[nagdu] Barking at Other Dogs

Wed Jun 10 22:36:05 UTC 2015

Xylon generally pulls a little harder when he sees something interesting,
but that could be a dog, kids, a squirrel, or who knows what else. Of
course, if the dog is barking or jingling, I can tell where it is. I use the
gentle leader along with the leash in my right hand to prevent him from
being able to get too crazy with other dogs. My problem is knowing when a
dog is going to pass close enough to us that it will bother him in time to
move out of the way. For example, we went to an outdoor craft show over the
weekend where many people brought their dogs. Since it was crowded and loud,
it wasn't always possible for me to tell there was a dog too close until he
barked. My current theory is that I'm at least somewhat responsible for the
barking. When we got home from class, he started having more issues with dog
distractions, so I would tense up every time I thought there was a dog
nearby. I wonder if my nervousness could have rubbed off on him. I think I'm
going to try working with treats and trying to relax when I know a dog is
around.

Alysha
-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Daryl Marie via
nagdu
Sent: Wednesday, June 10, 2015 5:57 PM
To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
Cc: Daryl Marie
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Barking at Other Dogs

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
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