Quote:
Originally Posted by TishaMoon  Hey,
My yorkie Bailey is about two and a half. She's my only dog and she hasn't had many opportunities to be around other dogs. About a year ago my friend brought her puppy over and they kind of played although Bailey would always turn a little nippy towards him. She hasn't seen him in a long time though. When we go on walks if she sees other dogs she tenses up and wants to bark at them. I have to hold her to make sure she won't try to bite.
I'm wondering what's the best way to go about getting her more used to other dogs without any incidents. I don't want to take her to a dog park or something because that would surely be chaos. I've thought of getting a second dog, though I'm not sure I'm up to the extra care right now.
Suggestions please? |
You are right to not take her to a dog park at the moment. You need a more controlled environment. The best way to socialize her is with another very well socialized dog. Do you have any friends that have a mellow pup that the two of you can spend some time with?
Another thing you can try is to just watch other dogs. When she starts to tense up, distract her with her favorite toy or a sound. When she turns to look at you or the toy, reward her with a high value treat (chicken or the like). You want to let her know that being relaxed and focused on you = good/ focusing on the other dog= no treat.
I'm not normally a fan of Victoria Stillwell, but many of her episodes reinforce this technique for desensitizing. I'm sure you can find some of her videos on youtube.