Good Leash Walking Question

[Kaitlin and Ludo]

Hi guys!  Long time, no see!

I have a question regarding good leash habits.  Ludo (will be 2 in August) is an EXCELLENT leash walker most of the time.  He walks loose leash next to me and has great manners.  However, there are a few dogs in the neighborhood that he will pull to see, very rarely adding any barking or anything, but usually pulling.

I've been trying to correct this by rewarding him for good leash walking past dogs using treats. This has probably been for the last couple of months and I've seen some improvement, but not 100%.  When he pulls to see them, his tail is up and wagging and it feels friendly to me, like he wants to see them.  On the occasions that someone asks if they can greet each other, he interacts with the other dog appropriately and we go on our way. 

Does anyone have any next-step ideas to stop the pulling towards other dogs?

I also have a second question and I wanted to see if you felt it is a cause for concern. This morning on our morning walk, an off-leash pit bull ran at us.  I saw it coming and scooped Ludo up and held him and yelled for the owner.  The owner came to get him, I put Ludo down and we continued on but the pit bull ran at us again.  It happened faster this time and Ludo growl barked (did not sound friendly) and I was able to scoop him up again, though not as gracefully).  The owner apologized and I carried Ludo the rest of the way down the street (and at 42 pounds, my arms were tired by the end!!).  

In my mind, an unknown dog is running at you, a growly bark seems like an appropriate response, would you agree?  Ludo goes to daycare and does just fine with other dogs there, but for some reason, I've always felt (even since he was a puppy) that I need to keep my eye out for any sign of aggression.  So, I guess, would that be considered an appropriate response on Ludo's part?

As always, I appreciate all your thoughts!

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

I definitely would not worry about Ludo's response to the off leash pit bull....that seems appropriate to me.  I think your quick reaction, picking him up and continuing to move forward sends the right message...."you don't have to handle this yourself because I've got your back".  I think using treats to reward the "non pulling behavior" is a good approach.  If I'm not getting the behavior I want on the walk I just stop and make them sit until they calm down....sometimes this happens several times until they realize that we're not moving an inch with them in that state of mind.

[Kaitlin and Ludo]

Thank

[Kaitlin and Ludo]

Argh.  I just realized it didn't publish my whole response!!!

Thank you Jane for your affirmation that Ludo's behavior was appropriate.  No one has ever used the word "aggressive" to describe Ludo-- I think its just my own worry that keeps me on the look out for it.  And that's exactly what I am looking for-- letting him know that I've got his back so he doesn't have to handle things on his own. 

I'll try the sitting when I don't feel the treats are working.  It's strange how it's only a few dogs in the neighborhood.  The inclination is to yank and pull him away to end remove the temptation more quickly but I guess that isn't teaching him anything, huh?  I'll give your way a try! :)  Thanks again!

[Lori, Daphne, Lucy & Pippa]

Im with Jane. I don't think his "growl bark" is a bad thing. He's letting the dog know that he should not come closer and you also responded appropriately. Im not sure how long you will be able to do that though if he is a standard size.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Nothing scares me more or makes me angrier than a loose dog coming at us when JD and I are on a walk, and triple that if it's a "bully breed". I'd take a picture to document the dog running loose and then report it to the police. It's dangerous. 

I can't lift JD of course, so the only thing I can do when this happens is to get between JD and the oncoming dog, and try to use body language along with "strong verbiage", lol, to convince the other dog not to come near us.  

[Kaitlin and Ludo]

I agree!  When Ludo was a puppy he was pretty timid and just learning to walk around the neighborhood, a full grown lab came running towards us and I picked Ludo up and the owner just yells "oh, she's friendly!" and takes their sweet time getting over to us.  I just yelled back "well mine is scared and doesn't like it" There have been a few occasions since then that she'll run at Ludo and it just drives me crazy that the owners see no problem with it.

I'll definitely document it if I see him running loose again.  I was shaken up after it happened.  The dog was literally at my hip in a flash and I was lifting Ludo up as high as I was able to keep him safe. They were apologetic, but it bothered me that they just let him loose again, immediately after bringing him back to the yard.  If it were my dog (though I don't let Ludo off leash outside unless he's in a fenced in yard obviously) I would put him inside or on a leash IMMEDIATELY if he had run at another dog. 

I'm glad to hear your plan for if something happens to you.  If I'm ever not able to lift him, I'll definitely do something similar.  

Thanks!!

[Kaitlin and Ludo]

Haha!  Luckily he is full grown and I practice picking him up every day for these kinds of situations or if he is injured and needs to be carried-- I didn't want the first time he's lifted up to be when he's already agitated, scared or hurt!  Thanks for the affirmation about his response!  I'm glad others feel it was appropriate too!

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Ludo's response to the pit was totally appropriate.  What I have done when any of my boys wants to go meet another dog when we are walking is to put them in a sit and we watch the other dog go by.  I also do this with all those little nippy, barky little dogs people walk on their flex-leashes.

[Kaitlin and Ludo]

Thanks (and sorry, I just saw your response!!)!  I have started making Ludo sit when we watch dogs go by.  It's DEFINITELY not perfect yet, but we'll keep practicing.

And thanks for assuring me about his pit bull response.  I haven't seen the dog out (maybe it was just visiting?) again, but I am now extremely aware as we walk by that house!

[c zoomer]

This is a bit different than the other experiences. A neighbor with a tiny Maltese did the same, and picked her dog up if there was a fear encounter. Because of potty training issues, ended up at a dog behaviorist. By product of this was she was told not to pick her dog up when fearful. Has anyone else been told this? I picked up Dinah the other day when she freaked at a fire truck, but didn't pick up when a brown UPS truck spooked her.

[Lori, Daphne, Lucy & Pippa]

Yes, being in danger and having fear are two different things. If in danger, of course you want to pick them up if possible. However if they are afraid of something and you pick them up and tell them its OK and coddle them, you are feeding into that fear and they will believe there really  is something to be afraid of. They will also learn that they get special attention from you when they display that fear. Just like with small children, when they fall down, they look at you and decide whether or not to cry or react. Same for your dog. As I said, If there is actual danger, then do whatever is necessary and deal with the fallout later..

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

This is a wonderful explanation, and spot on, IMO.