Getting to my wits end!

[Mom2Many]

Gunnar has plenty of socialization with other dogs, the other two in our house, the five at my aunt's, my friends dogs, etc. but he is driving me nuts on our walks! He goes absolutely nutty when another dog is by us. If I let him go and say hi he is great, just wants to play, thats all he wants to do but he is so nutty about it. Him being so big doesn't help much either, it is intimidating to other dog owners when they see a GSD going ballistic. I have tried using the focus command, leave it, just ignoring the behavior and pulling him along behind me, using the pinch collar, a check chain, and the halti. We will be starting classes this Sept but does anyone have any more ideas for me to try before then? I know it is selfish of me but I don't want him acting like an idiot when we get to dog class, he is so wellbehaved at all other times. We have also tried the desensitization by sitting in the park, at petco, etc. and just watching, he is good but you can see his wheels turning, him just waiting for the dog to get close enough to bark at and lunge towards. What else can we do? I am out of ideas. Just so everyone also knows, I know the correct way to use all of the tools I have used, he just "loses" his brain when another dog is around.
Thanks!

[Malinois]

Have you tried moving quickly in the other direction when he BEGINS this behavior? When the dog starts, briskly reverse your direction away from the dog, lock both of your hands on the leash and keep them on your hip. When he reaches the end of the leash he will give himself a correction. Make sure you're keeping your hands on your hip. Do not deliver the correction by jerking on the leash with your arms, this could be very unfair to the dog. Also do not pull the dog away, it needs to be a motivational 'pop'. Pulling the dog will only INCREASE his desire to get to that other dog. Now for the most important part, as the dog catches up to you, PRAISE! PRAISE! PRAISE! The dog needs to know that being with you is a very good thing! Act like a goof telling the dog what a good boy he is, giving him a treat or petting him.

If you're nervous about attending a group class with him, arrange a private lesson prior to attending your first class. You being nervous will make the dog more nervous. You need to be calm and confidant walking into your first class.

[bigdoglover]

I agree, it will cause him to focus more on you, since at any moment you could change direction. My GSD was doing that for awhile, and although he doesn't go crazy anymore, he still likes to bark on the "walk by". Silly dogs!! LOL

[Carrie]

When you say you've tried desenitizing, how long have you been doing this and how often? How often do you practice, not just sitting and watching other dogs but actively and systematically taking it in gradual increments as far as getting closer to another dog? If he's OK with watching from a distance and then a dog comes very close, this is too much of an overwhelming temptation. He has to be as calm with a dog a little closer than the distance was, when it was OK and calm. He needs to be sucessful so he can be rewarded. It is a slow process because it is such an instinct to react to another dog who your dog doesn't know. So, try to set your dog up for success so he can get VERY rewarded for baby steps in the right direction.

When he sees another dog but is not all tense, THAT is the time to redirect his attention or turn him away and have him sit. Don't wait until he is reactive or very alert. Once that happens, you can't reach your dog. He's "gone." LOL. When he looks at you and stays calm, give him a special treat and praise. Don't wait too long. Try to catch him while he's behaving...before he goes off... so you can reward. That tells him that he's doing "right." Try to set up lots of opportunities for reward. I like to reiterate the command I give in the praise. Ie: "leave it." "gooood leave it." I don't know for sure if that many words are effective or not...if he can undersand that connection, but I do it anyhow, just in case. LOL. It appears to me that it helps with lots of things.

I've been working with Lyric for about 6 months, but don't have an opportunity to get around other dogs every day. He's a lot better than he was, to be sure, but he still lunges once in a while.

Lyric was very socialized with other dogs as a puppy too. But Dobermans are quite known to tend toward this behavior with other dogs. They are protective and dogs who don't belong in the "pack" or group are suspect. And it's not just a Doberman thing....it's really quite common with lots of dogs. It's not always aggression, but can be protection or just reactive in general....dog wants to check out the "strange" dog.

I find the group classes to be an incredibly remarkable help. So, I'm sure that will help you too. They're stupendous. Keep at it. Good luck.