Collie x Pyrenees training *Help me Zass!*

So that I don't hijack the LGD post, here is a continuation of my behavioral question.

Absolutely, "look at me" and "Leave it" are commands all dogs should know, between the two, you should be able to direct his focus better. What does he usually consider to be threatening? We should probably just make a new thread.

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So generally his version of threatening is correct--unknown people walking by our house, threatening animals. What I want to teach him is to trust that an unknown person I introduce is okay and should be treated as such.

Let me explain, he has NEVER attacked or threatened a new, unknown person I introduce. But he was under socialized as a puppy and so new dogs and new people, even when I tell him they are okay, his mind still seems to be screaming danger and he gets overstimulated. This leads to behavior like tugging at leash, jumping up on people, and generally not heeding any commands I know he knows (he does them perfectly during training time and when it is around people/noise/animals he knows.) Mostly because after he barks loudly/acts as if he will jump up on someone, they show discomfort and I think that sets him off.

Now that I write it out, just sounds like I need to work on socialization in a contained and focused and safe environment. But any advice on doing socialization for an older dog or just other training advice for a dog with a very short attention span would be awesome!

Ok, I don't have any "one size fits all" answers, because all dogs are different, but I'll do my best.

I like telling stories, so I'll tell you about my own doggies.

I'm actually working on the same thing with my chow chow (Leonidis) right now.
Leo was kept exclusively in a small apartment with a single girl for the first year of his life. He had virtually no interaction with anyone aside from his owner, and felt threatened by everything. (Typical story, he wasn't wanted after he became a handful with no training or socialization, so I took him in )

I take Leo or Mishi (the ovcharka pup) out with us every time we're going somewhere that dogs are permitted. The hardware store at the end of the street is a frequent destination.
(Don't forget to have high value treats when you go out!)

With Leo, he is simply shy, and will back off and gave a warning growl if someone makes eye contact and reaches right for him. He's never snapped or bit, but I've never let anyone harass him either. It can be a challenge to get people to understand that staring and petting can be interpreted as harassment.
The hardest part of the entire socialization process is getting other people to cooperate and approach dogs properly.

I have to coach people when they first meet him to avoid eye contact, ignore him, and allow him to investigate them at his own pace. He will try to come up behind a stranger if he can to sniff them quietly. They can offer treats after he's relaxed a bit.

Of course, after I tell people to leave my dog alone, I have to listen to their stories about how dangerous and aggressive chow chows are, it's almost worse then the dangerous pitbull stories I was subject to when I owned my boy Deimos. (One of the all time gentlest dogs on the planet.) :roll:

If someone isn't willing to follow my "rules" for him, I ask them not to approach at all.

I recommend the same for your boy, but you will have to be assertive about it. A bonus is that seeing you be assertive will often help your dog understand that you are in control, and might help him relax a bit.

If your boy is jumping and pulling when he first sees a person or dog, start with teaching him to simply walk by people and ignore them on a leash.

I ask the majority of people not to pet or look at Leo at all, because he feels threatened so easily, I feel he needs time to learn that not everyone he meets is a concern to him or worth paying attention to.
That way, he won't have the anxiety of thinking each person he sees will result in a confrontation.

After you have that mastered, you can either teach him to sit and ignore people when you greet them, or to greet them politely himself (actually the trickier of the two if your dog isn't naturally inclined.)

The same will go for dogs when you first introduce them, it's best to start with polite, well mannered dogs who are already trained to ignore HIM. Some dogs can meet and play with new dogs after a greeting, some are too aggressive or protective and are better off being taught to ignore other dogs and keep their focus on their handler.

Keep in mind, service dog owners also prefer random people not to approach or pet their dogs (for a variety of very good reasons!) There are patches you can attach to a harness or pack for him that say things like "in training," "please ask to pet," or "hands off!" these can help keep strangers away.

With collie in your boy, you gotta be careful what behaviors are treated as well, because he can easily learn all kinds of undesirable "tricks" from well meaning strangers. :roll: They are too smart for their own good sometimes.

If your dog starts misbehaving at any point, barking, jumping, or pulling on the leash, I suggest ending any encounter immediately. Take him in another direction, reward him if/when he shifts his focus back to you "leave it," "look at me." Walk away and don't try to approach anyone unless he's calm and responsive to you.

I've gotten my chow chow to the point where he can walk by strangers, and will sniff them on his own terms, but we're still working on dealing with rude people who want to run up and pet strange dogs while making direct eye contact. :roll: It's a slow process with older dogs.

Now with Mishi, she LOVES strangers, and will try to pull to get to the treats and petting/attention that she's always received from them. If anything she was socialized a little TOO well, she became accustomed to being gushed over and fawned on as a puppy. :lol:
We're working on ignoring people to reduce the excitement of a greeting, or sitting politely before a greeting is permitted if I can't avoid it. (For example, house guests.)