Barking Babies

[Deegan's mom]

Originally Posted by JoeyP

Ahh ...how are they on the playdates?
Do they bark there too or is it just on the lead?

What I would suggest is get a friend with a dog to help you out
Take them out and have you friend with their dog come to you from a distance
Have you pups see them and then quickly distract them with a treat BEFORE they go bonkers
Best way to do this is hold the treat in your hand so they can smell it but not get at it
repeat this a few times
do it again but let them see the dog for longer and longer periods
If they start barking you turn and walk them away in the opposite direction until they stop and then go back to start over

It's a long process but what you are doing is stopping the need for them to feel they have to go into alarm mode

Thanks JoeyP for the suggestions, but I have literally tried this too. For over a week with no improvement. Once they see the dog, they don't even care that I have a treat. And when I turn in the opposite direction, the just pull, yank, bark and go bullistic while I'm trying to get them to pay attention. It's more like I'm dragging them, because they don't listen one bit.
As for playdates, they are good when we have them here because I usually have them in the backyard and I bring the playdate pups in through the back gate. They are fine, just run up to them and sniff & play. Mind you they can't see the dog until he is through the gate because it's wood.
However, if we have to go to a playdate they go crazy once they see a cat or a dog until they actually get to meet the dogs, but once they do they are fine.
What I should do is record it and post it so people can see how bad it is.

[Deegan's mom]

Originally Posted by Jadasmommie

I saw an episode of It's Me or the Dog with dog trainer Victoria Stillwell. A couple had this same problem. They thought their dog was well socialized because he went to doggie day care with no problems. However when Victoria observed his behavoir there he was infact afraid of the other dogs. To me he looked fine but to a professional she saw something totaly different. Sometimes dog aggression is brought on by fear. Check out her show on Animal Planet 8pm eastern time on Sat.

Will do - thanks for telling me about the show. I've never heard of it before.
I'm willing to try anything - especially if it's free!

[Britster]

Originally Posted by Deegan's mom

Will do - thanks for telling me about the show. I've never heard of it before.
I'm willing to try anything - especially if it's free!

I watched Dog Whisperer and It's Me or the Dog religiously for the first few months w/ Jackson and I owe it to them why he's good.

[harley1]

Originally Posted by Deegan's mom

I've tried making them sit, but trying to make two yapping dogs that are struggling like crazy is harder than it may seem. But I wish you luck as well...

I just wanted to share with you the positive effect i have found this week after purchasing a 'Gentle leader' harness for Harley..we have been on several walks now and i cannot believe the difference,as soon as Harley starts to head in the direction of the other dog just by gently pulling on the lead it seems to get his attention towards me and we keep going..he is walking much better and staying on the one side of me more..i still cross the road when i see another dog but am hoping that one day we may be able to pass on the same side without all hell breaking loose..will keep you posted

[Deegan's mom]

Originally Posted by harley1

I just wanted to share with you the positive effect i have found this week after purchasing a 'Gentle leader' harness for Harley..we have been on several walks now and i cannot believe the difference,as soon as Harley starts to head in the direction of the other dog just by gently pulling on the lead it seems to get his attention towards me and we keep going..he is walking much better and staying on the one side of me more..i still cross the road when i see another dog but am hoping that one day we may be able to pass on the same side without all hell breaking loose..will keep you posted

Hmm... I thought about buying those for them, but thought I would try training them myself. But I admit, it's starting to seem like a good idea, esepcially if it's temporary. I just thought they'd be too small for them. I assumed that they were bigger dogs, but I see that they do sell them for our size of dogs so I'm seriously considering it. Thanks for mentioning and keep me posted on Harely's progress while using it.

PS - I love your Audrey Hepburn avatar!!

[harley1]

I managed to find the xs size at paulmacs..i went to several stores first but found the small size too big and like you i always thought they were for bigger dogs until i reasearched a bit more..i am to the now point i will try anything!!...

[Britster]

Originally Posted by harley1

I just wanted to share with you the positive effect i have found this week after purchasing a 'Gentle leader' harness for Harley..

I second the Premier harnesses. I have the Premier Easy Walk harness. Worked wonders with Jackson and stopped him from pulling nearly immediately.

[Deegan's mom]

Well, I bought a Gentle Leader for both of my boys and while it was ok - they sometimes still have fits when we come across another dog. Some days they're not as bad as usual. And other times they are really bad - like the other day. They looked like little tazmanian devils barking and going crazy, even fighting with each other because they're so riled up. This time their fit was so outrageous that I was scared they were gonna snap their necks cause they were wearing the gentle leaders and just plain outta control. I seriously have never been so mortified by them before and this was the last straw.
So now I've come to the decision, even though I don't want to do this, but I'm going to start walking them separetly. I've done this the past two nights and I gotta say - it's been less stressful for all of us. The boys get "one on one" time with me - I can actually jog with them to burn even more energy outta them (cause I can't jog with two - cause their endurance levels are different) and when they see another dog and want to throw a fit it's much easier to concentrate on correcting one, than two. Plus they don't have the bad energy of each other to feed off of.
Anyways - that's my update. Anyone else ever had to do this?