My dog hates the neighbors dog

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think you need to be careful with the timing of treats - you don't want to end up rewarding your dog for bad behaviors.

We had a large poodle who lost his shit all the time with certain dogs (loved others). If on a walk and uncertain of what he'd do, I'd distract him, keep him on the side of me furthest from the other dog, I'd also get him to sit and then praise him for being so good. All the while with my back to the other dog, blocking my dog's sight of it. This works well and is not traumatic.

You aren't rewarding bad behavior..you are changing how he feels about his trigger from negative to positive. Ooh I get really good treats when I see this dog! But he goes away the treats go away. Maybe he isn't so bad after all!

It's called counter conditioning. Perhaps with a trainer ypu can work with your neighbor/dog so he can learn how to ignore!

I think if that's what you're calling it, it needs to be done very carefully with a very good trainer, otherwise you are literally telling your dog "oh you're losing your shit, that's great, have a treat"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think you need to be careful with the timing of treats - you don't want to end up rewarding your dog for bad behaviors.

We had a large poodle who lost his shit all the time with certain dogs (loved others). If on a walk and uncertain of what he'd do, I'd distract him, keep him on the side of me furthest from the other dog, I'd also get him to sit and then praise him for being so good. All the while with my back to the other dog, blocking my dog's sight of it. This works well and is not traumatic.

You aren't rewarding bad behavior..you are changing how he feels about his trigger from negative to positive. Ooh I get really good treats when I see this dog! But he goes away the treats go away. Maybe he isn't so bad after all!

It's called counter conditioning. Perhaps with a trainer ypu can work with your neighbor/dog so he can learn how to ignore!

I think if that's what you're calling it, it needs to be done very carefully with a very good trainer, otherwise you are literally telling your dog "oh you're losing your shit, that's great, have a treat"

Ok it is obvious you didn't understand what I wrote. Dogs who are reactive have very big emotions based on fear and anxiety. You want them to associate the trigger with something good happening. So at first every time you see the trigger you give the dog high value treats. Then the dog will start looking at you for the treat. When the dog is over threshold and is barking and lunging than it is too late. My dog would refuse treats when he was in that state. So there is no reward for 'losing your shit' as you so nicely put it.

The goal is to have the dog not react and therefore you are paying them when they do not react. You then build in distance ( decrease the distance the dog can get to the trigger and duration how long they can be in the presence of the trigger)

If in the end, the behavior you do not want stops what is wrong with rewarding them?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think you need to be careful with the timing of treats - you don't want to end up rewarding your dog for bad behaviors.

We had a large poodle who lost his shit all the time with certain dogs (loved others). If on a walk and uncertain of what he'd do, I'd distract him, keep him on the side of me furthest from the other dog, I'd also get him to sit and then praise him for being so good. All the while with my back to the other dog, blocking my dog's sight of it. This works well and is not traumatic.

You aren't rewarding bad behavior..you are changing how he feels about his trigger from negative to positive. Ooh I get really good treats when I see this dog! But he goes away the treats go away. Maybe he isn't so bad after all!

It's called counter conditioning. Perhaps with a trainer ypu can work with your neighbor/dog so he can learn how to ignore!

I think if that's what you're calling it, it needs to be done very carefully with a very good trainer, otherwise you are literally telling your dog "oh you're losing your shit, that's great, have a treat"

Ok it is obvious you didn't understand what I wrote. Dogs who are reactive have very big emotions based on fear and anxiety. You want them to associate the trigger with something good happening. So at first every time you see the trigger you give the dog high value treats. Then the dog will start looking at you for the treat. When the dog is over threshold and is barking and lunging than it is too late. My dog would refuse treats when he was in that state. So there is no reward for 'losing your shit' as you so nicely put it.

The goal is to have the dog not react and therefore you are paying them when they do not react. You then build in distance ( decrease the distance the dog can get to the trigger and duration how long they can be in the presence of the trigger)

If in the end, the behavior you do not want stops what is wrong with rewarding them?

No I totally understood.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a dog who is super-friendly and loves all dogs except this one GSD who we occasionally see out on walks. They've never met or even been within 20 ft of each other, but my dog goes absolutely bananas when he sees that GSD. No idea why so we just avoid that dog. If we're out on a walk and see him in the distance, we do an emergency U-turn. Fortunately, that dog does not live next door to us (sorry, OP). Our trainer said that sometimes this happens and the best thing we can do is teach out dog to focus on us when walking.

I do this as much as I can. I never walk by his house, but he always walks his dog by mine, I yes his route. If I see him out the window I’ll close my blinds so my dog doesn’t get a glance. If I’m about to walk my dog I always check to see if he is walking by. If he is I’ll wait until I know he’s down the street and around the corner, and I’ll go in a different direction with mine. But yeah, it’s hard to completely avoid them as they are 2 houses down from me.

It’s not often that we both happen to be outside at the same time with our dogs, but it was really bad yesterday. I’m still thinking about it and I feel terrible about it.

The dog can pick up on your anxiety/tension that you feel from history with this dog, which now will be increased since the incident. I'd practice snapping him out of his reactivity and bringing his focus back to you/calming down, whether indoors or outdoors. Sorry, OP. Sounds like you are doing well with having his place for him to go and he did obey. So you have a good foundation to build on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think you need to be careful with the timing of treats - you don't want to end up rewarding your dog for bad behaviors.

We had a large poodle who lost his shit all the time with certain dogs (loved others). If on a walk and uncertain of what he'd do, I'd distract him, keep him on the side of me furthest from the other dog, I'd also get him to sit and then praise him for being so good. All the while with my back to the other dog, blocking my dog's sight of it. This works well and is not traumatic.

You aren't rewarding bad behavior..you are changing how he feels about his trigger from negative to positive. Ooh I get really good treats when I see this dog! But he goes away the treats go away. Maybe he isn't so bad after all!

It's called counter conditioning. Perhaps with a trainer ypu can work with your neighbor/dog so he can learn how to ignore!

I think if that's what you're calling it, it needs to be done very carefully with a very good trainer, otherwise you are literally telling your dog "oh you're losing your shit, that's great, have a treat"

Ok it is obvious you didn't understand what I wrote. Dogs who are reactive have very big emotions based on fear and anxiety. You want them to associate the trigger with something good happening. So at first every time you see the trigger you give the dog high value treats. Then the dog will start looking at you for the treat. When the dog is over threshold and is barking and lunging than it is too late. My dog would refuse treats when he was in that state. So there is no reward for 'losing your shit' as you so nicely put it.

The goal is to have the dog not react and therefore you are paying them when they do not react. You then build in distance ( decrease the distance the dog can get to the trigger and duration how long they can be in the presence of the trigger)

If in the end, the behavior you do not want stops what is wrong with rewarding them?

No I totally understood.

Ok we disagree them. Giving a reward for not reacting is giving them a reward for doing the right thing. But you think I give a reward when they bark and lunge ( which I do not) when my dog is barking and lunging he has zero interest in food. I have to catch him before.

Still think I'm wrong?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think you need to be careful with the timing of treats - you don't want to end up rewarding your dog for bad behaviors.

We had a large poodle who lost his shit all the time with certain dogs (loved others). If on a walk and uncertain of what he'd do, I'd distract him, keep him on the side of me furthest from the other dog, I'd also get him to sit and then praise him for being so good. All the while with my back to the other dog, blocking my dog's sight of it. This works well and is not traumatic.

You aren't rewarding bad behavior..you are changing how he feels about his trigger from negative to positive. Ooh I get really good treats when I see this dog! But he goes away the treats go away. Maybe he isn't so bad after all!

It's called counter conditioning. Perhaps with a trainer ypu can work with your neighbor/dog so he can learn how to ignore!

I think if that's what you're calling it, it needs to be done very carefully with a very good trainer, otherwise you are literally telling your dog "oh you're losing your shit, that's great, have a treat"

Ok it is obvious you didn't understand what I wrote. Dogs who are reactive have very big emotions based on fear and anxiety. You want them to associate the trigger with something good happening. So at first every time you see the trigger you give the dog high value treats. Then the dog will start looking at you for the treat. When the dog is over threshold and is barking and lunging than it is too late. My dog would refuse treats when he was in that state. So there is no reward for 'losing your shit' as you so nicely put it.

The goal is to have the dog not react and therefore you are paying them when they do not react. You then build in distance ( decrease the distance the dog can get to the trigger and duration how long they can be in the presence of the trigger)

If in the end, the behavior you do not want stops what is wrong with rewarding them?

No I totally understood.

Ok we disagree them. Giving a reward for not reacting is giving them a reward for doing the right thing. But you think I give a reward when they bark and lunge ( which I do not) when my dog is barking and lunging he has zero interest in food. I have to catch him before.

Still think I'm wrong?

Honestly, I've just completely lost interest in this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The previous pooping and off leash info is irrelevant so not really sure why you shared it. This dog has not been aggressive to you or your dog so you need to work on your dogs behavior. I know you know that but all the history you shared seems to show you have a bias against this dog and its owners. Maybe your dog senses this.

agree the first part of OP post was strange.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think you need to be careful with the timing of treats - you don't want to end up rewarding your dog for bad behaviors.

We had a large poodle who lost his shit all the time with certain dogs (loved others). If on a walk and uncertain of what he'd do, I'd distract him, keep him on the side of me furthest from the other dog, I'd also get him to sit and then praise him for being so good. All the while with my back to the other dog, blocking my dog's sight of it. This works well and is not traumatic.

You aren't rewarding bad behavior..you are changing how he feels about his trigger from negative to positive. Ooh I get really good treats when I see this dog! But he goes away the treats go away. Maybe he isn't so bad after all!

It's called counter conditioning. Perhaps with a trainer ypu can work with your neighbor/dog so he can learn how to ignore!

I think if that's what you're calling it, it needs to be done very carefully with a very good trainer, otherwise you are literally telling your dog "oh you're losing your shit, that's great, have a treat"

Ok it is obvious you didn't understand what I wrote. Dogs who are reactive have very big emotions based on fear and anxiety. You want them to associate the trigger with something good happening. So at first every time you see the trigger you give the dog high value treats. Then the dog will start looking at you for the treat. When the dog is over threshold and is barking and lunging than it is too late. My dog would refuse treats when he was in that state. So there is no reward for 'losing your shit' as you so nicely put it.

The goal is to have the dog not react and therefore you are paying them when they do not react. You then build in distance ( decrease the distance the dog can get to the trigger and duration how long they can be in the presence of the trigger)

If in the end, the behavior you do not want stops what is wrong with rewarding them?

No I totally understood.

Ok we disagree them. Giving a reward for not reacting is giving them a reward for doing the right thing. But you think I give a reward when they bark and lunge ( which I do not) when my dog is barking and lunging he has zero interest in food. I have to catch him before.

Still think I'm wrong?

Honestly, I've just completely lost interest in this.

Good to know!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The previous pooping and off leash info is irrelevant so not really sure why you shared it. This dog has not been aggressive to you or your dog so you need to work on your dogs behavior. I know you know that but all the history you shared seems to show you have a bias against this dog and its owners. Maybe your dog senses this.

agree the first part of OP post was strange.

It was to make sure everyone knew the neighbors were bad people for having a pitbull, while she has a poodle

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The previous pooping and off leash info is irrelevant so not really sure why you shared it. This dog has not been aggressive to you or your dog so you need to work on your dogs behavior. I know you know that but all the history you shared seems to show you have a bias against this dog and its owners. Maybe your dog senses this.

agree the first part of OP post was strange.

It was to make sure everyone knew the neighbors were bad people for having a pitbull, while she has a poodle

The funny thing is now the neighbors have a better behaved dog! Oh the irony

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The previous pooping and off leash info is irrelevant so not really sure why you shared it. This dog has not been aggressive to you or your dog so you need to work on your dogs behavior. I know you know that but all the history you shared seems to show you have a bias against this dog and its owners. Maybe your dog senses this.

agree the first part of OP post was strange.

It was to make sure everyone knew the neighbors were bad people for having a pitbull, while she has a poodle

OP here. You're reading way too much into my post. The breed of their dog has nothing to do with why they are horrible neighbors. We live in DC, so they aren't doing anything wrong by owning a pit bull. They aren't banned here or anything. I could write paragraphs of how awful these people have been, that have nothing to do with them owning a dog.

[Anonymous]

So I've fostered reactive dogs before (though normally generally reactive, not to one specific dog). The biggest thing we work on is "look at them, look at me, treat". So in my example, we'd sit at a semi-busy walking corner, far enough away that there would be no way for the dog to touch another pup. Sit, and wait (do some other training tricks while you wait). When another dog comes by, they should look at the other dog, and I say "YES!" the dog looks at me, gets a treat. So he learns that he can notice another dog, but as long as he looks back at me and pays attention to me, he gets a treat.

I'm not 100% sure if this would be effective for you since it's just this one dog, but if you know his route, you could set up kitty corner and try that. Or further away if he's too reactive even that close. Eventually you get closer and closer and he shouldn't have an issue. Definitely use high value treats! I like to use cut up hot dogs in a ziplock and maybe a few pieces of cheese thrown in. Keep it in the fridge and take it out for only this training.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So I've fostered reactive dogs before (though normally generally reactive, not to one specific dog). The biggest thing we work on is "look at them, look at me, treat". So in my example, we'd sit at a semi-busy walking corner, far enough away that there would be no way for the dog to touch another pup. Sit, and wait (do some other training tricks while you wait). When another dog comes by, they should look at the other dog, and I say "YES!" the dog looks at me, gets a treat. So he learns that he can notice another dog, but as long as he looks back at me and pays attention to me, he gets a treat.

I'm not 100% sure if this would be effective for you since it's just this one dog, but if you know his route, you could set up kitty corner and try that. Or further away if he's too reactive even that close. Eventually you get closer and closer and he shouldn't have an issue. Definitely use high value treats! I like to use cut up hot dogs in a ziplock and maybe a few pieces of cheese thrown in. Keep it in the fridge and take it out for only this training.

That's what I wrote on page 2 but, someone told me I was 'rewarding' bad behavior and then when they couldn't come up with a rebuttal they said the 'lost interest' So of course I agree with you!

OP Another idea is you get something of the 'hated' dog smell and introduce it to your dog. Perhaps his fur or a blanket so he knows the smell. It might work if it seems familiar.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So I've fostered reactive dogs before (though normally generally reactive, not to one specific dog). The biggest thing we work on is "look at them, look at me, treat". So in my example, we'd sit at a semi-busy walking corner, far enough away that there would be no way for the dog to touch another pup. Sit, and wait (do some other training tricks while you wait). When another dog comes by, they should look at the other dog, and I say "YES!" the dog looks at me, gets a treat. So he learns that he can notice another dog, but as long as he looks back at me and pays attention to me, he gets a treat.

I'm not 100% sure if this would be effective for you since it's just this one dog, but if you know his route, you could set up kitty corner and try that. Or further away if he's too reactive even that close. Eventually you get closer and closer and he shouldn't have an issue. Definitely use high value treats! I like to use cut up hot dogs in a ziplock and maybe a few pieces of cheese thrown in. Keep it in the fridge and take it out for only this training.

That's what I wrote on page 2 but, someone told me I was 'rewarding' bad behavior and then when they couldn't come up with a rebuttal they said the 'lost interest' So of course I agree with you!

OP Another idea is you get something of the 'hated' dog smell and introduce it to your dog. Perhaps his fur or a blanket so he knows the smell. It might work if it seems familiar.

I appreciate your suggestion and the pp poster too. I'm not friendly with the neighbor, so coordinating with him is impossible. But you've both given me good suggestions and I have some ideas now. Thank you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So I've fostered reactive dogs before (though normally generally reactive, not to one specific dog). The biggest thing we work on is "look at them, look at me, treat". So in my example, we'd sit at a semi-busy walking corner, far enough away that there would be no way for the dog to touch another pup. Sit, and wait (do some other training tricks while you wait). When another dog comes by, they should look at the other dog, and I say "YES!" the dog looks at me, gets a treat. So he learns that he can notice another dog, but as long as he looks back at me and pays attention to me, he gets a treat.

I'm not 100% sure if this would be effective for you since it's just this one dog, but if you know his route, you could set up kitty corner and try that. Or further away if he's too reactive even that close. Eventually you get closer and closer and he shouldn't have an issue. Definitely use high value treats! I like to use cut up hot dogs in a ziplock and maybe a few pieces of cheese thrown in. Keep it in the fridge and take it out for only this training.

That's what I wrote on page 2 but, someone told me I was 'rewarding' bad behavior and then when they couldn't come up with a rebuttal they said the 'lost interest' So of course I agree with you!

OP Another idea is you get something of the 'hated' dog smell and introduce it to your dog. Perhaps his fur or a blanket so he knows the smell. It might work if it seems familiar.

Stick it in your butt