Issues
Dylan has issues. The following is guesswork, and my opinion might have changed tomorrow. I don’t know. This upsets me a lot, because Dylan is normally such a soft-hearted dog, and this isn’t the dog I know.
We walk our dogs twice a day on the same patch of woodland, which leads onto the golf course where we change our route regularly. But this 400m has to be the same as it’s the nearest of 3 access points. Dylan appears to have cultivated the view that this is part of our property, as far as I can tell – it seems to be the most likely explanation for his attitude. On the other hand, it started on a small scale after Mollie was badly bitten last summer by a pair of other dogs (they ganged up and attacked her, basically).
Anyway, problem specifics. Dylan runs towards other dogs, bouncing on the spot and barking his head off. It’s what I usually consider warning/defensive behaviour ie. back off NOW, this is MY patch — it’s what I’d expect to see the dogs doing if a strange dog ran into our garden or up our drive towards the house. Alarm barking, even? If the other dog turns around and gives him whatfor, Dyl will turn tail and run in the opposite direction, but this doesn’t happen very often. The only thing that makes me think otherwise is that it seems to be a fear-based thing (?); when I do manage to distract Dyl with toys or treats, he’s clearly very worried, constantly checking where the other dog is etc.
He is worse on the lead than off, but I can’t risk him off-lead. It only happens in this section of the woods, and with “strange” dogs; if it’s a dog he is friendly with he’s perfectly happy to greet them.
Kim does not react to this behaviour at all, either because it’s beneath her or she just doesn’t care (or maybe doesn’t find the other dog’s worth worrying about?). Mollie will back Dylan up with woo-woo barking, but there doesn’t seem to be much effort on her part. I’ve tried walking him alone (without the girls) and it doesn’t affect his behaviour.
I spent ages working on this, working on getting him to meet and greet calmly and nicely, or coming to me if he was worried. Distractions kind of worked, but not all that well. I thought we were getting somewhere, but apparently not, and I’m starting to run out of ideas. I’m going to try avoiding this area for the time being, and using a different entrance to the golf course. It will only be 50% of the time though, for various reasons, one of which being that the other feasible entrance is right next to the stream, which floods to about a ft deep after heavy rain.
Ideas, anyone?