• Michael D'Abruzzo

    Administrator
    September 5, 2010 at 10:14 pm
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    Hi mojomoo!

    Welcome to the site! What you are describing, is generally a behavior of dogs with a more assertive personality type. A “hissy fit” as you described it, is pretty right on. The fact that she generally acts normally once she arrives at the other dog is showing that the behavior is mostly due to frustration and being unable to assert her desire to control the situation/meeting. One of the main problems with this behavior is that it can cause the other dog to feel threatened and sometimes trigger a fight when the other dog possibly goes into defense mode.

    A good plan to start with is really study the “pack structure” section good so you are in a good position to lead her. If she is calling any shots within the home it will be natural for her to be frustrated when she is being restrained from calling them outside the home.
    Then, really understand the concepts of the “dog training trinity” found in the obedience section. A good direction to take with this dog is to teach her that if she really wants to get to something, the best way to do it, is not by a “hissy fit” but by doing what you expect. For instance, you can teach her to sit calm before you let her chase after a ball, or get a treat on the floor, or before you let her play with another dog. Anything that seems to difficult at this stage – just ask less of her, like maybe calmness for just a second or practice in a situation that is not too difficult. Set her up for success and manage for now the situations that are too intense.
    I would try to practice these concepts without thinking of any type of correction for now. Work in the + and D portions of the trinity found in the self help section. If you need something to give you a little bit of a physical advantage to help from being dragged I would recommend an Gentle Leader Easy Walker Harness. You can find them here on clearance cheap at least today: click here search “gentle leader” you’ll see the gentle leader harness. It’s not in the regular harness section.
    Keep us posted and if you need anything clarified just let me know.