# Training / Temperament question



## patk (Jun 13, 2013)

check out judyd's thread "what to do about blue" in this subforum. judyd ended up getting a trainer to help her out. i think the general view was that you can't just expect the dog to "grow out of it" when it comes to possible issues with aggression.

btw, i think most folks will tell you that neutering may or may not help - there's a trend now not to neuter too early as it may have implications for growth.


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## stook1 (Mar 21, 2014)

patk said:


> check out judyd's thread "what to do about blue" in this subforum. judyd ended up getting a trainer to help her out. i think the general view was that you can't just expect the dog to "grow out of it" when it comes to possible issues with aggression.
> 
> btw, i think most folks will tell you that neutering may or may not help - there's a trend now not to neuter too early as it may have implications for growth.


thanks! I literally just finished reading that thread about 15 seconds ago. Will read it again later this evening and will provide more specific behavioral comments. Moby actually sounds similar to Blue. My wife actually has already concluded that this is a leash aggression issue (I'm not 100% sold yet, although it does seem to be a factor). We've already been following much the same strategy as is being done with Blue, which is to treat constantly while continuing to walk past the distraction, starting before an incident occurs.


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## Naira (Jan 9, 2015)

so when he barks and flails at his leash to get to the people/dog on walks, what does he want to do? Does he want to be petted? Does he want to sniff them? Does he want to bite them? Is he growling? Is it a mean bark?


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## princesspenny (Feb 16, 2015)

To put it very simply without typing a 10 pg thing when i have a dog that does this im always tempted to instead of remove them from the situation give them more opportunities to be in that situation- ie..take them to busier more crowded places- when there is more than just one thing to focus on they are in a way desensitized to it and it gives you an opportunity to force the attention back to you. Always forward movement, and always the expectation that their attention needs to be on you and not other things. Lots of turns, heels, some jogging, treats, backup, spin...this may sound odd but when your giving your dog a job to do and demanding this focus to be on you it will force him to tune out/ignore whats going on around him and he will shift priorities from other people/dogs to you and then its no big deal to be around other people because your the top dog in charge not him. Of course this should be fun and positive and treats can be involved...no punishments or anger or tension to reinforce aggression. All may not agree, there are many ways to train a dog but this has worked for me.


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## JudyD (Feb 3, 2013)

Just saw this---it's late, I'm headed to bed, but I'll let you know tomorrow what's going on with Blue. He and Moby sound like soul brothers for sure.


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## nifty (Aug 2, 2013)

How old is Moby now? Did you have a period when this behavior was not happening - i.e. pleasant on-leash walks? I am wondering if it is teenage behavior - and Naira's questions are really important. Is his behavior aggressive or is he lunging to greet/sniff people? How is he with passing joggers/bicycles etc?

I kind of agree with princess penny, except I don't think bombarding him with too much stimuli at once would be wise. I would start in quieter places and rewarding him for looking at you as he walks alongside you. Just be a pez dispenser with treats every time he make eye contact. Yes! treat. Yes! treat.

Then move on to an area with a little more activity. Keep up the rewarding for eye contact. You want him to focus on you as much as possible. 

With Dulcie, I find that the first part of a walk is more challenging, as she is eager to get MOVING and also wants to check everyone and everything out. However, I do a lot of eye contact rewarding and get to the park ASAP, where we play a strenuous game of fetch. During fetch, I sometimes call for a FAST return (run run run!!) and when she gets to me, I shout YES! and treat. I also use the fetch time to randomly practice emergency recall. About every 15-20 throws of the ball, I will run away as she is fetching the ball and as she turns to return to me with the ball, I shout DULCIEEEE, VITE!! and I am hiding behind a tree or something. She starts back fast and I encourage with RUN RUN VITE! When she finds me (usually in a couple of seconds because she flies!) I treat very generously with wonderful treats.

By the time the fetch game is over (usually at least an hour of non-stop running and fetching), I find that she is much more relaxed and ready for better walking training. The walk home is almost always so enjoyable because she is looking at me the whole time. Occasional treats and Yes! keep her in the game. Just about anything can go by at this stage in the outing and she won't break her focus on me. It is amazing how this works. The trip out and the trip home are like night and day.


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## JudyD (Feb 3, 2013)

I think it's safe to say that, soul brothers or not, Blue and Moby probably wouldn't play nicely together... (I don't want to highjack this thread, so I've posted an update on my "What to do about Blue" thread.)


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