Dog fearful of other dogs barking at her

[MPbandmom]

First a quick update. Sky my husky lab mix lifelong determined puller is finally getting the idea of loose leash walking. She still tends to start out rough, but is setteling in more and more quickly. Agility classes (and steak) are getting her focus more on me although she still qualifies as the most excited/distractable dog in class. I am using a combination harness collar leash hook up which seems to be working well and almost totally eliminating her tendancy to choke herself. She also seems to have decided that a tight leash really isn't that much fun. I'm not sure she had a clue what it was to walk on a loose leash before.

Sirius my mystery mutt with people fear issues is still a work in progress. During our vacation, she started barking and lunging at people who passed by and/or spoke with me which was a new behavior for her, but she is still easily distracted by food so I am working with her that way. Getting her to focus on me and the yummy thing in my hand rather than the person or dog or whatever passing by. I also hope to get her into a basic clicker class soon which I hope will allow me more opportunities to practice polite greeting behaviors with her. (not people greeting her, but people gretting me)

I had been taking the dogs out one at a time first to a largely undeveloped urban area, and then to a local park with a paved trail through the woods. Since vacation in early May, I have often been taking them both together to be able to get both dogs walked later in the evening when it has cooled down a bit, but before the park closes at dark. Recent encounters with ticks, rampant warnings of copperhead snakes, and the occupation of the local park by a rabid fox have kind of pushed me back to walking the sidewalks of my own neighborhood. In a way this is nice because I don't have to load the dogs into the car to drive them somewhere. As long as I manage Sirius on the occasions when we meet people (I have her sit off to the side and feed treats. Meeting a person walking a dog is trickier and usually requires crossing the street. Although I have noticed most other dog walkers cross the street first when they see us comming. ) she does fine walking the neighborhood.

The problem I have with walking the neighborhood, is that Sky seems terrified of barking dogs. Not shivering and shaking scared, but wants to take off at a run scared. The dogs don't even have to be out in their yard barking at the time we pass by. The dogs could have even moved months ago, and she still becomes anxious when we walk past the yard. Unlike Sirius, Sky seems to go on sensory overload when she is outdoors, which is why I use steak for getting her attention at agility class. I would kind of like to reserve the steak for agility though. I have yet to find a treat that she will take with any consistancy while walking the neighborhood. Does anybody have any idea how to help her get over her fear of walking past these yards and barking dogs?

Thank you for any and all assistance. Sky is generally such a happy go lucky dog, it's hard to see her upset in this manner.

[emmabeth]

Are there some yards you can visit that no longer have dogs (or dogs are reliably out of sight now), that you can get to without passign any others.

Im thinking maybe you could visit a few and have a tube of cheese spread ready with the lid off so she just has to lick (or a jar of meat paste), and visit but just approach, reward, back off, or approach, reward, cross the street, reward etc.

If possible I would mix it up so you dont always go - reward - walk away, (but dont push her to go past) just so she doesnt fix in her mind that you always turn around at these spots.

[MPbandmom]

We live in a highly dog populated area. There are 5 or 6 dogs diagonally across the street that seem to have no issues with my dogs until my two leave the yard and hit the sidewalk. Then my dogs are treated like anybody else on the sidewalk and barked furiously at. (from the back yard across the street no less) The next house down on our side of the street has dogs as well as about 2 houses down from us in the other direction. Skip a house or two in any direction and then there are more dogs. So, I'm kind of stuck right out of the driveway and many places beyond.

We have on many occasions managed to get past the houses with a lot of stopping and starting and anxious whining from her. (She tries to run and charges to the end of the leash. I stop and stand until she releases, backs up. I take a step and she once again tries to run and charges to the end of the leash. This is repeated until I have pretty much been drug a hop at a time past the offending yard. It means a lot of my focus is put to staying on my feet.) No dogs have come out and attacked us. Any off leash dogs we have encountered on occasion have been friendly. I'm not sure where this fear comes from. I know she spent a fair amount of time being an escape artist prior to the age of about a year and a half, but she doesn't display any evidence of having ever been attacked while wandering. She was also usually found where there were children or other dogs.

Her fear makes it hard to walk her in any residential area where dogs might be in yards. Even the quiet, low distraction, barely occupied, combined business/residental area where I started working with the dogs turned out to have barkey apartment dogs which Sky found stressful. Loosing the local non residential parks as viable walking locations is making it very difficult to get her out and about somwehere.

[timm1916]

If you get any helpful solutions please let me know to. I have a lab mix, about 1 1 1/2 years old from the animal shelter; took her off death row. She had entroopion when we got her so within a week of bringing her home we took her to the vet for neutering and have the eyes fixed. SHe was really stressed out. This was about 3 months ago. She is a great dog as far as her demeanor. Totally non aggressive. A month later we added another dog, same age and size, who is border collie mix. They have bonded beautifully, no food or toy aggression, they share toys when playing, etc. They play great, very rough but wear themselves out playing in the yard. Problem is, the lab mix is a bit exciteable on walks. She whines almost constantly at every sound of every dog within hearing distance. Leash training is helping her walk on the leash but she still is so stressed out by other dogs that a walk in the neighborhood is a real trial. Like you, nowhere to go in the neighborhood without dogs luking behind a fence barking as we go by. We are doing basic dog training and the trianer says she just has to get socialized and use to the environment. if anyone has ideas on how to help facilitate the process and help me make sure I am approaching the issue properly would be appreciated. For now, when she starts whining, I have her sit, or try to, and we stop and wait for her to calm down and then proceed. Sometimes I just have to turn around and take her back to the house because she doesn't seem to be able to calm down at the time. Trying not to let stress show, I am frustrated but not mad; she seems to want to learn what i want her to do.

[jacksdad]

Best I can offer is try and find places where there are no dogs or VERY low chance of encountering a dog. Not easy I know, believe me I know. I had to take this approach with my dog. until you are trying to avoid them, you never realize how many dogs are out there. You may even need to put the dogs in the car and drive some where other there than your neighborhood. Again, been there. Despite lots and lots of progress by my dog, I still do not do prolonged walks with my dog in our neighborhood. Particularly when it's peak dog walking time. The day for trying this is getting closer, but rushing it isn't worth setting my dog back.

If by socialization the trainer means be around dogs or if that is the image you have..... please be open to altering in your mind what "socialization" means. For now, socialization needs to be from a distance. Possibly a lot of distance. The distance will be whatever it takes for your dog to see/hear/know another dog is around, but not be stressed. When a dog is stressed by other dogs, trying to get them closer then they can handle is counter productive. you have to slowly let them build their confidence and tolerance for other dogs. by paring their calm experiences with a reward (treats work for most dogs) you also change their association from dog = scary to dog = yummy treats lets find more dogs.

Again, I would urge finding someplace other then your neighborhood and work with your dogs there, then once you can hear/see/pass dogs in these locations, go back and carefully try your neighborhood.

[Fundog]

My idea is to go it in stages: Just walking back and forth in front of your own house at first, and treating if she will accept it, then when she seems a lot more relaxed try going a couple of steps past your house on each side, etc. Gradually work up to being able to go all the way up and down your street.

My Annie is a bit different: Ordinarily she in not reactive, but some certain dogs will set her off. And the only dogs that do set her off are first to display aggression, growling and lunging at the fence. Then Annie might react with a growl or two of her own. I imagine she is telling the other dog to "put a cork in it," or she will personally whip his tail. Funny thing: Sometimes when I walk her, we pass a house where there is a rottweiler that always growls and lunges, springing up and down trying to get over his fence. Annie always reacts by yanking the leash out of my hand and rushing up to the fence. She gets her "two cents" in, then totally ignores the rottie after that, calmly sniffing the weeds and grass on the roadside, while the rottweiler continues to have a raging tantrum. She doesn't in any way continue to harass or provoke the other dog; but merely gives a brief growl of her own and then continues on her merry way. It's the weirdest thing.

[timm1916]

I am doing the gradual thing and we are making some progress. I am just a bit impatient I think. I started taking her out 2-3 times a day for short periods and see some improvement. Looking at some of the other posts here, I guess I am pretty lucky, relatively speaking. Thanks to those who are helping.

[Fundog]

Thanks for the update. I'm glad something seems to be working for you. Just remember that sloooow is good right now, and don't give up.

[jacksdad]

I am doing the gradual thing and we are making some progress. I am just a bit impatient I think. I started taking her out 2-3 times a day for short periods and see some improvement. Looking at some of the other posts here, I guess I am pretty lucky, relatively speaking. Thanks to those who are helping.

like fundog says, slow is good. I have been working with my dog for 6 months on reactivity to other dogs/humans. While the difference between today and 6 months ago is night and day in a good way, we still have a ways to go. each dog is different, but when your counter conditioning a fear, you have to move at the dogs pace and not rush it.

[timm1916]

Thanks again to the responders. An update. Emerald is making some progress. We have been able to lengthen walks to about 20 minutes or so. Sometimes she goes without whining at all, just marches right along. Other times she whines for about half the time we are walking; though no dogs or other animals are visible. Though she does know by now which houses have dogs in fences or in the house. Emerald is about 1 1/2 year old lab mix, 45 lbs and very high energy. The walks do help dissipate some of that energy. She is a resuce dog we have had for 3 months now. She's in dog behavior class and whines through most of that to, except when we can concentrate on training activities, then she will focus. But she still gets real stressed when she even hears dogs barking, let alone sees one. When she sees another dog we turn and walk the other way but she still wants to get off the leash and go investigate. I think being on the leash adds to the stress. I think in her previous life she may never have gotten outside, probably spent her first year or so caged or tied up. At the shelter she was in a kennel by herself. We did add another shelter dog a month later, after introducing them to each other at the shelter. They get along great, right from the start so I don't know that she is that terrified of other dogs. Probably never had the chance to socialize with other dogs. We have a cat which Emerald tries to get to play; absolutely no aggression toward the cat other then trying to get the cat to chase. Emerald has a great heart and a gentle, playful nature but is high energy. Her new sibling is also female, same age and size so they are physical matches when it comes to rough housing. By the way, I know I am repeating some of this, but for new readers you won't have to go back to catch up. Anyway, am making progress, and thanks for all those who stress being patient.

[Fundog]

Wonderful. You're definitely on the right track; just keep doing what you're doing. Good job!