Hi there, I know what you are going through we are also going through these issues with our 1 year old Kira. We have had Kira for two months now ( a rescued husky from a shelter) ( She also has SA and Fear of getting in cars) I have been trying to train her with treats when we go for walks ( also alot of backyard training as often as possible) so she focuses on me rather than other dogs when she sees them. Its actually starting to work. Been doing this for 3 weeks now. After I came across literature below. It amazing that I am able to divert her attention to me. Its like she trusts me and knows I will look after her safety so she doesnt fear other dogs. Not saying that this is the answer for you but its working for us. Every dog is different so somethings might not always work for every dog. Kira is even now making eye contact with me when I walk with her when I say heel - give treat and say good girl, kira Sit treat - good girl. I have even managed to get her to sit at the park yesterday, a dog was about 10 metres away. She saw the dog running free, looked at me to give her command, sat down in a lie position next to me, I gave her treat said good girl, she saw the other dog but did nothing to go for it, or lung growl or pull. It was truly an amazing event.
She is a handful but I know she is very smart and will learn, just need time.
Have a read of the below. See what you think and see if its worth a try for your little one. I got this from a website on the internet.
The first requirement for using the focused attention exercise is to find a setting where you can provide your dog with a safe personal space. ( Backyard)
Don't ask your dog to give you full attention and ignore everything around the two of you unless it is safe to do so.
Part of what makes this work is for you to become someone the dog can trust to look out for safety
A dog whose experience builds the expectation of having to always be on guard has good reason to be aggressive. To resolve this problem in your dog, you'll have to take over the job of safety officer.
Have treats on your person,lots of tiny pieces
To initiate the attention sequence, say "[Dog's Name]!" If you want to say "heel" or "come" thats fine. The main thing is, say the dog's name - this is going to become the cue for the dog to give you eye contact - and then MOVE. When your dog moves with you, quickly PRAISE ie " dogs name good girl" and give small treat at same time When you give a treat, align it between the dog's eyes and yours. You want eye contact with each treat.
Soon you'll notice your dog seeking your eye contact even when you don't say the name. Always praise this, and sometimes give a treat to reward it.
When you do this sequence, always do it at least 3 to 5 times in a row. That means each time you 1) say the name, 2) move, 3) say the praise word, 4) whip out a treat and 5) give it. ( Back yard training)
This is what conditions the dog to SUSTAIN attention on you until you release it. ( Normally my release to Kira is words "all finished" show nothing in hands and walk away)
Practice everywhere, and don't be quick to discontinue the treats. Keep them up at least occasionally forever. Because you're not dangling the treat in front of the dog before giving it, you're conditioning the dog to respond even when you don't have food. You want to make the behavior quite strong and build the importance of other rewards (praise, petting, play, toys, etc.) in the dog's life before moving away from food.
Dogs don't just outgrow aggression. It usually gets worse unless the right interventions are done.
The sooner you start working on the problem, the greater your chances of success. Every single time the dog acts on the aggression, the habit gets stronger
It will then take a longer period of time and more reconditioning sessions to change the habit-if it can be changadolescenceed at all.
If you immediately start the focused attention exercise every single time you spot another dog on outings with your dog, you'll soon find that your dog automatically looks at you when another dog appears!
In many cases, you can actually turn a problem and a weakness in your dog's temperament into a special strength! This has been noted over and over in humans who put a great deal of effort into overcoming some disability or disadvantage in life, and you can do the same thing for your dog.
Here is Kira on her favourite couch.
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