I hear this often and by often I would say 90% of the families that I work with have asked their dog to sit while other dogs (kids, people, strollers, mailman, trucks, etc…) go by.
So what’s the big deal with it? Umm, just about everything.
Let’s look at the whole picture. Let’s say we have a dog named, Rico. Rico loves his walks and gets super excited when he sees other dogs. Rico’s owner, Nick, has usually allowed Rico to go say hi. But recently Rico is just too excited, wants to say hi all the time and Nick feels like he is loosing control over the situation.
Now Nick asks Rico to sit when other dogs walk by. Nick is happy because he can control Rico in a sit position. This works a few times, but now Rico is worse than ever. He lunges and now barks at other dogs that go by.
Sound familiar?
What Nick has unintentially done is increase Rico’s frustration level by allowing him to continue watching his trigger (dogs) walk by. Sure the body is doing something different, but the brain isn’t!
We have to work the body and the brain. As frustration increases, Rico tries harder to get what he wants. Asking Rico to sit wasn’t enough to counter the emotional component.
SO! Let’s use Nick’s method of the sit and clean it up alot:
– Nick should ask for Rico’s attention well before the dog is close
– Nick moves to a distance that he knows the other dog will not be able to reach or greet Rico
– Rico is asked to sit at Nick’s feet with Rico’s back to the other dog
– Nick rewards Rico enthusiastically with some treats until the dog has passed
– Nick releases Rico with “Lets Walk” to keep momentum walking away from the other dog
Simply adding the above steps changes this sit cue into a management tool! A great tool to bring focus back to you and avoid any outburts.
Send us a picture of you practicing this kind of sit when other dogs or people go by! We love to see our kissable canines in action!
Happy Wags,
Lisa
Well. I have a couple of thoughts. I recently adopted a rescue German shepherd. They are instinctively lower scoring on “other dog aggression” so I am working very hard to teach my girl to ignore other dogs on the walk. At first, I scanned for others
approaching( as does she…lol). I would –and still do– slow so they cross an intersection before we get there and sometimes would change our route. . Or– turn away from the approaching dog and do a slow U-turn so that we keep our distance as they pass and my dog is facing the opposite direction…always walking–if I want to continue back to our route.
What I’d like you to address IS the habit many smaller dog owners have….which is stopping as we approach. This is NOT a good way to distract your dog– or mine! I want my dog to be able to pass another WALKING dog. When people stop, they give off vibes of fear or stress and surely make their dog nervous. Other dogs pick up on these feelings.too, like mine. Where is the leadership their dog needs to confidently walk on leash and not focus on another passing dog? Being in “Sit” is a vulnerable position for the dog. It creates the opposite effect, doesn’t it?
Another thing I notice is that many small dog owners seem to be oblivious to the needless barking their dogs does reacting to other dogs. Just because they are small and easier to control on the leash should not determine all the barking behavior.
Most people expect much more control of larger dogs–particularly working breeds such as mine.
I think it is laziness on the part of some small dog owners to just let their little ones go nuts with all the tapping and lunging. They need reassurance their owner will keep them safe if it is fear aggression.
Could you explain why you feel stopping a dog on the walk is more instructive for the dog than calmly continuing to walk and distract your dog?
Wanting to understand and learn. Thanks.
Laura, thanks for the response and questions. Take a look at the blog post again about the problem with Rico just sitting and watching dogs go by. I think you expressed the same concerns and similar feelings that I wrote in the post.
I see that you too like to distract your dog when certain things enter his environment. I like to think it’s more than a dog distracted but a request in changing the subject by giving the dog a mental (and often physical) redirection instead of staring at the object of their hyper-attention.
As for your small dog comments. In my experience, small dogs do/can get away with a lot of unwanted behaviors. If we shrank your GSD to 12 lbs (cute no?!) would you care as much? Maybe, maybe a little less? Maybe more because he gets to go to more places with you? I think there are many dog owners that have varied perspective on the need for training for the health and welfare of their pet.
Thanks for sharing your experience with your GSD. You sound like you are heading the right direction!
Hi Laura, The title of the post is a quote I hear from clients. The clients put their dog in a sit in an effort to “control” them. Which is not what I recommend. I recommend walking past, using counter conditioning and desensitization as a good foundational first step. I then suggest building up to verbal or leash cues and adding in some approach and retreat exercises for good measure. Play time is also a solid consequence for moving past dogs.
You are right on! Keep your dog moving, ideally in a exaggerated curve around the “other dog.” Best of luck in your journey and thanks for the question.
So what does it mean when my dog just sits naturally when other dogs are around if they come up to them, he is Lhasa Apso. He doesn’t bark growl or show that he is anxious
Thanks for the question, Christy. Dogs are pretty deliberate about their behavior. Meaning, there are no coincidences. It sounds like your dog may be uninterested in a greeting or managing the greeting. How so, you say? Well, without seeing it for myself and understanding context, my best guess would be that dogs seek out the anal gland area on purpose as it shares information with the sniffer. Your dog sitting cut’s off that option as much as possible. I’ve humorously referred to butt sniffing during greeting sequences as the “secret doggy handshake.” Some dogs intentionally avoid this from happening. It’s a vulnerable area and some dogs choose to avoid access by side-stepping a butt sniff or, as you wrote, naturally chooses to sit.
Want to investigate what this means for your dog? Journal it! What was happening before, during and after. This is a quick way to see if a pattern emerges and you may understand why your dog sits when other dogs are around.