Training/Behavior Advice - Not a Pug

I just started walking a Shar Pei that is 1 year and 3 months old. He is NOT your typical SP and, although his head looks like a SP, his body looks more like a Lab (but acts like a hunting dog). He is very smart, well trained to do all sorts of things EXCEPT when he sees certain dogs and cats on our walks. He goes from good dog to laser focused on getting to the other dog and NOTHING will distract him. It becomes my weight against his pull (he's 45 pounds). This is usually something I am comfortable dealing with a will suggest tools that will help control the dog to the client. However, this client is working with a holistic vet (in AZ!) that has very strong rules about what you can and can't use on this dog.

Some of the things I have suggested to the client:
High Value treats (no, the dog eats only raw meat)
Gentle Leader (no, it will snap his neck)
Pincher Collar (no, can't be used on a brachy breed - which I agree with)

He currently walks in a Gentle Walker harness (which is better than the Pupia that had him in). I also required them to get a shorter leash that also had a second loop handle near the base so I had some more control.

I actually brought along a choke chain (which I NEVER suggest using on any dog) and used it with a short Wacky Walker AND his harness/other lead. I was actually able to control the dog that way, but a) that is not a method the client wants to use and b) it still didn't stop him from being distracted.

I am their 3rd dog walker - and I see why they've had 2 others quit on them. I agreed to walk him for 1 month and re-evaluate the situation. I have a trainer who will work with him, but he's also just had 1200 ESP surgery so the client isn't up to spending another $300 on training.

So, I wanted to see if any of you had any other suggestions that may allow me to get the dog to focus on me, listen to my commands and ignore the distractions. I need to decide what to do, do it consistently (I walk him 2-3 times a week) and see if he improves. Otherwise, I'm going to need a good chiropractor!

Does he like toys? A squeaky toy might work as a distraction.

Would the owners consider dried meat as a high value treat?

I'm going to take over some Ziwi Peak dried duck tonight and see if he responds to that. The squeaky toy is a good idea! I hadn't thought of that.

This is pretty typical behaviour for most shar peis in my experience--especially if they aren't well bred or well socialized. the primary issues resulting in shar pei surrender up here are other animal aggression and health problems. So he's not so much a freak as not great shar pei.

Given that he's just had ESP surgery I wouldn't be using anything around his neck. And I certainly wouldn't be using a head halter--I'm not a fan of them in any case and think they can do some pretty big damage to spines.

Yes, finding some sort of treat they will agree to is key. A toy would work if he's motivated that way. He needs very slow training in focusing on you WAY in advance of meeting any dogs/cats/squirrels. I'd be doing a lot of work on "watch me", "sit", "stay" and other focus first activities. They (and their dog walkers) are in for a long haul. He needs to be distracted to you long before he has spotted the other dogs or cats and adrenalized.

northernwitch wrote:

Yes, finding some sort of treat they will agree to is key. A toy would work if he's motivated that way. He needs very slow training in focusing on you WAY in advance of meeting any dogs/cats/squirrels. I'd be doing a lot of work on "watch me", "sit", "stay" and other focus first activities. They (and their dog walkers) are in for a long haul. He needs to be distracted to you long before he has spotted the other dogs or cats and adrenalized.

Thanks, Blanche. I tried dried meat tonight (which he LOVED) and gave him lots of rewards for commands he knows BEFORE we got to the evil neighborhood dog. He still yanked my arm off when we got to that house, but I was able to refocus him back on me fairly quickly with the treats and keep him somewhat focused. I'm only walking him 2x a week and, if I get him trained to respond to me when I want him to, then I can work on training his co-owner who does the rest of the walking. I get the feeling she's going to be harder to train than the dog.

The dog is co-owned by an aunt and niece. He lives with the aunt who has RA and can't walk him at all. The niece and her Mom do the rest of the walking and usually walk together. The Mom uses a spray bottle to distract him and it seems to work for them. However, I find it difficult to manage the dog and aim a spray bottle (while staying upright).

I'm willing to work with them as long as I see some progress.

I agree with Blanche, my only other suggestion is to use some type of marker for behavior you like, can be a clicker, but any unique noise, or word will work, I've snapped my fingers as a marker for some dogs.

Be sure to mark any calm responses, especially calmly looking at other dogs, even if it has to be at a big distance. http://clickerleash.wordpress.com/2009/08/23/look-at-that-a-counterintuitive-approach-to-dealing-with-reactive-dogs/

The gentle leader harnesses work pretty well.

Thank you! I am NOT a dog trainer - although I certainly have picked up on plenty of tips in my career. But, this dog is something. I really appreciate the advice great I get here.

Lisa, there's a book called "Feisty Fido" that has some really great advice about managing dogs that spaz out at other dogs. It's a short and sweet booklet by Patricia McConnell. I don't know how practical this is, but most dogs have a comfort bubble and will only react if another dog enters that bubble. For some dogs it's 20 feet, for other dogs, it's several hundred feet. I don't know if it's possible for you to control how near or far this dog is from other dogs and the "Feisty Fido" book tells how to desensitize the reactive dog once you figure out how big his comfort bubble is.