Boomer's Mom

Boomer is a good walker, however, every time we get about a block or so from home, he decides to play "Mad Dog" and starts growling and biting at my feet. Sometimes hard.

I'll stop and not move and tell him "Don't bite" until he quits, but the second we get moving again, he's back at it. I stop and not move, over and over and over.

I've tried distracting him by giving him a stick or toy to carry the rest of the way home, but that usually only works for a few feet. It takes us almost as long to walk that last block home as the whole walk takes!

I really enjoy our twice daily walks, but need some advice on getting him to stop with the "Mad Dog" routine, esp. if someone other than family would take him for a walk.

Boomer's Mom

Any suggestions or advice at all? :-)

Mikey T

I did a post but it got dropped last night


I think that is your answer for the cause. The behavior is rewarded by having the walk last longer. almost twice as long. As long as this continues the behavior will.

You have a few option come up with a plan so the the behavior results in the walk ending faster. such as the dog gets carried the rest of the way at a fast past, may not be practical

Change the cue for the behavior to begin. Which is likely a certain distance from the house on the return. Take differen paths but more importantly different return routes. even better encorporate part of the return route near the house in longer walks in which it continues. So for example dog acts up while getting close to the house walk ends, dog behaves walk continues. If the dog can not reliably determing when you are actual walking past toward the house to end the walk vs merely walking close to it or walking by it the behavior will likely deminish as well.

You are going to need to be creative shorten the distance you wander away from the house on the walk and increase then numbe of times you pass by the house without ending the walk

bubbad

Maybe carrying treats and when he starts the biting thing stop and make him look at you when he makes eye contact give a very small treat.I'm just coming off the top of my head with this one. But I think Victoria on the TV show did something like this. So forgive me if it doesn't work but you sound desperate.

Mikey T

Not a bad idea Buddad and it can be incorporated in what I suggested above as early on even though the walk is supershort walking past may tigger the behavior. Keeping the head up allows for the rest of the training to occur.

You can also do this with target training as well. That is by first teaching the dog to touch something generally your hand with it nose. Fairly easy to teach link provided below, Then you can use your hand as a targe to keep the head up and moving forward. Hell it is the basic premise of the Target Stick

Target Training

Tuesday

Maybe you can stop walking, make boomer wait, sit and lay down until he calms down a bit and then reward his calm behavior with continuing the walk.

Mikey T

This would be the most common technique used for this bewhavior, but given the context the behavior occurs I thing that it is likely it would actual reinforce the bitting behavior because it lengthens the time on the walk, which appears to be the reason behind the behavior. If the bite occured in other context then it would be the most appropriate why to start but given it occurs only when getting close to the end of the walk their is a bit more at work than inapporpiate prey drive behavior.

Boomer's Mom

Thank you so much for the good advice; I will definitely give it a try!

Boomer's Mom

Ok, I was well prepared for tonight's walk, had a pocket full of treats and was ready for anything.

Instead of playing Mad Dog, tho, he trotted all the way home very nicely. Not that I wasn't happy, but I really did want to try out the advice. Silly puppy. :-)

On another note, Boomer is going to be neutered next Thursday. The boys in our house are giving him their deepest sympathies, and the hubby looks at him and tells him to enjoy his "cannoli's" while he has them (our play on words for cajones).

Mikey T

actual the perfect oppurtunity to train. One mistake all trainer make is wait for the incorrected behaviour and trying to correct it rather than simply rewatrding the desired behavior. If the pup is being good on the walk take the time to reward him with a treat evey once in a while you do this more on the way home he will look forward to when arriving home give a jackpot. That is multiple treats fed on at a time When it comes to treats and value number is more impporant than size.