Hi everyone. I have a 4 month old Catahoula mix who’s been doing really well on leash, and we’re just starting to walk in areas where we regularly encounter other dogs.
Unfortunately, almost all the dogs in my apartment complex are reactive. Many bark from patios, and if we pass them on walks they lunge and bark at us. Most are small dogs and the owners usually just drag them away. I have not let him meet any of them yet because he just got his last vaccines plus I don’t want him to start reacting like they do.
My puppy’s reactions so far:
Sometimes he’ll lunge back (tail wagging, no barking) Most times he’ll sit and watch
When he sits, I reward heavily. My thinking is that I’d much rather reinforce an auto-sit when he’s overstimulated or unsure than have him escalate into barking or lunging. Is this the right approach, or could this accidentally reinforce fear?
There’s also one specific dog I’m more concerned about: a very reactive German Shepherd. Even before I had my puppy, this dog would lunge extremely hard and bark intensely at people walking by. The owners only seem to walk him at night.
Obviously I try to avoid them as much as possible, but occasionally we do run into each other. When that happens, I usually: Create as much distance as I can Have my puppy sit and wait Reward calm behavior Stay until the other dog is mostly out of sight I don’t usually turn around and fully change direction, I mostly just keep a respectful distance.
My questions: Is rewarding the sit in these situations the right move? When encountering the very reactive dog, would it be better to immediately turn and walk the opposite direction instead of stopping? Is there anything else I could be doing to help my puppy feel safer and prevent him from associating all dogs with chaotic reactions?
My biggest goal is to keep him neutral and confident around other dogs, especially since this environment isn’t ideal. Any advice is appreciated!
(disclaimer: I wrote a summary of the situation and what advice I was looking for and had AI reword it. I can provide pics of my puppy if that helps prove this is from a human!!)
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