Reactive dogs

[Murray]

Our pup is honestly the most confident and outgoing dog, and he LOVES other dogs and people! So much so, that I think one our biggest training challenges will be to try to get him to focus on us, instead of them when we’re out and about.

Today I was walking him when he noticed a huge dog. As always he stopped, would not budge or listen to me, and he stared at the big dog. Unfortunately the big dog was not happy with this and he barked, growled and was pulling to get to my puppy.

All of this time I was gently pulling his lead and calling him, trying to persuade him calmly with treats to move along with me.

The owner of the other dog was having to use his full body weight to control his dog, who eventually sat down. And I managed to, as cheerily as possible, call Murray away with treats and he eventually trotted away like nothing had happened.

During all of this, he didn’t react to the other dog, growl or bark. He just stared with his tail up and didn’t want to move.

I am definitely showing my naivety here, but was my behaviour correct in the instance. I don’t want him to become fearful of other dogs. I don’t want him to think that I’m not protecting him. How should I have behaved in this situation, and if we face this again?

I definitely felt nervous, and I’m just hoping that he couldn’t sense it.

Thank you!

[zeta1454]

Our mini schnauzers can often be really interested in other dogs/ people and want to sit or stand and watch them until they move on. It can be embarrassing at times if it is a person who is holding their attention and can be awkward if it is another dog so I can understand your dilemma with this.

I have not found though that encouraging any of them to move on and focus on me has caused any of them to become fearful of other dogs so I wouldn’t worry about that necessarily. I would allow him to spend a few seconds or so looking at the dog or person and (unless it was a situation where he was going to actually meet and interact with either) then using the best treats you have, encourage him to move on with you. I wouldn’t try to pre-empt him from seeing the dog or person and don’t make it seem as though you are moving on because you are anxious but just do as you describe in your post. As long as the situation is not a threatening one as regards the other dog, you could just let him look until he is happy to move on or, if the other dog is stationary, just as above, encourage him to follow you as soon as he is ready with treats on offer if he comes when you want him to.

If it is a person without a dog who is being stared at by one of our dogs, I usually laugh it off and say they are just nosey and the other person is generally amused by the behaviour too. However, if you think or know that there is a dog which may not like being stared at by your pup, I would try to divert his attention as quickly as you can and bring his focus to you and moving on. Although the other dog’s owner should be in control of their dog, not all are the most responsible in certain situations and don’t remove their dog quickly, so try to carry some super smelly tasty treats for your pup that should give him that extra incentive to go with you rather than stare out the grumpy dog.