Practice Makes Perfect
I read on another blog, I think it was That Mutt but I could be wrong, that you shouldn’t try to avoid situations that your dog has issues with but should try to confront those situations and work through them. I’m paraphrasing obviously. 
I sometimes don’t like walking Trooper because when we encounter other dogs he gets rowdy. Timber is the same way. But I realize that the more I walk Trooper and encounter dogs in various states of excitement the better he gets in his reactions.
If a dog is lunging (excited or aggressive) Trooper still wants to react toward that dog but with the choke chain and the sharp command “leave it” or “No” he isn’t trying to pull me off my feet anymore. Of course, an aggressive dog makes him get protective but he’s getting better at that too.
Timber, meanwhile, is also making gains in walking properly with his mama. I took him to daycare on Friday and for about 20 minutes went back and forth from my car to the door trying to get him to not pull on me. Finally the owner took pity on me and in 2 minutes had that dog healing and looking up at her in total submission.
I was very jealous. What was I doing wrong? I was being too nice!!! =) Which is funny since I’m the “mean” one of the family (mean as in strict). But I wasn’t being mean enough.
So more practice is necessary. My goal is to be able to someday walk both boys together. Without being pulled over. In the meantime I’ll be happy walking them separately without having a shoulder dislocated.
May 20th, 2009 at 11:42 am
Hmm…I agree with not completely avoiding situations. I wonder if walking by quickly, and rewarding him for not reacting would help. They say things “travel down the leash.” I noticed that when I saw a “trigger” for my dog coming up I would get all tense anticipating it, and i think it made my Alex more agitated. I like to avoid situations where particularly women come up to him and shriek in a baby voice that he is a “cute widdle doggie.” He hates it. He growls. And they DON’T stop when I ask.
I noticed that when I see the person half a block away with a wide, bright expression on their face looking at my dog, panic grips me. But in the park once someone walked by before I could see them and Al didn’t react.
That is why i am wondering if he is being reinforced by the butterflies in my stomach rather than the actual trigger. i am still thinkin though
May 22nd, 2009 at 11:43 am
I think you will definitely get there. The choker chains definitely help to control the Dogs when out walking.
I have found it is even more effective when I hold it so short that there is absolutely no way that they can put any weight in their pulling. I keep it so short that Faye especialy cannot even sniff the ground. She then seems to stay a bit more focused on actually obeying commands.
I think as you say practice and familiarity is definitely the way to get the Dogs more used to situations that can get them worked up.
May 22nd, 2009 at 10:15 pm
I agree with keeping the leash short. Thanks for the link, by the way. You are doing all the right things. Good luck! And try a prong collar sometime. They work better than choke collars (Maybe you already have tried one).