Dog Walking

nickiboop

I have a 12 month old Labrador, hes very energetic firendly and bouncy.

He gets two walks a day, on the leash when near a road and of the leash on the field so he can have a run to get rid of some of his energy.

he wil come back when called unless there is a dog he wants to say hello to and this is the problem.

The field I walk him on often has smaller dogs with older owners who get upset when my Lab bounds upto their dog (note not them, he doesn't jump on strangers) this morning one yelled at me:mad:
Who is right here, should my dog get exercise or should he stay on a lead at all times not to upset little old ladies?

bulchy

I have 2 dogs, and usually walk them together. If there off the lead, and we see other dogs on the lead,I put both mine on there leads, and give them a treat. I keep them on the leads until we are well passed the other dogs, so they arent tempted to go back to them. One of my dogs is fairly big, very soft and placid, but loves meeting other dogs and can be a bit 'in yer face' and to be honest, if I was a little old lady with a yorkie or some other small doggie, I would be scared of him if he was to come running over to me. As it is, he absolutely loves small dogs, and its the smaller ones he pulls to greet :rolleyes: If I see other dogs off lead, I use my judgement, if I think they arent going to be welcome, I distract them, put the bigger one on the lead and try to avoid the dogs, but if I think all is going to be ok (no fighting, stealing of toys etc) I allow them to go and say hello. My little dog isnt that interested in meeting other dogs in anyway, and is normally either walking by my side of her own free will, or on her lead, but the big'un would be off his lead all the time given half the chance.
Sue

JennyW_2

nickiboop wrote: »

I have a 12 month old Labrador, hes very energetic firendly and bouncy.

He gets two walks a day, on the leash when near a road and of the leash on the field so he can have a run to get rid of some of his energy.

he wil come back when called unless there is a dog he wants to say hello to and this is the problem.

The field I walk him on often has smaller dogs with older owners who get upset when my Lab bounds upto their dog (note not them, he doesn't jump on strangers) this morning one yelled at me:mad:
Who is right here, should my dog get exercise or should he stay on a lead at all times not to upset little old ladies?

You will need to respect other dogs and owners. I have this problem with owners letting their dogs come running and jumping all over mine. For a start it's not very nice plus you don't know if other dogs have issues (ie unsocialised, aggresive). My greyhound isn't too good with small furry dogs so I keep her away from them but it's hard when the owner thinks it's harmless and her little pooch just wants to be friendly. Makes me very angry.

All dogs get selective hearing when other dogs are around - mine do but they know when to come back. You will have to teach your dog to come back to you and train him or else he will remain unruly and ignore you.

Your dog is young so of course he's bouncy and just wants to play but you will have to be more selective with who he socialises with - do you have any friends with dogs who wouldn't mind your young dog's behaviour. Alternatively you will have to exercise him when others aren't around - this may mean earlier mornings or later evenings.

Sounds like he just needs socialising and training

WeirdoMagnet

It's normally considered good dog-owner manners not to let your dog bound up to other dogs particularly if they (the other dog) are on-lead. Also, if your pup is youthfully boisterous, it may not be a good idea to let him bound up to other dogs until he has calmed down a bit. Don't forget that not all dogs are friendly to other dogs, and your pup may get a telling off from dogs that don't appreciate his approach.

Generally, if I see another dog on-lead, I'd pop Tilly back on-lead too, even if only to pass the other dog. We (me & Tilly) don't have a high enough standard of obedience to just sit and wait, or heel past other dogs!

Teach your dog an excellent recall, so he comes back whatever happens - you'll need plenty of treats, a ball/toy etc to do so - make yourself more exciting than other dogs! Whilst you're perfecting your recall, you could use a harness and a horse lunge line - that way you are still in control but your dog gets his exercise.

Do you go to a training group? I found with Tilly that it really helped get her used to listening to me in the presence of other dogs. If you're looking for a group try the APDT.

Good luck!

Georgie

shandypants5

I used to have a big black lab (passed away now sadly 14 yrs old) and when he was younger he had a LOT of energy so he needed to run free chase a ball and such.
To me he seemed freindly and cute, but looking from a strangers point of view a BIG black dog bounding towards you can look terrifying.

So I used to keep him on a lead unless in open space, even though he would quite happily walk to heel without my prompting him.

when he was off the lead he would USUALLY come instantly when called ....but sometimes....he would just look back and then decide that THAT smell was just too irisistable.. I think you know what I mean.

So in my opinion I think you need to put most if not ALL of your training time into making him come when called,even if he learns nothing else!
and you STILL need to keep an eye on other dogwalkers and call him back before he makes up his own mind.
Once you have chatted to the owners you can always let him off again.

suki1964

You really do need to work on his recall every time you are out. if hes not interested in coming back for treats then try a toy but treat him every time he comes back.Sometimes leash him for a while when he comes, sometimes just fuss him and send him off again - keep it unpredictable. if every time he comes back hes put on lead, he may very well decide to carry on with what he was doing and come back in his own sweet time - and you are aiming for instant recall.

You may want to invest in a long line and keep him on that for a while till becomes better at recall.

Playing games where you keep them focused on you is helpfull, just running around keeping changing direction, keeping him guessing. Taking a football out and having a kick around with him, whatever you need to do to keep him focussed on you.


Of now to remind me own cocker of the rules

nickiboop

I have been looking into training classes but can find nothing for his age group (too big for puppy classes)
I have tried a long lead but ended up with bad rope burns, then he chewed through it unfortunately I don't know anyone with a dog!

TBH this dog is making me miserable, hes to strong for me and I hate walking him, my DH doesn't see that there is a problem and thinks that as hes a puppy (albeit a big one) people should understand.

I am thinking of getting rid of him but that would make me feel even worse as I hate people who get dogs without thinking it though and I feel like as we have taken him on we have to keep him even if I am miserable. I should have stuck to my guns and got a smaller dog.

nickiboop

OH and he's not interested in treats!

boldaslove

as the owner of 2 rather manic collies i do sympathise! i have lost count of the amount of times i've been yelled at by the general public, admittedly a few times it has been justified and i've been absolutely mortified (although i'm reluctant to apoligise to someone who is screaming abuse at me!) but generally people seem to freak out at the sight of other dogs and overreact. i can understand as both have mine have been attacked previously but this can make the problem worse.
for example. my younger (and very over enthusiastic) dog took a dislike to a little black dog who lives nearby (i want to point out the feeling between the 2 dogs is mutual!). they've always been snappy at each other. on 4 occassions now one of the men who walk him has reacted in the worse way possible and has screamed, yelled, abused and even tried to hit/kick my dog. if i was a dog in a bad mood a large man prancing around me making a racket would definately get me revved up! not to mention the fact a grown man has no problems with threatening and abusing lone women is worrying!
we have since used distraction techniques with her whenever we see this dog and although it still snarls and barks at her she hardly bats on eyelid.

you can't help how other people react, but by staying calm and upbeat and making a huge fuss of your dog when he comes back to you will teach him it's better to pay attention to you than go belting up to strange dogs. if you can persuade other owners to socialise their dogs with yours that's even better. the extendable lead is a very good idea (just make sure it's strong enough to restrain him if he does run off!). i find that when my dog looks like she's about to do a runner, i run in the opposite direction making a racket and flapping my arms, i look like an idiot but she always runs after me!

finally if someone starts yelling abuse at you, just calmly collect your dog, apoligise and walk away. it's not worth getting in an argument if they're going to behave like a dog too

pompeii

I have had similar problems in the past walking a big bouncy dog. I was advised to get a Halti collar it fits over the dogs face. I was told if you control the head, you control the dog. i also got a retractable lead and would practice recall by letting the dog go to the furthest extent of the lead and calling her back, lots of fuss and treats when she go it right. Also if she wanted to check out other dogs she could but i still had her under control. As she matured i was able to give her an ordinary collar and lead and she has been fine.

WeirdoMagnet

nickiboop wrote: »

OH and he's not interested in treats!

A lab not interested in food?! :shocked: Not even really tasty treats? Sausages? Roast Chicken? Cheese?

What about if you don't give him his breakfast, take advantage of him being hungry and use his biscuits as his reward (assuming that you feed him two meals a day and use dry food).

Start your recall training in a 'boring' place, like your front room, and once you've got a perfect recall there, gradually move to more 'interesting' places (kitchen --> garden --> park etc). There's more information on training a recall on Karen Pryor's Clicker Training website.

I don't think you should let him off lead until he has a reliable recall. Allowing him to 'practice' ignoring the 'come' command, or to bound up to other dogs will only reinforce the behaviour you don't want.

You say you got rope burns from a long line - make sure you get a cotton one (suitable for horses), or use a strong flexi lead and wear gloves if you think it will happen again. Have you tried using a harness?

Where did you look for training classes? Online, at your vets, asked the breeder? Did you check the APDT website? Whereabouts are you based? Just seen you're in Leeds - are any of these trainers near you?

Please don't give up on him - they're hard work but worth it in the end.

Georgie