[nagdu] dog distraction, continued

[Danielle Sykora]

I took the high tail wagging as a show of dominance or maybe trying to
warn the other dog away. He doesn't hold his tail down like he's
terrified, but it's definitely not a happy wag either. It was really
the vocalizations that lead me to the conclusion of anxiety, because
Thai doesn't bark, growl, or whine in harness without good reason.
I've found the touch command extremely helpful and I've gotten him to
the point where he can sit calmly in close proximity to another dog.
It's when we have to walk past one that I have trouble keeping his
focus. I'm waiting to hear back from the school, so I hope they'll be
able to help me solve this problem.

Danielle and Thai


On 10/21/15, Tracy Carcione via nagdu <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 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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