Hello,
My name is Nicole and I have some questions about my dog Ozzie. Ozzie is an 8 year old German shorthaired pointer and he's originally my fiancé's dog. I've only been in Ozzie's life for about 2 years now and naturally he doesn't listen to me as well as he does my fiancé. Ozzie is a very smart and well trained dog, however, he wasn't neutered until he was about 3 years old and has some dominate/alpha-dog behaviors. He's a hunting dog and has been trained to walk off-leash. I like to take Ozzie out by myself on hikes, however, I'm always very nervous when we come across other dogs. He usually interacts fine with females, but almost always jumps/lunges and barks/growls at males. He has never actually bitten another dog, but I fear if the other dog is also an alpha that it will result in biting or a fight. This is difficult for me to manage because he is an off leash walker and isn't very motivated by food rewards. I do always take a leash with me and when I see other dogs I put him on the leash before he notices, but this only seems to make him more defensive/protective and his behavior is worse when the dog passes. I've read your articles about aggressive behavior towards dogs and on walks and would like more information or options I can try. Ozzie will listen to me when we are on walks and do everything your articles suggested, but the second another dog comes in the picture he has a tendency to ignore me. He also refuses to eat any treats/food when we are on walks... even people food, and I don't know how to positively reinforce him if he does behave when other dogs are around, or get his attention away from the dogs. Also, since he is an active bird hunting dog, he is trained to walk ahead and look for animals. He is also very fast-paced and often gets focused on looking for animals and not listening to me. Sometimes his hunting behaviors get in the way of our regular walking when its just me and Ozzie. I don't want to damage any of the skills he learned for hunting... but I also want him to be focused and respectful when we're walking. For example, staying closer to me, coming to me when I call him-when he gets distracted with little animals he finds. Any more advice for how I can change these behaviors on walks?
Earlier I said that Ozzie doesn't respect me or listen to me as well as my fiancé, I'm wondering if this is because of his alpha like behavior or because I haven't been in his life until more recently. I've been doing a lot of your basic training modules with him (even though he is already trained) just to try to create a better/more respected connection with him. He is very intelligent and nails all those games right off the bat! When its just me and Ozzie he listens to me relatively well, however, when my fiancé is around its like I'm kicked to the curb. It seems like Ozzie is trying to be the alpha over me. Ozzie has a very big personality-which is why I love him so much. I often describe him as a cat-like personality because he is too smart for his own good. He knows exactly what he is supposed to do but won't do it if he is upset with you for some reason. Any other tips for helping me create a stronger bond with Ozzie and increase his respectful behaviors towards me?
Thank you!
