irish terrier drops to pavement when walking

[jack and rory]

Hi new to forum
neve rhad a pedigree dog before always had mixes and no real problems however fell in love with this breed so purchased my boy two years ago he absolute delight at home suppose i fuss him too much and never far away from my ankles! pulls but getting slightly better real problem is when out for walk and he spots a dog he drops to the floor commando style and wont budge till the dog has greeted him or walked on by he dosnt always growl at the other dog or jump around its so frustrating why does he do this is he anxious or his he guarding me he does the same when hubby walks him too

[OnceInAWeil]

Hi and welcome!

It sounds like your boy is scared about the other dogs. Try building up his confidence by--

First, making sure you always keep him far enough away from other dogs that he doesn't get worried enough to drop to the ground or growl/jump around. This will build his confidence and reduce his stress. You should have a good idea of how close he can be before performing those behaviors, so try to stay beyond that. Do whatever you can--turning and going the way you came, crossing the street, hiding behind a car, walking in quiet areas or walking at odd hours.

Second, make the appearance of dogs a REALLY happy thing by feeding him a really yummy food (like a squeeze of peanut butter or cheese, or pea-sized bits of hot dog) in rapid succession until the dog is a lot further away. Ideally you want to give him a few seconds to process information (Iooking at, sniffing in the other direction of the other dog) before or after you have bombarded him with rapid succession treats. Just make sure the dog is far enough away for him to be comfortable. Also make sure to only bring out the food after he has seen the other dog. The order is important.

[jack and rory]

thanks for ideas tricky to actually move him once down as if spotted the approaching dog he just wont shift !!! will try turning him with treats though

[OnceInAWeil]

Walking at places/times that you won't see other dogs is probably the best bet for now. After a few weeks, only walk places where you know you'll be able to see other dogs coming from a LONG way off, which will make it easier for you to keep him at a good distance (as there is SOME distance at which he won't drop to the ground, even if it is a couple of football fields or more).

This link may be helpful:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdraNF2hcgA

[tylerthegiant]

Just to clarify what I'm pretty sure OnceInAWeil is talking about OnceInAWeil is not talking about luring your dog from the position he's put himself in, because I have a feeling that by that time he may not take a treat or allow himself to be lured. It's two things:

Keeping enough distance that your dog doesn't put himself in that position in the first place. You say he does it as soon as he spots another dog? How far is he exactly when he spots the other dog? I would personally doubt if he spots a dog at 100 feet away he lays down, I'm guessing his threshold distance may be 60 feet, 30 feet. Next time you are on your walk try and notice how far you dog really is, make a point of paying attention to this.

A threshold is the point at which you're dog shuts down and is too far gone to listen to commands or learn anything. If you're in a dark alley and two men with guns are approaching you, and I ask you what 89 times 3 is, you probably can't answer me, and would actually look at me like I'd lost my mind for even asking you, right? That's what it's like for your dog be be over threshold.

Now before your dog gets over threshold and yet still notices the other dog give a treat. What this starts to do is change the way the dog feels about seeing another dog, which right now is not so good. But it's important to keep your dog under threshold for this to work. You'll start to see the threshold shrink, and for your dog to get more and more relaxed when it sees another dog, and to pay attention to you when he sees one.

[jack and rory]

hey thanks for advice i have been working with Rory over the last few days feeding rapid treats he luvs tiny pieces of cheese i have been keeping an eye out for approaching dogs and produced the magic bag. At first Rory thought he had landed in dog heaven and ignored approaching threats only glancing as too busy munching i found the approaching owners more of a problem as interested what i was trying to achieve which did disturb us slightly ! made me laugh yesterday as spotted a dog and sat and waited for me to retrieve the cheese from my pocket def more work to do but i can see light at the end of the tunnel now thanks again

[tylerthegiant]

Nice work!

[doggiedad]

try socializing.

[jack and rory]

un helpful doggiedad i am not first time owner and have kept dogs for 20 years all my dogs are socialised wouldnt usually use a forum for ideas everyone been helpful bar you

[Suzette]

un helpful doggiedad i am not first time owner and have kept dogs for 20 years all my dogs are socialised wouldnt usually use a forum for ideas everyone been helpful bar you

Yes, sadly Doggiedad often gives such abbreviated, unhelpful "advice". You have come to a great place with lots of knowledgeable, helpful folks. Don't let his posts put you off. Sounds like you and Rory are progressing nicely! Keep us updated.