please help again!

[Amy Johnson]

Hello everyone, thanks so much to everyone that helped with the last issue I had! My Oscar is getting better with his biting and I feel better now that it's just his puppy biting. Anyway, today I was walking Oscar (4 months) and he started bucking and biting in a frenzy and nothing I did helped to calm him down! I noticed that everytime I walked past a person's house in my neighborhood he went into this frenzy. The lady that lives at this house ties her boxer up in the front yard for about two hours everyday. We have calmly walked past this lady's house a million times while this boxer is going crazy barking, and we have also stopped and visited with this dog and lady recently. I spoke with this lady today and she said she thought that it was because testosterone kicking in and I need to get him fixed to help the problem. I think it's a little early for him to be affected by the hormones. Can this be a anxiety issue he somehow built up because it sure seems like it?! I walked around the whole neighborhood and he only went into this crazy aggessive frenzy when I was in front of this lady's house... biting, bucking, pulling on leash and growling. He is usually very calm and well behaved. He also has been around a lot of dogs and has done very well. What can I do to fix this because I don't want to have to avoid this house, or have a dog with a issue that can grow! Please help!

[Adina P]

How odd, right?  Maybe he just gets overly excited and then wants to control the walk right then.  Or something else.  But I don't think the specific cause is that important because, honestly, I think once he has some serious training under his belt (i.e. can heel around distractions) this will be water under the bridge. 

[Amy, Cubbie & Ollie]

Are you planning on getting him neutered?

[DJ & Chance]

My puppy has gone through brief fear periods.  During the Christmas holiday, for example, he balked at walking by houses with large lawn displays as seasonal decoration.  I worked at distracting him with treats or games but didn't force him to walk close to the decorations.  It all passed in a few weeks.  Oscar may be in one of those "fear" phases--just a possibility as I am not an expert.

[F, Calla & Luca]

It could be that.

[Amy Johnson]

Yes, I am planning to neuter him.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

What was the experience like when you stopped and visited the dog and neighbor?  Was it calm and controlled, or were both dogs highly excited?  Everything is so contextual with dogs, that if that meeting was charged with excitement he could now be associating that with the house and his state of mind goes right back there.  If it was a calm meeting then I'm really not sure, but I will say this is a great distraction to practice having him heel right past.  I don't think it's hormones or else you would be seeing this type of behavior in all kinds of situations not just related to this one house.

[Amy Johnson]

Yes, we stood there for awhile talking and they just sniffed each other. I should have him heel right past the house, or in front of the house? Should I maybe offer him a treat after he heels to associate good things with the house or would that help feed into the problem? Thanks so much for all of the feedback!

[Amy, Cubbie & Ollie]

Maybe try working with him when you know that the other dog isn't going to be outside.  What happens when you walk past that house but on the opposite side of the street?  Start further away and then gradually move closer to the house until you guys can eventually walk past without issues (without the other dog being outside) and then once you can do that try it again with the dog.  When Cubbie gets crazy on the leash he isn't allowed to get to whatever it is that caught his attention.  So consider not letting him greet that other dog until he can remain calm. 

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

At a private trainer class we took this time last year one of the things that we were working on was Sophie being somewhat reactive when we met other dogs on walks.  One of the things that the trainer told us to do was as we notice that she is starting to key in on a dog (because it wasn't every dog) that we either do a "right circle" or a "left circle".  Which was just basically either turn to the right or the left and make a complete circle and keep on going.  That this sort of refocuses the dog off of what it was starting to key in on. 

[Jen and Annie]

It sounds like he might REALLY want to meet/play with this dog, or possibly the other dogs behavior is causing him to go a little crazy too. You could work on 'focus' when you're walking him.. as DJ & Chance mentioned - bring some treats with you on the walk, and when he is focused on you, give him a treat. More so when you are in front of the 'offending' house, and then he will learn that focusing on you is very rewarding. Annie gets very excited on leash when she sees another dog. It's like the fact that she is restrained p***** her off - so she will bite the leash to try to free herself. When she does that, I just go "AH AH" really loud and she will stop, but we conditioned that as her "NO" command, so she knows what it means. I doubt that the 'horomones' have much to do with it - I could be wrong, but I believe 4 months old is still pretty much a baby...

[Ginny Nightingale]

Great suggestions and yes, your pup is in a fear period--up to 4 months old, they seem pretty cooperative because they are not really judging their environment as safe or unsafe, they are just taking it all in--like a human baby up to about 6 months of age--human babies will go to anyone without a fuss at that age, and then all of a sudden, they cry for momma when she leaves--

So, pups are the same in my opinion--they start judging what is around them--"do I like that? Is it scary? Do I want to play her but I am not getting to?" So, training and focusing the pup on you and what you want--with treats and lots of talking and eye contact is what is important now. Put the treats you are going to be bringing up to your eyes before you give it out and have the pup sit and when Oscar looks at the treat (which means he is looking at YOU) instead of whatever is getting his attention, say Good! and give him the treat immediately--then in the future, when this has been repeated lots of times, he will look at you for a command when you ask him to.

[BG and Gavin]

I think that this house represents excitement because of the other dogs and he is releasing his excitement on the leash.  Gavin used to do the exact same thing when we walked through a certain park in our neighbourhood.  He was great for the whole walk, but once we got in the park he would buck and bite his leash.  He did this even when the kids and the squirrels were no where to be found.  He just remembered that the park is an exciting place.