow her the activity her breed needs. I want a dog who can come everywhere with me, happy to lie down at the pub after a walk, won't bark in peoples faces and can be trusted off the lead to listen to us.

Kind and constructive criticism please.

Oh dear, you have been very unlucky to have had training and socialisation curtailed at such a critical age.

Tbh she sounds frustrated. Understandably so. Has she been given the all clear to go to a class now? I help at a club and we could easily adjust exercises to accommodate her physically.....we have a dog in one class who's had shoulder surgery as it happens. Allowing her to learn to work alongside the other dogs would be very beneficial.

Also, what training have you done at home with her and what commands does she know? Can she still do these with some degree of distraction? What about away from home? What level of mental stimulation does she get to offset her lack of physical work?

Sorry that's a load of questions! With a bit more of an idea of these, we could probably suggest more specifics.

Hi Guys,
Was wondering if I can join in? I have a 20 month old border collie (ex farm dog) who has similar problems - he is loud. I lol'd when you mentioned your dog looking at you and barking - ours does this all the time!

Perhaps, rather depressingly, I have not found that exercise is the key - our hairy boy gets two exercise sessions a day of around one hour each(one run and one ball throwing/ obedience practice session). We also go to flyball, agility, obedience class and as I mentioned earlier I run with him off lead.
His recall is fab when there is no one about, in fact he's like a show dog when there is no bugger to watch. As soon as another dog / person come along he loses concentration and goes to them to play. He wont come back when he's called, he doesn't even hear me.

Like you we've had him since he was 7 weeks old so its all our fault entirely!
I also use KONG, hollow bones filled with baby food and brain games to help with being inside.

In answer to your question about the barking we tried lots and have not been entirely successful. We have had a little success (and stopped night time barking almost entirely) with the use of a soft muzzle. Every time he barked for about a month we popped a muzzle on him for a few mins. He could drink with it on, but he didn't like it. Now we stop him when he starts barking by showing the muzzle to him. This stops him in his tracks but hasn't stopped it completely. I am worried that I am going to introduce a baby to the house in a wee while and he is going to bark and ruin any sleep we might get!

As for the pub, which we used to take the dog often (less so now I'm PG!) We bribed the dog. Filled bones, chew treats that take a long time to chew etc. I am not sure that I am going to be a good parent as I have tried to buy my way to having a quiet dog! After long walks, up Munros, 10 miles or over, he is happy to lie down and sleep.

My dog is better this month than he was last, and I hope next month he will be better than he is this month. Any dog wont be reliable 100% of the time off lead - I have gotten quite good at making sure we walk where we wont set him up for failure - where he cant run off and get into trouble. So that's pretty sad advice really - you have to change to fit the dog until the dog is older.

I'll look forward to seeing what other replies you get

I agree she is most definitely bored & frustrated. When away with me at Xmas with 3 dogs she was almost a star dog!! It went down hill after then, which saddens me.

No she hasn't been given the total all clear. She can now do classes though (I do fear she will simply "run" for the other dogs, annoy other owners and also her training isn't at the level most of her age are??)

She is meant to still be on only lead work. We have dismissed this and now go into the middle of the woods and allow her time off, practising recall, sit stay etc... because the trainer says we really must start now.

She can: Sit, lie down, Paw, stay, on your bed. Is now doing these things like one whistle means sit, etc etc... she has the ability. We have now become very strict, because before we felt sorry for her.. now she needs to know who is boss before she is old. Does this make sense?
(She is a very loved, pampered dog)

She is impeccable training alone at home tbh! Quick learner. It is the other dog, other people thing. She loves new people and dogs!

She will sit at each road to cross, knows over for crossing, knows stay close for staying close on lead. She was a nightmare without the halti if we saw a dog could barely hold her and she would choke... after a week intense training she is MUCH better

What level of mental stimulation does she get to offset her lack of physical work?

• She has plenty of toys! We give her dental sticks, KONG with a variety of things, I make toys by hiding treats.. otherwise not sure what else? I try to take her with me to the shops, to the pub, out and about with little walks and to meet people so she is not just bored at home.

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I hope this all helps. Ideally without the shoulder injury we would have started training in January (everywhere I tried closed over xmas), have been walking her twice a day for long periods, meeting other doggy friends, playing lots of stimulating games of fetch etc!

I just hope we are not too late. Her behaviour definitely isn't awful, some dog owners say she is fine, but I want a very well behaved dog not one that is well behaved when it fancies! She has a heart of gold & intelligence so hopefully this is do able.

Thank you for your advice.

To be honest BumpBirthBirthday it really sounds like your doing everything right. Its just that you have a puppy - labs and collies don't calm down till they are 3 years old - so you only have 2 years, 5 months to go. (although I have heard it said that labs don't calm down until 5 years old).

There is a reason why dog homes are full of seven month old dogs - you are out the 'cute puppy' phase and in the bit where the adult dog tries your patience. This will last a while.

btw - I myself am not a fan of slip-leads - too close to choke collars for my liking. If you are a fan of positive reinforcement (what they dont tell you is) it takes longer than negative reinforcement. I have used a slip lead myself in the past with a giant lab we rescued who was untrained and strong. not sure I'd do it again tho. each to their own!

Lead wise, what would you recommend? To me the halti was marvellous but really we haven't a clue and this is the first 'advice' so we went with it.

Thank you, the kind words you have given saying we are on the right track really help!!

All we hear is : its too late! My puppy is brilliant etc etc

I arrived home today and my mum has done a brilliant job, and she was a transformed dog on the walk. The hard thing is the fact she isn't meant to play yet with any dogs but goes mental when she sees one

Its hard and sad!!

Hi bump.Have a look at a perfect fit harness from dog-games.co.uk. I've just bought one for my cross breed as she loose lead walks lovely in training, and in the way home but pulls like a train on the way out and if the kids are in front of her on their scooters! I'm still keeping up with the loose lead training but the harness has made her a different dog to walk now. I recommend 110%

Also, mine is a squirrel fanatic. I have copied and pasted some advice given to me by a reputable behaviourist to help her believe I am a better choice than her squirrels! I am working through it using her recall whistle sound as the one which provides her with the treats.

1. For three days hand feed her her food on the whistle: whistle = handful. No running, no sitting - nothing other than whistle = handful of dinner/breakie.
2. For the next three days she has to work a LITTLE harder - but not too hard. If you do like a clicker you can click the touch here if you like. Whistle = drop hand without treats palm out and still. When she touches it with her nose = little handful of treats is thrown out for her. Nothing more complex. Whistle = nose target to hand.
3. So - now for 3 more days you are going to play step two but this time I want you to do it during various times in the day. Also start getting the kids to hide and whistle for the kids/dog game. They hide, whistle - when she finds them their hand is produced. She targets the hand then is showered with all the treats and trimmings of a princess.

SO STEP 4. Start taking this outside. To start repeat the exercise when she is on lead or close by. Whistle = touch = treats (treats can be fetch if she likes this or you running or a portion of breakie or dinner).

Then see how she is around the squirrels. Recall her if you know they are around and then keep her in a close whilst they are around. If you want this focused then take a clicker and click and treat her every time she looks at you.