Hi from me and Buddy

Hello all

We have had Buddy for six months now, he approx. two is as soft as trifle loves licking and walking.
He is a rescue dog so we are not aware of his full history and despite a few teething issues is now a full member of the family
We have one issue and that is when he sees other dogs.  He barks a lot and pulls towards them but also appears scared.  If the dogs are not moving he is fine.
I have tried, water pistol, treats and such like.  The only method that helps is turning around and going the other way which is not always an option.
I would love for him to be able to socialise with other dogs but am now at a loss.  When he gets really close he nips the other dogs
Any help advice fully appreciated
Many thanks Ian

Hi &

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Hi ya Ian, welcome to the forum from Flo & me

Learning a new dog is never a quick thing but you will get there. A water pistol doesn't usually work as Buddy won't understand why he keeps getting wet you are much better off with positive reward like treats.

Does Buddy have a favpurite toy? the reason I ask is that we use a distraction with my Flo when she gets scared or nervous around other dogs, her Kong Stix will win every time. You are most likely comming to the correct conclusion in that he is scared or unsure of other dogs.

Training classes should help with this issue, I know he's 2 but they are never too old to learn. The rational behind classes is to associate good things when other dogs are around him and that they pose no threat. I suspect he wasn't well socialised when younger. You could also ask a friendly fellow walker if you could walk on lead with them and their dog, whilst keeping them seperated i.e on the outside of the two walkers so that there's some distance between them. This should make an association that not all moving dogs are scary. You can then gradually move them closer to each other once Buddy looks more comfortable.

One last thing, always remain calm and relaxed when he is on the lead, they really do pick up on our emotions and will react accordingly so a nervous owner will create a nervous dog.

Hi Ian
Thanks for your reply. The home that we got Buddy from also had an older dog. Buddy has a few scars so we can only presume that they did not get on hence his distrust of other dogs

I have found that treats work but only if I distract him early enough.

I read a post on here about getting him to look at me which I will try.

We do not know any other dog owners well enough to try your suggestion but I will work on it as we are out walking

There are lots of good advice on this forum and I am glad I joined

Thanks once again

Keep an eye on this thread as there are lots of experienced owners here that will gladly share tips with you once they see your issue

Hi from me and mine!

Well done on the rescue, Buddy looks thoroughly at home now!

Re the dog issue, it is very, very common with dogs of all breeds, rescue or not. It does sound like there may also have been issues in his past that haven't helped.

If you have a look in the 'training and behaviour' section, you'll find loads of ideas. As you say, the 'look at me' method is very helpful, as is turning back and making it fun for Buddy to come to you, for a treat or a toy. I still need to do that with Chaos, he's heaps better but still struggles with head on meetings which are quite confrontational for him.

Plan your walks so that you have options, and so that you minimize the risk of situations Buddy really can't cope with. He needs to learn he can cope, so situations that are testing but achievable are the way he'll do that best.

We often have in our minds that walks are supposed to be a certain thing, so far in distance, in that sort of place, at that sort of speed, and meeting anything that comes our way. For some dogs at certain times in their lives, they may be better with shorter, quieter, less busy walks balanced with more play at home, especially while they adjust to new demands and stresses. Our snuffly walks have really helped Chaos, for example.

If you're a reader, delve into Patricia McConnell's books, Feisty Fido is specifically about reactive dogs (it's short but sweet), and The Other End of the Leash is a brilliant for general dog behaviour and understanding.

Hi Liz

Thanks for the reply it was from one of your posts that I picked up the look at me.

We normally go walking at 06:30 and 19:00 during the week due to work so not to many dogs about.

This changes at weekends and holidays, of course bonfire week did not help. He got to the stage that he did not want to go out at night, this thankfully we have sorted as he is to heavy for me to carry

I will look at the books suggested hopefully they are on kindle

Thanks
Ian

hia from me and Sasha

Hi and welcome to the forum from me and the zoo xx

welcome from me

Hiya from me and Vinnie,well done on rescuing