# This Morning's Laugh



## ShirleyH (Sep 13, 2009)

Keeper is in Obedience 2 classes and does really well with commands. His problem has always been reacting to the other dogs, both in the ring, and outside the ring. He barks at them. I've responded by a tug on his halter (yes, he's training in a halter) and correcting him. Wasn't working. This morning a woman who is teaching an advanced agility class saw this and came over to tell me what to do. She told me to just take him away from the situation calmly and if necessary, provide a treat but not to tug on his halter.

So, in class when he started to bark at another dog, I quietly said 'we don't do that' and turned him in the opposite direction. Honestly, he looked at me with absolute amazement as if to say 'you never told me that before'. Too funny. 

No, I don't think one time is a cure but it's sure what I'm going to do the next time to see if we make steady progress. She also told me his bark is not an 'I want to play' bark, but a reaction bark. No way to tell why.

Anyway, you learn about your dog every day.

Keeper's Momound:


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## Thumper (Feb 18, 2007)

Cute!

I love those 'looks', it makes them seem so human and not dog. People always get a kick out of Gucci's expressions, and I am so used to them, I wonder how people survive with dog breeds who aren't as animated and entertaining as ours?? 

I get a laugh out of the scowl and huff, but the innocent 'it wasn't me' or 'you never told me that' is also pretty darn irresistible!!

Kara


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## The Laughing Magpie (Aug 20, 2009)

My male Yogi is dog reactive and I have been working with him for a long time with lots of help and support, he is ready to compete, I am still not comfortable, this is an issue that is always on my mind, we do competition level obedience classes and he is learning the dumbell (thank heavens they all have their own), so we keep training all the while conditioning him to strange dogs in different places. In the early days when he would react, I would hold a high value treat right under his nose and lure his attention away (dogs only concentrate on one thing at time, they're really in the moment), if it didn't work quickly enough we would walk away and do a walk around, slowly over time and because I have to always keep an eye out, I can use his body signels to know when he is stressed and act before the event (there are times things happen too quickly), today I do not have to use treats as when he is making eye contact or watching my hands for signels...he has no time for scoping out the floor, I can also speak loudly if need be "look" and give my hand signel and he responds. I think it was great of the agility trainer to suggest calmly taking him away, our dogs look to us and this has worked for me.

That being said we were doing a long 5 min down, some people out of the room, some with me across the room, Yogi was next to a mixed breed large dog, and a very large ridgeback, the mixed breed dog suddenly stood up and his owner yelled at him and hell broke loose on that side and Yogi reacted by lunging at the ridgeback, the ridgeback just lay there looking at his owner, my trainer calmly and sternly made Yogi lay back down. If you keep working with Keeper and can advance to a high level. the people and dogs are often more experienced and many of the dogs are bullet proof. My trainer usually puts Yogi between trust worthy dogs, this man just put his dog there and was not in our class (just practicing long down).

If you find the right path for Keeper it will still be work but so worth it. They do sometimes have the funniest expressions.


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## ShirleyH (Sep 13, 2009)

*Thanks!*

Gucci and Yogi have good Moms! I think it's such a neat thing that we can 'read' our dogs so easily after a time. Their expressions are priceless and even if they can't talk we darn sure know what they are saying.

Yes, I'm going to keep working with Keeper. Don't know why he's this reactive to some dogs, but he is. The agility trainer said his bark is not an 'I want to play' bark.

Keeper's Mom


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