Question: I have a 6-month-old puppy who has been through two sets of puppy classes. She is a Schipperke. Sometimes, when she encounters people and/or dogs, she barks like crazy, growls and works herself into a frenzy. Sometimes, she notices them, but does nothing. There is no rhyme or reason to the people or dogs. The instructor at my dog training facility says not to worry right now, that she is young. Should I be concerned? How is the best way to handle this behavior without reinforcing it? – Lori
Answer: Leash reactivity is very common. Some dogs are fearful and they react to repel stimuli. If this was the case with your dog, she would show fear in other ways as well. For example, when people reach for her, she would put her tail down, her ears back and cower. Some dogs are frustrated because they want to get to the person or dog to greet them, but they can’t because they are leashed. As a result, they get agitated and start to bark.
In either case, control is the first step. To get control, work on your dog’s basic obedience and use these exercises when she sees any stimulus that she might react to. For example, try to get her attention so that she doesn’t start barking in the first place. The next step is addressing the primary problem. If she is fearful, but not aggressive, you should work on socialization. You can find lots of information on socialization and training on my website at http://www.flvetbehavior.com/Web/Resources.html.
If she is frustrated, you can work on teaching her how to greet other dogs. Once you have good control over her, make her interactions with people or dogs contingent on another behavior. For example, ask her to sit before she is allowed to greet any person or dog. Make sure to implement this no matter what situation she is in, even at home. It will become her default behavior soon. Then, when she sees a dog or person that she wants to interact with, she will sit. If you need help beyond, your dog may be appropriate for the Reactive Dog Class that I teach. You can find information on it at http://www.flvetbehavior.com/Web/Classes_clinics.html.

Dr. Radosta
Lisa Radosta DVM, Diplomate ACVB
Florida Veterinary Behavior Service
PO Box 210636
Royal Palm Beach, FL 33421-0636
561-795-9398
www.flvetbehavior.com Read more articles by Dr. Radosta |
Ask her a question Source: http://blogs.palmbeachpost.com/pawshere/2011/12/01/despite-training-schipperke-puppy-acts-poorly-on-leash/
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