Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have a 3 year Airedale Terrier named Sam. He is an overall good dog but he has some issues.

1st is his off leash behaviour. In a house, or my small backyard he comes at every call. He knows the meaning of "come here". I have trained him so that when i say "come here" and point to the ground he will come and touch his nose to my pointing hand. He hasn't successfully come until he touches my hand. The problem comes in larger areas. Like my parents, or girlfriend's parents backyards. My parents backyard is a good size, and fenced in. In that yard i get about a 30% success rate. In my girlfriends parent's backyard, which is an unfenced 1.5 acre, i have about a 0% success rate. I have tried the long rope and reeling him in with big rewards. I have tried being super happy and the best thing he has ever seen when he does come. The simple fact is, in the great outdoors, he decides if and when he will come. What else can I do? We will both be much happier if he can finally learn this.

2nd he doesn't play nice. I wouldn't say he is a fighter, or even aggressive. He just doesn't realize that pinning other dogs isn't fun for them. He doesn't bite or anything, he just plays overl physically. He also makes awful noises when he plays, he sounds like some evil beast. But again, he has never tried to hurt another dog or person or anything. My biggest concern is that the other dogs won't realize that he is still playing, and might think he is trying to fight. Any ideas?

I should point out that he is an intact male. Would neutering him help with either of these problems we are having? what behaviour changes could i expect after the operation?

Thanks for any and all input!

K!LOS

Well, altering any male will help the desire to roam overall, but it doesn't replace training. I personally would not be comfortable letting an unaltered dog off leash anywhere. They can catch the smell of a girl from miles away.

Each and every time you change a location and/or increase distractions to an enviourment your dog's probability for success in following your commans is reduced drastically. I show my dogs in competitive venues and we are always in new places. IF I have proofed every behavior to the best of my ability, we still have at best a chance for 80% reliability in that new enviornemt. The reason- dogs dont generalize behaviors. "Sit" in your living room where there's nothing better to do than do as you say is fine, but does not mean "sit" in hte middle of a soft ball game with people cheering and kids sitting in the bleachers with hot dogs dripping with ketchup. Human kids loose thier brains in tha disraction of a situtaion and so do dogs. A wide open field with no fences is like Candyland to a dog.

To train for this type of distraction you have to be the better trainer and make yourself so appealing that even the lure of a badger hole is no longer as appealing as getting back to you. Dr. Ian Dunbar's books- one specifically "You Can Teach Your Old Dog New Tricks" will help you out.

OK, the behavior with other dogs. For me that is very rude and unacceptable behavior and I would not let your dog near my dogs if that's his method of "play." Terriers like to play rough- I get it- I have shibas who actually play rougher than your terrier. Yet, when my dogs are around other dogs they are not familiar with, they aren't allowed to go in full tackle on first meeting. If they did, we'd stop the interaction and assess the situation- can he calm down and play more gentle? If so, wait and see. If not, time to go home and come back another day. Still, don't expect others to let your dog do that to their dogs. I haven't seen your dog interact with other dogs, but if it really is as you described, I'd be surprised it's "Just play." There's a lot more to it than that. A 3 year old adult dog may not be appropriate in uncontrolled situations. That doesn't mean there's anything wrong with the dog, it's just some mature dogs don't need the company of other dogs to play with.
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Chelle and the rest of the crew including, but not limited to Kita and Taiko (the shiba inu wrestle maniacs), Adi (reserved and dignified tabby cat), and all 28 reptiles

I'm going to look into that book you recommended, and appretiate your input.

As to the playing, i should have been more clear. I don't "let" him act like that, and because of it he has pretty much lost the privilege to socialize with other dogs. I find it embarrassing, and it could potentially escalate to a worse situation. I know my dog quite well, and know he has no ill-intentions. The other dogs, and other dog owners don't know that. Either way, he shouldn't be so rough, most dogs won't enjoy that.

He can calm down and play nicer, but the problem is, he doesn't take a hint. Other dogs will make their point to back off, and he doesn't really listen. He would keep acting like that if he chose too. Usually by this point i'm trying to get him back on the leash so we can both leave with our ashamed heads hanging.

I'll check out that book, and hopefully it will help us both. I know we would both enjoy our play time more if we can conquer these issues.

Some dogs (my older one included) would just prefer to be the only dog on the planet. There's nothing to be ashamed of about it. It's just the way they are.

I have found that by knowing that fact about my dog, it's openned up more opportunities for us to be closer and work together as a team. By doing this, she's more bonded to me than anything and she's incredible with other people- so incredible she's a registered therapy dog. In her world, other dogs don't exist. If she sees them, she looks to me for guadance on what to do.

It's a nice compromise for us. Humbling at times, but it's what works.

You know your dog and if you really believe this is a positive experience for your dog to learn to play with other dogs with proper manners, then you have work to do, but it can be done. I'd find a "Bark, Snark, and Growl" class- typically offered at Humane Societies. They teach you how to teach your dog self-control around other dogs along with other wonderful techniques.
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Chelle and the rest of the crew including, but not limited to Kita and Taiko (the shiba inu wrestle maniacs), Adi (reserved and dignified tabby cat), and all 28 reptiles

I'll see if there is a class like that in my area.

I can tell he is enjoying himself while "playing", so i know he'd love the opportunity to play with other dogs more often. Thanks for the input!

Geoff