Hey folks!

I have two dogs, both of whom are generally very sweet. They've been around other dogs (mainly my mom's and my wife's mom's) and have always done fine, but it's always been in a controlled environment for the most part. They both grew up in a house with a big yard, and now they (and I) live in an apartment building. It's very pet-friendly; there's an astroturf "yard" in the courtyard for dogs, and probably 25% of the residents have dogs.

The problem is that, when we're in the courtyard and there's another dog out there, the other dog owner has one of two reactions: 1) they let their dog come and sniff our dogs, and everything's cool, or 2) they're an old lady who keeps their baked potato sized dog out of "danger", in which case my dogs lose their shit and start barking like crazy. All the other dogs here clearly grew up in the city and are used to seeing other dogs all the time, and mine just aren't. My dogs are 6 and 8, so while I'm considering obedience classes, I'm not sure it'll do any good.

Has anybody ever had experience with this? What would you recommend? Thanks!

7/27/2013 9:54:53 PM

trying to train an older dog is hard but not impossible. You need to set strict rules with them so they understand that you mean business. I have had a long road socializing my dog-aggressive dog, it's not easy, but the moment I stopped trying... that is when she reverted back into her most aggressive state.

the only thing that I have found effective is to force my dog into a sitting position when a dog approaches, and calmly reassuring her. But if she barks then I have to put my foot down and make her get into a "submissive" position (laying down exposing her belly to me while i have a hand on her telling her "no") then we resume the calm sitting position once she calms down.

The important part about this whole method is commanding her to sit when dogs aren't around as well. I tend to make her sit at each crosswalk intersection, to see if any cars are coming. I make her sit still until I tell her "all clear". This way whenever I make her sit, she isn't filled with this anxiety that a dog is nearby... by making her sit at random points it makes her less anxious when a dog is actually in sight.

But there may be better ways to do this, this is just the way we trained our dog.

7/28/2013 9:33:05 AM

+1 for the sitting at random points. Once I instituted this, especially around ankle-biter dogs, my dog is a lot less anxious. We also reinforce in the house when new people come over, so that the dogs don't rush the door and be intimidating.

7/28/2013 10:39:48 AM

shock collar. best invention for dog training ever. they think it's like the invisible hand of God, all knowing, ever watching.

[Edited on July 29, 2013 at 12:06 PM. Reason : ibt "that's inhumane!"]

7/29/2013 12:05:49 PM

^ only assholes who are too lazy to actually train their dogs properly use those

7/29/2013 12:37:09 PM

using a shock collar isn't indicative of being lazy, or an asshole. it's very effective, especially with strong willed dogs.

every dog is different, and people are going to disagree with any training method other than positive reinforcement, but sometimes it just doesn't work.

7/29/2013 12:43:23 PM

^^ i used to think that as well, but i've met plenty of folks (like one of my GF's relatives) who have trained quite a few dogs (including hunting dogs) and use it as one of the many tools in the arsenal.

if you sit around and zap the dog only, then yes, you are a douche.

[Edited on July 29, 2013 at 12:46 PM. Reason : .]

7/29/2013 12:45:53 PM

I used the "sit at every crosswalk" method the last couple days on a very energetic, and (playfully) aggressive dog. Granted its a young dog, but it probably helps a bit.

But also, barking isn't the worst thing possible. And if the dog is leashed, with a metal choke collar, a firm tug on the leash can help calm the dog down.

8/1/2013 1:54:58 AM