Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I'll try to keep this short. My dog Rush (http://forums.doghobbyist.com/view.php?id=162878,162878) sometimes flips out at the dog park or on a walk. When we're on a walk I can control him because he's on the leash. He'll get really excited about another dog or squirrel which is understandable, he's steadily been getting a lot better with calming down... however, the dog park is another story.

Rush is 10 months old about (I adopted him in June) and he had no training at all but has proven to be extremely smart and wanting to please. He is a role model dog at home and he now even sleeps with his crate open. He does exactly what I want to do at home and is really loving and great with people.

However, sometimes at the dog park he flips out. Today at first he was a perfect angel and following me (I think partly he was nervous becuase we've never been there on a Sunday and there were a lot of dogs). He was amazing at first but then suddenly he flipped out.

He kept jumping on the table and it was really embarassing so I took him to the other side of the park and worked with the table thing and I thought he got the idea but when we came back he just jumped on it again. Then he started running around wildly and instead of coming when I called him he started to flat out ignore me.

Why does he sometimes listen to me but then sometimes just completly ignore me? Someone suggested tethering him at ALL times when I am home but he is a role model dog so I think that is way over the top and this issue is mainly isolated to the dog park.

Any advice would be appreciated! It's really embarassing when he flips out at the dog park and won't listen to me, i feel like a terrible dog owner.

It's my experience that dogs who know their manners at home, have to relearn their manners in new places. They don't generalize well and a dog that young certainly doesn't have the life experience of proofing to draw on yet to make the connection that "come" in a dog park means the exact same thang as "come" at home. Your expectations of what he knows are too high. He just doens't know the rules yet in large distracted atmospheres. Sounds like it will be easy to teach him that, but he just doesn't know right now.

He doesn't need tethering at home because he's good there, but I would work on him at parks and on a long line teach him his basic commands in several places. He'll get the idea quickly. You jsut need to show him that's what you want.
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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

>>Why does he sometimes listen to me but then sometimes just completly ignore me? Someone suggested tethering him at ALL times when I am home but he is a role model dog so I think that is way over the top and this issue is mainly isolated to the dog park.
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>>Any advice would be appreciated! It's really embarassing when he flips out at the dog park and won't listen to me, i feel like a terrible dog owner.

Is he on or off leash at the dog park? For some dogs, learning the rules off leash can take a bit of time, especially headstrong independent breeds. If you have a fenced in yard, working with training there will help a bit. Formal training classes with other dogs will also prove to be effective because the distraction is already there.

He is also entering what is called the teenage years. Equivalent to a human teenager.

I think with some training and patience you will overcome this. Since the dog is well behaved at home, teethering there is not the best option. Perhaps working with training classes where there are other dogs as distraction is the first step. Keeping a lead on at the dog park would be another option, but knowing the dog parks in my area, this might not be the safest.

To me it sounds like a case of sensory overload, teen years and need of training in highly distracting situation.
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Cindy & the bully boys
CGC Brutus the bullheaded bulldoggie
CGC Caesar the fabulous pittie

Thank you both very much for the advice. He and I will continue to work with this and I won't expect too much out of him and I will be patient. I've decided to enroll us into a 6-week obedience class. It'll be good for both of us - I'll learn how to train and he'll get trained!

An obedience class is a great idea. That way, your dog will get used to responding to/listening to you when other dogs are around--but also in a more controlled environment.

I agree...probably a go at some dog training and obedience school would be prudent...keep in mind that our pooches are loveable but can be tempermental little children...