Reactive yorkie - YorkieTalk.com Forums

calismama · 08-24-2016, 07:48 PM

Cali (almost 3) is very reactive to both people and dogs. We've been walking a lot lately and whenever we see a person she begins barking and lunging towards them. She is 100x worse towards other dogs. She is not necessarily aggressive in a mean way, but if you don't know her I suppose it could be misread as aggression. 4lbs of fury

It's more of an OMGOMGOMGOMG excited bark. I think it's the same with dogs, but when we've let her meet other dogs she gets all in their face barking and licking...and obviously that is not appreciated. She's basically aggressively friendly, haha!

For what it's worth, I take full responsibility for her behavior. My husband and myself are not very social people, therefore she is not a very socialized creature. That is one of the reasons we've been taking her on walks at parks where we will run into people and dogs lately.

Any advice on how to help her be less reactive?

LunarBerry · 08-24-2016, 09:35 PM

I feel ya, lol. I've taken my girl out often to try and keep her socialized or at least used to being around different people (also it's her highlight of the week), but I find that she gets freaked out/spooked by certain kinds/types of folk (sometimes I can pinpoint what type and sometimes not so much) and even dogs, on the rarer occasion. Mostly it's people, depending on how they are looking at her (or their body language) or how they just look. She's used to seeing and is comfortable with those who have similar features to us or those she's used to or accepts, otherwise she's very weary even if I try to calm or scold her or even try to show her they mean no harm. Maybe she's seeing something in them that I don't, who's to say. X_x But either way it's difficult when trying to enjoy a browse around a store if she's barking or getting defensive against folks... Although I do noticed it's more towards those she hasn't seen or is used to.
Either way, I can in a way understand her concerns. Some may seem more scary or threatening when they don't look or behave in a familiar way. Cause on the similar yet opposite note, I've noticed that she'll whine for the attention of someone whom she has developed a liking or trust, too. lol >_<
Her first original reactions was getting excited and wagging her tail and trying to get closer to people (for pettings and lovings,etc,), but I had to reign her in sometimes because I felt it would not be appropriate at the time.

Jkpal · 08-24-2016, 09:55 PM

Keep up with the social stuff for sure! And don't baby or indulge her when she's acting up (her behavior could certainly trigger prey drive in most any dog--not a good thing). As soon as you sense she's going to get a little too-too perhaps you could simply turn and walk the opposite direction for a bit; or take a toy that makes some kind of sound she cannot ignore and as soon as she focuses on it, praise her a lot and then move along. I don't know if I'm clear in what I'm suggesting or if they're even good suggestions, so use your own sound judgment in attempting 'em!

matese · 08-25-2016, 04:26 AM

Have you taught her basic training, sit, stay, wait, WATCH ME, LEAVE IT. Cody LOVES women lol, when in Pet Supplies or any pet type store I place him in the kiddie seat, he's a lil flirt, he will bat his eyes at the ladies until they come and give him attention. NOW, if he sees a dog he goes into Cujo mode. If I spot the dog before he does, I head down any isle so he will avoid seeing that dog, most times I am not fast enough, and the insane barking begins, I take him out of that dogs view, he is still wild, I firmly tell him WATCH ME so he will FOCUS on me, then I tell him to LEAVE IT. We need more practice in PUBLIC with his commands. In the house with no distractions he follows all his commands PERFECTLY, in public it's a dif. story, many distractions to get him to focus on ME. It is very embarrassing to me , I never had a not dog friendly dog, all my girls I raised as puppies and they were very socialized wtih all ppl and all types of animals, so I know how you feel. Training really helps to get them under control.

yorkiemini · 08-25-2016, 06:55 AM

Basic obedience class will address these issues and help,you learn how to handle them and your pup.

Good luck!

matese · 08-25-2016, 07:16 AM

Obedience classes lol. Because I THOUGHT Cody was not dog friendly I took him to obedience school, what he learned was to LUNGE at dogs now. Cody and I trained with a mini pin for the first 6 lessons, trainer had the mini pin walk in one direction,Cody and I in the opposite direction, dogs crossing, passing each other, Cody wanted to meet and greet trainer would not allow, so Cody would lunge. Next 6 lessons we trained with a 8 month old Border Collie, lessons were always somewhat close to each other, about 6 feet apart, all Cody did was lunge. 12 lessons, before the obedience classes if Cody saw a dog, he would take a stance, his stub would be wagging but trainer said he was staring, but that's all he did, just the stance, NOW,he sees a dog and he LUNGES, that is what Cody learned in 12 lessons, more then embarrassing to me. Now I need a personal trainer to undo what obedience school taught him. This LUNGING is a serious safety issue.

LunarBerry · 08-25-2016, 11:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jkpal

Keep up with the social stuff for sure! And don't baby or indulge her when she's acting up (her behavior could certainly trigger prey drive in most any dog--not a good thing). As soon as you sense she's going to get a little too-too perhaps you could simply turn and walk the opposite direction for a bit; or take a toy that makes some kind of sound she cannot ignore and as soon as she focuses on it, praise her a lot and then move along. I don't know if I'm clear in what I'm suggesting or if they're even good suggestions, so use your own sound judgment in attempting 'em!

I think in half the ways, that's my issue, I try to scold her or comfort her, but recently I have been turning her away from her focus as much as I could (as she's in a stroller) and so forth and it seems to work a tad better. Lately, she's been so fickle in who she likes or dislikes (though I suspect it's how they look similar to those who have raised her or similar to those she knows) >_<; lol
Someone could look at her or have a body language that's just not sending the right signals and she's going into mini-Rambo mode lol >< Although, I do find that other current dogs owners seem to draw less of her defensiveness. Me thinks they tend to know how to approach her, better than those who may not have dogs or are new to them. I've been tempted to bring treats that others can offer to her to make her more at ease with them, but at the same time I'm wondering, should I leave her a bit of wariness for strangers, after all, not all of them have friendly intentions. X_x; and at the same times I don't want her to be gullible to follow or go with someone else, on random.

matese · 08-25-2016, 11:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LunarBerry

I think in half the ways, that's my issue, I try to scold her or comfort her, but recently I have been turning her away from her focus as much as I could (as she's in a stroller) and so forth and it seems to work a tad better. Lately, she's been so fickle in who she likes or dislikes (though I suspect it's how they look similar to those who have raised her or similar to those she knows) >_<; lol
Someone could look at her or have a body language that's just not sending the right signals and she's going into mini-Rambo mode lol >< Although, I do find that other current dogs owners seem to draw less of her defensiveness. Me thinks they tend to know how to approach her, better than those who may not have dogs or are new to them. I've been tempted to bring treats that others can offer to her to make her more at ease with them, but at the same time I'm wondering, should I leave her a bit of wariness for strangers, after all, not all of them have friendly intentions. X_x; and at the same times I don't want her to be gullible to follow or go with someone else, on random.

I would NOT do the treats with strangers for the very reasons you gave. She will learn to take food from any stranger, there are ppl who do not like dogs.

Jkpal · 08-25-2016, 12:12 PM

I'm with Matese on the treat-thing as there are some real sick-os in our midst. Fortunately for me, Piper has zippo, zilch interest in food when we're out...After all, she's in too much of hurry to get no place fast and needs her powers of concentration to ensure we're not late for, well, nuthin'!

calismama · 08-25-2016, 07:56 PM

Thanks everyone! Everyone gave me some good ideas to try. Cali knows sit, lay down, and speak but not leave it. I'm not sure how to teach her that. She is very motivated by food, but 90% of the time she freaks out and barks incessantly as if she's ordering you to give her the food (lol) and doesn't listen to the command.

canana · 08-26-2016, 08:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by matese

...NOW, if he sees a dog he goes into Cujo mode. If I spot the dog before he does, I head down any isle so he will avoid seeing that dog, most times I am not fast enough, and the insane barking begins, I take him out of that dogs view, he is still wild, I firmly tell him WATCH ME so he will FOCUS on me, then I tell him to LEAVE IT. We need more practice in PUBLIC with his commands. In the house with no distractions he follows all his commands PERFECTLY, in public it's a dif. story, many distractions to get him to focus on ME. It is very embarrassing to me , I never had a not dog friendly dog, all my girls I raised as puppies and they were very socialized wtih all ppl and all types of animals, so I know how you feel. Training really helps to get them under control.

Quote:

Originally Posted by matese

Obedience classes lol. Because I THOUGHT Cody was not dog friendly I took him to obedience school, what he learned was to LUNGE at dogs now. Cody and I trained with a mini pin for the first 6 lessons, trainer had the mini pin walk in one direction,Cody and I in the opposite direction, dogs crossing, passing each other, Cody wanted to meet and greet trainer would not allow, so Cody would lunge. Next 6 lessons we trained with a 8 month old Border Collie, lessons were always somewhat close to each other, about 6 feet apart, all Cody did was lunge. 12 lessons, before the obedience classes if Cody saw a dog, he would take a stance, his stub would be wagging but trainer said he was staring, but that's all he did, just the stance, NOW,he sees a dog and he LUNGES, that is what Cody learned in 12 lessons, more then embarrassing to me. Now I need a personal trainer to undo what obedience school taught him. This LUNGING is a serious safety issue.

^THIS!! I've always wondered why Scottie became reactive to dogs too. Now, I also believe that it was the dog obedience classes as well! The trainer did the same thing, would not allow the dogs to interact. Scottie was always a quiet puppy until the training. He was never attacked or anything. It's just so unfortunate...

He was so so so so good before. I miss his quiet non-barking days. Now...I also have to avoid and dodge dogs everywhere I go. The barking is crazy insane! I've tried teaching him *leave it* with treats and a calm voice. It's help a very small bit, but I haven't been able to apply it enough on a multiple-daily basis for it to have a full effect. Scottie definitely needs his space. It's the most embarrassing thing ever! We're the only one in my building and neighborhood where my dogs bark at all other dogs.

I tried to socialize him and bring him to monthly dog meets. Off-leash, he's AWESOME. Never barks. Super relaxed. But on the leash, he's nuts.

Anyway. I understand how you feel! It's one of those things where not every dog owner will understand. It's easy to talk about dog obedience etc, but then you try everything and they are still reactive. I've learned to accept it, but still try my best to keep it manageable by....1) bringing treats with me during walks, 2) making sure I don't scold him, but rather keep him calm and focused on me, 3) when I see dogs, I pick my dogs up and hide their faces. lol.. it's embarrassing, but it's all I can do from preventing them from going Cujo on every dog. Because once they start they don't stop.

**I keep saying "they", because when I got Casie, she quickly adapted Scottie's barking at every single dog too. She doesn't even know why she does it! It's a lot harder to pick up two and hide their faces. Hahaha...I'm *that* clown on the street!

matese · 08-26-2016, 10:22 AM

My plan was to on a weekday when dogs just trickle in, stand close to a pet store say pat supply. When someone comes with a dog I know Cody is going to do the lunge thing, and practice the "leave it". I was at the vet a few weeks ago, a man came in with a senior mix, a big dog, very sweet. Cody went ballistic, all my firm LEAVE IT lasted a minute or two until that dog wagged its tail or changed the position she was laying in. Eventually the man moved to the outer waiting room, very embarrassing, other ppl with mid size dogs had come in while Cody was in action, they signed in then went outside to wait, all because of one 12 lb yorkie that wanted to take on the entire waiting room. As soon as the weather gets cooler I will follow through with my plan, practice may help. I have aback yard so Cody is not walked much, also there are not many dogs walked in my community, they are kept in back yards, so not many for Cody to meet. I believe OFF LEASH Cody would be fine with another dog. I stopped using a NEW groomer because, she has an older German Shepard, and a older Basset Hound that she brings to her shop with her. The last time I went to pick Cody up he was LOOSE with the two dogs, on top of that he didn't have his harness on him, her shop is off a highway, if someone would have entered her shop Cody would have been out that door in a flash. I was not able to open the door cos Cody saw me and was leaping at the door,the groomer was sitting there watching all this, I hollered do you mind holding him back so I can get in, with BLOOD dripping from my mouth from biting my tongue trying to hold back asking if she was NUTS to leave my dog loose when I have told her he was not dog friendly, I get in and with sugar and spice spilling out of clenched teeth I say I'm surprised to see Cody out with your dogs and he's still alive, she says her dogs are good with all dogs and she trusted them, she said she made Cody stay on the other side of the room because he went behind one of her dogs to sniff it and her dogs doesn't like to be approached from behind. She said she believes Cody's bad behavior with other dogs is because of me, to either protect me of senses my tension, what ever, she was nuts to let my dog free in her shop without a harness on him, he would have been out of that door from stress had any one opened the door to come in. I went back to an old groomer, she will not have my dog loose in the shop. But I did see Cody is NOT aggressive, the trainer told me Cody's stare is a challenge, I am not sure about that, Cody has never been close to a dog to sniff it. He is now 5 yo so I have to find a way to make him comfortable around other dogs.

canana · 08-26-2016, 11:05 AM

Matese, yikes! That sounds scary. What a horrible horrible groomer. I can't ever trust to leave my babies with a groomer or a dog hotel, ever.

I walk both Scottie and Casie on a daily basis, 4 to 5 times a day. We live in a super dog-dense neighborhood, where each condo allows pets!

Earlier this summer, for about a week, I tried to sit on a bench far enough away from the path of dog walkers for me to give the "quiet"/"leave it" command treat them constantly as long as they were quiet when dogs walked by. It was pretty good. I just didn't have enough patience to sit there for an hour waiting for dogs to walk by. I think if I were to do this every day, all year, they'd be corrected. But...it's not so feasible...

A problem I encountered though, was that several dog walkers would wanna socialize their dogs or random people who wanted to say hi to Scottie and Casie because they looked so cute on the bench. Anytime people/dogs approached, they freaked out and went on panick/barking mode. Not to mention I felt so stupid, requesting people to stay away, like we were infected by some plague. I almost felt like putting a sign up "reactive/unfriendly dogs in training - please keep back" lol. But that'd be just asking for more attention haha...

matese · 08-26-2016, 11:35 AM

Cody knows so many commands, when it's treat time he has to work for it, and I put him through all his commands, he also knows those commands by hand signals. what I have found when we visit in someones house the distractions around him he cannot focus on me, so training where there are distractions is a must. What you are doing in a public place is excellent, command then treat when they obey. Yorkies are too cute for ppl to not resist wanting to pet them or have their dog do a meet and greet, makes training in public unproductive, but, distractions are needed in training. I would just tell these interrupters sorry their not friendly pups.
That groomer was a nut job, bad thing is she was only a couple of miles from my house, I now have to go further and pay more lol, but it's worth my peace of mind to know my dog is safe. This idiot was recommended to me and I recommended her to two other ppl, her actions that day cost her the loss of 4 clients. Yes I told the 3 other dog owners what she did with Cody, it was no harness / leash that bothered me the most. My dog could have been killed had someone opened that door,my dog would not have had a chance, that shop is right off a major highway.

Jkpal · 08-26-2016, 01:07 PM

Damn!!! My groomer, Carolyn has two inside doors before you reach the inside hallway leading to the outside door. Even so, whenever coming for Piper, Carolyn, alone, greets me always glances to see that the 2nd door is closed, then goes back and gets Piper. And Carolyn always has Pipe in her arms, glances again at door, then sets Pipe down. I love my groomer; I love her constant, common sense care and that she has total respect and regard for her clients' expectations concerning well-being of pets. I must say, MATESE, you showed superhuman restraint in not throttling that arrogant, rude, idiotic groomer; can't believe anyone who is that dense about dogs and their behavior manages to keep her business going...

08-24-2016, 07:48 PM	#1
calismama Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: NC Posts: 158	Reactive yorkie Cali (almost 3) is very reactive to both people and dogs. We've been walking a lot lately and whenever we see a person she begins barking and lunging towards them. She is 100x worse towards other dogs. She is not necessarily aggressive in a mean way, but if you don't know her I suppose it could be misread as aggression. 4lbs of fury It's more of an OMGOMGOMGOMG excited bark. I think it's the same with dogs, but when we've let her meet other dogs she gets all in their face barking and licking...and obviously that is not appreciated. She's basically aggressively friendly, haha! For what it's worth, I take full responsibility for her behavior. My husband and myself are not very social people, therefore she is not a very socialized creature. That is one of the reasons we've been taking her on walks at parks where we will run into people and dogs lately. Any advice on how to help her be less reactive? __________________ Cali Luna

08-24-2016, 09:35 PM	#2
LunarBerry YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Jun 2014 Location: GA, USA Posts: 693	I feel ya, lol. I've taken my girl out often to try and keep her socialized or at least used to being around different people (also it's her highlight of the week), but I find that she gets freaked out/spooked by certain kinds/types of folk (sometimes I can pinpoint what type and sometimes not so much) and even dogs, on the rarer occasion. Mostly it's people, depending on how they are looking at her (or their body language) or how they just look. She's used to seeing and is comfortable with those who have similar features to us or those she's used to or accepts, otherwise she's very weary even if I try to calm or scold her or even try to show her they mean no harm. Maybe she's seeing something in them that I don't, who's to say. X_x But either way it's difficult when trying to enjoy a browse around a store if she's barking or getting defensive against folks... Although I do noticed it's more towards those she hasn't seen or is used to. Either way, I can in a way understand her concerns. Some may seem more scary or threatening when they don't look or behave in a familiar way. Cause on the similar yet opposite note, I've noticed that she'll whine for the attention of someone whom she has developed a liking or trust, too. lol >_< Her first original reactions was getting excited and wagging her tail and trying to get closer to people (for pettings and lovings,etc,), but I had to reign her in sometimes because I felt it would not be appropriate at the time. __________________ R.I.P. Mick & Mandy (before 2010), Mila - 4/3/15, Chloe - 2/18/16, Kimchi - 6/2/2021 Last edited by LunarBerry; 08-24-2016 at 09:37 PM.

08-25-2016, 04:26 AM	#4
matese Donating YT 3000 Club Member Join Date: Feb 2014 Location: E.Stroudsburg, Pa. Posts: 67,956	Have you taught her basic training, sit, stay, wait, WATCH ME, LEAVE IT. Cody LOVES women lol, when in Pet Supplies or any pet type store I place him in the kiddie seat, he's a lil flirt, he will bat his eyes at the ladies until they come and give him attention. NOW, if he sees a dog he goes into Cujo mode. If I spot the dog before he does, I head down any isle so he will avoid seeing that dog, most times I am not fast enough, and the insane barking begins, I take him out of that dogs view, he is still wild, I firmly tell him WATCH ME so he will FOCUS on me, then I tell him to LEAVE IT. We need more practice in PUBLIC with his commands. In the house with no distractions he follows all his commands PERFECTLY, in public it's a dif. story, many distractions to get him to focus on ME. It is very embarrassing to me , I never had a not dog friendly dog, all my girls I raised as puppies and they were very socialized wtih all ppl and all types of animals, so I know how you feel. Training really helps to get them under control. __________________ Joan, mom to Cody RIP Matese Schnae Kajon Kia forever in my A House Is Not A Home Without A Dog

08-25-2016, 06:55 AM	#5
yorkiemini Donating YT 500 Club Member Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: USA Posts: 4,285	Basic obedience class will address these issues and help,you learn how to handle them and your pup. Good luck! __________________ . Cali , and Cali's keeper and staff, Jay No, not a "mini" Yorkie - She loves to motor in her Mini Cooper car

08-25-2016, 07:16 AM	#6
matese Donating YT 3000 Club Member Join Date: Feb 2014 Location: E.Stroudsburg, Pa. Posts: 67,956	Obedience classes lol. Because I THOUGHT Cody was not dog friendly I took him to obedience school, what he learned was to LUNGE at dogs now. Cody and I trained with a mini pin for the first 6 lessons, trainer had the mini pin walk in one direction,Cody and I in the opposite direction, dogs crossing, passing each other, Cody wanted to meet and greet trainer would not allow, so Cody would lunge. Next 6 lessons we trained with a 8 month old Border Collie, lessons were always somewhat close to each other, about 6 feet apart, all Cody did was lunge. 12 lessons, before the obedience classes if Cody saw a dog, he would take a stance, his stub would be wagging but trainer said he was staring, but that's all he did, just the stance, NOW,he sees a dog and he LUNGES, that is what Cody learned in 12 lessons, more then embarrassing to me. Now I need a personal trainer to undo what obedience school taught him. This LUNGING is a serious safety issue. __________________ Joan, mom to Cody RIP Matese Schnae Kajon Kia forever in my A House Is Not A Home Without A Dog

08-24-2016, 09:55 PM	#3
Jkpal YT 2000 Club Member Join Date: Sep 2014 Location: Lake Geneva, WI Posts: 2,776	Keep up with the social stuff for sure! And don't baby or indulge her when she's acting up (her behavior could certainly trigger prey drive in most any dog--not a good thing). As soon as you sense she's going to get a little too-too perhaps you could simply turn and walk the opposite direction for a bit; or take a toy that makes some kind of sound she cannot ignore and as soon as she focuses on it, praise her a lot and then move along. I don't know if I'm clear in what I'm suggesting or if they're even good suggestions, so use your own sound judgment in attempting 'em!

08-25-2016, 12:12 PM	#9
Jkpal YT 2000 Club Member Join Date: Sep 2014 Location: Lake Geneva, WI Posts: 2,776	I'm with Matese on the treat-thing as there are some real sick-os in our midst. Fortunately for me, Piper has zippo, zilch interest in food when we're out...After all, she's in too much of hurry to get no place fast and needs her powers of concentration to ensure we're not late for, well, nuthin'!

08-25-2016, 07:56 PM	#10
calismama Senior Yorkie Talker Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: NC Posts: 158	Thanks everyone! Everyone gave me some good ideas to try. Cali knows sit, lay down, and speak but not leave it. I'm not sure how to teach her that. She is very motivated by food, but 90% of the time she freaks out and barks incessantly as if she's ordering you to give her the food (lol) and doesn't listen to the command. __________________ Cali Luna

08-26-2016, 10:22 AM	#12
matese Donating YT 3000 Club Member Join Date: Feb 2014 Location: E.Stroudsburg, Pa. Posts: 67,956	My plan was to on a weekday when dogs just trickle in, stand close to a pet store say pat supply. When someone comes with a dog I know Cody is going to do the lunge thing, and practice the "leave it". I was at the vet a few weeks ago, a man came in with a senior mix, a big dog, very sweet. Cody went ballistic, all my firm LEAVE IT lasted a minute or two until that dog wagged its tail or changed the position she was laying in. Eventually the man moved to the outer waiting room, very embarrassing, other ppl with mid size dogs had come in while Cody was in action, they signed in then went outside to wait, all because of one 12 lb yorkie that wanted to take on the entire waiting room. As soon as the weather gets cooler I will follow through with my plan, practice may help. I have aback yard so Cody is not walked much, also there are not many dogs walked in my community, they are kept in back yards, so not many for Cody to meet. I believe OFF LEASH Cody would be fine with another dog. I stopped using a NEW groomer because, she has an older German Shepard, and a older Basset Hound that she brings to her shop with her. The last time I went to pick Cody up he was LOOSE with the two dogs, on top of that he didn't have his harness on him, her shop is off a highway, if someone would have entered her shop Cody would have been out that door in a flash. I was not able to open the door cos Cody saw me and was leaping at the door,the groomer was sitting there watching all this, I hollered do you mind holding him back so I can get in, with BLOOD dripping from my mouth from biting my tongue trying to hold back asking if she was NUTS to leave my dog loose when I have told her he was not dog friendly, I get in and with sugar and spice spilling out of clenched teeth I say I'm surprised to see Cody out with your dogs and he's still alive, she says her dogs are good with all dogs and she trusted them, she said she made Cody stay on the other side of the room because he went behind one of her dogs to sniff it and her dogs doesn't like to be approached from behind. She said she believes Cody's bad behavior with other dogs is because of me, to either protect me of senses my tension, what ever, she was nuts to let my dog free in her shop without a harness on him, he would have been out of that door from stress had any one opened the door to come in. I went back to an old groomer, she will not have my dog loose in the shop. But I did see Cody is NOT aggressive, the trainer told me Cody's stare is a challenge, I am not sure about that, Cody has never been close to a dog to sniff it. He is now 5 yo so I have to find a way to make him comfortable around other dogs. __________________ Joan, mom to Cody RIP Matese Schnae Kajon Kia forever in my A House Is Not A Home Without A Dog

08-26-2016, 11:05 AM	#13
canana Donating YT 1000 Club Member Join Date: Sep 2014 Location: Canada Posts: 1,903	Matese, yikes! That sounds scary. What a horrible horrible groomer. I can't ever trust to leave my babies with a groomer or a dog hotel, ever. I walk both Scottie and Casie on a daily basis, 4 to 5 times a day. We live in a super dog-dense neighborhood, where each condo allows pets! Earlier this summer, for about a week, I tried to sit on a bench far enough away from the path of dog walkers for me to give the "quiet"/"leave it" command treat them constantly as long as they were quiet when dogs walked by. It was pretty good. I just didn't have enough patience to sit there for an hour waiting for dogs to walk by. I think if I were to do this every day, all year, they'd be corrected. But...it's not so feasible... A problem I encountered though, was that several dog walkers would wanna socialize their dogs or random people who wanted to say hi to Scottie and Casie because they looked so cute on the bench. Anytime people/dogs approached, they freaked out and went on panick/barking mode. Not to mention I felt so stupid, requesting people to stay away, like we were infected by some plague. I almost felt like putting a sign up "reactive/unfriendly dogs in training - please keep back" lol. But that'd be just asking for more attention haha... __________________ ~ laughter is an instant vacation ~ https://scottieandcasie.com/ :: Custom Pet Portrait Paintings

08-26-2016, 11:35 AM	#14
matese Donating YT 3000 Club Member Join Date: Feb 2014 Location: E.Stroudsburg, Pa. Posts: 67,956	Cody knows so many commands, when it's treat time he has to work for it, and I put him through all his commands, he also knows those commands by hand signals. what I have found when we visit in someones house the distractions around him he cannot focus on me, so training where there are distractions is a must. What you are doing in a public place is excellent, command then treat when they obey. Yorkies are too cute for ppl to not resist wanting to pet them or have their dog do a meet and greet, makes training in public unproductive, but, distractions are needed in training. I would just tell these interrupters sorry their not friendly pups. That groomer was a nut job, bad thing is she was only a couple of miles from my house, I now have to go further and pay more lol, but it's worth my peace of mind to know my dog is safe. This idiot was recommended to me and I recommended her to two other ppl, her actions that day cost her the loss of 4 clients. Yes I told the 3 other dog owners what she did with Cody, it was no harness / leash that bothered me the most. My dog could have been killed had someone opened that door,my dog would not have had a chance, that shop is right off a major highway. __________________ Joan, mom to Cody RIP Matese Schnae Kajon Kia forever in my A House Is Not A Home Without A Dog Last edited by matese; 08-26-2016 at 11:36 AM.

08-26-2016, 01:07 PM	#15
Jkpal YT 2000 Club Member Join Date: Sep 2014 Location: Lake Geneva, WI Posts: 2,776	Damn!!! My groomer, Carolyn has **two inside doors before you reach the inside hallway leading to the outside door. Even so, whenever coming for Piper, Carolyn, alone, greets me always glances to see that the 2nd door is closed, then goes back and gets Piper. And Carolyn always has Pipe in her arms, glances again at door, then sets Pipe down. I love my groomer; I love her constant, common sense care and that she has total respect and regard for her clients' expectations concerning well-being of pets. I must say, MATESE*, you showed superhuman restraint in not throttling that arrogant, rude, idiotic groomer; can't believe anyone who is that* dense about dogs and their behavior manages to keep her business going...