Won't get on with other dogs :(

[jessiecl]

I have a 7 month old, male DSxMali pup (We have one more pup from the same litter, Titan) and have run into a few obstacles. After his vaccinations and got the all clear from the vet I took him out for his first adventure and found him to have a problem with cars. He snapped and pulled after them barking etc. This was solved through walking him through school traffic for two months; now the occasionally half hearted snap is all that's left of this. It became clear though after passing neighbouring houses he has a fierce dislike of other dogs. We think this stems from him being insecure and feeling the need to jockey with other dogs for dominance. He had been socialised with other dogs of all ages by the breeder with his own dogs. I noticed when the breeder showed us three other dogs he keeps as pets around Duke he would snap and bark (He was then 7 and 8 weeks respectively on the visits) Titan has no issues with other dogs then or now. Duke will approach and sniff a stationary dog (This was noticed when I took him to meet a relatives dogs, a husky and greyhound) but as soon as the dog approached him he began to snap, bark, jump, throw himself, whine and screech. He was next to impossible to calm down. Since I take him to the local park twice a day and walk him on the football pitch approximately five to ten metres from the main path. I have been training him to sit when frustrated, fearful or nervous. He can now be calmed once the approaching dog keeps his distance. He was coming along in leaps and bounds until he was approached by an off leash terrier that snarled and attempted to bite him. He is now significantly more fearful of small dogs. I can calm him to a certain extent by commanding him to sit and let the dog pass by. I would really like him to be able to be around other dogs, so my question is does anybody have any ideas on anything I could try to get him to relax around other dogs? Thank you in advance I know the post is long winded but I wished to put everything in. All help is hugely appreciated

[karenz]

I just commented on your other post. Is this definitely an aggressive thing? What is he body language telling you. If it's definitely aggressive then I can't be much help but there are some people on here who's posts I have read have a similar issue. Maybe they will chime in. When my Xander was a pup he would jump snap his jaws and bounce around with other dogs but his tail was wagging and his ears were up. It was a playful thing. However, he was an excited bouncy player. I had to teach him that not all dogs were playful. I limit who he can play with for this reason. Basically he can play with my dad's ds, even though she is older and doesn't play alot. But she is very tolerable of him. He can play with my best friends pit boxer mix. They kinda grew up together. And my neighbors dog a little bit. But as a pup he would try to play with every dog he saw and would do the jump bounce bark snap thing. Also as a pup he did the same thing whenever he encountered something new, broom mop vacuum leaf blower, etc... but this was a ears back not playful thing. It seemed like the more I exposed him to it and went slow he chilled. I would give him treats when those items were around and he saw them but didn't go after them. I'm sure this may not be alot of help but hopefully someone here who has had the same issues will jump in. And welcome.

[jessiecl]

Thank you very much and I shall get the photos up as soon as I can figure it out xD He wants to play and meet them at first but then he acts afraid, ears back slightly (His ears still haven't come up fully) crouched. If the dog gets closer he will start the jump bark snap thing but his body language still isn't aggressive. Its like he doesn't quite know what to do with himself, nervous but no aggression, he never growls, snarls or goes fpt another dog even when he is surprised by a dog suddenly appearing behind him (It happens a lot as only a minimal amount of people leash their dogs in the park) He behaved similar to Xander until recently when it came to all those things especially the sweeping brush. He has gotten over this now, I got him to sit and watch it and treated him. All help is hugely appreciated

[karenz]

It never ends with these guys. Just 30 minutes after I posted on your thread Xander went crazy barking and jumping at the back door. The niece and nephew left their floats in the pool and Xander could see them floating around. That is different than what he normally sees so we had to go through the whole "this is ok, it's not a monster" thing again. If you don't think it's aggressive just keep exposing him and showing him that other dogs are ok. But don't take that as he should play and sniff and whatever with any dog. All he needs to do is learn to walk past them, be in the same vicinity as them and be ok with it. I would be cautious as to what dogs he actually be friends.

[jessiecl]

The first time Duke discovered that stainless steel pans move when they get walloped took some time to convince him he wasnt going to get eaten by it. Thank you for the advice and I agree I wouldn't be comfortable allowing him to play with dogs I wouldn't know anything about. He is allowed play with my relatives husky he's five and acts like one big pup, the greyhound too (She's 12 and gets quite irritated with his playing and chooses to ignore him after a bit, he still follows her around despite it)

[Dutchringgirl]

I would really like him to be able to be around other dogs,

Did he tell you that he wants to be around other dogs? Humans want their animal companions to do what we humans want with out asking the animal. My previous life was a horse trainer, most of the time I trained humans to listen to their horse friend, but they kept choosing to make the horse do what the human wanted, hence, unhappy horse.

We want our animal friends to do what we want and that may not always be what the animal wants. He sounds like he is having alot of anxiety issues and then is kept being put in said places that cause anxiety.

Slow down, listen to him. Cramming him into dog parks [ I abhor them and dont go] and around buses, slow down. Back up. I would NOT take him to dog parks. If you can walk him in town when its quiet so he can see a few people / dogs at once, that would be better. Listen to him, he may not want to be friends with everyone and every dog. Socialization is way over rated. Its us humans that want them socialized and I dont know why. Their job was to hang out in the field all day with sheep, not play in the dog park.

My Sadie dosnt want to be social, so I respect that. When she was a pup, she was scared of her own shadow, [ now she is afraid of snake skins LOL] So I slowly took her in town, and car rides with the windows down so she could hear loud noises. I made sure I went slow as not to overwhelm her senses. I did take her to the dog park, at the time It was the only place I knew in town with water, I stayed WAAAAY away, but since most humans in dog parks arent very smart, a few dogs came up to my girls to play and Sadie would have none of it. So instead of taking her daily to MAKE her be social, I stay away, because that is what Sadie wants. There are only a few dogs that she needs to be around, and I still listen to her and the other dog and act accordingly to the situation.

Why do you need them socialized? What if they are not? Find other places to play besides the dog park. Making them do what we want will only lead to trouble.

[Raven]

At his age, prey drive is likely kicking in. How you handle his reaction is very important; you could send unintended signals, especially since he still learning how to act in, and react to, the world around him. We can't say, as is, if it IS fear.

I agree 210% with Lisa. Not all dogs are meant to like each other and some just want to rip into other dogs (my guy). And Average Joe Dog Owner can't read canine body language and often doesn't even know their own dog(s). (I used to work fundraisers where for some stupid reason, the organizers always allow people to bring their dogs--and every square foot is full of clueless owners while their dogs are sending signals like fireworks that get ignored. I stopped working the actual events b/c I have to keep my mouth shut, and at the last one I didn't--"That dog is gonna bite" I said, and BAM! it did.)

As part of your ongoing learning, you might want to check out Turid Rugaas. She's undoubtedly of keen mind in regard to canine body language and how to understand what your dog is communicating.

[Raven]

Mod moved post to "Behavior."

[johninny]

to go back to your original post, i will assume you do not necessarily want him to PLAY with or even like all dogs, you just want him to behave in a civilized manner when around other dogs, like passing them in public, so that life out-and-about with him is more pleasant for everyone.

getting him to sit calmly and distract him - with treats if necessary - is the biggest thing you can do i think - and you are already doing that. calmly, matter-of-factly, even happily warn him that a dog is coming. the earlier-the better so that he gets that you are looking out for him and ''have his back''. of course. this means you have to be highly vigilant to spot dogs before he does. not that that is necessary, but it helps at the margin. also be aware of him so you know if he has spotted or sensed a dog present before you have. treat the presence or approach of another dog as normal; you must be relaxed and upbeat about it; otherwise your anxiety will confirm to him that he is right to be fearful. other dogs - strangers in public - should only be a cue to be calm and focused on you or you and a treat, if that's what it takes.

i would start out by indicating a dog approaching [ saying ''there's a dog'' ] and then immediately offering a treat [ assuming he has remained calm; you have to get the timing right! ] and, if necessary, keep the treats flowing til any danger of reactivity is over. so it goes: 1]''dog'', 2] focus on you or at least OFF the dog [''sit'' if such focus requires him to be sitting and stationary //// if severe, you could start with sits and then get more flexible as he improves and can focus off dog and stay calm while moving and passing on sidewalk], and 3] immediate treat or praise for no reactivity/calm. i.e., transform his thought process into ''good things - treats and praise - happen when other dogs are around me; i don't even need to say hello, i just need to stay calm and ignore them.''

i would not do dog parks; that is overload and really serves no purpose to accustom him to normal life with you. as sharon or Lisa said, sidewalks, stores or other environments where dogs will be present randomly are the best places to practice this and these are also the places you want him to be able to navigate smoothly.

the most important point is teaching him that dogs do not represent a universal threat AND that you are his partner and will keep him out of trouble. once he trusts the latter point, he will be much better. in a dog park, there is too much stress to teach the former, and it is simply impossible for you to teach him the latter - in fact, i would argue just the opposite - that he will see that you actively exposed him to all that danger. you must be his protector as he is yours; that will lead to an overall great relationship with him beyond helping with this issue.

finally, re terrier. in a people park where dogs may be off leash, have him follow same procedures [ but definitely do a strong, calm ''SIT'' [ this tells your dog, ''i have this'' ] and ask owners [ hopefully calm and non-stressed ] to keep their dogs at a distance. in a case like the terrier where a dog simply rushes in and crowds your dog - friendly and especially unfriendly - it might make sense in these environments to carry a small plastic spray bottle of water to stop the advance a few feet away.

one more point: i wanted to get a bit specific about action to make life flow more smoothly, while also agreeing that it may be a stretch to expect this dog to actively like other dogs [ tho a good behaviorist might get there if your dog is only mildly fearful] . but having gotten specific, i wish to note as others here know that i do not have much knowledge of formal training and behavioral techniques and what i have said here may be correctly subject to corrections from others who do have such knowledge and experience. so folks, did i get something wrong here? would love to know as maybe i can improve Tracer's dog tolerance even more.

[jessiecl]

I'm sorry I should have specified it is a people park! I live in Ireland, there are only two dog parks in the country that I know of. Neither of which that I would be visiting. I am aiming to have him act in a civilized manner when he sees another dog (Neighbours dogs as we are going past, beach visits, dogs in the park) he gets on with the family's other dog Titan and he is really the only dog he will be around for long periods of time, to play with and everything else. The car obstacle was sorted through taking him up to the primary school next to our house everyday, once a day, for five minutes, for two months. (We live in the countryside and as I am in secondary school from 8.30 in the local town and primary begins at 9 I couldn't take him, so my dad did.) I am above the legal age to own a dog in my country and have previously had a male GSD in our family for 12 years (Whom I took walking regularly starting from when I could handle him on my own.) I believe I am reading his body language correctly in that he wags his tail and has his ears up (He raises them when he is happy or interested in something, although it is always briefly as they still aren't standing all the time) even as he backs away and jumps when other dogs approach him. If a dog ignores him or does not make any move towards him, he is happy to sit, be treated and ignore the dog too. Problems arise when the dog comes closer. Seven or more metres he will take notice but keep his attention on me (If I notice the dog first : No leash pulling will sit on command immediately. If he notices the dog first: Will sit immediately and wait to be treated) Five metres and he will sit but takes two to three repeats of the sit command to get him to sit and relax. He will whine and his attention will be divided between myself and the dog. Inside four metres he will jump and bark and back away from the dog (Can be gotten to sit through slight pressure on the back hips and sit command firmly. Will not remain sitting for long.) He will not bite at the other dog or me even if another dog attempts to bite him (The other day a terrier continually lunged at him as I pushed it away and the owner tried to get the dog back to him, admittedly he didnt try very hard, he shouted at the dog and waited for it to respond, which it didnt. In the end it gave up and returned because I got Duke to sit and ignore as best he could) I get him to sit and focus on me but once he gets rattled by another dog he is confused by everything he normally takes no notice of such as other people, leaves on the ground etc. I take him to the car for five minutes, relax him and take him back and generally he is okay to go back and try again. On the prey drive, yes I think that could be a possibility as he would chase his ball to the ends of the earth. But at the same time this is never directed to a living thing by him. I have two rabbits as pets in basically what is a six foot high concreted in the ground dog pen (Neighbours dogs continually came onto the land and killed and injured the rabbits I kept so we built what my grandmother has in her boarding kennels. We figured if it would keep a dog in it would keep one out!) He has been around them from 8 weeks old and has never tried to attack them or chase them. He attempts to play with them through the fence as he does with Titan. As a pup he was allowed in with them to meet and greet and treated them as he would another puppy (Butt sniffing and trying to play) He wont chase the frogs in the garden (Titan does and has caught and eaten a few too) And he will follow birds and butterflies slowly without snapping he is curious of everything! He would even watch the fish in the garden pond. All replies are greatly appreciated and all of the approaches are being considered by what suits him and the family. Edit: I forgot to mention that I do act as normal as I can when we are out anywhere, I will hum as I do most of the time lol or sing quietly and he relaxes almost to the point of being at home. I take him around the town regularly but we have only ever passed a few dogs on the street (The town is tiny in comparison to most, population 1,000 and most are at home with their dogs ) He fortunately does seem to be able to bounce back after a negative interaction with a dog, he is quite a happy chappy and will do anything to please

[Dutchringgirl]

Thanks for the clarification. Again though, I would make sure yo are not over stimulating his brain. Take it slow so he can take in the sights and sounds and actions. If he is overloaded, he may quickly go into defense mode, and that is easy for this breed, since that is their job.
Most of the foundation work should be done at home getting good solid obedience, “look” is a great one, so he locks contact with your eyes and dosnt break it until you give him a command, then work on that so no matter what goes by, a big mean dog, or a yummy steak, he cant break contact until you say.
What I did with Sadie, we would walk in town where there were not many people, so we would only see one person or dog at a time, I would see one approaching far away, take them off to the side so there was plenty of distance, and make them sit and look at me until they passes. [ Thalie was fine, it is sadie who needed this]. I would also tell anyone who wanted to approach with their dog to not approach. Until he is fine with the Five meters away, make sure no one comes closer. Don’t push him until he is fine with the larger distance, you are in control, not the other person with or with out the dog, don’t be afraid to tell people to stay away. Some will get mad, but your dog is more important than their feelings.
If you need to stop taking him out for a bit to really secure his obedience at home, then do so, its better if he is confident in his comands then for him to wonder what he should be doing.
Rabbits and the other things in the garden do not pose the threat the other dogs do. Sadie plays with everything, frogs, etc, goes after bees, and what ever else, just to play though, not to attack, but when we are out, the defense kicks in. That is their job.
Its good that he is bouncing back, make sure though, that you keep people the right distance for his training, one bad mistake and it will either not end well, or he will be so traumatized, it will take years to get him to be around other dogs.
Also keep in mind, that he may not want to be around other dogs. Like I said in my other post. I did all of this with Sadie, but let her tell me when she is comfortable around other dogs, and she isnt, So I stopped making her. If I see another dog approaching, I keep her away and tell them to keep their dog away too.
We are the ones who want them to be social, not them. Their job was to be in the field alone with the sheep all day with no one to play with but their humans.

[Raven]

It was kind of hard to read through your stream of consciousness; paragraphs are our friends.

A wagging tail means excitement--good or bad, not necessarily a "happy" reaction.

Based on my interpretation of what you wrote, you need to work with his threshold, not against it. If he's fine with a dog at 30' (no anxious displays and stays focused on you) but not at 20', when you see the first sign he is losing focus, turn the other way (casually, no drama) and casually launch into some OB. You're relieving his stress and diverting his attention back on you. When he's nearing threshold or over threshold, he's fragmented (at the least) and unable to focus. You're fighting something you need to be working with slowly and incrementally toward. Lessen his anxiety in the face of triggers rather than elevate them.

Telling him to do something two or three times could also create a habit (in both of you) that you don't want, so remove him calmly in another direction where he can be successful in responding to you. If his reaction IS fear-based, you're building confidence in him and in trusting you.

Also, if it IS fear-based, think of what a well-known behaviorist who rehabbed problematic dogs said about her work in relation to how we always want to make our dogs focus only on US:

Someone takes you to the edge of a dark forest, blind-folds you, and wants to lead you through. How do you trust that? What level of trust would you have if you can't see?

She was more elegant in her example, but it made sense to me with fear-based aggression.

I'm not convinced your pup is responding out of fear, nor out of a budding prey drive. The reactions you describe, though, make me lean toward DA. Either way, how you handle it (calmly, not allowing him to go over threshold, etc.) will end up making a difference, either by a degree or more toward your goal.

[Raven]

Lisa and I were typing at the same time, and now that I've read her post, I need to say something she touched on and I should have as well (though you probably already know this).

When removing him from a potential trigger or a trigger and launching into OB, obviously do only those things to which he is conditioned--so he is successful.

And proofing outside his normal territory (his house and/or yard) should really only get done once he is solid in the level of OB on which you are working.

P.S.: It's a curious thing that people must be of a legal age to own a dog there. I agree with it (not that a 30-year-old would necessarily make a good owner), but I can't wrap my head around why--a 12-year-old can bring home a stray, but the parents would license it if they wanted to be legal, so....???

[Dutchringgirl]

It was kind of hard to read through your stream of consciousness; paragraphs are our friends.

A wagging tail means excitement--good or bad, not necessarily a "happy" reaction.

YES! Good point, a wagging tail isnt always good. My girls will wag their tail when they have found something they want to 'play' with.

[Dutchringgirl]

And proofing outside his normal territory (his house and/or yard) should really only get done once he is solid in the level of OB on which you are working.

We both have said this, and I would like to stress that this is really the most important. If the cues are not solid at home, and a big dog comes over, and the human is not that bright to listen to you and just come over, how is the dog going to be confident enough to handle the situation.

I do love Sharons analogy of the blindfold in the forest, I think that describes it perfectly. If our skills are honed at home, and someone leads us blind though the forest, If something jumps out, we are ready to take it on because our body will take over since it is trained. If we have no skills and we go out, how terrified are we going to be? If some thing happens, will we want to go back? Probably not, or not until we have better skills.

They look to us for guidance and if we are not sure and they are not sure, then it will be chaos, and with this breed, that is not good.

I can take my parents Basset hound anywhere and not worry, because she is a hound, not a protection breed, dogs can come running over to her, big, small, no matter, and she will be fine and play , or hide behind me, but I never have to worry she will be " ruined" .

I know we are driving this home hard, but we want the best for you and your pup.

[jessiecl]

He is doing very well at home with commands. I can ask him to sit from a distance and he will sit and stay until I release him with 'Okay' command. He, at home, will respond almost instantly. When we are out and he gets thrown off, he shows very little signs before he becomes agitated. It almost seems to differ depending on the dog. He will practically ignore a larger dog to a certain extent.
I have been practicing 'Look' for the last week and he almost has it (I read somewhere to get his attention focused on the owner is essential for a dog like him) So thank you Dutchringgirl
Raven I should have properly written that up sorry for confusion caused. The law to be in place regarding the dangerous dogs and they cannot legally be handled in public by someone below the required age (If below they are deemed too young to properly control the dog and the owner can be reported to the dog warden.) A dog license can only be issued to over 16's and the owner would sign the form.

[Raven]

I know he's seven months, but did you say how long you've had him and how long you've been working with him? (Sorry if I missed it.)

If there's a dog on TV (barking, or it's silent and he sees it), does he do anything?

Does he have ANY reaction (mild or otherwise) to a dog barking in the neighborhood when he can't see him?

Have you noticed him ever picking up a scent (ground, airborne) and having ANY reaction (mild or otherwise) that is similar to what he does when a dog breaches his visual comfort zone?

I ask these things since my take away on your description is that his trigger is only a visual of another dog, usually smaller, once it breaches a certain distance. If he hasn't had a situation to have any reaction to merely hearing another dog or see a dog move on TV, I'd be interested to know what he'd do if you staged it. (But most dogs have heard other dogs one way or another without seeing them.)

He will practically ignore a larger dog to a certain extent.

Are you interpreting "practically" and "certain extent" as a good/positive/hopeful thing? As it stands NOW, I see it as he's on the fence...not clear...uncertain...and I don't think it'd take much to have him pop.

The bottom-line as I see it is that this can't get resolved over-night. It's a WIP (work-in-progress) that needs time and consistency--and a calm, confident leader.

Also be sure to monitor yourself in the face of potential trigger or a real trigger so as not to give him reason to confirm that what he is thinking and how he behaves is how he is supposed to think and behave.

A week of "look" is not conditioned behavior. It shows that he understands what it means. Throw in some mild distractions with it. Increase distractions as you progress.

Have you been working on "leave it?" Again...they can "get it" and do it, but until they are conditioned through increasing levels of distractions, it's really only a command they know.

Are you marker training?

EDIT: Sorry...you said he "almost" has the command "look." Once it's solid, add distractions on home turf incrementally. Then in safe zones outside home turf. Same as with "leave it."

A week to "almost" understand the command seems long for an older pup...how are you teaching it/how often/how long are your training sessions? (Again, are you marker training?)

I might sound like a but I'm really not.

[Dutchringgirl]

To back up Sharon, a week of Look isnt good enough. It has to be rock solid, and if the simple Look is good, do something that will get him to look away then you'll see how easily he will break the connection. I do "look" for food, I wont say a word, its implied, I have Sadies food bowl, She must sit, then lock eyes while I put it down, then she cant break the look until I release her, if she does, the bowl gets lifted back up. wait longer and longer. I do the same with going out, not the first morning one though. She has to sit, look, even while I open the door, she cant go out until I release her. See if someone can hold some food while you practice look. Again, to back up Sharon, A week is long, even Sadie got it really quick LOL

[jessiecl]

I've had him since he was eight weeks, and began obedience training with him around four months. Before this I taught him general things come, down, no, etc and he had many little 'Wrinkles' xD I had to iron out. (The breeder had taught them not to shy away from sound from birth by shaking bottles filled with stones around the pups. It had the opposite effect on our two pups.)
He became crazy excited around noise, would rip and tear at clothes on people. He would grab your feet walking past and sleeves. Steal my clothes specifically from the laundry line, washing basket etc. If he managed to sneak out the kitchen door he could be found in my room or the hot press where laundry is kept, rooting through my clothes and looking for my shoes (He had never been taken to my room, he sniffed his way there). He would pee on specifically, my kitchen chair (Only mine, there are six) when I was sat in it, if somebody touched off me or spoke to me, he would pee next to me where they stood. If Titan came near me he would growl and pee between us. I had a friend over for a sleepover when he was 12 weeks and I was cleaning up pee every two minutes. He would literally force himself to go. He is since far less possessive of me and a slight reaction can be seen in him if Titan will push him away from me while we are playing (He will stand tense and stare but I make light of the situation and play with them both and he is grand then.) He has gotten over all of these things it just took a lot of time and patience.
We began obedience with sit and practiced for two ten minute sessions on the first day and by the end of the day he understood what to do with very little prompting. The sit I am practicing with him at the moment is to sit and stay as I walk away to almost out of sight and come back, then release with ‘Okay’. He now knows various commands; general obedience and ones suited specifically to our house.
He has never been in the sitting room at all (Too many breakable objects everywhere. Only allowed in kitchen) but he does sit under the open windows when we are inside and dogs are barking on television, so he hears but pays no attention to it.
There are dogs all over the neighbourhood which bark all day long, specifically a racing kennels with greyhounds that are in open fields across from the house in which the dogs bark and howl at feedings times (Morning, midday, afternoon) and he pays no heed.
At home if he hears a dog or smells one on the road outside the house, and I mean walking with an owner or loose, he will bark and stand at the gate barking and follow all the way up along the ditch until they are passed the perimeter of the acre and he will then ignore it. However, he has the same reaction to people walking, people on bikes, jogging, a car pulling in to let another car pass at the end of the drive. He is in no way different for any of these, he reacts in the same manner, guarding the perimeter until they pass. He will then go back to either sit on the back lawn where he can see the drive or sit on the garage steps and watch the road.
Yes hopeful, he will walk past a large dog and mostly ignore (Small whine looking back) If the dog doesn’t move or acknowledge him at all he will pay no attention to it. (All these dogs are in their owners’ yards near the gate, they all live on the same road as us) A neighbours terrier would always snarl at him and bark and lunge as we went past, from when he was 14 weeks. I noticed the bark, snap growl, jump behaviour first began just before this house. I was discussing it with my dad and he thinks he could have associated smaller dogs with this behaviour. We regularly pass a Doberman which Duke will look around for but he (the Doberman) ignores Duke and he will pass the house with a slight tug on the lead. A sheepdog which sits at the gate and ignores him, Duke will look for him too but will be moved on with a slight leash pull. A Pekingese which we pass walking growls at him and he jump, snap, bark, growls at. Passing the house he lives in his must be pulled along as he tries to pull into the yard whining looking for the dog. A retriever we walk past at two metre distance, the retriever ignores him and Duke will look and whine but keep walking. There is a greyhound we pass walking on the road that is nervous of Duke and he will do the whole jumping routine around him too.
I was finding myself getting nervous and anticipating the usual reaction from him. I know that this will just encourage him, so I now also ignore other dogs and stay calm around them. He has much improved since. He is a dog that constantly looks to read facial expressions, when on a walk he will look up at my face every few minutes with this smile he does (It looks like he could break his face if he pulls his mouth back any more than he does xD) and a tail wag. Then he will go back to walking alongside me.
I didn’t have time to elaborate yesterday (Visitors over had barely a moment ) I failed to put a name to the command but have been doing it with him since he was a pup; starting with teaching him his name (He picked up his name in days, I treated when he came to me and made eye contact) and sit (I should have named it but I didn’t, I practiced it silently. I took it as a thing he would have to do to if he wanted a reward for completing a command, dinner etc. In the beginning as a puppy I would point at my eyes and he would look until I said okay.) I started saying ‘Look’ with the last week.
He is an incredibly quick learner, he will pick up a command within minutes. He can look for as long as I decide at home without distractions. When a distraction at home is around such as flying footballs, Titan, people he will focus on me still. The almost referred to the distractions outside the house. (It’s my first time teaching obedience to a dog, I have made mistakes but I am learning.) Our previous dog was already trained by my dad from a pup. I practiced regularly with him after he had all of his obedience commands learned. I have done leash training with pups, adult dogs and older stubborn large dogs (I would in my free time go down to my grandmothers dog kennels and walk, feed and groom the dogs there until she retired a couple of years ago.)
I’ve never heard of marker training, I’ll look it up now!

[Dutchringgirl]

you hit the nail on the head when you said " W was finding myself getting nervous and anticipating the usual reaction from him, I know tha this will just encourage him, so I now also ignore the dogs and stay calm"

This is what we were saying, he was reading your body language and you didnt even realize it, this is how sensitive to us they are. You stayed calm and now he is getting better, It was you that was upping his anxiety. It is amazing just how in tune to us they are.

They read facial expressions because they are sight dogs. They look and see.

Marker training is simple in theory, Tell the dog to sit, as soon as the dog sits, Mark it with , a clicker or a verbal word such as GOOD, OK, etc. then with in 3 seconds, treat. It must be done with in three seconds so the dog makes the connection with the treat and behavior.

I dont use the clicker because its just something else I would need to keep track of, so I use my voice, but when dont correctly, each one can be just as effective.

Get him solid with Look, at home, then just keep adding distractions, then go to the front step, then move closer and closer to natural distractions, dont take the next step until the one you are on is rock solid, a huge rabbit can go by and he will not break the look.