Teaching tour dog to be neutral to others....

[WFHbore2023]

So, we have made a mistake.

Our pup is now 9 months old, and think they world is his audience.

It doesn't cross his mind that there could be a dog in the land that doesn't want to have him invade their personal space.

When we walk past another dog it's a battle to keep him away from them. There's no malice from him at all, just a huge amount of excitement at the possibility of a new friend.

Regardless of his intentions, it's unacceptable, both to me and obviously other dogs that may find this intimidating.

I attempt to distract him with treats, and sometimes i can keep his focus on me, but other times I may as well not be there, he can't tear his eyes away from them.

I think I probably need to invest in some one to one training sessions, but if anyone has any tips in the mean time that would be great.

My dream is to have a dog I can take to the beach/fields/any open spaces, let him off lead and know that he will mind his own business! But obviously that won't happen whilst he still finds other dogs so exciting

Sorry, forgot to add - the mistake is that we over socialised him, let him say hello to too many dogs when younger. This is our fault entirely

He's just a baby- he's bound to want to play with other dogs!

Take a look at Gayle Lucy the K9 coach. I've followed for a while and recently bought some of the online lessons. I really like her methods

instagram.com/k9coachuk?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

This is what 9m old dogs are like. You haven't done anything wrong. I think reading up on dog behavior wd help. Adult dogs are rarely like this, with some exceptions.

Whilst training is important it's also important to recognise teenage dogs are typically impulsive and enjoy playing with other dogs and sometimes misread cues and can be too pushy. It can mean a lot of walking on lead, reinforcing heel or what other cues you use to get focus on you and only practicing off lead recall in dog free spaces or with dogs they know well and can play with safely until they are calmer and more reliable. It's a pain but everything you were doing before to train this stuff you just double down on. Depending on breed they reach maturity at different ages so it may pass at a different stage but you will see improvements naturally.

What I would avoid is getting cross or letting your dog get into situations where they encounter other reactive dogs or angry owners. That's setting them up to develop anxiety around other dogs which you don't want. But the majority of adult dogs have a balanced temperament and can read other dogs body language better than us and know who wants to play and who doesn't IF they are given safe opportunities to interact with other dogs as they grow up.

Mine is 6 months old and wants to play with every dog! If they are on leads I keep him away, otherwise (after checking with owner) I let him play. I figure that other dogs can teach him dog etiquette better than I can! If he gets told off he learns to have a bit more respect. I think the more dogs he can interact with now the better he'll be when older.

Thank you for your replies.

I think reliable recall will be impossible whilst he's so excited to see other dogs, which is a shame because he's loves a flat out run and freedom to sniff.

He's a different dog if he's already playing with another dog - a lot more calm to any new dogs approaching and able to ignore them.

Tempted to get my dog a dog 🤣

Even at 2 my dog is most likely not to recall perfectly if playing with another collie. It's rarely a problem. I just accept that's her number one distraction because they are more fun than me and if she is a div walk fast in the wrong direction which reliably gets her to come. But she also swerves dogs on leads and dogs she hasn't been given permission to play with first. It took a long time to get here but we did.

Bombproof recall at 9m is rare. Use a longline, mix up loads of different ways s of reinforcing recall (there was a good thread on recall on here a few weeks back). Of course your dog would love to be running around doing exactly what he wants just like human adolescents want to stay out till 3am and not do their homework. Tough he doesn't get a choice until he shows you he can behave first. He will get there.

No .

This is not the case and shouldn't be encouraged

I'd recommend a professional trainer to support you

You train recall at home , on long leads, in low distraction environments then build it up . It's a building block process

Tempted to get my dog a dog

I did this but then I had to get my dog's dog a dog!

I do some off lead walks where we focus entirely on walking past other dogs without stopping. It requires lots of hotdog sausage to keep her focus on me and to reward with. I usually call ahead and say "we're practicing walking past!" which seems to help. She is a lab so her nature is to be bouncy and sociable which is lovely but not in all situations. We do flyball and she is the one dog who still cranes her head to look around at the dog she is zooming past in the gate. I would never want to change her friendly nature but I do want her to be a polite dog.

Our dog is nearly 2. She was like this until a few months ago but now walks relatively calmly on the lead and rarely pulls towards another dog. Off lead in our local dog walking field is where she can say hello to other dogs and where she learnt that some dogs don't want to play! Even off lead she will now recall fine. Apart from when she has been in season she has been let off, called, praised, treat then off to play again every day. Give it time, and don't limit the off lead and time to practise recall in safe places would be my opinion but I'm no expert!

This is not the case and shouldn't be encouraged

It's entirely normal for puppies and adolescents to want to play with every dog they see - you're right that it shouldn't be encouraged but it is totally normal behaviour.

OP - I've walked all sorts of breeds as puppies and without fail, every single one has wanted to play and socialise with other dogs. It's totally normal and doesn't mean you're a failure or a rubbish owner!

It is hard to distract them from other dogs at first but it just takes practise. Work on recall at home with no distractions, then in the garden, then in a secure field, then in public on a long line - build it up slowly and set your dog up for success 😊

They get better if they have another dog to spend time with frequently, a dog friend.

Thanks all. Recall is rock solid....in an empty field 🤣

Had an excellent walk yesterday - our new lighter, waterproof 10m long line arrived so we tested that out and his recall was perfect, even with 3 other dogs in the field!

It's a work in process, I know. I just want a nice, well balanced dog, for his sake as well as mine

You will get there and it sounds like you're doing a great job .

Time , consistency and practice practice practice

You'll get there OP.

He's only young so it's just a matter of patience and time!

As others said, he's young, so don't panic!
There are stuff you can do now though, like training him for impulse control. Check online, you'll find loads of force-free tips.

What I do with my 4.5 month old terrier:
I taught him to stay on his bed and wait for his food until I give him a release word (in our case: go).

I reinforce that daily at each meal + we play hide and seek for 5 min in the flat (he stays on his bed, I go and hide somewhere, release him by saying "come" and wait for him to find me). Reinforces stay + recall and it's seriously super fun.

In the park, I have him on a long line, and when we walk past something of interest (another dog, a kid on a scooter, a cyclist...) I ask him to stay and wait and then I give him a treat. Sometimes, we just continue, sometimes I give him permission to go do what he wants to do (obviously, I never give him permission to chase a kid on a scooter!)
The long training line is great for that, it gives confidence and it prevents reinforcing bad behaviours.

I'd say we've been doing those consistently for the last 2 to 3 weeks and it really gives great results. He's far from being bullet proof, but I'm really impressed by his impulse control so far.

I'll add that I keep my expectations low. He's super young and I can't expect him to be focused for 45min in the park. Again, long line is a life-saver for that.