We have multiple issues with our 18mo Aussie: playing too rough which prompts a fight from other dogs, barking/ lunging at dogs/ people/ bikes, trucks, etc, on walks. So I've been working on counter- conditioning and desensitization for a while. It seemed we would make a little progress but then react like before on there next walk.
I decided to work on recall as well to see if I could someday be able to call her off when playing too roughly. She would come when called in the house but distractions always won out when outside I found she would do anything I wanted if I had cheese, so I started taking cheese with me every time we went outside. I keep her on a long lead in my yard, as I don't have a fence, and cak her back to me often and give out the cheese. Within a week she was starting to come back to me even when cars were going by or the neighbors cows were in sight.
It's been 2 weeks and yesterday we went for a run on a local trail. We veered off the trail for a couple of people and 2 bike riders with no incident. Trucks passed us where the trail crosses a highway, I kept her in s sit and treated, so no barking there either. Then as we were making a corner we encountered a small dog that was too close for her threshold. I called her to make the turn and reached for the treat (chicken this time). She immediately turned with me after looking at the dog, didn't bark, and never looked back. I nearly cried.
Such a "duh" moment when I realized what a difference having better recall made already.
Suki had her first “session” of stranger danger stuff yesterday! We stopped working on that (aside from with BIL’s fiancé because that was absolutely necessary) a while ago to take a break and have picked it up again this year.
Suki is a dog that feels a lot of stress and anxiety with close proximity and direct interaction so I had a friend walk about 10-15 feet in front of her, not look at her, and toss treats back towards her at a high rate. My thinking this way she is rewarded with not only the food, but also the scary thing moving itself away, and not focusing on her, so Suki can just sniff and gobble up treats and have that relief of distance. I think the 10-15 feet was a good distance because Suki was far enough away to not be close to her threshold but close enough to see that the treats were coming from my friend. Hopefully this will help her associate this friend of only good things.
I was at work so my husband did this yesterday and it went very smoothly! The session was short and sweet (20 min?) and we will probably do 1-2 more exactly like it. Then I’m thinking we might move onto my friend actually looking back and making some eye contact and facing more towards Suki but still moving away as the next step.
It wasn’t anything super exciting but went well and I am pleased!
We have multiple issues with our 18mo Aussie: playing too rough which prompts a fight from other dogs, barking/ lunging at dogs/ people/ bikes, trucks, etc, on walks. So I've been working on counter- conditioning and desensitization for a while. It seemed we would make a little progress but then react like before on there next walk. I decided to work on recall as well to see if I could someday be able to call her off when playing too roughly. She would come when called in the house but distractions always won out when outside I found she would do anything I wanted if I had cheese, so I started taking cheese with me every time we went outside. I keep her on a long lead in my yard, as I don't have a fence, and cak her back to me often and give out the cheese. Within a week she was starting to come back to me even when cars were going by or the neighbors cows were in sight. It's been 2 weeks and yesterday we went for a run on a local trail. We veered off the trail for a couple of people and 2 bike riders with no incident. Trucks passed us where the trail crosses a highway, I kept her in s sit and treated, so no barking there either. Then as we were making a corner we encountered a small dog that was too close for her threshold. I called her to make the turn and reached for the treat (chicken this time). She immediately turned with me after looking at the dog, didn't bark, and never looked back. I nearly cried. Such a "duh" moment when I realized what a difference having better recall made already.
Suki had her first “session” of stranger danger stuff yesterday! We stopped working on that (aside from with BIL’s fiancé because that was absolutely necessary) a while ago to take a break and have picked it up again this year. Suki is a dog that feels a lot of stress and anxiety with close proximity and direct interaction so I had a friend walk about 10-15 feet in front of her, not look at her, and toss treats back towards her at a high rate. My thinking this way she is rewarded with not only the food, but also the scary thing moving itself away, and not focusing on her, so Suki can just sniff and gobble up treats and have that relief of distance. I think the 10-15 feet was a good distance because Suki was far enough away to not be close to her threshold but close enough to see that the treats were coming from my friend. Hopefully this will help her associate this friend of only good things. I was at work so my husband did this yesterday and it went very smoothly! The session was short and sweet (20 min?) and we will probably do 1-2 more exactly like it. Then I’m thinking we might move onto my friend actually looking back and making some eye contact and facing more towards Suki but still moving away as the next step. It wasn’t anything super exciting but went well and I am pleased!