# Kipper goes crazy with other dogs!



## Ari214 (Oct 9, 2014)

Alright, here we are on day 6 of having Kipper. Overall he's a sweet boy and since I don't know much about his background, I guess things could be worse.

Of course, as a first-time dog owner and person with a Type-A personality, I am constantly worried about all these issues. But I guess I'll start with the one that bugs me the most right now: Kipper loves people and is very energetic and wants lots of attention. He doesn't bark at them, but usually wants to go up to them and see what's up. When I take him out for walks on his leash and he sees people, he will want to pull towards them. But I can distract him and make him follow me. If it's a person with a dog, however.. forget it! All hell breaks loose. He goes crazy!!! He starts making some growling sound, then pulls towards the dog and when I don't let him go that way will start barking. I know dogs bark but I really don't want a dog that is insane and can't be taken out w/o him causing a scene. 

Is this because he's a puppy still? Will he grow out of it? Or should I just be proactive and take him to obedience school? I want to enjoy our walks. Not be afraid of what's around the corner.


----------



## MarinaGirl (Mar 25, 2012)

You recently got your dog and he's 10 months old, correct? If so, it sounds like Kipper may not have been properly socialized to dogs during the critical periods 7-12 weeks and 12-16 weeks.

It is extremely important to begin socializing a puppy before four months of age (16 weeks). If one waits beyond this point to begin training a puppy on how to act outside the home, including with other animals, he may become fearful. This is because he hasn't been exposed during a time in his life when puppies are most open to accepting new things. This lack of socialization can cause unwanted behavior in your dog such as barking and snapping.

Here's some good info I found on the ASPCA website, which may help you.

*TRAINING THE LEASH-REACTIVE DOG
*
Although it's fine to stick with simply managing your dog's reactive behavior, you can make your dog's life less stressful by working on changing how he feels about other dogs when he sees them on-leash. Try the following exercises to teach your dog that approaching dogs mean good things for him-not tension and anxiety.

*Other Dogs Make Great Things Happen*

This technique involves repeatedly associating a small amount of something that your dog doesn't like with a much larger amount of something he loves. With time and repetition, your dog will react with happy anticipation when he sees the thing that used to upset him. Please see our article on Desensitization and Counterconditioning if you'd like to know more about how this effective training technique works.

Before you get started, recruit a friend with a sociable or neutral dog who can help you with the first few training sessions. You'll also need to cut some tasty treats into pea-sized pieces. Use something really exciting that your dog doesn't usually get, like bits of cheese, chicken, hot dog or liver.

• In advance, determine your dog's threshold-the distance at which he first starts to notice other dogs but doesn't growl, bark or lunge at them. If your dog's threshold is 40 feet, start with your friend and her dog about 50 feet away. Have the neutral dog appear for a few moments, perhaps between two parked cars. As soon as your dog notices the other dog but before he has a chance to bark, start feeding him treat after treat very quickly, 10 to 20 in a row, praising him enthusiastically the whole time. After about five seconds, your helper should lead her dog out of sight again. As soon as the helper dog disappears, stop giving your dog treats. Don't talk to him, and don't pet him. In fact, don't even look at him. Good things only happen when he sees other dogs.

• Have your friend lead the neutral dog into and out of sight over and over, waiting a few minutes between sightings. Eventually your dog will start to realize that the appearance of the other dog makes the treats and praise flow, and the dog's disappearance stops their delivery. You'll know that you're making progress when your dog sees the helper dog appear and then immediately looks to you, wagging in cheerful anticipation of his treats.

• The next step is to gradually move the neutral dog closer to yours. You can start walking your dog around as well, slowly decreasing the distance between the two dogs until they're able to pass on the sidewalk. If your dog is extremely reactive, you'll progress only a few steps at a time.

Some dogs who love food and become only mildly frustrated around other dogs may develop a happy response to them in just a session or two. However, most dogs need many training sessions over a period of days or weeks to achieve a permanent behavior change, so be patient. As you do the exercises above, it's best to progress more gradually than you think you should. There's no disadvantage to over-training your dog's happy response to another dog-but you do risk setbacks every time you push your dog too far and he reacts aggressively. The trick to this technique is exposing your dog to just a little of something not-so-nice (seeing another dog) and then giving him a lot of something he really loves (treats or play).

If you don't have a friend with a neutral dog, you can do the exercises above by taking your dog to a popular dog walking path for training. (Just be sure to choose a place where you know other dogs will be on-leash and unable to run up to him.) Remember to stand as far away from the path as necessary to keep your dog from reacting to other dogs he sees. Over a period of days or weeks, you can gradually move closer, step by step, until your dog is able to walk right past other dogs on the path.


----------



## Ari214 (Oct 9, 2014)

Yes, we believe he's about that age. I have several friends with dogs. But I don't know which ones I could actually "use" to help Kipper. One of them has two, an adopted Doberman who is gentle but he's a Doberman so that's scary; her other dog is a Westie. She's very high-strung too so I don't know if that will make things worse! Another friend has a mutt- a lab mix. He's a great, great dog. Very chill and sweet. They have a baby and Cash has been great. So maybe him? The thing is, they do have a baby, so they don't have as much time to schedule all these training/play dates.

Should I just save myself the headache and go for classes? :/


----------



## Colbie (Feb 9, 2013)

Classes are always a good idea as long as it's a good place, just do your research. In addition to the classes, practice, practice practice what they teach you in class. Positive reinforcement works great over time. even though you are past "the crucial period" your pup can still learn a lot in regards to socialization. 
Colbie use to "growl" at certain dogs, usually the larger ones, when we went to the park for a walk. Even though she went for classes when she was young, I didn't reinforce the behavior as frequently as I could have. She was the smallest dog in our class and the socialization could have been done better IMO. That said, she is learning and now is much better when she sees other dogs, even the larger ones. She is now more accepting of a friendly sniff and frquently will be the first to approach nowadays.


----------



## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

What Jeanne wrote is right, but in your case, as a first time dog owner with a dog who has already developed some problem behaviors, I would STRONGLY urge you to find a good, positive based trainer to help you. This is not a situation where you should just try to go it alone. Both you AND Kipper need help. IMO everyone should take thier puppy/dog to at least beginning "pet" type obedience classes. It is the best investment in your new dog that you can possibly make.


----------



## Ari214 (Oct 9, 2014)

krandall said:


> What Jeanne wrote is right, but in your case, as a first time dog owner with a dog who has already developed some problem behaviors, I would STRONGLY urge you to find a good, positive based trainer to help you. This is not a situation where you should just try to go it alone. Both you AND Kipper need help. IMO everyone should take thier puppy/dog to at least beginning "pet" type obedience classes. It is the best investment in your new dog that you can possibly make.


Yeah, that's what I'm thinking. Who knows what he learned in the first 7-9 months of his life. I really don't want him to be one of "those" dogs. He's so sweet to us, it's really upsetting to see him get so worked up! Thank you for your advice.

I'm gonna start looking into classes for him ASAP.


----------



## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

saw this thread after your other one. Puppy classes are out at this age. You need one on one with a good trainer. If you want help finding one let me know with a private message and you zip code.


----------

