# Problems while out walking.



## Elmos (Oct 26, 2014)

My boy will turn 9 months old in a few days. This morning I took him out with me walking in the city, as we do now for months. This time it was different. Growled at an old woman who was staring, growled at a child who walked behind us.... I was correcting all the time, didnt seem to work. Then I came home, the baby sitter arrived. He knows her, seen her many times, jumped in her face and growled again...

Is this something expected?


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## Mary Beth (Apr 17, 2010)

Yes, unfortunately, he's just being a typical bratty adolescent dog. It sometimes helps if you can find a place to let him run, then when he is tired out, walk him where there are distractions.


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## Findlay (Jan 8, 2015)

It's not a good idea to leave that behavior un-checked because it could escalate. It's best to consult your vet or a trainer asap.

Has your dog had basic obedience training?

My male pup is 8 months and has been in BO for 2 months and part of the training involves learning how to walk by people and other dogs without reacting to those distractions. And it really works. I would not know how to keep Finn focused during walks without training.
Now, he's able to walk calmly by runners, walkers, dogs and bike riders without an issue.
there are times when I have to make a small correction but once he's reminded, he's back on track.

And as Mary Beth wrote, the exercise part is so important.


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## Maverick M (Jul 6, 2014)

Findlay said:


> My male pup is 8 months and has been in BO for 2 months and part of the training involves learning how to walk by people and other dogs without reacting to those distractions. And it really works. I would not know how to keep Finn focused during walks without training.
> Now, he's able to walk calmly by runners, walkers, dogs and bike riders without an issue.
> there are times when I have to make a small correction but once he's reminded, he's back on track.


How are you able to keep Findlay focused during walks?


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## Chip18 (Jan 11, 2014)

The first link on loose leash walking and the essay on 'Who Pets my Puppy or dog ' are both things I have a lot of success with my dogs and rescues.

http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/5296377-post8.html

And I'll add this becasue it is actually about demeanor:
Training Videos – Solid K9 Training

Jeff uses a Prong Collar and he among other has info on it's use on his site. I can say that if you get the principle of the video clip down, you can walk a dog with any tool. I used to use a flat collar and leash but these days I use a Slip leash, I just like it better.


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## Elmos (Oct 26, 2014)

I didn't take him to a trainer, I try to train him myself and I was pretty satisfied until now that he started behaving like that. He will do almost anything I ask for 10 seconds of tugging or for his ball. It's just that when out in the city, i feel he's always ready for trouble. He stared at people's eyes and then to me. If I dont correct him, he starts growling. Exercise really helps a lot.
If he were adult with this behavior, I wouldnt mind that much. What concerns me, is that he is only 9 months old...


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## Mary Beth (Apr 17, 2010)

I wouldn't be concerned about it happening at 9 months as that is when a young dog starts to test, see what he can get away, or he could be unsure. Using a leave it command when he stares at people may help .


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## Findlay (Jan 8, 2015)

Maverick M said:


> How are you able to keep Findlay focused during walks?


Maverick M.
During obedience class The trainer has 1/2 the dogs in a sit and the other dogs walk by the sitting dogs and the handlers of the sitting dogs are encouraged to keep eye contact with their dog. For me, it's the most difficult thing in training.

I practice it a lot with Finn during walks and he's getting really good at ignoring distractions. he's no where near 100%.
As Chip said in his post, the prong collar is a good tool.
Finn responds well when wearing his prong so It allows me to make a quick and gentle correction/reminder without a lot of fuss.

There are a lot of dogs in Finn's class and we practice walking by one another.
The trainer showed us how to make the correction. If the distraction is to the right of the dog, you just simply give a quick but gentle tug of the leash to the left and say "leave it" or "no" and right away the dog's eyes look forward. It takes time and practice to get it right.
That link that Chip has on his post, Solid K9 training, has really good training videos. There's one on prong collars.


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## LouCastle (Sep 25, 2006)

Findlay said:


> During obedience class The trainer has 1/2 the dogs in a sit and the other dogs walk by the sitting dogs and *the handlers of the sitting dogs are encouraged to keep eye contact with their dog.* For me, it's the most difficult thing in training.


How is this eye contact done? Specifically, how does the trainer have the dog maintain eye contact with you? And why is this so important?


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## Maverick M (Jul 6, 2014)

Thanks, Findlay. The prong really helped a lot. 90% less pulling and Maverick reacts more quickly. He does checks up on me a lot while walking and maintains eye contact for a few seconds. I should take advantage of that and reward him with praises. I am also currently teaching him the "leave it" command so it's perfect timing to incorporate this practice. Thanks!


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