[nagdu] Barking at Other Dogs

[Daryl Marie]

Cindy,
Yeah, the no-notice thing gets frustrating. Jenny has only ever barked at another dog twice that I can recall: once was before we got her allergies under control, so she was in pretty intense pain and was quite edgy. The other time was when we were trying to get away from the other dog at a street corner and the other dog kept trying to get in her face. But if you can hear the other dog (leash, barking, whatever) it's a lot easier to preempt anything. But if it's vocalization... if you're out of the dog's path and have the leash in the right hand, does he still bark? Curious.

Daryl

----- Original Message ----- From: Cindy Ray via nagdu <nagdu at nfbnet.org> To: 'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users' <nagdu at nfbnet.org> Cc: Cindy Ray <cindyray at gmail.com> Sent: Wed, 10 Jun 2015 15:43:13 -0600 (MDT) Subject: Re: [nagdu] Barking at Other Dogs  I know this is one good thing about Fisher usually. He starts pulling, panting, and/or whining, so I can grab the leash in my right hand. The other night at the DQ when he pulled me down though he saw the dog and lunged before I was aware. So this is a good question. How much advance warning do you get? Cindy  -----Original Message----- From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Daryl Marie via nagdu Sent: Wednesday, June 10, 2015 4:34 PM To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users Cc: Daryl Marie Subject: Re: [nagdu] Barking at Other Dogs Hi, Alysha, Depending on your dog, correction may add to the stress of the situation. Jenny is like that... leash corrections can make problems worse, and they are basically my last resort when she's doing something I don't want her to do. Can you hold the leash in your right hand if you notice him starting to pull toward other dogs? Have you noticed certain behaviors before the bark/lunge, or is the bark/lunge the first way he alerts you to other dogs? Daryl ----- Original Message ----- From: Cindy Ray via nagdu <nagdu at nfbnet.org> To: 'NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users' <nagdu at nfbnet.org> Cc: Cindy Ray <cindyray at gmail.com> Sent: Wed, 10 Jun 2015 15:19:53 -0600 (MDT) Subject: Re: [nagdu] Barking at Other Dogs I have always had this problem. I have used the gentle leader. I kind of doubt it is adding to the stress, but it could be. I have not tried treats, and I have had nothing to do that worked so much. I've tried dogfgie push ups, which is down, sit, down, and got the dog to rest. I have had a couple of instructors come here. Actually there were three. Anyway, for me there has been o resolution. I hope you get more positive information from somewhere else. My guy is a good guy, and this is his most major flaw. Cindy -----Original Message----- From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Alysha via nagdu Sent: Wednesday, June 10, 2015 4:16 PM To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users Cc: Alysha Subject: [nagdu] Barking at Other Dogs Hi all, My new dog, Xylon, has unfortunately developed the bad habit of barking at other dogs if they pass too close. I usually work him with his gentle leader because he struggles with dog distractions, and I can generally keep him on track when the other dog is across the street or far away. But if a dog is passing us on the sidewalk or walking toward us and acting excited, Xylon will give out a loud bark and sometimes lunge toward the dog. He only barks once and hasn't ever tried to hurt another dog, but for obvious reasons, this behavior is not good! I called the school, and the trainer I talked too told me to keep one snap of the leash connected to the gentle leader and one to his collar and to correct him when he barks. I tried that, and it did not work. In fact, I'm now wondering if the corrections are adding to the stress and tension that are causing Xylon to bark in the first place. Some advice I've read online suggests using treats to help associate the sight of other dogs with positive instead of negative feelings for your dog. The articles suggest moving away when the other dog comes closer than your dog is comfortable with and slowly work on reducing that threshold with the use of the treats. I'd like to give that a try, but it's difficult to do this on my own since I'm not always sure when a dog is coming or what it's doing. The school is going to send an instructor out to work with us, but in the meantime, I was wondering if any of you have dealt with this problem and successfully overcome it. I'd love to hear any tips or advice. Xylon is a great worker and a friendly, happy little guy, so I'm confident we'll find a way to work through this.  Thanks, Alysha _______________________________________________ nagdu mailing list nagdu at nfbnet.org http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nagdu_nfbnet.org To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for nagdu: http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nagdu_nfbnet.org/cindyray%40gmail.com _______________________________________________ nagdu mailing list nagdu at nfbnet.org http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nagdu_nfbnet.org To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for nagdu: http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nagdu_nfbnet.org/crazymusician%40shaw.ca _______________________________________________ nagdu mailing list nagdu at nfbnet.org http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nagdu_nfbnet.org To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for nagdu: http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nagdu_nfbnet.org/cindyray%40gmail.com  _______________________________________________ nagdu mailing list nagdu at nfbnet.org http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/nagdu_nfbnet.org To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for nagdu: http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/nagdu_nfbnet.org/crazymusician%40shaw.ca