Smart Dog Doesn't Lisen if Baby is in Hand...

Q: I have a 5 year old Shiba Inu named Odin who is really, by far, the best behaved dog I've ever had or known (thanks to your training!). I get compliments on how good he is all the time. In preparation for a new human baby to the household, I read your book "There's a Baby in the House." There were a few changes we made to prepare for my son's arrival (mostly about less attention, more quiet time, and more time away from us), but really Odin was in good shape. He's been amazing with the baby and is extremely respectful. The baby is four months old and Odin lets him touch him, even in the face, without any signs of aggression. However, Odin is extremely smart and has figured out that when one of us is holding the baby, that person will not raise their voice or chase after him if he decides not to obey a command. So, he's essentially stopped listening to the person holding the baby. If you set the baby down or hand him off to someone else, Odin goes back to listening. We've tried to support each other to show him that he still has to listen to the parent holding the baby, but if the other parent isn't around it's clear that he "decides" himself whether he wants to listen. Any ideas on how to get him to understand that he still has to listen to the parent holding the baby?

A: That is hysterical! I would leash Odin and have the person holding the baby also try, at least as best as possible, hold the leash or at least tether him nearby. Since he already knows all his commands and needs only to be convinced that you mean business, giving him a small leash correction when he blows you off will probably do the trick. Let him know that you can still get to him regardless of the baby in your arms. Of course, if he complies love him with lots of verbal praise and physical if possible

Resistant to Trail Walk

Q: I have had my rescue puppy (4 1/2 months old) for 8 weeks, and she is great on-leash around my home, and around the block in my community, but when I take her to an outdoor trail, she stops, and sits down, and seems scared when she looks down the trail. I have tried the same trail 3 times. I did take her once to an off-leash trail and she was willing to follow for 25 minutes, but on-leash she doesn't seem to want to go on this other trail. Should I just keep trying? I keep her on-leash for this one trail, because there is a lot of poison oak, and other bikes/pedestrians, so I prefer to keep her on-leash. I have succeeded in getting her to walk for about 5 min. then she sits down and seems to want to go back to the car.

A: I would keep trying. Bring her favorite treats and toys and see if you can cajole her with those. You can also try a 30-foot training lead and just start walking. By the time you get 30 feet away your dog might be more inclined to follow. If not, then just insisting might work. Once the dog gets moving and realizes that nothing terrible is happening to her she might lighten up. But again, it might require you just insisting and moving the parade forward. Once the dog is moving reward with lots of high pitched praise, favorite toys and killer treats. Just keep going with it. Also, if she has any dog pals maybe bring them along to give her some confidence.

Rescue Dog Aggression

Q: We rescued a 1 year old corgi/staffi mix (we think based on looks) from Lancaster Dog shelter about 3 months ago. She was extremely fearful and was doing good, until about 4 weeks ago, when she started to show dog aggression on the beach and on walks not in her neighborhood. She lunges at them and tries to nip them, or run at them. Is there something you can tell me to do to try and break this, or a class that you recommend in Berkeley for me to take her? Thanks.

A: The best thing I could advise in a situation like this is get some private professional help. I am not sure about classes in the Berkeley area that would address this but in general I am skeptical of group classes being able to reliably resolve such behaviors. Generally speaking the way to resolve this usually involves a combination of approaches including solid obedience training, especially walking without leash pulling, solid recalls, and a bullet proof “off” command. With these things in hand you are in a position to begin approaching your dog’s interactions with other dogs and helping him to learn new ways of responding to them. Again, I think private training help will give you the most bang for your buck here.

How to Get a Lazy Dog to Walk

Q: I have an older pooch (8ish) who never barks, is super mellow, and appears to be the easiest, best pup around. So what's my problem? Laziness! She's super lazy and although I can appreciate laziness, it makes it difficult when I have to get to work. I'm often late to work because I can't get her up to eat and go potty. Most of the times I have to carry her outside and pull her to get her to walk! And this is not super early, but around 7:30 or even 8. Any suggestions?

A: Wow! Have you tried pulling out some salami or other awesome treat that your dog never gets at any other time and using that as a motivator? Or a favorite toy (though lazy dogs aren’t usually all that amped for toys). I would start there and see what happens. You might just check with your vet to see if it isn’t something physical. And lastly, you might just insist. Put a leash on the dog and use it to demand that he or she get moving now.

Leash Frustration - How to Train Your Dog

Q: Hi, Mike...My Standard Schnauzer, who took 2 of your puppy classes is now 18 months old and doing well. She seems happy and well adjusted and we can typically take her anywhere we go. Overall, she's well behaved when we're out and she LOVES people and other dogs, too. Goes to Doggie Day Care once or twice a week for socialization and gets plenty of exercise on a daily basis. My question is that she sometimes gets aggressive when I'm walking her. She gets worked up and barks like crazy at the poor pooch who's coming towards her. Next dog that comes by, she's fine! Have tried to figure out a pattern, but there doesn't seem to be one. I go back and forth between reprimanding and praising...any suggestions? Other than that...she's perfect and such a joy!...thanks.

A: There are a lot of factors at work contributing to this situation. The first thing to do is to make sure that she does not pull on the leash when she sees another dog. Leash frustration is the most common contributor to on leash dog aggression. Also, from your question it isn’t clear if your dog is being aggressive or just excited to see the other dog. These require quite different responses. The main thing they have in common is that you have to get your dog’s attention on you. If you are using an effective training collar a relatively easy way to do this is while you are approaching the other dog, when your dog starts getting worked up, without warning him suddenly turn away from him and march in the opposite direction. If your dog isn’t paying attention he’ll get s quick pop on the leash and turn around to see what happened to you. If that’s not the result you’re getting you might consider changing training equipment. Once your dog is checking in with you you can offer a really good treat. Turn around and start walking toward the other dog again. Keep your dog focused on the treats as you pass the other dog. If, at any point, he starts acting up again, repeat. That is, blast off without warning in the opposite direction again and start over. Tedious but often effective. If there’s aggression involved you might need some professional help.

Recall Training Advice

Q: My lab Pollock has become quite the picnic raider in recent months. When off leash at the dog park, how do we keep him from running off to steal someone's burrito? He's been "rewarded" with stolen food every time. When I finally catch him, I don't even have to punish him, he instantly goes down himself - like he knows he did something wrong. What can I do?

A: That’s a tough one! I would suggest revisiting hardcore recall training. Go back to basics, put him on a long line, bring him into challenging situations and practice recalls (“off & come”) when he is in proximity to his target. Unfortunately he will need some collar corrections to prove to him that it’s not in his best interest to disregard you in this context. If Pollock is smart enough to figure out that he has to be good when you’ve got him on the leash (line wise) then you may have to use a remote training collar. If you go this route be sure to work with someone who knows what they’re doing with this at least for the first session. I’m happy to help out.