Hi everyone!! I have been a little MIA lately (travelling a lot for work), but I have been trying to read and keep up with the idog goings on as best I can...
I was hoping I could get some feedback/a pep-talk about the next stage of training we are starting with Wes. For those who don't know, quickly, Wesley is a lab x border collie that we rescued a little over a year ago. He is now about 21 months old. He is a classic status seeking, pushy, dog. He has displayed aggression (in the form of growling and lunge/snaps) since he was about a year old. We have worked very hard with him and he is now at the point where I am not concerned that he is going to display any of that behavior towards me or my DH. He seems to get it with us and he is acting like a happy go lucky dog - loves to be petted and cuddled, pretty much listens to commands, and uderstands the pack structure in our house.
We definitely still have issues with strangers... Our walker can come in and get him, but a subsistute walker, even one he knows, can't... He also still doesn't deal with people getting in his face - you know, the happy dog lover who is not at all dog savvy and get right on top of the dog over his head while holding him and looking him in the eye and making weird noises (except a few select people that he has a lot of experience with). I know the answer is not to let people do that - and I don't, although there have been a few times when it has been close and I have literally had to step in front of someone to body block them out of the way...
My question is whether because in the natural course of a dog's life people are going to get closer than the dog would like and we as humans still don't want the dog to display aggression, even if the behavior towards the dog was rude in dog language, and therefore, as far as the dog is concerned, warranted, we should try to train and condition Wes to tolerate more and more interaction with strangers. I have discussed this with my trainer who feels that Wesley is not a case that I need to just manage, he can learn to be better and better with being comfortable with people invading his space (maybe not doing all that I described above, but normal petting from strangers etc.) and he thinks we are ready to start setting up scenarios to that effect. I am nervous thouugh. He is so good under management. He goes to the dog park every day and plays nicely, he walks well on a leash and I am not at all nervous to have him out in public. He is good with the few people that are constant in his life... I just feel like I might be pushing my luck?? On the other hand, I am leary of having company over the house, and it would be REALLY nice to be able to be a little less vigilant about making sure strangers don't touch my dog... Thoughts??
In case it matters, the plan is basically to set up scenarios where people that Wes is familiar with, but doesn't know well, increasingly get closer to Wesley while Wesley is sitting by me (or DH or the trainer). Wesley is rewarded for not breaking his sit/not reacting in any way as people walk at him, past him, around him, brush into him, approach head on with eye contact, and all other sorts of stuff until they finally pet him/bend over him all with no reaction. No reaction gets praise and rewards and a reaction gets an "uh uh" and a redirection to another round of obedience commands... at a "safer" distance.
I am really nervous, but I also badly want Wes to succeed. He has come so far (just today we saw his best dog friend's human on the street and Wes went right in for pets and treats - we often train the two dogs together in the park and he knows that where Robbie is, treats are sure to be) and he is such a markedly better and happier dog than he was... but I really don't want to mess anything up and worsen the problem.
Thanks everyone - and sorry so long!!