Is it your worst nightmare when you are having a nice walk with your dog and suddenly you come across another dog? Is it typical that your dog is going to leave their mark on the other dog? And you are not exactly sure what that means? Is it going to get ugly? This is a very stressful situation for many dog owners. You have had no luck trying to stop this kind of crazy dog behavior. You have tried every type of leash on the market. You even tried distracting your dog with a food treat but no luck. It seems hopeless.
Guess what? It’s NOT hopeless! It all starts in your home. You have been giving your dog the wrong messages at home. Dogs do not think about how big the house is or how fast the car can go. They are simple creatures and their basic thoughts are about survival. They want to protect the pack and the property – especially when they are outdoors. Dogs, being pack animals, understand what it is to be a leader and a follower. The leader of the pack is the one who protects the pack. The leader will pick and choose what is dangerous and be the one to initiate protecting the pack. I think you may be getting the idea.
If your dog thinks of himself as the pack leader, and he sees another dog coming down the street, what do you think will happen? How did your dog come to think of himself as the pack leader? Doggy Dan can show you how you can become the pack leader and get this unnecessary behavior under control. He does it in a gentle way and he uses five golden rules/training tricks. Keep in mind that some dogs are more submissive and some dogs are more dominant. The fact is that it does not matter what kind of dog you have. The big secret is that you need to be the leader of the pack. You might be using good training techniques now but without a solid foundation, you’ll miss the mark. Doggy Dan has some great training tricks that will help any dog owner achieve that calmer dog as another dog approaches.
Here are a few training tricks:
- Using food as a distraction: This approach really works with food hounds! The key is to use it as a distraction. Never reward your dog after they have lunged at another dog. Use really good food, such as a piece of chicken or small piece of cheese. Do not give them their usual dry biscuit!
- Take it slow: You cannot expect a miracle overnight. If you push it too fast, it may result in it going wrong. If you do it slow, it will build confidence.
- Take time to master the walk: Be sure that you have control of your dog’s walking before you come upon another dog. If you need to consider a device other than a regular flat collar to achieve this, then don’t hesitate to do so.
- Stay focused on what YOU want: It’s easy to get lazy and follow your dog’s behavior but please remember that you need to continue to show your dog how you want them to behave.
- Always be ready to step in: Stay focused on the best result but be ready to step in quickly guide your dog away at the correct them. Once you’ve done this, remember to relax and stay calm afterwards.
One of the important things to remember about this method is that it works with your dog’s natural instincts. For example, it’s natural that one dog will be more dominant than another. You can’t take that instinct out of dogs. If you position yourself as the top dog, your dog will not be nearly as likely to become overly protective, tense, or dominant.
Here is a great video of two dogs playing at being dominant and submissive:
If it’s time for you to take control back from your dog, and become the kind and gentle pack leader that your dog is looking for then check out: The Online Dog Trainer. Trying to deal with the problem when you see the other dog approaching is going to be too late. It’s about sorting out the real cause of the issue that will turn things around. Your dog is simply waiting for you to give him the right messages!
