Advice re puppy reaction on lead.

[FelicityBennett]

Hi , I have a 9 month old Labrador who is probably starting adolescent phase, cocking his leg and not listening to us. On walks he is on a long line that he drags when no one is around and I pick up and distract him with treats when I can see people coming or other dogs. This is because he will run up to them and ignore recall cues despite being brilliant until recently!

This morning we went for our usual walk, he had met a cocker spaniel who is the same age as him and had a great play.
On the way out there were several people on the path so I had him on his lead close to us. A large lone dog appeared who initially seemed very friendly but then tried several times to mount Reg , the black dog owners were nowhere to be seen . I pulled him away but my puppy in the meantime had turned and started growling and snarling at the black dog who eventually left.

As it was near the end of the walk I kept him on a lead and it happened again with a dog trying to mount him , dog was with a dog Walker who had loads of dog so couldn’t get him, my dog did nothing this time but think must have shaken him up because on the way out we met a young male vizla ( so similar size ) that he usually loves but he started barking and growling, both dogs were on leads so we kept going.

Sorry for the length of this but was wondering what to do now as if he is starting to react on his lead I would prefer to sort it out now or whether it was a one off and see how it goes. I don’t know if I should have let him off the lead with the black dog and the he wouldn’t have felt trapped

So now do we do usual walk and as we do normally distract from other dogs unless it’s one he’s allowed to play with ? Or keep away from that walk for a while and do other training?

Thanks for any advice , I just don’t want this to become an issue

Or I am over reacting 😂 and just carry on as normal and see. Looking back he didn’t attempt to bite just warned the dog , was maybe a dominance thing ?

I think you might have inadvertently made him anxious by not letting him meet other dogs. Let him have the freedom to meet them with the longline attached but on the floor. Meeting other dogs on lead is never a good idea as they don't have space to get away and situations like this become more traumatic. Have high value treats on hand at all times so when he does come away you really reward him. You have the back up of the longline to catch him if he isn't listening.

I don't let my dog meet others on the lead as it's generally a recipe for disaster.

Leash reactivity is extremely common as dogs can't behave naturally while restricted by a lead and you holding them back.

If on lead I get my dogs attention and get them to ignore the other dogs. If both dogs are off lead then they can sniff and say hello, and play if the owners are happy with that.

Thanks , I do let him say hello not on his long line but if he isn’t kept on a lead he would run over and generally be a bit boisterous and annoying to other dogs hence why he is. If the other dog is friendly I tend to let him say hello by dropping long line but treat him past others if they are on a lead but it is a common dog walking area and most dogs are very friendly
I think I should have let go of his lead this morning therefore, I wasn’t sure because usually I make sure the other dogs are friendly but his owner was nowhere to be seen !

Hopefully not completely traumatised him , he is usually fairly relaxed

Like a PP I also never allow leash greetings.

Tbh, I don’t know many dogs that would react favourably to being mounted.
It’s exceptionally rude at best.
The fact yours is male, I assume entire and coming into maturity I would suspect the two that mounted him are also male and trying to assert dominance over him/threaten him.

I wouldn’t be in the slightest bit worried at a dog growling at a dog mounting him/her but I would in future be much more observant and immediately step in and block the other dog if there’s any hint there are about to try and mount him.

I would also report the dog walker.
If she was unable to control the dog she isn’t doing her dog properly.

The two dogs are lucky it wasn’t my dog, who would have bitten them.

**doing her JOB properly.

He went this morning and was fine which is good, didn’t meet anyone.
I’m not sure who the dog Walker is, I will try and see f they come in a van or anything. He had lots of dogs and only feebly called the annoying one away 🙄
Thanks for all advice

He was probably trigger stacked from the earlier encounters which is why he reacted at the viszla. The reaction in the earlier encounters was not disproportionate btw.
If we encounter a very annoying persistent dog i do tend to let mine off the lead so we can both escape more easily but this isn't always feasible. Sometimes doing the policemans stop with the rude dog or distracting it with scatter treats on the floor is possible (not ideal as it doesn't teach that dog not to approach but sometimes you just want to minimise the bad experience for your own dog).