Can anyone please advise? This aspect of our training doesn't seem to be working...

I'm feeling a bit discouraged so wondering if anyone can please advise? Thank you.

Dex adores other dogs. Our trainer is worried though that because he goes crazy with excitement, and does mock bows, and races around and leaps, other dogs will not react well.

She says also that right now, I am not allowed to let him greet other dogs as he doesn't stay calm.

Problem is, it's taking months and I can't help feeling the more I prevent him playing with and greeting other dogs, and the more he can't just run off leash, the more frustrated he gets and the madder he goes when, for instance, we walk past other dogs and he's on leash out in the street...

I don't understand how he can learn to play 'properly' around other dogs if he never is off leash??

This week he seemed desperate for a good run so I let him off leash twice. He raced around like a lunatic and he seemed to so enjoy the chance to really run!!

But today there were small dogs there and they would not play with him, I guess because he gets so over excited.

Can anyone advise? I've ordered a long line and will use this in the park from now on but I'm still confused over how to teach him to play 'calmly'......

Maybe just for now you should only let him off with calm, confident, and well socialised adult dogs - ones which will not knock his confidence but teach him a little doggie etiquette and that not all dogs want to play as madly.

And if you can find somewhere to let him off with out other dogs to vent his energy off or keep him fucused on another activity / training / fetch / tricks / anything to use his brains or tire him out a bit.

And when with other dogs - don't just let them play maybe do a bit of training at the same time to diffuse a bit of the excitment on to something else.

HTH

Unfortunately there can be a real catch 22 in this situation.

You cannot let them practice inappropriate behaviour, but the more you restrain them the more pent up energy and frustration develop, but you cannot allow uncontrolled interaction, both for safety and for behavioural/training reasons, so you have to keep him on lead,when he gets frustrated etc, etc.

It is not always easy to arrange but ideally you want to regularly meet up with someone with a suitable dog, who won't be scared by his antics, or wind him up too much, so he can have lots of time to settle with it and to get over his initial excitement and you can spend time with it and gradually have him interact with it as he calms, e,g. starting with parallel walking, building up to allowing a little sniffing if possible and moving away before he gets too excited, or too full on, so he learns the way to have contact is to be calm.

The other dog needs to be not too silly, too nervous or too aggressive itself, of course.

It is easier said than done but it sounded as if you possibly still need more control to achieve this, or you will have no chance of controlling his dog to dog interactions which could not only set him back, but could also have a negative effect on the other dog.

In most park meeting between unfamiliar dogs, if you are dealing with dogs with social ineptitude, the whole thing has happened and is over before they have a chance to settle so e.g Dex, is getting to the excited, agitated stage but he doesn't have a chance to realise he could earn contact by settling down a bit e.g walk towards the helpful dog but turn away as soon as he reacts and gradually reduce the distance as your control increases so he only gets nearer if he is calm.

You tend to need someone and their dog to help with this as it takes time and it helps to use the same dog or he is likely to get re-excited with each new dog.

Doing recall and leave exercises with with toys, and building it up so you can practise using his "off/leave" switch effectively, and having him refocus on you not the thrown toy, food or whatever, even when he is increasingly excited can help build control for the dog situations.

If you can let him run somewhere safe, if may be easier to try to introduce him gradually to a dog after you have tired him out a bit.

There are rarely short cuts with these things, which can be frustrating for the owner

Dont you know someone with maybe an older calm dog that you can walk with? and as nddogs said do some training at the same time.

You've summed it up brilliantly at the start and the rest of the post is really helpful - many thanks indeed.

Now I just have to find someone with a calm dog

My friends have dogs but they too are young Labs and so about as mad as Dexter!

Many thanks, at least I have a few ideas to start working on

where in london are you?

Hi

North West London - Mill Hill

I have a park very nearby but it seems to be rather full of very very small dogs who are then overwhelmed by my big, bouncing Lab

oh,too far or you could of met my Flea

why not ask at your vets..or put a card up in there.

i have one just outside potters bar

Thanks anyway

Great idea about the vet, I will speak to them and put a card up there too, thank you!