Teenage years!

[eggr675850]

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Hi all.
My 6 month spaniel cross is growing beautifully and we love him to bits. He is affectionate and loves all dogs and humans.... a bit too much.

He's always been a dog lover, but since he hit his teens he is OBSESSED with other dogs. if we see one out he literally stops, stares, or sits to see if they will come closer to play. Sometimes he will try to rush up and play or lunge on lead, but not always. He is desperate to play all the time. I've now booked him into dog day care once a week with a close friends two other calm sensible dogs. His recall is good when other dogs aren't around but the minute he sees one, it's as if I don't exist. Tried high value treat but nope. I have had limited success with a tennis ball, and sometimes producing that and throwing it as a distraction works, but the effect of the ball seems to be waning. He is booked for castration with his rehome charity next week, hoping this might help. Any one else's dog the same?

 

[JoanneF]

He is getting to that age where two things are happening. One is that he is becoming more independent - like a teenager who has just passed his driving test, and thinks he can drive but hasn't got the experience under his belt yet, if that makes sense. The other thing is that he will be losing his 'puppy license', so dogs that are tolerant of puppy play become less so.

These two things coming together can cause friction, so it's a good idea to discourage him from being magnetised to other dogs. Most of us aim for a dog to be 'dog neutral'.

There's a famous trainer - I can never remember which one - whose mantra is "BMFI" - be more flippin' interesting. In other words, make you the centre of your dog's universe, the source of all fun and good things, so he is far more motivated to come to you than do a Fenton and hare off after other dogs.

If the high value treats aren't working, you are probably too late or too close to the other dogs. And, rather than the tennis ball, I'd suggest a toy that only gets brought out on these occasions, some people have a lot of success with the natural fur tuggy toys that are available.

I would also encourage you to reward engagement so he gets used to checking in with you regularly. Any time he voluntarily looks at you (ie without you prompting him) mark that moment with a sound like 'yesssss' or 'good boy!' and follow up with a reward. Switch up the rewards, sometimes food, sometimes a treat, sometimes a toy, sometimes an ear rub. The 'what will it be' factor helps keep his interest up.

What you definitely don't want is for him to approach the wrong dog - one that is maybe older, in pain, recovering from illness or injury, bad tempered or similar; because that won't end well for any of you. If necessary you might need to use a long line for security. And long lines should only ever be attached to a harness, not a collar, because if he is running out and reaches the end of the line at speed, the risk of neck injury on a collar is high.

 

[eggr675850]

He is getting to that age where two things are happening. One is that he is becoming more independent - like a teenager who has just passed his driving test, and thinks he can drive but hasn't got the experience under his belt yet, if that makes sense. The other thing is that he will be losing his 'puply license', so dogs that are tolerant of puppy play become less so.

These two things coming together can cause friction, so it's a good idea to discourage him from being magnetised to other dogs. Most of us aim for a dog to be 'dog neutral'.

There's a famous trainer - I can never remember which one - whose mantra is "BMFI" - be more flippin' interesting. In other words, make you the centre of your dog's universe, the source of all fun and good things, so he is far more motivated to come to you than do a Fenton and hare off after other dogs.

If the high value treats aren't working, you are probably too late or too close to the other dogs. And, rather than the tennis ball, I'd suggest a toy that only gets brought out on these occasions, some people have a lot of success with the natural fur tuggy toys that are available.

I would also encourage you to reward engagement so he gets used to checking in with you regularly. Any time he voluntarily looks at you (ie without you prompting him) mark that moment with a sound like 'yesssss' or 'good boy!' and follow up with a reward. Switch up the rewards, sometimes food, sometimes a treat, sometimes a toy, sometimes an ear rub. The 'what will it be' factor helps keep his interest up.

What you definitely don't want is for him to approach the wrong dog - one that is maybe older, in pain, recovering from illness or injury, bad tempered or similar; because that won't end well for any of you. If necessary you might need to use a long line for security. And long lines should only ever be attached to a harness, not a collar, because if he is running out and reaches the end of the line at speed, the risk of neck injury on a collar is high.

Thanks JoanneF. Yes we are on a long line with harness. I will try hard now to be more engaging and try an alternative to the ball. My last dog was a nervous, pretty damaged Staffy bless his soul, who hated dogs running up to him and was quite reactive when scared, so I really don't want Teddy to be that dog that causes an issue like you say. It's wierd having a pup now who's the complete opposite of my old boy! Thanks for the advice

 

[Flobo]

In a way your experience with your staffy gives you the ability to understand much more than some people, that some dogs just don't handle being approached. You already want your pup to grow up well and not just run over to everyone, perfect! Some people don't even have that thought tbh...