Behavior help

[jen812]

When I got home from work tonight I decided to take both dogs & the baby for a walk together. This was the first time I tried this combination solo. Most of the time I walk the dogs without the baby or with another adult.

We start walking, everyone is happy & I see a leashed dog approaching in the opposite direction. Trying to be proactive, I cross the street, put the stroller in a safe place & have the dogs sit while we wait for the dog to pass. Chilly tends to get excited when she sees another dog. By excited, I mean overly hyper, jumpy, but friendly. She's a big dog & can be hard to control when she gets like this. 

The owner & dog get even to me across the street & asks to bring his dog to meet mine. I told him that I had the baby & Chilly was rather excited, so it probably wasn't a good idea. He insisted & crossed over to us. Chilly was standing on her hind legs, trying to rush to the dog. Once they were close enough she started to growl. I pulled her away from the other dog & she immediately calmed down. 

I don't feel like I handled the situation as well as I should have. What would you have done differently? And what can I do to safely walk both dogs & baby in the future? The weather is warming up & I've been looking forward to this scenario all winter.

[patches31709]

I would have never let the guy approach with his dog. He was wrong to insist. Next time, say no my dog is leash reactive and walk away if you have to.

[Deleted]

I think you handled that well. Maybe next time just repeat that it isn't a good idea. The other person is a jerk for not listening to you.

[jen812]

Apr 4, 2013 20:21:59 GMT -5 patches31709 said:

I would have never let the guy approach with his dog. He was wrong to insist. Next time, say no my dog is leash reactive and walk away if you have to.

I really wanted to walk away, but was nervous that I'd be unable to keep control of both dogs while pushing the stroller. I guess I'll have to be more firm next time. 

[patches31709]

Apr 4, 2013 20:42:08 GMT -5 jen812 said:

Apr 4, 2013 20:21:59 GMT -5 patches31709 said:

I would have never let the guy approach with his dog. He was wrong to insist. Next time, say no my dog is leash reactive and walk away if you have to.

I really wanted to walk away, but was nervous that I'd be unable to keep control of both dogs while pushing the stroller. I guess I'll have to be more firm next time. 

Oh I'm sure that must be really difficult managing two dogs and a stroller. Maybe if it happens again and someone insists, say that you won't be able to hold onto your dog if something happens. 
But really, I hope most people aren't as dense as this guy was. I suppose it's good he at least asked, but then once you decline that needs to be it.

[mala]

I would have had a shit fit if I told someone no and they did it anyways!

What kind of dogs do you have? I take our dog out with the stroller all the time. We use a gentle leader because my dog is a monster 107 lbs and her back hits me mid-thigh. Could you try something like that?  I think it works great but you should read the instructions on how to properly fit it very carefully and possibly have your vet or a trainer help you with it. 

[charlatti]

Ditto everyone else -- that guy was an idiot.

I wonder if you could find a time of day to practice walking with both dogs and the stroller when other dogs would be less likely to be out? Then you might be more confident when you met other dogs in the future.

[mala]

The more I think about this the more ragey I'm getting on your behalf. What kind of responsible pet owner would still insist after you said no? What would have happened if the dogs started to fight? What if they had knocked over the stroller? Just because your (general you, not you specifically, Jen) dog is normally a sweetheart does not mean that it won't get into a fight with another dog for no obvious reason.

Also, I agree you need to try to take the dogs & stroller out more often. I'm sure your dog was picking up on your anxiety about the situation which contributed to his/her reaction. The more you do it, the easier it will get. But really, look into the Gentle Leader. I'd go for it over a chain collar or even an anti-pull harness.

[lavender444]

I agree, that guy was an irresponsible asshole. Who does that?

When I use to walk my 2 big dogs with the double stroller, I would pratice in front of my house until they were bored, then slowly venture further out. We worked a lot on the sit/stay with the stroller, too. Both of my dogs weigh more than me, so I really wanted to be sure I had good control. I also used a gentle leader on my one who has a strong pray drive, there are a lot of bunnies around us.

Next time they get worked up, I would cross the street, but instead of stopping, keep them moving forward and do surpentines or direction chnages to keep their attention. It's harder to misbehave, if you have to focus at the task at hand or risk getting run over from a stroller.

Make sure they are both solid on the leash while walking alone, and with eachother before working with the stroller, too.

[jen812]

Thanks for the feedback everyone. I use a pinch collar on Chilly (recommended by our trainer). She has lots of thick fur & it is more effective for her than a gentle leader. We tried both.

I'm sure my dogs sensed my nervousness. I'm going to try again at a different time of day.

I like the suggestion to keep moving. The dogs are so focused on not getting run over by the stroller, they'd probably not even notice the other dog.

Thanks again everyone. You made me feel better.

[patches31709]

Oh I forgot I wanted to add, since the title of your post was Behavior Help, that I don't think there was anything wrong with your dog's behavior - maybe you should have titled it Clueless Neighbor Help!
In addition to your dog no doubt picking up your tension, is your dog protective of the baby at all? That might have played into it as well.

Definitely try the keep moving thing when you see someone with a dog - it will definitely give them less of a chance to try and approach you. I just wanted to add that if that doesn't work, make them sit and focus on you ( we use a "watch me" command) and keep rewarding them.

[jen812]

Apr 5, 2013 11:55:58 GMT -5 patches31709 said:

Oh I forgot I wanted to add, since the title of your post was Behavior Help, that I don't think there was anything wrong with your dog's behavior - maybe you should have titled it Clueless Neighbor Help!
In addition to your dog no doubt picking up your tension, is your dog protective of the baby at all? That might have played into it as well.

Definitely try the keep moving thing when you see someone with a dog - it will definitely give them less of a chance to try and approach you. I just wanted to add that if that doesn't work, make them sit and focus on you ( we use a "watch me" command) and keep rewarding them.

Ha, thanks.
I titled it behavior because the growling was out of character for her. I'm afraid of her leash reactivity escalating when I've been working so hard to modify her behavior.

I haven't noticed the dog being protective of the baby. Most of the time, she's very familiar with the people that come in contact with the baby (myself, DH, & ILs). If anything, she's trying to get attention (offering toys) when someone is focused on the baby.