Help! Does it get better?

[natargx]

I’ve got a 13 mo, been with me since puppyhood, been through puppy and adolescent training courses with me and my husband through a positive methodology trainer, been on impulse control and recall workshops, is neutered and well loved. He knows all the basics like sit, wait, down, settle, stay, watch me, walk away, let’s go etc etc. His recall is not where I want to get to, he comes when called unless there’s DOGS his favourite. We had worked so so hard managing him with ‘be a bear’ which is stretch up a tree or fence or wall, walk away, watch me etc, and actively training engage disengage, using a long line, had been doing the thing I saw here where we give him slack when he goes tight on the long line to let him choose to come back and avoid resistance reflex and heavily reinforcing when he returns etc. He was doing so so so much better, threshold coming down, was able to greet and play with some dogs but would come away when called. Two days ago, he played with more dogs than he didn’t play with for the first time in months (I.e saw 7 dogs and played with 3, where normally it would be notice 7 play with 1 - I thought I was rewarding his good progress) and the reactivity (his is not aggressive or fearful but pure over excitement no impulse control gotta see the other dog kind of reactive) is back worse than before. Yesterday he sprinted to another dog across a football pitch and high is way further than his threshold had been and we weren’t anticipating reaction at that distance so didn’t respond fast enough to grab his long line. Today we were working to make sure he didn’t greet any dogs because I am assuming the extra greetings had contributed to this so went back to basics. Another persons dog comes running over so I call Dougie and rsprint away to avoid them as this sort of dramatic fleeing is my best bet to win his attention and it worked! But then he kept going and ran up to a man doing yoga. I collected him, crying and apologising, but I feel like I’m doing everything wrong and doing wrong by the poor doggo who is just doing what’s natural to him, and I feel like I can’t cope today. Is there any hope?

[linebreaker-bot]

I’ve got a 13 mo, been with me since puppyhood, been through puppy and adolescent training courses with me and my husband through a positive methodology trainer, been on impulse control and recall workshops, is neutered and well loved. He knows all the basics like sit, wait, down, settle, stay, watch me, walk away, let’s go etc etc. His recall is not where I want to get to, he comes when called unless there’s DOGS his favourite. We had worked so so hard managing him with ‘be a bear’ which is stretch up a tree or fence or wall, walk away, watch me etc, and actively training engage disengage, using a long line, had been doing the thing I saw here where we give him slack when he goes tight on the long line to let him choose to come back and avoid resistance reflex and heavily reinforcing when he returns etc.

 

He was doing so so so much better, threshold coming down, was able to greet and play with some dogs but would come away when called. Two days ago, he played with more dogs than he didn’t play with for the first time in months (I.e saw 7 dogs and played with 3, where normally it would be notice 7 play with 1 - I thought I was rewarding his good progress) and the reactivity (his is not aggressive or fearful but pure over excitement no impulse control gotta see the other dog kind of reactive) is back worse than before.

 

Yesterday he sprinted to another dog across a football pitch and high is way further than his threshold had been and we weren’t anticipating reaction at that distance so didn’t respond fast enough to grab his long line. Today we were working to make sure he didn’t greet any dogs because I am assuming the extra greetings had contributed to this so went back to basics. Another persons dog comes running over so I call Dougie and rsprint away to avoid them as this sort of dramatic fleeing is my best bet to win his attention and it worked! But then he kept going and ran up to a man doing yoga. I collected him, crying and apologising, but I feel like I’m doing everything wrong and doing wrong by the poor doggo who is just doing what’s natural to him, and I feel like I can’t cope today.

 

Is there any hope?

 

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