Barking, snarling, jumping dog

[skeelahkimou]

What part of the training should I use for a dog on a peaceful walk who suddenly starts chewing leash, barking and snarling. I do treat when she is “easy walking” on the leash. No dog around. Can’t figure trigger.

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Hello, and welcome to the forum. I just moved this thread from the chat section to the training and behavior section which is where I check more regularly for members seeking out help with their dogs.

 

Have you noticed whether this behavior starts taking place at the beginning or at the end of the walk? What have you been doing so far when this behavior takes place? Is the barking directed at you?

 

Although at times it may difficult to find a trigger, it helps to pay extra attention to what happens right before this behavior takes places. This provides an important puzzle piece as it gives the opportunity to know what to work on. It may be something as subtle as the dog seeing a person walking from a distance, hearing a sound or being bored when you stop walking to talk to a person.

Edited October 8, 2018 by Adrienne Farricelli

[Adrienne Farricelli]

If no exact trigger can be found, then no preventive steps can be taken to keep it from arising. What is left to do in these cases entails making biting on the leash difficult and quick redirection before the behavior escalates and gains a strong rehearsal history.

 

To make biting on the leash difficult or no longer pleasant, you can try some of these tips:

-Slip a long piece of PVC pipe over the leash (dogs do not like to bite this hard surface)

-Attach a lightweight piece of chain to the leash (dogs do not like to bite on chain)

-Use the two leash method where you use two leashes simultaneously, when your dog grabs one leash, release it, and use the other (allowing the former to drag); this prevents the creation of tension which lures dogs to bit.

 

Redirection to another activity requires that this other activity uses strong reinforcement (very high-value treats or a fun game for play motivate dogs) so to help your dog make good choices. You can try the following:

 

-Ask your dog to do several steps of attention heeling. You may need to train your dog to become fluent in this behavior first in lower distraction areas so to build-up reliability in performing this behavior and then gradually build to requesting this behavior on walks. You can find how to train this here:

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

 

-Do a treaure hunt game on the go, you can put it on cue by saying "treasure hunt!" while dropping several treats on the ground in several directions to divert her attention to the ground rather than on the leash. Make it a fun game. You may want to practice this first in quiet areas before trying on walks.

 

A word of caution is warranted here: if the barking and snarling is directed towards you or your dog is prone to re-directed biting (some dogs get so overstimulated and aroused they may bite the owner), then you really need to thread with caution and I would recommend not trying things on your own, but rather having a professional assist you in person for safety and correct implementation of behavior modification.

Edited October 9, 2018 by Adrienne Farricelli