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03-03-2012, 12:50 AM | #1 |
Senior Yorkie Talker | Miserable walks and dog park visits :( Bentley has gotten into the terrible habit of barking at other dogs. He was just doing it on his leash and still playing nice off it but now will run around other dogs in circles barking and yapping at them off leash too. I haven't taken him to the dog park in so long bc of this. I really really want to be able to take him again but don't kno what to do. Should I just try it (it's been months)? And see how he reacts? I do not understand what happened. I have been feeling terrible bc he hasn't been getting out nearly as often as he should be bc he's just crazy. Nothing distracts him when he starts. And he will continue ling after what he was barking at is out of sight. He's been to training and passed and did great. How can I stop this? Should I give up and just accept that he will never be social again? Or should I keep trying? I feel like I'd be pushing him and stressing him out. He even barks in his bag now so he doesn't go places with us so often now when he used to go everywhere. He got this from our doxie. I'm getting him to stop (after 4 years of it) but can't seem to break Bentley of the habit. I certainly can't walk them together. Its pure chaos. One will start and then it's all over. Please, does anyone have a solution to this or are we going to have to accept that he will always do it? |
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03-03-2012, 01:54 AM | #2 |
Banning Thread Dictator Donating Member | Oh, boy, I feel for you. Nothing more frustrating than trying to do the right thing and coming up against a brick wall when it comes to improvement. I'm no behaviorist so any advice I have is anecdotal, but here are some things you might think about: * If you can find a small group of little-dog-owning friends who can meet regularly, your pup might get to know them and start feeling more comfortable around them. That worked for a barking schnauzer in my little-dog group. He would drive us insane in the beginning, but each week he barked less and less. He hardly barks at all now, even when new dogs join the group. * I'm a firm believer of distracting them from bad behaviors. When you enter a situation where they're liable to bark, pull out a favorite toy and see if you can get your dog's attention on you instead of the object of his ire. Treats can work great, too. Since he's been through obedience, distract him by making him sit or heel or do a trick. Reward with a good treat. Try not to get frustrated because success will likely come in small steps. I wouldn't even mention this last one because it's negative reinforcement, and that's generally frowned upon nowadays, but I've had some success with shaking a can of pennies to startle the dog when he or she barks. Other times, I've used a spray bottle of water. After one or two incidents where I had to spray, they stopped barking when I just picked up the bottle. I did those things in more of an emergency situation -- barking at the neighbor dogs through the fence late at night. Hopefully some others with more experience will weigh in too. Good luck!
__________________ Mike ~ Doting Dad to Jillie, Harper, Molly, Cooper, Eddie (RIP), Lucy (RIP), Rusty (RIP) and Jack (RIP). Check us out on YouTube |
03-03-2012, 08:47 AM | #3 |
Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: USA
Posts: 82
| If this were my dog, I would work on focus exercises at home prior to going to a dog park. Clicker training is great for practicing focus exercises. Once I had the focus exercises down at home - I would the find a friend that has a dog and ask them to walk with me. I would again practice the focus exercises prior to the walk and during the walk. The goal being you want your dogs attention on you..not the other dog. From there I would walk through the dog park and practice the focus exercises. Once he had all this down, then I would attempt to let him play.
__________________ Delilah (Yorkie Mix) Bear and Adria (The Rottweilers) |
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