help!! my newfie lunges at other dogs

hi , i,m looking for guidance. my rather large dog is normally fine while walking , but when he sees another dog he gets totally fixated on it. no for of distraction of treats or toys or a firm LEAVE matters. he is not aggressive with other dogs but it is distressing to the other dogs and owners (and my back) when he pulls towards them. i am at my wits end and am considering as a last resort a citronella spray collar. he has been well socialised having been to puppy class and got his bronze good citizen scheme . any ideas please

is he frustrated and gagging to play with them?

I would suggest getting an APDT trainer or a APBC behaviourist out to help you. I don't agree with using rattle cans, or water sprays on dogs, but do, in certain situations, agree with using training disks. Not thrown at them though.

The behaviourist i work with has perfected a special chink with the disks which he uses once he has done the initial disk training. Just a tiny chink from the discs seems to break the dogs concentration, the owner then has to get in quick with their counter command and lots of rewards.

Of course this would not be appropriate if your dog is doing this because he is scared, so that's why i think an APBC behaviourist is best, so they can do a full assessment of your dog.

Good luck and.....shows us some pics of your pooch!

Hi i have a newf too, nd my newf had a stage of doing this ( wanting to play desperatly) he has slowly learned that this is not acceptable but i know what you mean about the size and weight etc. I Have been using a dogmatic head collar on mine which i must say is fantastic and now i am able to walk him on just his collar alot of the time. How old is your dog???

a canni collar is also very good in such situations

a dogmatic is better than a canny collar with such a large dog.

i had the same problem with my Leonberger, so i do sympathise.
i also used treats when i saw another dog(in the distance) and built up the frequency of the treats as i got nearer and in a high ,happy voice chivvy him along treating all the time, then praise like mad.
it took me weeks to break the habit but it does work and the aching arms and back become a thing of the past.

Hi, i have 2 newfs. Ones a bu@@er for pulling. I found the halti is a good thing as they just "can't" pull with it on.

Also i would just do a bit of training at home on the "no" and "leave it" command. Maybe put food on the floor and train him that he can only have it when you say. Let him know who is boss a bit.

Make him sit or lie down before he is given his food and just get a bit stricter with him. He may come to realise that if he does what you want he gets a treat for it and see if you can deter his attention that way.

He sounds young and its probabley just a stage they are going through.

As a breed they tend to want to please their owners but may take a while to realise what they are doing.

Yes, I would recommend you use a dogmatic, to give you more control...this will help with the lunging

I can sympathise completely. My Leonberger has just turned 2 and has been like this since he was a puppy. He has always gotten frantic when he has seen other dogs. Not an ounce of agression just as has been said is gagging to play and it can be very nerve wracking for other dogs and owners indeed. I suffer with back problems. I have found a halti my saving grace. Ivan has been socialised from the day I brought him home. Has been to puppy classes and ring craft and the problem has gotten progressively worse. He in not interested in food as soon as there is another dog around. Now what I do is make him sit as soon as I see a dog, and give him praise praise praise. He is getting very slowly better but can still be a sod at times. Just be patient alot has to do with their age. I am trying to teach Ivan self control. Good luck and give us some pics please xx

Ollie use to do this, he is a BMD same thing wanting to play.
I taught him to sit and wait as other dogs went by it did take a long while and I use a harness to walk him and we went for training for a while. I really wouldn't go down the path of any sort of correction collar for any dog and especially not these breeds mentioned they are very sensitive and will do more harm than good. The only problem we have now is Ollie sits or lies then decides he would like a rest and is reluctant to get up.
Stick with it with a harness or halti it will all click into place just takes a bit of time.