I have a 2 yr old husky who im having trouble with on walks. We are working on loose leash walking but when we meet a person or another dog he just goes crazy. Im not sure what to do at this point. All he wants to do is meet the dog or peron and give them a lick. I just wish I new a way to control him.
We did take a basic clicker class and are signed up for another once the class gets full. But even their it will be the same problem once he sees the other dogs.
Meeting other dogs and people on walks
Hi,
My huskies are the same way -- just LOVE interacting with people, especially children! What worked with my huskies was using the people/other dogs as the reward, and using the 'penalty yards' method with lots of practice. (food never did it for my guys, I always have to find 'life rewards' instead)
First, find a friend and/or friend with very calm dog who can help for the first part. Have them be down the street a ways, enough for your dog to see them. Then, start walking toward them.
When your dog starts pulling and going nuts trying to see them, say in a happy voice, "Oh, no, come this way, we can't go see them right now" and start walking backward. Don't turn around, though -- keep your feet pointing toward the 'prize' that your dog will get -- the person/dog! If you turn around then your dog may not believe he will get to meet the person. Don't yank on the leash, either -- just a little tug and walk backward while talking to your dog -- believe it or not, he'll follow.
Now, as soon as he gets to your side, immediately start walking forward again, and click and treat for the proper position/speed. If he starts going nuts again, repeat the 'backwards' steps -- but this time, go 3 feet further back (this is where the 'penalty yards' come in). As soon as he gets to your side, start forward again as above. Soon the dog realizes that they aren't getting CLOSER, but they're moving FARTHER AWAY. hmmmm...
Repeat as often as necessary -- but be aware -- the first couple of times you practice this, it may take you a VERY LONG TIME to get to the person/dog. We used this method, using children as the reward, for my female Sibe (she'd rather have the ability to interact with kids than any food, dog or other person in the entire world!) when teaching calm greetings. We had the kids sit on the ground about a block away. The first day took us 45 minutes to get to the kids, but she did it and we were VERY proud of her (hey, maybe she was only tired!). the second trial was only 15 minutes, the third 5, and now she's got a nice mostly-calm (her tail gets going pretty fast) greeting.
Jo Jacques, CPDT, CPCT
WiggleBums! Dog-Friendly Training & Behavior
President, International Siberian Husky Club
IAABC, APDT, IIACAB
I don't know if this will
I don't know if this will help you, but this is what I do. When I see another dog on our walks I get my dogs attention before she sees the other dog. We do some sits and downs and I've found when she is paying attention to me before she sees the other dog, things go much better. If she behaves, then she gets to go say hi.
Good luck!
Ellen & Frankie