Re: Need Some Help

[Justine&Rafe]

Just re-reading this reminded me of a friend who had a boxer – lovely dog, but whenever she had him on the lead he would lunge, bark and generally go for any human or dog that came close.

I spent 30 mins with him just clicking him whenever he looked at me as I walked him round and round a field.

Took him straight out on a walk with her, tugged a little on his lead once.

She couldn’t believe what a difference it made.  (I think it helped that I wasn’t pre-empting his actions, as I led him on the walk)

Think it was what I described elsewhere as watch.  If you can see his hackles going up, and feel yourself tensing, just get him to “watch” you repeatedly until the issue has passed.  If every time they go up he gets distracted, you’ll break a little of that cycle of scare-them-and-they-go-away.