Can anyone give me ay tips on

jennifer4486

How to Socialize my 1 year old cocker spaniel. She doesn't like to be around other dogs. She barks like crazy but once a dog gets close she runs away. Any tips on how I can help her overcome her fear of other dogs?

lnelson

I am working on that very issue with my 3 year old havanese. You know who was really helpful, was Dawn Prentiss (she of Semper Fido, which is her dog-training business). She came to my house and hung out with Kilby and then we took a walk, and she observed and gave me some strategies. [email protected] is her email.

jennifer4486

Thank You - I was thinking that i may need to get a trainer.Can you give me an idea of her rates?

pmca

I had a consultation with Dawn Prentiss a while ago. I can't remember the cost but she was highly recommended to me and I found her very helpful and not at all pushy about dong more and more sessions. Check out her website and give her a call. A group class may be good (maybe after a private consultation) and then its not as expensive.

hunter.gatherer

Any trainer who would push multiple sessions is not doing his or her job. At least that's what I always say when setting up with a new dog - that if you need me to come more than a dozen times (max) I'm not doing my job. And that's for the more complicated cases - anxiety around other dogs is usually a (somewhat) simple problem.

That being said, a lot depends on the owner's willingness to be honest in answering questions that may lead to finding out where the dog's behavior comes from; and on the owner's following through on advice being given.

The first thing I try with a dog who has this issue is to keep him or her around other (always calm and nonreactive!) dogs, so s/he can see that other dogs are not an inherent threat.