Relax – I took a deep breath and faced where I thought the ghost was standing based on Sydney’s reaction.Īddress the ghost – I said “thanks for stopping by, but because of Sydney’s reaction, I need you to move on, you can’t hang out with us here.” But what do you do when your dog sees a ghost? It’s hard to ignore Sydney when she’s snarling, growling and barking. I’ve always been told to ignore ghosts because to acknowledge them is to give them power. I didn't get freaked out because I'm no stranger to the paranormal. Last year, Sydney and I walked into the kitchen, and she stopped, her hackles raised, and she started a low growl while looking towards the sink/dishwasher area, stepped forward to block me and leaned into me, to push me back. So I'm stepping away from my normal chatter about raw feeding and dog nutrition to chat about ghosts. But I rarely admit that I believe in ghosts. Mostly, I roll my eyes at the ghost hunter shows or get excited about the latest Paranormal Activity movie. I really like this POST.I love this time of year because it’s suddenly okay to talk about our real experiences with the paranormal. One trick I use that helps getting his attention while on walks is I keep the squeaker from destroyed pet toys and I use it when he is focussed on other dogs, people or whatever and not listening to my commands It breaks his concentration for a minute and I get him to focus on me. Mine will then greet the other dog face to face. This tends to calm my dog and the other dog down. After I move closer to the other dog I turn my dog's rear to the new dog so he/she can smell it. I don't think he wants to hurt them but, I think the other dog is fearful because of my dog's size. When we approach other dogs mine will whine, cry, bark and try to get to them. They will run and play and wrestle each other for hours. One of my neighbors adopted the same day I did and the two dogs are the best of friends. I can tell he never had toys to play with, if I throw a ball he just looks at it bounce by him and tug ropes he would barely mouth. I adopted an American Bull Dog/mix, 78lbs., 3 years old and very hard headed. Sign up to receive training tips & more in my weekly newsletter: More tips for managing a leash-reactive dog.How to get multiple dogs to calm down before a walk.What thoughts do you have on all this? What tips or questions do you have about stopping a dog from barking on walks? Dog walkers, do you use this trick every day like I do?!Īnd one more thing, if you live in an apartment, I know that has specific challenges, so here is our article on reactive dogs in apartments. Keep your body between you and the other dog whenever possible and do a quick “U-turn” by physically turning into your dog and moving her away as needed.Stay calm and quietly move away, asking your dog to sit.Find highly valued treats (hot dogs, pepperonis, real chicken, etc.) CARRY A TREAT POUCH.Other tips for stopping a dog from barking at other dogs If so, let me know what you thought of the book.Ĭlick here to order. We live in the real world where most of us are limited on time and patience, but I think most people will find the book helpful if they have reactive dogs. There will be ups and downs with this type of training program – successes and setbacks. (Ex.: Dog sees another dog 10 feet away and thinks, “Oh boy! I get hot dogs!” Slowly change your dog’s emotional response to his “triggers” over time.Work within your dog’s threshold to set up positive experiences.Identify your dog’s exact triggers (Ex.: dog from 25 feet away or closer, men in hats, small dogs that bark, etc.).“Feisty Fido” is extremely helpful for learning how to set up a step-by-step desensitization/counter-conditioning program for a reactive dog. So, here’s where I want to recommend a book called “Feisty Fido” by Dr. You might also like this post: How to get my dog to behave in public. If your dog has the self-control to follow these words, he will have an easier time remaining calm in “high stress” situations like passing another dog. In addition to the obedience class, I recommend working on lots of training on your own so your dog has rock solid skills as far as sit, down, stay, come, heel. This will allow your dog to practice working around other dogs and to learn to pay attention to you even with those distractions. Just avoid that embarrassment and keep your dog at your side on walks. How many of you have seen a person walking with their dog several feet ahead, and then sure enough when the dog sees another dog, he goes crazy, lunging and barking as the owner tries to “reel him in”? And if they do react, it’s much less exaggerated. Just keep her at your side anyway using one of the above training collars.ĭogs are less likely to react if they’re at your side vs. Also, ditch the retractable Flexi leash (for now).
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