[ioreks_mom]

since the snow and salt is gone i am able to walk iorek on the road (sidewalk) again and his walking behaviour is much better than last year. we have discovered that he likes to carry a toy in his mouth. he will then walk like a good doggy instead of pulling on the leash and bouncing around like a nut. he seriously makes us look like the worse dog owners ever. so, for the most part our walks are pleasant. for some reason he still goes wacky when we cross the street, but the toy helps with that. but...when we get to one place he just won't calm down. it is on the way back, after we cross the street. he will jump and bark and bounce and look like a nut and basically ignore me. it is very frustrating. i get him to sit and stay until he has calmed and then we start walking again. unfortunately he has developed an attitude in the past few months and he would rather bark in my face then listen to me and sit when we are out, which is super frustrating on its own! i don't know what is going on. i had to get him to sit and "calm" about 5 times today. i don't know if it is because we just crossed the street or if it is just that area. it is right in front of a condo complex and is always in the shade when we are walking. i don't know, i am pulling at straws to find reasons why he would be different here. maybe it is because we are on the way home? it is about 1/2 way between home and where we turn to come back home when we are walking. he is good when we turn to go home and he is good on the final stretch before we get him.

what can i do? i am getting him to sit and stay until he is calm (repeating myself, sorry) and i am pretty much ignoring the barking. is there anything else that i can try? it is like we are having a battle of who is most stubborn. he is in trouble since my pop was so stubborn even electricity couldn't pass through him (seriously! don't think it had to do with the stubbornness, it is just funnier that way) and i have quite the streak of stubbornness if i want. he will bark and i will ignore and then ask him to sit. when he finally sits and stays for a bit we start to walk again and then he starts bouncing again, so it starts all over again. he doesn't usually bark at me until i ask him to do something. it is so strange, he never barks in the house or any other time, except when we ask him to sit for something and he wants to do something else. when we are at the ball field he barks for us to kick the soccer ball if we ask him to sit first.

do you have any ideas for me to try? i do not do leash corrections and i will not start. thanks

 

[wvasko]

Well read below and then think about it. If you ask me to do something and I start yelling and screaming at you, I'm gonna bet you don't ask me to do anything for a while. I'm not going to get into cures because I am negative but somebody will be here to help.

so it starts all over again. he doesn't usually bark at me until i ask him to do something. it is so strange, he never barks in the house or any other time, except when we ask him to sit for something and he wants to do something else. when we are at the ball field he barks for us to kick the soccer ball if we ask him to sit first.

 

[ioreks_mom]

i know that he doesn't want me to tell him what to do, but you know what? i am the boss here! he doesn't get to continue the walk or the ball doesn't get kicked for him until he does what he is told. i don't understand why most of the walk is great, but that one section he acts like a lunatic.

he will actually do what i ask him all the time in the house. he will sit of a treat, the ball, whatever. the barking happens when we are playing at the ball field, in the backyard, or on a walk. we do lots of fun "training" in the house, like running through his list of "tricks" and silly games and he loves it. when we are out he doesn't want to do it, he wants his ball or his own crazy behaviour and that is that. i guess i should take treats with me again like when we first got him and try running through his tricks outside. treats are just not that exciting to him outside, the outside is always better.

 

[Allie3985]

You definately answered your own question. The things that you do inside that he doesn't bark at need to be practiced in a more stimulating enviroment, but maybe not as stimulating as your walk. Front porch, front yard, backyard, a different room in the house? Maybe even inside but with the front door open. Run him through his repitoire of tricks/commands and continue to ignore the barking or turn you back on the barking and put the treat away. This way the dog gets the opposite of what he wants when he barks. When he calms, you recommence training. If treats are not that interesting for him outside, then use his ball (which it sounds like is something he loves!)

I'm not really sure about the toy in the mouth during the walk thing. It sounds to me like he is calling the shots. . .translation
Dog says: I will be calm when YOU give me the toy, as opposed to
You say: you will be calm and THEN I will give you the toy
Baby steps though, maybe work up to giving him the toy to carry when he walks calmly at your side for two steps. Teach him (if he doesn't already know) to "give" you the toy and then walk calmly for a few steps, then reward with giving it to him to carry for a few steps. build up to more steps of calm without the toy, ect.

 

[TooneyDogs]

This is a common training issue that you'll see here frequently....a dog obeys commands at home and in the backyard but, doesn't respond so well in other places. Some 'talk back' like Iorek....saying, "WHAT? Sit here?.... on this hard concrete?!" The other thing is treats....if you've been treating for sits in the house but, not treating for sits on your walks, you're changing the rules of the game.
Understand also that sits are a submissive position and asking a dog to sit under scary situations puts added stress on them...they can't run now or even stand to face the situation on their own four feet.

 

[ioreks_mom]

i guess another thing that i should have mentioned was that he used to sit just fine when we were walking. when we were walking and he started acting like a nut i would say sit and it was instant. he would sit and then calm down and we would continue on. just like i am trying to do now, except he has decided that he doesn't want to do it that way anymore. i don't treat him when we are walking anymore with food because i started using his toy and also the walk itself. the reward for the stay is starting to walk again since he really likes that. also, i will give him his toy when he sits and is calm. he usually doesn't want the toy then, just when he starts the walk and then sometimes during the walk for some play that i initiate.

thank you for the advice. i will practice his tricks in the backyard and make sure i bring treats on the walks as well. he is just really stimulated by everything outside so treats usually don't cut it, like the toy during the walk, but running for a bit or sometimes playing with the toy will work.

 

[melgrj7]

Lloyd will talk back to me sometimes if he really really wants to do something NOW! I simply tell him "I know your getting frustrated, but you still have sit first" (saying that keeps me from getting angry, lol). Once he does what I ask he can do what it was he wanted.

 

[ioreks_mom]

we took iorek for a walk just now and i took some treats and he was an angel! haha! he only barked when i asked him to lay down but he might have been barking at a person on a bike, i am not sure. he did a fantastic dog and only got excited and jumpy once. he sat and calmed down and got his treat and was good again.

when iorek gets bouncy and jumping on me like that i tell him " you are embarrassing mommy and making her not want to walk you on the street any more" in a calm voice. i am glad that they don't understand english!