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walk from hell

Posted March 13th, 2010 by smoke143
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Hi. Our Husky is now a little over a year old. When i take him on a walk and if he doesn't like the way we go or if he wants to see another human or dog and i don't let him. He takes a hissy fit. I can not let him near humans,because our trainer says he doesn't trust people. He will snap at anyone that tries to pet him.
He jumps all over me,bites,growls. He literally attacks me. I have the marks all over me to prove it. I have tried to ignore him,make him sit. It doesn't work very well. I could really use some help on what to do?

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re: walk from hell

Aidan's picture
On March 16th, 2010 Aidan says:

I think your best bet is to see a qualified behaviourist, possibly a veterinary behaviorist.

This dog needs to learn an important lesson in what has been termed "Doggy Zen", which is the idea that in order to get what you want you need to give it up (and do something else) first. The most basic example is to put some food in your closed hand, let the dog sniff, paw, lick etc but at the precise moment that he backs-off, you open your hand and let him have the treat (don't do this if you think you will be hurt).

A competent professional will be able to expand on this and also provide some management tips to make the transition easier. They will also be able to improve how your dogs behaviour around people (through operant conditioning), and even how he feels about other people (through classical conditioning).

>>I have tried to ignore him,make him sit. It doesn't work very well.<<

If we're at the point where it feels like we need to "make" them do anything we're usually past the point where we will get any benefit from doing so. For this dog controlled exposure will be key, setting up the environment so that he is always succeeding, always able to maintain self-control. Then you can slowly increase the difficulty.

Start looking for quiet places where you can walk him safely without so many distractions. This might be difficult for you if you live in a city. He will need some form of regular exercise where he isn't put into a situation that he struggles to cope with and resorts to trying to force you so that things go his way.

Regards,
Aidan
http://www.positivepetzine.com

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