Glindy and Pet Stores
Pet stores continue to be a vexing
problem for me and Glindy. She tends to start barking and lunging
at other dogs in such places, although she does well in dog parks
and at day care. The difference, of course, is the leash.
I strongly suspect that I'm just reinforcing leash aggression,
although some of the problem is doubtless the other dogs' body
language as well. After all, humans can't always see the signals
the pass between dogs, and while Glindy's excitement and possible
leash aggression are real, her little status-seeking soul might
also be deeply offended by some of these other dogs, who may not be
as well-socialized.
The problem is that correction-based training hasn't worked, and
it's hard to practice desensitization since she doesn't act this
way in controlled (e.g. non-public) training situations. I may need
to engage the help of my local trainer to see if she has a
poorly-socialized dog we can co-opt for desensitization.
Meanwhile, I was thinking that a *distant* down--far enough away
that Glindy's excitement level would be low enough to respond to a
command--would be a potential solution, and something we could try
the next time we're in Petco. I could C/T to reinforce the down,
while Glindy's down itself might lessen the aggressive signals from
both dogs even when the other dog gets closer.
My main concern with this approach is safety. If the other dog is
not under solid control, or if someone with a shopping cart comes
whizzing by while I'm trying to encourage a down, I would be
horrified if something happened to Glindy. Still, I can't continue
to allow her to continue lunging and barking, so I think I just
need to try it and see.