how to stop dog from lunging at strangers

It's also important to stay calm when your dog lunges and never yell at or hit your dog, which can actually make the lunging worse. Just as your dog is starting to recover you see another dog coming around the corner on a retractable leash. This training tip is brought to us by Brian Burton, a co-founder of Instinct Dog Behavior & Training LLC in New York City. At a time of your choosing – ideally when the dog is most likely to start barking – provide them with their favorite tasty nibbles. This is usually seen in dogs who are friendly at the dog park or day care settings but can exhibit problematic behavior when on leash. Brian’s rescue mixed-breed dog, Sammy, is a top competitor in the AKC Rally program. In the long run, it's best to train your dog to turn and sit when distractions are present. You may need to call in professional help, or you may want to discuss your dog’s antics with a vet to ensure that no medical complaints are at the root of the problem. It may be enough to simply put a fence around your property or duck behind a hedge when you see the mailman coming. If you only play fist-bump and Hansel and Gretel when one of your dog’s explosion triggers shows up, she will soon learn that these games predict trouble on the horizon. Essential info about dog health, training, sports and more. Again – human grade meat or cheese treats. Now, Steps in helping the dog who is barking and lunging at people. You could also say “no” in a stern voice, but avoid physically punishing your dog. All rights reserved. After a few repetitions you can start moving the other dog closer and increase the … Keep your dog on a leash while practicing this technique to ensure everyone remains safe. Step 1 For improperly socialized dogs, aggressive behaviors can be a common problem, especially toward strangers. After many days of practicing the QUIET command, increase the time between giving the QUIET command and giving the dog a reward. Training and not rewarding the behavior is the solution, so your dog will stop lunging to people. The good news is that I’ve seen most people make things significantly better as long as they are armed with basic knowledge of canine body language, learning science, and practical handling skills. Once your dog goes to “his place” easily, add a verbal cue that you will be able to use in the future. Over time, the space required will shrink. Remember, the goal here is to reduce intensity and frequency of the problem behavior and increase frequency of the new replacement behavior. As soon as he’s found one treat, drop another. After spending nearly 10 years in the dog training world and helping thousands of owners and their dogs in New York City, I can promise you two things; you are not alone (this is a VERY common behavior issue), and the behavior is likely not your fault (though you are the path forward!). References. The goal is that your dog is checking in with you 30 to 50 times per 15 minute walk. Simply ignore naughty behavior and don't reward your pet with treats. By using our site, you agree to our. By signing up you are agreeing to receive emails according to our privacy policy. That 5-foot piece of rope can really complicate things and can get in the way of natural social and avoidance behavior that a dog is more likely to choose if they had off-leash freedom. Try foods that he’s never had before or would not get on a typical day and save these treats for these special occasions. Dog have attention spans of less than 4 minutes. To complicate things, some dogs will exhibit frustration around some dogs (say smaller dogs who they like to play with) and fear-related aggression around other dogs (bigger dogs that they don’t like to interact with). My answer is as long as you need! This both reinforces the new behavior and changes the physiological response that your dog has to seeing another dog (counter conditioning). Just make sure your dog is always wearing its collar, that it is easy to hold and if your dog starts choking itself, you may want to loosen your grip. This gives you much more control and will generally reduce the intensity of reactions. If your dog jumps again, walk away again – rise and repeat. This is never a good idea. Other interventions may include increased exercise and mental enrichment for the dog, additional equipment such as head halters, muzzles, and management techniques may be helpful to … Bringing along a high-value toy could also work to distract your dog. This exercise will help change your dog’s association with other dogs from “that’s scary; I want it to go away” to “dogs make good things happen.” There are 17 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. If your dog displays these behaviors, at guests when they enter, your dog may be shy or fearful of strangers. What can I do? When they bark and lunge they perceive that the other dog is moving away *because* of their behavior (even though the other owner is just moving them by). Please help us continue to provide you with our trusted how-to guides and videos for free by whitelisting wikiHow on your ad blocker. The value of the food is hugely important, and your progress will be severely limited with basic dog store treats (even if your dog eats them). We know ads can be annoying, but they’re what allow us to make all of wikiHow available for free. Even if your dog is lunging and mouthing only in play, the behavior can be surprising and painful. Repeat the sequence, only feeding and petting your dog when the other dog is present. © The American Kennel Club, Inc. 2020. To keep a dog from lunging at cars and people, start by keeping it on a leash made from a sturdy material, like leather or nylon, and make sure there's no more than 4-6 feet of slack. She is also a Member of the Academy of Equine Veterinary Nursing Technicians since 2011. Ryan Corrigan is a Licensed Veterinary Technician in California. Important! Chased-based lunging. Completely eliminating this behavior is almost never a realistic goal. For the first week, you only want to practice this when other dogs are not around. This will discourage pulling and give you more control than a back clip harness and also can eliminate the discomfort from certain collars (which can really get in the way of progress for some dogs). You try to move your dog away but he’s locked in; waiting for the dog to get JUST a little bit closer and then WHAM! If you live in an urban setting where this is difficult, you may need to structure your walks during this week at times when not as many dogs are out (also known as the 5am club). It’s much more powerful to give your dog this control of the training and tends to make the training “stick” better in the long term. She received her Bachelor of Science in Veterinary Technology from Purdue University in 2010. This article has been viewed 16,157 times. Again, if your dog or puppy is lunging aggressively at strangers, we’d strongly recommend seeking professional help. So why are you feeding your dog so much? Some dogs need this work for a few months and then will start engaging in their own socially appropriate behavior (sniffing the ground) or will approach dogs more politely. Dog Lunging at Strangers and Other Dogs – Lunging on the Leash. When your guest enters your home, keep your dog sitting and close to you. Building a foundation; the one exercise to rule them all. The best way of treating aggression towards strangers is to prevent it by socializing your dog when they are young, exposing your dog to lots of different situations and people in a safe, controlled environment, and teaching your dog that strangers are not a threat to you or him. Wait a moment, then walk back in. Instead, purchase a strong and comfortable harness and lead and attach them to your dog. Reducing his fear is essential to changing his behavior. Mark and reward and resume the game. For dogs who want to get closer, it can teach them that there is a new fun game to play, or for some dogs, they can be allowed to greet dogs if they are acting appropriately (if your dog is friendly, and the other owner says it’s ok). Humans have an attention span of around 15 minutes. Step 1. Next, teach your dog simple verbal commands, like "sit" and to turn to you at the sound of its name, so you can control its behavior. and the cycle continues…. We want your dog figuring this out on her own. About five minutes into your walk, you feel your heart race as you unconsciously tense up the leash; your dog’s neighborhood nemesis is prancing around the corner. You tentatively leash up your dog, put on your treat pouch and get ready to leave the house for the dreaded daily walk. Now when your dog sees other dogs, you are more likely to get check-in behavior! There are many articles and YouTube videos on how to introduce your dog to a head halter properly. 2) If your dog is lunging and barking at more than 50% of dogs, I generally recommend a well-fitted head halter (especially in urban settings). The GOOD news is that it’s almost always possible to drastically reduce the intensity and frequency of this behavior and make walks less stressful for you and your canine family member. Load up on about 50 small, pea-sized human grade meat or cheese treats. Lunging and barking is extremely taxing and risky behavior for an animal to engage in so it *must* serve a purpose. Dogs that are triggered by bikes, people running, other dogs or skateboards, will often lunge in an attempt to chase the subject (object or animal).Most of these are simply displaying a chase response. Remember, lunging and barking is a stressful behavior for your dog (and you), and if taking out some treats and controlling space helps them feel better and more relaxed, it’s a very small price to pay. Then, try to avoid the things your dog lunges at or find a way to block your dog's view so it can't see the car or person. Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. Continue doing this, dropping the treats along the path you wish for them to follow. At this stage, you are going to mark and (then) feed EVERY instance of the check-in behavior. Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 16,157 times. 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