My dog freaks out when seeing other dogs

[JamesAchille]

I actually have a very well behaved dog, especially being only 8 months old.

 

Problem is, other dogs are KRYPTONITE to him, lol:)

 

When we go to a pet store and my pup sees other dogs, he goes crazy. Barking uncontrollably and lunging towards them. Now he is not doing this because he is mean, he is just extremely playful and wants to play with other dogs. But his barking and noise making sounds so vicious but it's really not. This is what his current trainer says at the pet store and I do agree. Because he really does love to play with dogs. And when he starts playing, the barking and aggressive loud sounds stop.

 

So what would be the best thing to start with in this course and/or any other advice?

 

Thanks to all!

 

Jim and my dog "BAKER"

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Hi there!

Welcome to the forums!

You are likely describing what sounds like barrier frustration. I agree with the trainer that most likely your puppy is eager to play and struggles when he can't, especially if once allowed to go play he plays nicely and gets along with the dog. Barrier frustration is sort of like a temper tantrum you see in a toddler who wants to play with his friends and cannot or who wants candy at the store but mom won't buy it. These dogs struggle and their excitement spills into what looks like a scary aggressive display. Fortunately as pups mature, they learn to control their impulses much better, but they need help.

 

You can read more barrier frustration here:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/barrier-frustration/

 

Generally, I help these dogs by working on distance with the dog under threshold and work on training an alternate behavior that is heavily reinforced. When I used to work as a trainer for a pet store, we worked on attention heeling exercises and used to the store aisles and other barriers to create distance between dogs. Training in the small training area was not much helpful because these dogs were way too over threshold to be able to focus. Sometimes, more difficult cases required working outside in the parking lot so that more distance was granted.

 

You can read more about how to keep dogs under threshold here:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/threshold-levels/

 

Once you find that sweet spot where your dog is calmer despite being around dogs, you can start working on training attention heeling or asking for sits despite seeing the other dogs. I personally prefer attention heeling because the dog is in movement rather than static, but it's OK to mix in sits every now and then.

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/obedience-101/heeling-attention-heeling/

 

You may also find the Premack Principle helpful. In this case, if you ever allow your dog to go play with a dog, you can ask him for a polite sit first before taking off the leash:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/premack-principle/

 

Impulse control exercises are also helpful:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/impulse-control-frustration-tolerance/

 

At 8 months, your pup is the adolescent stage, you can read about what happens here:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/survive-dogs-adolescent-stage/

 

A time may come when he may no longer want to play much or he may no longer tolerate certain styles of play. Careful supervision is always important.

Edited February 7, 2020 by Adrienne Farricelli