barking at dogs

[GypsysMom]

Im wondering if the constant turmoil between the dogs next to me and my dogs is the reason Gypsy barks at him, maybe, maybe not... I am able to gain Gypsys attention off of him if we both happen to be outside at the same time, she will get her soceer ball and play fetch. And if I tell her to sit she does, she isnt no where trained... Also since she likes to play the "tough one"(her and a GSD named buttons) in class for about 5 minutes until she collects herself and decides its training time, Im taking her to several more basic obedience classes and not starting any advance until she can calm down a bit, since Advance is off-leash training, I want to make sure she is not just "good" but "great".. I dont think she is "dog aggressive" (with the exception of my other female) but If she is left without the proper guidance such as that with constant Training than I think she would be.. So as a responsible dog owner, she will have all the training possible for a dog to have (which is lifelong).

My next class starts Jan 04,2007 and that runs for 6 weeks then I think a week or 2 pass and another class starts again, no advance until May So I think I can get in some good time with Basic.. What do all the experts think??

[lilabet]

Who is Gypsy barking at? And what is the turmoil between her and the dogs next door? If they are fence fighting or running back and forth barking at each other, she is getting aroused by the other dogs and it is becoming habit to do so. Can you put up some kind of visual barrier so your dogs cannot do this? I would work on her obedience lots and not put her in situations where she can practice barking,etc. at other dogs. In controlled situations work with her on paying attention to you and ignoring other dogs.

[GypsysMom]

SHe barks at the Golden next to us, she was outside with a line while we played, I dont have a fenced yard, but there is a welded wire fence that the neighbors put up as a barrier for their dog since he would cross the property line and attck mine.

So it is possible after she has had more training to have her complety focus on me when other dogs and people are around?
Im so afraid I wont be able to have her do this, but deep down I know with alot of training she will, actually today was the first day that they have been outside at the same time, so its not that she is always barking at him, we (neighbor and I) try to aviod it if possible not to have each others dogs out at the same time, so we played for a few more minutes, then while his dogs were out back playing we went in

[lilabet]

I have two dogs that compete in agility and to do that they must pay total attention to me even though there are other excited dogs around and lots of people, too. I also use them to demonstrate to people in our family dog obedience classes what the end product of working consistantly with their dogs can be. These two will behave off leash in front of the class and not pay any attention to the other dogs. On the other hand, I have a 20 month old female Rottie, Maia, who wants to greet and play with every dog and human we see. She was 10 months old when I adopted her from a pound and she knew nothing at all. Even though we still have a long way to go, she has come a long way already and is starting agility classes. So keep working with your girl and don't let her practice bad behavior, do take her to lots of classes with positive training and also take her out to different places yourself and work on her obedience and attention there. If you make training fun and rewarding, you will be more interesting than most other things out there and if you are consistant, listening to you will become habit for her. Good training takes time and patience. There is no instant quick fix. Make training fun and enjoy your dog!

[SonnyRott]

I'm not sure how it works in your training classes but in ours, it wasn't a matter of finishing one class and automatically going to the next level. It was the trainer's decision to decide whether or not your dog was ready for the next level.

[lilabet]

Yes, by all means,repeat any class as many times as you wish or feel the need to. You certainly don't need to rush through to the more advanced classes if you don't feel that you or your dog are ready. It is best to have a good solid foundation with your dog. Just keep it fun and interesting so they don't get bored.

[GypsysMom]

No I dont have to finish one to go to Advanced, I thought I did but it was a typo in the pamphlet, I did notice my trainer does different things with each new class, so Gypsy can experience more things with each class

[debbiej]

About the dogs barking; since the dogs have a "history" with each other, you can be sure they will stir each other up. It sounds like you and the neighbor have worked out a good arrangement. And the fact that Gypsy will stop paying attention to the other dog and play with you sounds promising.

My old Shar pei, Gobie and Boris have gotten into it a few times. If they see each other, they will always start barking through the window or crate. I think it is a good training op. Now when Boris starts to bark at Gobie, I call him to 'come' and he does. Just because he has issues with Gobie, doesn't mean he will with all dogs, but the fact that he will come when called, even if he is all agitated, is a good sign.