[nagdu] dog distraction, continued

[Tracy Carcione]

Catching up on email ...
Wagging his tail over his back doesn't sound like anxiety to me.  An anxious
dog tends to tuck his tail, or wag it down low.
Some people I know have had success using the hand-touch for dog
distractions.  Dog gets distracted, you stop, tell him to touch your hand,
click and treat.  I should try this myself, as Krokus has gotten more
dog-distracted.  And people-distracted, especially kids.  His inner golden
expressing itself.
Tracy


-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Danielle Sykora
via nagdu
Sent: Saturday, October 10, 2015 10:59 AM
To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
Cc: Danielle Sykora
Subject: [nagdu] dog distraction, continued

Hi all,

Some of you probably remember my previous posts concerning dog distractions,
but here's a quick summary for those who don't. Starting some time in early
spring, my dog started lunging and growling at dogs while working after
experiencing interfearance from off-leash dogs on many occasions.

Working with him over the spring and summer, I got him to the point where he
no longer lunges, barks, or growls. On the other hand, he now reacts to
almost all dogs where he used to only have a problem with dogs that were
off-leash, behind invisible fences, or tied out on long lines. His natural
reaction is to pull harder when he sees another dog, but he also often slows
down or sits since that's what I previously encouraged in order to give him
food rewards. Thai doesn't react to all dogs all the time and he can calmly
sit and watch another dog walk by, but he definitely reacts to the majority
of dogs while trying to walk past them. Because he stares at other dogs,
wags his tail curled over his back, and/or whines, I think the route of the
problem is anxiety from his past negative experiences. Some techniques I've
used are food rewards in the presence of other dogs (dogs = food), obedience
to focus his attention on me, and calming petting while interrupting his
sight line to the other dog. He also wears a Halti so I have better control
over his head.  Thai has improved significantly, but I've essentially hit a
plateau in training where I don't know how to proceed. I'm probably going to
contact the school when I have some free time after midterms, but I'm hoping
some of you will have suggestions for overcoming my pup's anxiety in the
meantime.

Danielle and Thai

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