barking and jumping up at other dogs

[elhmonkey]

Hi, This is my first post, although I have been a member for a while. My 16 month old female Rottie has started in the last few months to jump up and bark at other dogs when I'm walking her. She never used to do this, just used to pull on the lead a bit to get to the dog, and then have a sniff if they passed. I live in a small village, so although there are not 100's of dogs around, she has always been around other dogs (from puppy training classes, to meeting 2-3 everyday on walks). I have been telling her off and trying to restrain her from jumping and barking when she does, and also trying to anticipate when she is going to and stopping her before she does. I've also tried distracting her with treats and toys, but she tends to ignore these, as I suppose the other dog is more interesting? I'm not sure what else I can try? Apart from this she is fine on the lead (doesn't pull, walks to my side) it is just when there are other dogs around - well also she does a similar thing with buses and motorbikes, but not so bad. I would really appreciate any comments or suggestions anyone might have?
Thanks!

[casey123e]

Someone on this board gave me great advice regarding this type of thing. It was suggested to bring really irresistible treats with me, I use liver treats, and when a dog/car approaches I use the treat to turn her to me, sit and "watch me" by holding the treat near my eyes. This distracts her enough to let the object pass. In theory you'll do this enough that eventually you can just remind the dog to "watch you" as you pass something, and they'll get desensitized to the object as well. Our dog is very food motivated though. Maybe you need to use a better treat?

I will say though, that while things have improved a great deal, my girl still struggles with it. She still has a hard time passing certain dogs, although cars are not really an issue anymore. We still tend to pull over and make her sit when people pass us during our walks. It just takes a looooooong time for some dogs and I guess and mine is one of the stubborn ones.

We have also had success with the gentle leader for the pulling/lunging only because that's really all its good for. I know some people don't like it but it works for her because it turns her away from the object. You might want to give it a try. Good luck.