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
With my dog trainers hat on I suggest you try to find a very calm quiet dog with good canine communication to walk in a quiet area with.
ReplyDeleteStart with parallel walking-that is keep a distance between you and the other dog. Then when your dog is calm and not reacting by barking or lunging at the other dog decrease the distance between you all. This will start the process of rebuilding your dog's confidence and she will should start to respond by becoming less reactive. This kind of problem is pretty common as dogs have frights and worries on walks more than we think they do.
Ask around your friends and neighbours as I am sure someone will have a lovely quiet dog that can help you both. When you find one, take things very slowly and do only short walks- remember you are building confidence and this takes time and cannot be done in a short time.