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I have a neutered male Cairn terrier who's year and a half old. He's very friendly, well socialized, and loves kids, people, and other dogs. He went to a couple sessions of puppy classes and passed the temperament test for doggy day care, where he goes once a week. They love him. We go to Petco, the park, pretty much anywhere dogs are allowed and he's very well behaved.
He's a sweet, happy boy until we walk in MY neighborhood. Then he lunges, screams, barks, and generally loses his mind at other dogs, golf carts, minivans, bikes, and some (not all) people. He would get so ferocious that I honestly wasn't sure whether he'd bite. I got a Gentle Leader to use on evening walks (no one's around when we go out in the morning) and we both hate it, though I realize I have to stick with it. He's tons better with it on....he'll consider acting up and decide not to. I carry special treats and he gets one when he behaves.
So I can control the problem, but I don't understand it. He knows I'm in charge, no confusion there. Is it adolescence? Puberty? Insanity? I hate it, because very few people in my immediate neighborhood like him and I don't blame them. He acts like a jerk when he meets people on our walks.
I had this problem with my Catahoula, and he remains slightly leash aggressive if the approaching dog is close to his size or bigger or if it is being obnoxious.
Basically, take high value treats out on the walk with you. Top-shelf stuff like cooked chicken breast or whatever it is that floats his boat. Chop it up into tiny pieces.
Beforehand, teach him a command for eye contact. You can do this by saying "Look" and holding a piece of food next to your eyes. When he focuses on your face, you give him the treat. Eventually, you just say "look" and he'll do it.
Then take your dog on a walk. Be alert. When you see someone or something that is a trigger for him approaching, before he even notices, you pull him off to the side and tell him "look". Ask for a sit or down or tricks and to do hand touches - whatever. Keep him interested in you and keep stuffing treats into him until the trigger has passed.
The objective is to make him focus on you and eventually to turn to you when he sees a trigger. He will see that nothing bad will happen to him and that he should associate the triggers with happy times and showers of treats.
The term for your dog is "leash reactive". There are training techniques that can help. You should find a good trainer in your area who can assist you and your dog. He's young and now is the time to correct the problem so you can enjoy years of drama free walks with him.
Thanks so much - I appreciate the responses. I'm just not sure why he's fine on a leash everywhere EXCEPT our neighborhood. He's fine in Petco, at parks, and walking in different neighborhoods. We've traveled out of state, out of town.....he's very friendly. But as soon as we leave the house here and hit the sidewalk he's a beast.
A dog's walks around the neighborhood are the equivalent of territorial patrol by its wild relatives. Unmarked areas, as well as previous traces of other dogs, are marked by fresh deposits of urine or stool. A dog's territory includes the area surrounding its home and, eventually, anywhere your dog has explored or associates strongly with you: your car, the route taken during walks, or even a friend or relative's home in another town.
That's WHY he is misbehaving. To correct it, I agree with the other posters.
Thank you! The link is a huge help. I've never had a dog go nuts like he does around our area. I'm 62 and have had many dogs, but this was puzzling. I appreciate everyone's answers!
We don't know why your dog is behaving the way he is- it could be leash frustration or some form of reactivity, but this is what I would suggest.
When you are walking and you see a trigger, switch his leash around behind you as needed to your other side so that you are always between your dog and the trigger, then when the trigger has passed by, turn to allow your dog to see the trigger leaving.
Encourage him to randomly "check-in" with you - not only on walks, but whenever you are together- by keeping high-value treats handy and immediately tossing them to him whenever he randomly looks at you. Clearly nobody always has treats in their pocket, so set this up at home, in the yard, on walks, so that you have treats handy. This will result in 2 outcomes- your dog will check in with you more often (a good thing), and it increases the likelihood that if he sees a trigger, that he will check-in with you in which case you praise and reward with super bonus treats.
Work with your dog on the Look-at-that exercise as follows. It works. It sounds counter-intuitive, but it works. Always use super-high value treats, e.g. tiny cut up bits of chicken breast, cheese, liver, etc. If you aren't comfortable working with a clicker, then use a praise word like "yes" or "good" in place of the sound of the clicker.
I have a neutered male Cairn terrier who's year and a half old. He's very friendly, well socialized, and loves kids, people, and other dogs. He went to a couple sessions of puppy classes and passed the temperament test for doggy day care, where he goes once a week. They love him. We go to Petco, the park, pretty much anywhere dogs are allowed and he's very well behaved.
He's a sweet, happy boy until we walk in MY neighborhood. Then he lunges, screams, barks, and generally loses his mind at other dogs, golf carts, minivans, bikes, and some (not all) people. He would get so ferocious that I honestly wasn't sure whether he'd bite. I got a Gentle Leader to use on evening walks (no one's around when we go out in the morning) and we both hate it, though I realize I have to stick with it. He's tons better with it on....he'll consider acting up and decide not to. I carry special treats and he gets one when he behaves.
So I can control the problem, but I don't understand it. He knows I'm in charge, no confusion there. Is it adolescence? Puberty? Insanity? I hate it, because very few people in my immediate neighborhood like him and I don't blame them. He acts like a jerk when he meets people on our walks.
Any insight would be appreciated.
Welcome to the wonderful world of being owned by a terrier-ist. Actually, it IS wonderful!
Here's the thing. There can never be too much training for a terrier, especially a stout and scrappy little Cairn. Key things are the basics. Leave it. Sit. Down. Heel. Repeat frequently ...
Use small bits of treats as a reward. Plus lots of love.
Also, don't shy away from lots of highly controlled socialization. Find a terrier oriented Meet Up where the other owners will be savvy to all you are experiencing.
A dog's walks around the neighborhood are the equivalent of territorial patrol by its wild relatives. Unmarked areas, as well as previous traces of other dogs, are marked by fresh deposits of urine or stool. A dog's territory includes the area surrounding its home and, eventually, anywhere your dog has explored or associates strongly with you: your car, the route taken during walks, or even a friend or relative's home in another town.
That's WHY he is misbehaving. To correct it, I agree with the other posters.
In addition, like me, you've probably had off leash neighborhood dogs charge at you. My own dog was fine on walks until this happened many times, and because of people letting their dogs loose, she is now constantly on guard, scanning everything watching for any potential threats coming at us.
I get really upset when irresponsible people allow us to get charged by their dogs. At one house they allowed their loose dog to charge us wildly while they all just sat there and did nothing as my husband had to jump in between us to prevent a dog fight, and almost had to kick it...Zero reaction from owners.
The last one was a woman who allowed her 5 lb ankle biter to charge all the way into the center of the street to us, and my husband had to grab it right before it attacked my 80lb protection breed. She yelled out to us "thank you for saving my dog's life." Really...?
I'm almost afraid to walk my dog without my husband now, because the next time it happens, it could be a Pit Bull, or other dog that will engage my dog tenaciously, and I wont be able to handle the situation alone, without carrying some sort of weapon.
O.P. owning a terrier, you are also dealing with some prey drive and tenacity traits that are bred into him/her. The leash is not allowing the dog to fully express these traits, and frustration, reactivity is setting in.
Welcome to the wonderful world of being owned by a terrier-ist. Actually, it IS wonderful!
Here's the thing. There can never be too much training for a terrier, especially a stout and scrappy little Cairn. Key things are the basics. Leave it. Sit. Down. Heel. Repeat frequently ...
Use small bits of treats as a reward. Plus lots of love.
Also, don't shy away from lots of highly controlled socialization. Find a terrier oriented Meet Up where the other owners will be savvy to all you are experiencing.
This is probably what it all comes down to. He's not a Golden, not a Doberman, not a Borzoi. He's nothing I've dealt with before. My buddy before him was a terrier cross so I thought I knew what was coming. Our first year was excellent but he may require constant work on new things. And I may never really understand what he thinking. But I'll tell ya.....he's a ton of fun!
That was an excellent answer. Thank you!
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