Distractions

     On our very first walk in the park, there were signs that Henry had a problem with other dogs. He would bark hysterically when he saw another dog. And if he got close enough he would make a dominant move like mounting or nipping the back. The signals were loud and clear but it took me a week to finally accept that he had a problem. So whenever Henry had a bad reaction to another dog I put him on his side in a submissive position. I was not very good at this at first. Sometimes it took a minute of wrestling.
      I contacted Ann from Northeast Coonhound Rescue for advice. She agreed to have Henry come once a week and play with the other coonhounds. The idea was to keep him exposed to other dogs so he could eventually learn to behave nicely. His first time there he needed a lot of corrections whenever he was not being nice to the other dogs. After an hour he settled down and behaved. His second time I had to put him in a submissive position right when we arrived, but he played nicely after that. The last time we went, he behaved well right from the start, needing only few and minor corrections.
     I also contacted a doggie day care center, disclosed Henry's issues and asked if they would take him or if they had other suggestions to help with his socialization. They recommended bringing him to day care. The day care manager is also a professional trainer. As soon as we arrived, Henry reacted badly to another dog although both were on different sides of a fence. In one second, the manager had Henry on his side, submissive. Shortly after Henry entered the play area he tried to dominate a smaller dog and the manager put him on his side again. I noticed how he handled Henry as he did this and my own technique improved after that.
     When Henry was out for a walk and reacted to another dog I would put him in a submissive position. My time got down to 5 seconds. And I don't know if Henry got the message but I felt great about it, I was in control, not helpless about Henry's bad behavior. But as time passed Henry's reactions did not seem to change and I wondered whether I was being effective. Nothing would break Henry's attention from the other dog. Often, he would continue barking as he was on his side with his tail between his legs.
     Henry barked a lot in general. At everything and at nothing. He would look at the horizon and bark, then look at some other point on the horizon and bark. After being with us for about two weeks he started barking at cars. However, I was able to distract him with treats when he barked at cars. Then I decided that on our walks, I would not wait for him to start barking. As soon as I saw a car coming I would call him, make him sit calmly and give him treats until the car passed. I started doing this when he would bark at nothing, too. The walks became much more fun and relaxed.
     I hoped that one day I could distract him with treats when he saw another dog. So in preparation for that day, whenever we were outside, I would call him to me periodically, sometimes every ten steps, make him sit nicely and give him a treat. I started walking him alone, without Zico. That made it easier for me to see things, like cars or dogs, and get treats out before Henry started barking.
     We went to the park and Henry started barking at a dog in the distance. Through a combination of waving treats under his nose and walking in the opposite direction, Henry eventually stopped barking and sat for the treats. Then we were surprised from behind by Sparky. Henry went off again. I put him on his side. He calmed down, then I let him up and he sat for treats with both of the other dogs in view.
     The next day at the park we saw Bodie. Henry started barking but I succeeded in distracting him. And he stayed distracted right up to the point when Bodie sauntered up next to him. Henry and Bodie enjoyed a few treats together and when I stopped offering treats they both stayed calm and relaxed. Bodie's mom generously offered a play date for the dogs to help with Henry's socialization. We scheduled it for this morning.
     Immediately beforehand, Henry and I ran for 3.5 miles. We passed a few dogs and he pulled on the leash but I sped up and there was no barking. The run stopped right in front of Bodie's house. He was in a fenced yard behind the house. Henry and I approached slowly. Henry was eager to get to Bodie but I kept calling him to me and giving  him a treat every few steps until he entered the yard. And the dogs played very nicely. I have seen Bodie many times with other dogs. He is very well mannered and gentle. I gave Henry a few corrections but stopped after I saw Bodie stand up for himself when necessary. Then, if I thought things were getting too rough, I called them both to me to sit calmly for a treat.
     While we were there, Bodie's mom got a call from Nikki's mom. Nikki was headed to the park and suggested we join her. Bodie walked ahead so I could periodically give treats to Henry. We inched closer and closer to Nikki from 200 feet away. This was a more difficult case then Bodie. Henry and Bodie had a few positive interactions prior to this day. But Henry had only bad interactions with Nikki. Henry started barking a few times. If it was just one or two barks I would start running to distract him. If he was barking non-stop, I put him on his side.
     It took about 10 minutes to get within 30 feet of Nikki. While Henry was sitting calmly, receiving treats, Nikki approached us. I kept giving Henry treats, one after the other, until Nikki came right up to my hand for a treat. Then, both dogs ate treats out of my hand. When I stopped feeding them, Henry made a dominant move. I yanked the leash just hard enough to get his attention, then put a handful of treats under his nose. When he was calm, he received a treat, and soon he and Nikki were sniffing each other and then ignoring each other.
    This is a great day for Henry. It shows that an amateur such as myself can properly train a problem dog. It shows that Henry can and will learn to approach other dogs nicely. I will have to repeat this process many more times with many more dogs. (On our way home, Henry did bark at a few other dogs.) But right now I am so proud of Henry's progress on his most problematic issue.