I sort of took today off to catch up on things I have put aside during harvest - One being take Mr. B for a trip to town - needed to pick up some Purina for him and a Papa Johns for us . But before - we stopped at Rural King - It's a big store and he needed to walk around , He did pretty good - He sure does draw a crowd - Wanting to know all about him - people say you just never see any Dobermans any more and so on and son on . There was a gal with a outstanding - Beautiful Aussie Pup ! What a looker ! Mr. B had his eyes on her but for the most part did OK and the lady did a great job of handling her .

Then to Pet Valu - As we walked in , I seen a couple with there fingers threw a cage , petting a kitty - I did NOT see they had a dog with them but you know who sure did ! He swung around a hundred miles a hour and sounded like a man eating beast ! I got him straightened out and got his mind of the other dog , I have never seen a couple of people + there dog exit a store that quick ! I did not even have time to tell them that Mr. B is OK and we were sorry - they were out of Dodge . We did apologize to the manager .

Now the worse part ! I had to hear how I needed to work with him more and how embarrassing that was I agree with the embarrassing part , I have gave lots of people hell over the same thing - but the shoe was on the other foot today ( mine )

Mr. B has always had this problem with other dogs - I have taken him to group training , worked and worked with him , yet I have missed something in his training ! I have no idea what to do with him and breaking of his actions around other dogs - I thought I had fixed it for the most part ,I want to take him to OB classes soon - yet I have to fix this before we go . I don't know - I may take to the lady teaching the rally course first and see what she says , maybe it would help to be around others dogs more offend .

I will say and I'm not making up excuses for him - but he is lost with Ali girl here and me being busy in the fields have not helped matters any . He has changed .

Well if any of you have a idea for us - fire away , I think we both got grounded this afternoon by the Mrs.

Have a great Sunday

Doc

Kenny,

As others have said in other threads, some dogs just don't like other dogs. Mocha is one of these, and it's ok with me. Heck, I don't much care for other people, so I can't fault her

The only hint I've heard is that you want to keep your dog far enough away from other dogs that you can get your dog's attention and train before he alerts and goes ballistic.

But that isn't always so easy when you're at a store. Come around the corner into a new isle and there they are, usually on one of those retractible leashes drawn out to full extension.

It happens.

Capri once jumped out of my exes car window--he was sitting on the driveway, with his windows wide open and Capri loose in the car, "showing" her the deer in the front yard. *roll eyes* She circled around the house a couple of times and then went after 3 baby fawns the does had cleverly hidden in the back yard area. Up over the hill and far away. Fortunately, she didn't catch one, but she sure didn't listen to any "come" commands...

All to horrified gasps of our neighbors and some friends they had visiting. Talk about embarrassing...and horrifying to me, too. I was so afraid she was going to pull one down.

Having the dogs is a controlled class environment on a regular basis with help with reactivity.
For instance we are now in nosework class......so frequently sitting and waiting our turn..........so Hoss eventually......... laying down......then way back on his hip..........then sprawled out on the floor on his side as we progress into the nights class.
So if you have time for attending a class at least 1 time per week he will get better with how he reacts to strange dogs.

I agree. We see this a lot in rescue dogs coming in. Some are wonderful with all dogs but a lot are very dog selective.

It sounded like he was surprised and that doesn't help!

[B]Good morning 79 - You know - I just came in for lunch and I was telling the wife - I'm not making any excuses for Mr. B . But I told her - I didn't see the other dog - we had walked several steps from the other people and I wondered if the other dog stepped out and spooked Kadin ? I think were on the same thinking here - But then again --- Great minds think alike

Thanks for all the replies

Doc

I'm very careful where I take Mocha because of the way she is and I'm too worried about losing the progress we've made. Open spaces like the park, or even the vet's office, where she can see the people and dogs, is ok as long as the dogs don't get in her face. But I'd never take her to a place like Petco or PetSmart where someone may come around a corner with their dog (and probably on a retractable leash, to boot).

When we're out hiking, I can watch her when people or another dog are approaching and if she starts showing signs of stress as they get close, I can take her off trail to calm her down and distract her but somewhere like PetSmart, I wouldn't have that opportunity so...

My Jezebel is very dog reactive - who knows why! Harvard does not like other boys, and treats all other dogs like boys until he figures out it is a girl. .... then he is cool! With my guys (other than Jezebel) I've always found that being in a place with tons of other dogs is fine - it is when they just see one or two other dogs that they are idiots. Mr. B may be absolutely fine in a room with many other dogs. In a class situation, the other people just need to be aware to keep their distance from him - he needs space!

I would say if you know you have a dog that is reactive or doesn't like other dogs, I would set my dog up for success by avoiding situations that are risky as much as possible - no petstores, no places where we're in "tight" quarters. Group classes are a good option IF the trainer is good and aware of what we're working on. Sometimes in a group class situation you may not even be working on the "stuff" they are working on...you might just be at a distance from the other dogs where your dog is comfortable enough not to react, and you're slowing working towards moving closer to the other dogs at a pace your dog can handle.

Going to places like a petstore parking lot, at a distance, where you can watch the other dogs coming in and out, and practicing being comfortable with that can be a good way to working on skills. Private lessons with a trainer when they have a non-reactive dog can be really helpful - things like parallel walks, or BAT training.

Every dog has a bad day, but if it's a pattern that you've seen, I'd try and seek out as much practice as possible to work on changing the behavior if you can.

[QUOTE=MeadowCat;4095013]I would say if you know you have a dog that is reactive or doesn't like other dogs, I would set my dog up for success by avoiding situations that are risky as much as possible - no petstores, no places where we're in "tight" quarters.
I think that MC has hit on some great points - I hate to say - but the pet stores have always been his down fall - He loves to go there - yet it trips him up in the small spaces of the store , Me mistake was I thought I was helping train him to get along with the others as he is not around other dogs - it has got worse will Ali gone . The one thing is I have to be ahead of him , to react before he has a chance to - Yet I would rate my ability to do this at no more than 75% of the time - it's hard to stay ahead of a Doberman - well for me it is sometimes with other distractions - like people saying hi , pretty boy you have - he's working when I do this - he is now ahead of me .

Group classes are a good option IF the trainer is good and aware of what we're working on. Sometimes in a group class situation you may not even be working on the "stuff" they are working on...you might just be at a distance from the other dogs where your dog is comfortable enough not to react, and you're slowing working towards moving closer to the other dogs at a pace your dog can handle.

We have done this MC , The trainer had us sitting away from all the other dogs - the other owners were scared of him ! He would get excited when we walked in - turn in circles and bark - if others got there before we did , he then would lay down and act super bored , it did help him but it helped me the most in handling the " time " moment - to react before - to nip it in the bud before he did .

Going to places like a petstore parking lot, at a distance, where you can watch the other dogs coming in and out, and practicing being comfortable with that can be a good way to working on skills. Private lessons with a trainer when they have a non-reactive dog can be really helpful - things like parallel walks, or BAT training.

He is even reactive to dogs on the TV , barks - growls at them - lol My goal has been to get him better around other dogs before we head to Rally OB where there will be other dogs and that's still my goal - but just have to take a different path .

Thanks everybody - I have to get to work and will reply more later
Doc

Just get Mr. B in a class .........and take it class by class ..........first class the dogs (as well as humans) can have different issues with one another.............
Then class after class...we all start to figure things out with one another and the dogs start getting all the different smells into their memory banks so to speak.
Once the dogs have several classes under their belt they start to become less reactive to one another.
We take different classes all the time to avoid dog parks........and every new class we take I know the first class is a meet and greet for Hoss. There will always be some other dog that barks alot........and Hoss likes quiet.....so Hoss will bark back...........of course all the folks with smaller dogs get all nervous.........but all of these situations are in fact lessons for us and our dogs.
So ...just do it!

I have come out my back gate a couple times with two amped up dogs ready to go on a riding adventure only to find someone letting a couple 10 ponders sniffing around our truck everyone is always leashed and that's the one thing i always do before i put my hand on the door to go out is have a secure grip on the leashes.

I know what you mean. But thinking things through and considering all of the possible outcomes wasn't his forte. He was always surprised when things didn't happen the way he thought they would.

Though to be fair, Katana once went out my open SUV window when I was parked waiting for a kid to get out of school. I knew we'd have a longish wait, so we were just hanging out and she was loose in the car. It was warm and the windows were open. Anyway, she stood there looking just as surprised as I was; she didn't have a clue how to get back in the truck and she very obviously wanted to.

But I wasn't sitting there pointing out the chase-able deer right outside the car.

[QUOTE=ECIN;4095137] My Jezebel reacts to dogs on TV too! It is pretty interesting - she will sometimes react at people on TV - generally they are being aggressive or something equally weird. I've never had another dog that did that.

Hoss will bark when outside .......then he stands there waits ...looks and listens ...he remains so quiet for a few moments...then repeats ....

Hoss is always in search for a return bark from another dog in the neighborhood........we call that .....The Dog Internet" ..........funny to watch......

One of my favorite parts of 101 Dalmations..."The Twilight Bark"




Perdita: "The Twilight Bark? But dear, that's only a gossip chain."

Pongo: "Darling, it's the very fastest way to send news. If our puppies are anywhere in the city, the London dogs will know."

Fritz - lol - Kadin used to bark at the State Farm Commercial - there was a car that would honk its horn ! Then it was off to the races - he headed for a window to look for the car that went by - but there was nothing

Like I have posted on here before , Mr. B is our first male of the many Dobermans we have had - He is always working ! the reason for aka Mr. Business - We have a large fenced in area and he does a lap of patrol , anything that is not suppose to be there , he lets us know - and yes the neighbors dogs that wonder over in our field , I think that every dog he sees he's telling me - or warning me - that may sound silly , but like lots of people here that know him , say boy he's on it , lol and he is , To me - he's like what a Doberman is meant to be - he is protecting "His " boundary's and us , that's his job in life , that and to be loyal and love us - Like we do him , we are his world and like wise our love to him and to protect and give him the best medical protection we can .

I guess why this has been a challenge for me is our females have not been so proactive as he , Yes - they were all great gals - But its the boy in him I guess , like in humans - Us guys try and protect our little ladies and we are harder headed - YES - I said that - lol If I didn't someone else would have

Lots of great replies and ideas from you folks - Thanks

Doc

My females have always been more suspicious and wary than my males. Just sayin'

Well ----------------- So much for my thinking

Actually, I agree with Mel's assessment with our two Dobes...

Eva is the main protector/ detector of threats to the household. She notices all things out of the ordinary- any noises or strange vehicles parked out front or anything out of place. Once a house, caddy corner across street, was up for sale. Realtor put up those big "Open House" banner flags in front yard. When Eva looked out and saw those, she barked up a storm. Don't mess with "Ma Barker's" house...

Spock is on other hand is my "critter sentinel" & "the muscle". When Eva & I were aggressively approached by rogue dogs on walks, Eva hides behind my legs, until I use my flashlight zapper to fend off potential attackers, at about 20 ft. distance. In the same situation, Spock, will stay out in front, unless threat has a running lawnmower or Dremel nail grinder... then I'm on my own!

It's pretty common knowledge that I only keep males and most of them aren't very reactive but all (except for the one that was sweet but amazingly brainless from years ago) even though they didn't necessarily bark about it--were out front and ready to deal with things they didn't think were 'right'.

Toad will bark at dogs he sees out the front window. He'll also bark at any dogs he sees when he's in the back of the truck (in the canopy.)

But the visiting bitch (my dog for whom I sit--the elderly bitch who takes a ton of meds that her owner who does a lot of traveling during the week can't give her so she stays with me when he's on the road.) I've known her since she was a puppy and since I have a houseful of animals, all of whom have different reactions to a doorbell or someone knocking on the front door was something of a shock.

When I moved into this house almost 16 years ago none of the dogs or cats had ever heard a door bell (except maybe on tv--but since they'd never heard one 'live' they ignor3ed them). This house has a working doorbell. None of the Dobes barked when someone rang it. The 16 year old Pomeranian that I used to dog sit occasionally through an absolute fit if the door bell rang--made all the cats and all the Dobes ocme to see what was the matter.

But as for my resident dogs and cats--no Dobermans has ever barked at the doorbell--the cats don't bark but all of them from the time we moved in run to the window from which they can see the door--all the dogs follow them--they watch--IF I answer the door I take a dog with me and they sit beside me (there is a utility screen which stays shut) and for some reason no one except one fool has ever tried to open the screen. The fool put his hand on the screen and the Dobe that was sitting beside me stood and took one step toward the guy with his hand on the door. That guy took his hand off the screen and asked if the dog was friendly--when I said no, he wasn't--the guy left. The dog was my not very friendly Rumor--I wouldn't have come through a door with that dog standing his ground in front of me.

But Jersey--my geriatric boarder--hears the doorbell or a knock and she's doing speed starts to get to the door and does these perfect bark and holds in front of it. The cats are amazed and Toad remains somewhat perplexed about Jersey's reaction. It make me jump to my feet (or just plain jump)--and remember that my dogs don't normally bark at door bells because I teach them not to bark so I don't have an instant heat attack as I'm really noise sensitive. Fire a gun around me and I'd run for the hills.

All I can say is that the elderly Jersey is at least much noisier than any of my males.

dobebug

Mocha is very protective of my wife and I, and all of our, or should I say "her" property. She's the sweetest girl you'll ever meet once she gets to know you but if someone knocks on the door or rings the doorbell, it's time for the big girl bark. And we're ok with that because we want people on the other side of the door to know there's a big dog in the house. It hasn't happened in a while in this neighborhood but we've had people kick in doors and burglarize houses where they knew no one was home.

Having said that, if the bad guys come bearing cucumbers, bananas, or watermelon, that's all she wrote LOL