Change of tune!

My 30-month-old male dog started lunging and barking at some other dogs about six months ago. It is quite random so I never know when he is going to do it and it is hard to hold even in a front clip harness or head collar. The only thing I can think may have caused this was at about 18 months old he was chased, bowled over and bitten.

Before that he loved everyone - dogs and people! Having said that, he was always very respectful when approaching another dog even as a puppy. He was well socialized from a puppy and has never been frightened of vacuums, fireworks etc. But he now twitches when he is touched and I can no longer clip his nails, although he loves being groomed and stroked, when he realizes I am not going to do anything to him. He was also neutered at 10 months.

I take him to dog classes to rebuild his confidence with some lovely dogs and a good trainer, he does very well in class but if I try the advice outside in the real world it doesn’t work! He must give off a nervous vibe as, again quite randomly, some dogs will ignore my friends dogs and chase or snap at him, again I don’t know when this is going to happen, but if I see someone put their dog on a lead I take him out of harms way, but not everyone does.

Some advice I have been given is to get people to walk past at a distance, but he is fine with most dogs especially with my friends' dogs! I can’t go up to strangers and say, excuse me, can you walk your dog in front of my dog to see if he is scary! I take him to local fun dog shows and he is fine, happy to meet all the dogs and shows no sign of a problem, everyone there thinks he is lovely and he always wins rosettes.

If I see another dog on a walk and get him to sit and start feeding him treats, he gets agitated and starts looking around as if the treats are the trigger! I have started clicker training with him, he has taken to this well but this also doesn’t work in situ.

He is a very loving dog, amazing with children, obedient in the house, crate trained, clever, but, I am getting worn out and am constantly embarrassed and disheartened on walks. I try very hard not to tense up as I know I contribute to the tension!

Thanks    
Sandy, via email 

Walking on eggshells

Hello Dogs Today,

I read your magazine regularly and would like some help with my Border Terrier, please. She is two years old and is a lovely companion.

The problem is when she is out on the lead for walks. She barks furiously at every dog she sees. Off lead on local pasture land she plays happily with other dogs and has good recall although, just recently she was playing with another cross-breed terrier and it developed into a fight and I don’t know which dog started it. Also, my dog started humping the other dog and I have never seen her do this before. 

When walking her on lead I try to distract her when I see another dog approaching. I ask her to look at me and offer her a treat and keep doing this until the other dog has got a good way past us. This is working if I see the other dog before mine spots it and also if the other dog does not pass too close to us, otherwise I have no chance of distracting mine and thus we have the furious barking and black looks from everyone around us including the other dog’s owner. Sometimes the other dog’s owner will laugh and say they understand. 

It is really hard work walking her out now. I have had Border Terriers before but not had this kind of behaviour to contend with. My husband often used to walk our dogs, too, but he passed away. I have got this Border after he passed and so I have brought her up on my own. I have been told by other dog owners and a vet that she is protecting me.

Please can you advise me because she is wearing me out and I am not as young as I was? If I had known what I know now I would maybe have got an older rescue dog but I thought, having had Borders before, I knew what I was getting and with rescues I maybe wouldn’t be too sure of their temperament and adaptability. I like that all my Borders have been bomb-proof and fearless but this one has gone a step too far for me.

Kind regards,

Libby Coles, by email

How can I teach my dog some manners?

Dear Dogs Today Think Tank

I have a Pomeranian-Maltese cross who is 13-months-old, female, and unspayed at the moment. When I take her for walks she pulls really hard on her lead. She also barks and goes to attack any dog she sees on her walks.

I’ve tried dropping treats to distract her but this did not work - I tried for three months but no improvement. Then I tried spraying her in the face with water, but no improvement at all.

Please can you suggest anything else to try? There are no training classes in my area and I am getting desperate for ideas.

Tina, Southend-on-Sea

Snap decision

Sadie is a four-year-old English Springer Spaniel bitch (spayed). She is very affectionate with people and loves attention but she is behaving oddly on walks. If another dog approaches she is sometimes fine (especially with dogs she has known since puppyhood) but has started to bark and snap at strange dogs no matter how friendly.
This weekend she had a real go at a young dog (male) - she did no damage and the owner was understanding but I was horrified by her behaviour and at a loss to explain it. I put her on a lead now when other dogs are around but she is still acting up if another dog approaches. Sadie has only been the victim of bad dog behaviour once when she was about two years old - she was on a lead when a loose dog got nasty - Sadie was frightened but not hurt.
I am unfortunately not in a position to pay a dog trainer (circumstances have changed since I became Sadie's owner) but I am happy to undertake any training that would help. There are no signs I can see of impending trouble - a mutual sniff and then POW!
At the moment I am putting her back on the lead and ignore the other dog. I reward quiet behaviour and try to ignore the bad. Any help would be most welcome.
F James, by email