Behavior changing

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droopdog7

Forums Regular
So my pup Russell is now a little over five months old. In the past several weeks, I have noticed some unwanted behavioral changes. Nothing too too serious but it includes wanting to chase cars (most of the time) and barking at other dogs (all while on a leash) on walks.

Of course, he also has run after other dogs while off leash in my front yard. A couple of days ago I was preparing to take him for a walk when I had to reach back in the house for a bag when he ran after another dog and remained aggressive all the way until he reached him. He also chased a guy on a bike halfway down the block.

In most situations however he's okay with other dogs. I take him to interact with other puppies all the time, and have taken him to a dog park twice with no issues. So my sense is that he's showing some kind of impatience on leash but running after dogs when not on leash is not so encouraging.

Any idea on how common this behavior is? Any suggestions for how to stop it?
 
Fillion started trying to chase cars around 4 or 5 months. I tried everything to no avail. He still lunges occasionally on lead, but I know if he was ever off lead and a car came by there would be no stopping him.
 
Yeah where we walk off leash there is a bike path and a separate walking path. Of course some inconsiderate bikers decide to use the dirt path instead and zoom by. All of my dogs to varying degrees have thought they should chase that bike! But we were able to nip them all in the bud. Now they just ignore them, thankfully. Looking forward to what Caro will say.... I think re-direct would be appropriate, with yummy treats, and teaching "Watch" so he's focused on you.
 
Sharon's right, a redirect is the best way to start to deal with the bikes. Luckily when pups/young dogs start doing this it can be trained out of them. I would say 70% of my classes have issues with dog reactivity (play or fear) so I spend an awful lot of time training for it. It is a harder fix and certainly attending a class would be the best way to manage it, as you teach the dog to focus on you when there's lots of distractions. Writing it up will take me some time (I think I've written it up recently in a post). However, the first thing you need to do for both problems is have a 'look at me' (or 'look' or 'watch') command
https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/training/dogs-attention-look-command/

There's quite a few examples of teaching this on Youtube as well. I don't know these trainers but they basically use the same method to teach look as I do.

 
All great tips Caro!
I'm fortunate that I don't have that issue with either Piper or Finnie but that could be because of all the time I put into working with them. I would also suggest you have a good recall. I taught this to Piper using a flexi, I know many are opposed to flexi' so you could use a long line as well. On a walk I'd let Piper go ahead and then I'd call him saying Piper COME and reel him in and give a treat. I'd do this over and over until I didn't have to reel him in. A good recall is crucial if your dog ever gets away from you.
 
Piper's mom said:
All great tips Caro!
I'm fortunate that I don't have that issue with either Piper or Finnie but that could be because of all the time I put into working with them. I would also suggest you have a good recall. I taught this to Piper using a flexi, I know many are opposed to flexi' so you could use a long line as well. On a walk I'd let Piper go ahead and then I'd call him saying Piper COME and reel him in and give a treat. I'd do this over and over until I didn't have to reel him in. A good recall is crucial if your dog ever gets away from you.
Click to expand...

Absolutely, a good recall is so important. Maybe we should have a thread with the most important commands for a Sheltie to know.
 
Just got back from teaching class, first class this session. Seeing as my brain is still thinking that way I'll tell you what I have them working on:
- Focus exercises, such as look at me. Often dogs are over excited when they start on their walks, so do some focus exercises before you start out - start as you want to go. On your walk get your dog to check in with you all the time, keep doing look at me on walk. Make sure you have high value treats.
- Play with your dog when you walk. Often a young dog will focus on everything else when you're walking because you are no fun! You want to be more fun than the other things around you. Although they will be distracted, they do really want you to be more fun.
- Take a squeaky toy on your walks - it's the best way to get your dog's attention quickly. Play with that squeaky toy too, to make it more fun and let them know it's there. Squeak it when you see a distraction.
- Work out your dog's 'critical distance' which is the distance that it takes your dog to react to something. When you are reaching that critical distance, work on keeping your dog's attention. If it's another dog then get your dog to sit and focus before meeting the other dog. Once your dog completely loses focus turn around and walk away from whatever your dog is reacting to, once your dog calms down get the dog looking at you and then turn around and walk back. Often dogs have a 'tell', which you'll learn is the sign that they are going to be naughty or chase something. With Shelties - watch the ears because they are often a dead giveaway on where they are focusing. If they aren't pointing at you (esp if you're talking) then they may be out for mischief!
- Have your dog check in with you often during a walk. Change which direction you walk in, don't always do the same walk. Let the dog sniff - sniffing takes thinking as they digest what's happened in their world that day, and when you walk don't dawdle, many dogs (when they aren't sniffing) like a good fast pace.

And remember, your dog is a pup, so many of these things will came with time and maturity. Your puppy just wants to have fun, your job is to let it know what's the right kind of fun and prevent them from doing the wrong kind.

Here's some threads that may be helpful. The dogs are slightly older and behaviours similar but not exact, however many of the techniques will help
https://sheltieforums.com/threads/m...eir-experiences-with-these.26997/#post-373877
https://sheltieforums.com/threads/barking-lunging.25971/page-2#post-364473
https://sheltieforums.com/threads/sheltie-walking-concerns-please-help.24585/#post-349558
https://www.k9events.com/ReactivityEbook2.pdf
 
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