Hey all been a while hasn't it?
Basically with the arrival of a possible new addition to the pack this fall/winter or next summer/spring I've buckled down and started working on Bo's leash reactivity.
After a lot of debate and research I finally decided to purchase a prong collar for training purposes. Bo tends to lunge and bark when he sees other dogs or freak and run the opposite direction if something frightens him. So there for if I continued using his halti/gentle leader there was a big chance that he could seriously injure his neck in the process of trying to get towards another dog. I of course did not buy the prong on impulse or as a "quick fix" because I understand that it is a tool and to be used correctly with the hopes of eventually not using it a lot of training needs to be used behind it.
We've had the prong for about 3 days now and I've already seen a bit of improvement as far as his reactivity. We've walked to the dog park (a place I've vowed to no longer go to after an incident with Abby) yesterday so my friend could grab some bags for me and also to test his reaction. I came armed with some treats and just walked him passed the fence and had him sit/stay a few feet away from the fence so he could observe while my friend went in to get some bags and came back out. When a golden came up to the fence to greet abby who happened to be by the fence. Bo didn't have much of a reaction other than some whining, but he kept his butt planted. So once that stopped I let him walk up to the fence and greet the other dog. And he was happy beyond belief as far as I could tell. His nub was going, hackles weren't up, ears weren't back and he wasn't showing his normal anxiety towards the other dog. After the dog walked away he was completely fine and relaxed and was happy to continue on our way back home.
We've had plenty of other interactions with other dogs as well including today when we accidentally nearly smacked into this other lady and her dog. We were passing around a fence and had no idea they were there. She was also working on her dog as far as leash training. So guess it was a good experience for both of us because neither of the three dogs reacted towards each other. Abby and Bo were interested, but gladly stepped into the street with me to pass them and we continued on.
So... so far I'm happy with the progress. he's allowed a little poodle thing to charge up to us and sat patiently until the owner came and picked her up/ Which was nice instead of getting my arms pulled off with an 85lbs dog freaking at the end up the leash like usual.
Also I have a video for you all! Bo's first off leash agilityish session!
