Help with my Sheltie

adobenewt

My sheltie Dylan is a sweet and gentle dog inside. Out side is a whole other story. He barks and lunges at other dogs, baby strollers, kids, and bicycles. I have tried everthing, but he just won't stop. It has gotten maybe 10% better. The strange part about dylan and other dogs is that he barks really loud and aggressively, but once they get close enough to smell eachother, he changes 100%. He suddenly becomes a friendly dog again. It is the oddest thing to watch. Any ideas?

Mikey

Welcome!

What have you tried? What did he do in response?

Also, how old is he, how long have you had him, is he fixed, how much exercise does he get?

Brittany

It sounds like he needs more socialization....have you taken him to any puppy/obedience classes?

adobenewt

He is good when we are alone of course. I've tried pull back on the leash and saying "stop". read that was all wrong, so I tried talking in high pitch voice saying "good boy" when he comes to me and saying nothing when he runs from me. neither seem to work and i've done both for over a week.

He is 10 months. had him 7 months. i figured he needs a lot of exercise so i've been trying to jog with him. it seems that has gotten worse. he lunges at cars! that has scared me.

adobenewt

no i can't really afford it right now. I try and take him to the dog park when i can which is a couple times a month.

Brittany

How is on a leash when there are no distractions around?

I think a big help would find more time to play at the dog park. How does he act there?

Criosphynx

you are on the right track but you need a little tweeking on it.

if hes reacting...you have gone too far to fast...you need to talk to him/treat him when hes at a level of noticing the things he barks at, but not actually barking yet...

when they are going nuts, their abilitiy to learn... litterally can switch off, so at that point just work on putting distance between your dog and his trigger.

correcting him for this will either do nothing (like you saw) or make him think the thing he is barking at is causing the correction.

adobenewt

agreed, he does need more interaction. inside the dog park off the leash he stay pretty close, actually closer than I thought he would. he is very alert and watches other dogs. when they meet he is very calm. the leash may be the problem.

he is fine when nothing is around. squirels however are his biggest problem.

adobenewt

thanks for all the help. i'm sure it is a combo of his lack of exercise and my laziness. it becomes a pain the butt when every walk needs to be a training session. "just pee already"

Sheltiemama

Pay close attention to what the others have told you. There are some really good trainers here!

I had 2 vets tell me that with a Sheltie, if you're not training him, he's training you. You have to really stay on top of your game with them!

Good luck.