[Cuprysa]

We've had our rescued 2 year old Peke, Ebi, for about two months now. She's doing really well, but one problem we don't know how to fix is that she *FREAKS OUT* when she sees another dog, either in person or through the window. She jumps around, frantically barks, and doesn't even realize we are there, until the other dog is out of sight. I don't think it's aggression, just excitement.

We've had her around two other small dogs. One she played really well with, they rolled around the house but it never got too aggressive. The other one is shy, and Ebi mostly ignores her because she won't play back.

I don't want to close the window, she LOVES to look out of it, but her frantic barking is intolerable. I don't know what to do, because she doesn't even realize I'm there if a dog is present. I'd love to set up a regular doggie play date, but her behavior is so bad that I don't want to inflict her upon other dogs and their owners. Any suggestions would be very appreciated!

 

[Gally]

I would sign up for a group training class. Then you can work on her self control around other dogs in a controlled environment with the trainers help. It will also help you build your relationship with her and help her build her focus and self confidence.

 

[Bordermom]

Ditto, get her into a group class where she can get over the whole 'it's another dog!' thing. You can also see if there's some dog owners in the neighborhood that can help by walking past the house over and over while you pull out the good food and distract her. For that though if it was my dog, I'd just have a leash on and remove them from the window and work on not barking out the window. I'm not a fan of that at all though.

Also see if there's some dogwalking people in the neighborhood and then walk behind them, then beside and so on as she gets more used to other dogs. Dog daycare might be an idea too.

 

[Cuprysa]

I would sign up for a group training class. Then you can work on her self control around other dogs in a controlled environment with the trainers help. It will also help you build your relationship with her and help her build her focus and self confidence.

I considered that, but I was under the impression that your dog had to be fairly well controlled around other dogs to be allowed in the class. Is that not correct? She isn't dangerous, just ill behaved...

 

[saharazin]

My dog has barrier frustration, and there was a time when she would bark excitedly when looking out the windows. She actually broke two windows one day, so I had to cover the windows for a while and work on cc/ds. The enviromental stimualtion had to be reduced. I highly recommend "Behavior Adjustment Training" by Grisha Stewart, Scaredy Dog by Ali Brown, and Control Unleashed by Leslie McDevit.

I considered that, but I was under the impression that your dog had to be fairly well controlled around other dogs to be allowed in the class. Is that not correct? She isn't dangerous, just ill behaved...

This is what I was told by my behavorist/trainer. I had taken group classes previously and would end up frustrated because I could not manage my dog. The trainer told me I could not take her class until I could better manage my dog. My dog is large though so that probably makes a difference. I did 1:1 lessons and it was back to the basics with an emphasis on my dog focusing on me, checking in with me frequently during walks, and keeping her under threshold. There has been a great improvement, but we still have a lot of work to do. It's a slow process. The private lessons really built my relationship with my dog. I gained confidence. I plan to take a group class when I can.