how do i get my dog to behave when on walks?

Question

iv got a year old jack russel called mollie i love her to bits and we are really close but when i take her for walks she attacks people that walk past especially old people and a woman that lives down our road. she also goes for joggers people on bikes and mopeds on the road, sometimes she goes for kids that are on skates and running. she really isnt a violent dog at all she wouldnt hurt anyone but it could give people the wrong impression of her. i dont want her to get out of hand but i dont know how to train her to stop it. how can i start?

Answer 1

short leash -when she starts against someone passing by, she will get strangled a bit, this will teach her good mannors. hold the leash with your right hand /I suppose the dog follows you at your left/ this will not require any special activity from you.
promote the proper behavior, ignore the bad, just hoolld the leash firmly - she will punish herself any time she starts against the bypassers.

visit crowded areas, practise standard obedience there, sit, lay down. do not many commands at a time, just one or two in a minute, and relax, check for any signals of attack preparation, and do a obedience command - turn away from the probable target.

we were training the guard dogs against oddly moving people - like drunks etc. the trainer feinged being drunk to attract attention and increase the sensitivity of the dogs. My retriever barks at people who are creeping or stalking, while normally she is very friendly to everyone.

the dog needs to realize that the oddly moving people are strange but not automatically an object of aggression -you are the leader and YOU decide who is going to be attacked by the pack /=dog+You/

if she is intented to be a companion dog, then take her into the crowds as much as possible, to get familiar with various motions used by various people -disabled, old, babies...

No need of shock collars in the initial phase, and when using the leash.

Answer 2

I'm sure you already know that someone only has to show they were frightened by a dog for the police to take action, it's ridiculous but true. So you have some work to do but it shouldn't be too difficult.
Firstly don't use shock collars they're cruel and cause fear.. Get a small plastic drinks bottle, put a few small stones in it so when you shake it it makes a loud noise. When she lunges shake the bottle, she should stop and look at you, give her a treat immediately so you are rewarding the good behaviour. An alternative to the bottle is a water spray either a water pistol or spray bottle but I find it takes too much dexterity to squirt the dog in the face as it's trying to lunge but it's up to you.
If you can get her to classes, I know that isn't always possible, do it, they're a great way of socialising a dog and you will have someone on-hand to assess the situation and give you more training tips.
Good luck, you can do it!

Answer 3

The dog is only 8 months old to begin with, this means that he is still a puppy and will still behave like he is a puppy, secondly he sounds like he has too much energy and you need to burn that off with walk and even lunge him with a super long lead - your local pet store will have one or you can get them on the internet but even get a lunging rope for a horse they will work also it is extremely easy to train a dog to walk on a lead once you use this method - I have used it on my German Shepherd and on a Cane Corso - As soon as the dog pull when on the lead pull him straight back and walk the other way when he pulls going that way turn and walk the other way but here is the crucial part when he is right beside you give him a treat, this will show him that when he is beside you it is good and that is what you expect of him, keep going with this until he stops pulling but if he doesn't pull when going one way then turn around and walk the way that you were going. Now to the aggression, I have heard people say that if you nueteur a dog that they will be less aggressive and less territorial. With your uncle put the dog on a lead and bring him over make sure that he wont be in striking distance but that your uncle will be able to pet him. When he gets excited or when he goes to strike put him to another room in the house and leave him for 1 minute and try again, the more you do this with other people as well it will help him get used to being around people and show him how he should behave and when he is good give him a treat. Also when people come into the house and he gets aggressive or giddy just say'ah ah' and bring him into another room to cool off for 1 minute. When he is calm bring him back into the room and make everyone ignore him, he will then eventually get fed up of jumping around and he will ly down. You can also have people trow him chewy toys and stuff to keep him occupied and to show him that these people are not a threat and that they will not hurt him and that they are nice. I Hope this helps :) P.S If you watch Its me or the Dog than it would be a great help to you. It is a show with the great dog trainer Victoria Stillwell on it :)

Answer 4

This question made me laugh, I walk 2 jack Russel's several times a week for a friend, mother (6) and son (2), everything you mentioned sounds soooo familiar, like Mollie they aren't violent but people see them straining at their leads to get to their dogs and you can see in their eyes they are thinking "nasty, snappy little dogs" They go mad at anything with wheels as you said and joggers, horses, ducks and swans. Several months ago their owner sent them away to a training course for a month, when they came back they were different dogs but gradually old habits have returned, pulling, chasing other animals, barking, not coming back when off the lead. I think they are creatures of instinct and full of character. One thing that does have an effect if she pulls at the lead is a Halti (buy from most pet shops), it attaches the lead to a point under a nose strap so when they pull the head goes to one side, they hate it but it makes walks a lot easier, also another thing i find helpfull is to get an empty drink can, fill with a handfull of stones and tape up the hole, when bad behaviour looms shake it once, they really hate the noise as its really sharp and loud, if this has little effect throw it on the ground by her feet and that should take her mind off whatever she was going to do, these days i only have to hold the can up and they stop in their tracks but only if on the lead, otherwise they ignore it! lastly be consistent with any training you do (this was the downfall with my two, i don't think owner continued the training) and perseverance. Good luck!

Answer 5

Start by seeing a dog behaviourilist. They are very good at knowing what's going through a dogs mind and can help you help your dog. It's a little pricey though.
Alternatively there's this thing called a "Gentle Leader" you may have seen one before it goes around the dogs head, it sorta looks like a muzzle but it's not. The dog can still eat, drink, pant, open its mouth and everything while walking.
They're great because it stops your dog from lunging in the middle of a walk and it will maintain a perfect heel.. They're great however the dog hates them, it involves training them into it but once you have one you'll see a huge difference in walking your dog and she'll still get the same enjoyment walking with you

Good Luck

Answer 6

Have you watched that show 'its me or the dog' the trainer on the show stops and turns around walking back the other way the instant the dog starts to misbehave...then she starts to walk in the direction she was heading and if it happens again she does the same thing but eventually the dog gives up attacking people + things

Answer 7

I have a cavalier that does this to other dogs and had a springer cross that did it to cyclists, men with ladders, large vehicles and big dogs. Its a matter of expressing displeasure and getting them to understand the no command.

Every time they started I went AHA! in a high pitched barky kind of way (yes people do look at you funny) and said no sharply. When they ignored the situation they got a reward.

The cavalier now looks but does not get frenzied any more and the spring eventually dropped his behaviour too. He stilled chase aeroplanes though - never caught any but none landed in our garden.

Answer 8

Keep the dog on a leash and use a muzzle or a training muzzle. When people pass make the dog sit and wait calmly. If she shows interest make a disapproving sound or word.

If the dog pulls wildly on the leash, keep the grip short, upright and give a sideways tug to knock the dog off balance and make her notice you.

Answer 9

Bonnie that's hard to do when she has already gained up in age.
It's better to train them as puppies for that, but Jack Russel Terriers have always been feisty.

My friend has a Jack Russel and he love to tear apart stuffed animals and leave a mess behind.

Answer 10

If you had shown her all of these things before she was 14 weeks old (after 14 weeks they become scared of things), this would have been part of her socialisation training, every thing would be fine. I carried my dog until I could put him down after his last injection, we crossed bridges, walked main roads, saw fire, police and ambulance stations, hear ed all loud noises, saw open umbrellas, wheelchairs and so on. The only thing I forgot was to go on a bus. That caused a small problem later in life but is o.k. now. I do not know how to resolve your problem, you have to many.