# Dog distraction/excitement?



## pinkteaji (Dec 7, 2012)

Shelton can be a little crazy when he sees dogs, specifically dogs he knows and I've been trying to work on him with his leave it command but its hard to get him to focus on me when he's leaping 5 feet in the air (with the leash on). Any training tips on not reacting so crazily when he sees dogs? Sometimes he does listen and then five seconds later he'll try to do it again so it's been a frustrating process but I try not to let it get the best of me. I don't want to get angry at him over my mistake/failure to reinforce not being distracted by dogs. I would like to read various ways of training and which worked for you 

Also if you could also give tips on how to teach the dog NOT to pull when walking. Thank youuu  


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

Congratulations on keeping your cool - having a large pup leaping around on the end of the leash is hard work! Have you tried simply turning and walking away the moment he begins to fixate? Calm, polite behaviour = get to meet the friend; impolite, over bouncy behaviour = walk away from other dog. It helps if you can set it up with a friend, so that you can manage the distance the dogs are apart, and you may yo-yo backwards and forwards for some time, but if the root problem is excitement and wanting to greet he should quickly get the message. His reward for good behaviour is meeting, and perhaps playing with, the other dog. If you are consistent, and do it every time he starts getting over excited, it can be extremely effective.

I found the easiest way to teach loose leash walking was to start at home, with minimal distractions, no leash, and a pocket full of chicken. Once the rewards of listening to the With Me cue were established I tried it on leash - still at home with no distractions. Then in ever more distracting environments, keeping up frequent rewards. Pulling meant I either stood still, or changed direction, and I tried hard to keep up a pace my dogs found easy to match (a hell of a lot faster than I would usually walk!). It meant that on some early walks we took ages to get a few hundred yards, but they got plenty of off leash exercise, so time on leash was really about learning good manners. And never pull back - in fact, a lead that attaches to a belt so that you are not tempted can be very helpful.


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## Specman (Jun 14, 2012)

I have similar issues with Max who is very reactive and what I have read and am working on with him is to have him focus on me. I have taught him the command "watch" where he will look at my face instead of the other distraction. I started indoors in a quiet room by by saying "Max, Watch" and clicking and treating when he looks at my face. This part is easy and goes fast. The hard part is gradually ramping up the intensity with more demanding situations. The whole process is described in the following book by Patricia McConnell:

Feisty Fido: Help for the Leash-Reactive Dog: Patricia B. McConnell Ph.D., Karen B. London Ph.D.: 9781891767074: Amazon.com: Books 

I agree totally with fjm as far as lease walking. That works like a champ!


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## pinkteaji (Dec 7, 2012)

fjm said:


> Congratulations on keeping your cool - having a large pup leaping around on the end of the leash is hard work! Have you tried simply turning and walking away the moment he begins to fixate? Calm, polite behaviour = get to meet the friend; impolite, over bouncy behaviour = walk away from other dog. It helps if you can set it up with a friend, so that you can manage the distance the dogs are apart, and you may yo-yo backwards and forwards for some time, but if the root problem is excitement and wanting to greet he should quickly get the message. His reward for good behaviour is meeting, and perhaps playing with, the other dog. If you are consistent, and do it every time he starts getting over excited, it can be extremely effective.
> 
> I found the easiest way to teach loose leash walking was to start at home, with minimal distractions, no leash, and a pocket full of chicken. Once the rewards of listening to the With Me cue were established I tried it on leash - still at home with no distractions. Then in ever more distracting environments, keeping up frequent rewards. Pulling meant I either stood still, or changed direction, and I tried hard to keep up a pace my dogs found easy to match (a hell of a lot faster than I would usually walk!). It meant that on some early walks we took ages to get a few hundred yards, but they got plenty of off leash exercise, so time on leash was really about learning good manners. And never pull back - in fact, a lead that attaches to a belt so that you are not tempted can be very helpful.


What do you do for the "with me" cue? Is that when the dog just follows you around? How do you go about this?


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

I start by luring - if the fact that you have just put chicken in your pocket is not sufficient! Mine stay glued to me if they know I'm packing the good stuff... Hold a scrap of chicken down by your side, let the dog smell it, and walk. If he walks with you for a couple of steps, drop the chicken in front of him (you don't want to accidentally teach him to jump up.) Repeat. Repeat expecting rather more steps. End the game while he is still keen. Next session, lure just the first time, then just have your hand by your side - when he follows it in the hope of more chicken, quickly produce a scrap from your pocket/treat bag - you want to move to the treat being out of sight as soon as possible. When he is trotting happily beside you with his eyes glued on the source of the chicken, introduce the cue - With Me! or whatever you choose. Make a fun game of it, changing speed and direction, and keeping up a high rate of treat delivery at first. Once he starts enjoying the game itself, you can gradually ease back to just the occasional treat, and then increase the rate again when you move on to more distracting environments.

If he doesn't catch on quickly, try teaching him to touch/follow your hand first. Hold your hand close to his nose, when he touches it mark (with a clicker or Yes!), and treat immediately. Repeat, gradually moving your hand a bit further away while still making it very easy for him to get it right, and marking and treating him every time. Then introduce the cue word. Play the game moving your hand around, asking him to touch and treating him every time. It's a fun game for the dog, and a very useful cue to get his attention and bring him close to you. 

You've reminded me that I need to do some refresher work with Sophy - I've been lazy, and her recall definitely needs some brushing up before the rabbit season ... must remember to get some chicken!


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## pinkteaji (Dec 7, 2012)

fjm said:


> I start by luring - if the fact that you have just put chicken in your pocket is not sufficient! Mine stay glued to me if they know I'm packing the good stuff... Hold a scrap of chicken down by your side, let the dog smell it, and walk. If he walks with you for a couple of steps, drop the chicken in front of him (you don't want to accidentally teach him to jump up.) Repeat. Repeat expecting rather more steps. End the game while he is still keen. Next session, lure just the first time, then just have your hand by your side - when he follows it in the hope of more chicken, quickly produce a scrap from your pocket/treat bag - you want to move to the treat being out of sight as soon as possible. When he is trotting happily beside you with his eyes glued on the source of the chicken, introduce the cue - With Me! or whatever you choose. Make a fun game of it, changing speed and direction, and keeping up a high rate of treat delivery at first. Once he starts enjoying the game itself, you can gradually ease back to just the occasional treat, and then increase the rate again when you move on to more distracting environments.
> 
> If he doesn't catch on quickly, try teaching him to touch/follow your hand first. Hold your hand close to his nose, when he touches it mark (with a clicker or Yes!), and treat immediately. Repeat, gradually moving your hand a bit further away while still making it very easy for him to get it right, and marking and treating him every time. Then introduce the cue word. Play the game moving your hand around, asking him to touch and treating him every time. It's a fun game for the dog, and a very useful cue to get his attention and bring him close to you.
> 
> You've reminded me that I need to do some refresher work with Sophy - I've been lazy, and her recall definitely needs some brushing up before the rabbit season ... must remember to get some chicken!


Thank you so much for explaining! I'm beginning to do this and it's been fun! I also found out we'll be doing this in our foundations agility class which starts Tomorrow so I got a head start  


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