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Hi all,

 

It has been a while since I have been here as I have not had any issues with my 2yo female. Lately however, whenever we go on our walks and comes across another dog she completely loses her mind - barking uncontrollably, wagging her tail etc. I don't know if she's is being aggressive to the other dog but she just flips herself up in the air and I totally struggle trying to keep a hold of her.

 

We have many dogs in our neighbourhood and often during the day she will see them through our gates and again barks like a total maniac.

 

I am at a complete loss as to what to do as she is well socialised, a very good family friend comes over most weekends with his staffy/kelpie cross and they just adore eachother, also other friends dogs she is good with too (mostly) but when it comes to other dogs she doesn't know she loses her head.

 

We also go to a football oval on a regular basis and let her and our friend's dog run and run and run and there are other dogs that come to the oval too that she runs around frolicking and just completely having a ball so I don't understand why she is acting like this on our walks.

 

Can anyone please suggest a way that I can help her overcome this issue as daily walking is now becoming a nightmare where it used to be my favourite part of the day.

 

Sharon.

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I feel your pain. I have a lurcher (I believe part border collie) who was great at 6 months old when I adopted her and then became the same way. It eventually turned into reactivity for her. So we plug away at desensitization and counter-conditioning.

 

There are several great detailed instruction in the archives here.

 

And if you can get it, you might want to look into Leslie McDevitt's Control Unleashed: The Puppy Program. Even though she's not a puppy, this version has more detailed instructions.

 

Best wishes for success with this.

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I can only second the recommendation to use the "control unleashed" books. The puppy book is the second book by this author and basically has the same info as the first, but in a rather better-presented form.

My first BC was a farm-bred, starved and non-socialized dog who was hugely reactive. The control unleashed exercises put enough self-control on him that he could function happily in a pet, surburben setting. ( and yes, he was farm-bred, but the times he went out on sheep, all he wanted to do was push them into a pen and keep them there. No outrun, minimal willingness to move. ).

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I "third" the Control Unleashed exercises. I have actually never used them myself, although I own and have read the book, but I have seen them used to almost miraculous effect on reactive dogs, even to quiet excessively barky shelties.

(No offense to shelties.....just that we all know they tend to be barkers). You can get the book used at Amazon.

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It sounds like she is leash-reactive. Many dogs do better off-leash than on-leash when meeting/seeing other dogs.

 

Do you think she is frustrated with being on the leash and not being able to run and play with the other dogs? Or is it something else?

 

I will echo what others have said above - impulse control exercises.

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You can get the book used at Amazon.

 

Right now, the only copies available on Amazon are as expensive (or more) as buying a new one from dogwise or cleanrun.

 

There are several copies available for $619, and 2 of those are used and only in acceptable condition!! Are they effing nuts?

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