Ok, so I don't know if this is the right place to post this, and if you have to move it, please feel free, but I'm new and didn't see a specific place to ask!
My new little one, Abby (that some members have agreed with me she's rattie/wire-haired JR mix..) gets all goofy when she's on lead and sees another dog, other than Taylor. She starts barking, and won't stop until she's "met" the other dog. Which isn't cool because not all dogs are the most friendly things, and if she can't "meet" them, she won't stop!
I've tried the gentle, but firm "tug" on the lead, to distract her, and she doesn't get distracted by it. I've called her name, I've made sharp "shhhh" noises at her, I've tried distracting her with toys and treats. Usually, for any other unwanted behavior, I can say, "Abby, LOOK!" and have a toy or treat, and she'll be like, "Ooooooh, shiny...." and come to me, sit for whatever it is, and then not go back to whatever she was doing. It doesn't work with other dogs around. I've tried "reeling her in", and turning her around to face me and sit, and she keeps turning around, wiggling, and barking. I haven't yet tried the spray bottle, which also usually works, but that's cause I don't normally have it when we're out and about, and also because right now, I don't want her to get her splint wet on her broken leg.
Does anyone have any suggestions for me? She doesn't bark at other dogs when she's off lead (such as when she was at the dog park, before she broke her leg.) She just wanders up, sniffs, and then either starts playing or wanders away.
I've had her now for a month and a half, and don't know much about her, other than I think she's rattie/JR mix, she's approximately 5 months old (her ears JUST stood up, and she's teething.. only has her top baby canines left,) and that the place I adopted her from only knew that she was a stray and had been picked up by animal control and brought to them.
She's VERY smart, and learned "sit" "lie down" and "stand" the second day I had her, and when lying down learned "all the way" within the next week (which for my kids means to put their nose down on the ground when lying down.. I did it by accident with Taylor, and "taught" Abby the same way I accidentally did with Tay. The only problem is that she does still get very easily distracted, cause she's SO stinkin curious! (What Rattie isn't?!)
Anyway, if anyone has ANY suggestions on curbing the barking at other dogs while she's on lead, I'd REALLLLLLLLY appreciate it, because I can correct Taylor with a little tug on his lead, but not Abby. =/ |