Dog howls on walk when he sees other dogs

[LindaSchroeder]

A German Shepherd/hound dog cross in the past year has begun to howl when he sees other dogs.   He starts the minute he sees them but will stop once he has passed them.  Not sure why this has started but it sounds like your killing him..  He is a rescue that was found on the streets so unsure of back ground..   Have had him four years.   Is he anxious due to meeting the dog.   He does not lunge at the dogs.  This is just very embarrassing.   What would anyone suggest to try.  Tried to redirect attention but seems to only work here and there.   Nothing has happened recently to make this happen.   Is he lacking confidence?  Any help would be appreciated

[Adrienne]

Hello and welcome to the forums!

 

It could be that this sounds terrible because he's a hound mix and hounds have these very loud vocalizations known as "baying" which can sound overly dramatic. 

 

This howling can be due to various reasons. It could be he is simply overly excited (like a hound on a hot trail!) and eager to see these other dogs, but sometimes there may be some anxiety components at play. The fact he doesn't lunge sounds like he may not have hostile intent, however we mus always tread with caution and keep distance as some dogs may get revved up by this form of howling and may respond aggressively. 

 

As with dealing with reactive dogs, you may find that finding a distance from where he appears less excited/anxious may help you have more control over the behavior and at this distance you can also give him something different to do that is incompatible with the howling. For example, you can toss several treats to the ground when he sees a dog at a distance and encourage him to go "find them" in a treasure hunt style, or you can ask him to to do several steps of attention heeling. 

 

Here is how to train attention heeling:

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

 

If there are dogs walking by your property that your dog can look at behind a window, you can even start with some "look at that dog" exercises to build a foundation and strong response to a smacking sound that tells him to look up at you and get some tasty treats. You can then convert this on walks again using distance from other dogs. 

 

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/university/look-at-that/

 

If other dogs are too close, you may be better off doing an emergency u-turn. 

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/emergency-u-turn/

 

If you are trying to redirect attention but he responds sometime yes and sometimes no, it's likely because sometimes he's too over threshold. Often this happens when we are too close to the trigger (other dogs). You can read about dog threshold levels here:

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

 

I hope this helps,

Let me know how things go. 

Best,

Adrienne

 

 

 

[LindaSchroeder]

Thanks I will give it all a try

[Adrienne]

You are very welcome!

Keep me posted on how things go.

Best,

Adrienne

[LindaSchroeder]

I have one more question. Since he was one the street for a year or more he is a counter surfer and likes to get into the garbage.   He is good for awhile  but reverts back.

[Adrienne]

These dogs require management more than anything else, along with training a back-up plan in case the dogs manages to still get a hold of something. Here are some tips:

-Keep the counter clear of food. This means no more food left near the edge (that's just like dangling candy in front of a child), just push it out of the way, or even better, keep no food at all there so that your dog's almighty nose won't feel tempted.

-Erect a baby gate. It is not easy to keep counters always free of food. Many people start off with a strong intent, and then, as time goes by, they start slacking off and that is when opportunities arise. By erecting a baby gate, Rover doesn't get to visit the kitchen with all its wafting smells and temptations: out of sight, out of mind!

-To cover all basis, train your dog the leave it and drop it commands. "Leave it" tells your dog to stop approaching when you catch him walking towards the counter and you forgot something there, and drop it is for when he should happen to get a hold of something and you want him to release it. Both of these commands can prove to be even life-saving if your dog is about to grab or has already grabbed a potentially toxic food or something he may chew on and risk an intestinal blockage. Make sure to practice this even when you are at a distance from tempting items and always reinforce by giving your dog something much higher in value (from your dog's perspective, not yours!) than the item left/dropped. Here is info on how to train these:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/obedience-101/take-leave-it/

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/brain-training/obedience-101/drop-it/

-Train an alternate behavior. We often tell dogs what not to do and invest very little time in telling them what to do. Since, most likely, your dog counter surfs when you are busy preparing your meals, why not teach your dog to lie on a mat and turn that into a favorite surface to receive goodies? This way, your dog will eagerly go there when you're cooking and you have established a desirable routine. Praise and reward your dog with treats (or safe people foods) given at various intervals so that your dog holds his stay there. Here is how to train a dog to lie on a mat:

https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/video-archive/train-dog-go-to-mat/

-Invest in  trash cans with lids that are dog-proof (there are several on the market, sometimes even made with dogs in mind) or keep your trash out of the way in a cabinet or outside of your fence if outdoors. Out of sight, out of mind!

-With no more food left around the counter when you are not around, with the trash with a secure lid or out of the way, with a fluent response to the "leave it" and "drop it cues," and food being fed contingent upon your dog lying on the mat, with time, you should see a reduction in your dog's counter surfing behaviors. 

Hope this helps,

Best,

Adrienne

[LindaSchroeder]

Thanks again I have my work cut out for me

[Adrienne]

You're very welcome,

Happy training!

Best,

Adrienne