Issues on morning walk.

TheresaW

TheresaW

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Am not sure if anyone can help or offer advice, but here goes.

Our morning walks with Bo and Luna are not pleasant. They start off fine, then something will trigger them and they will have a scrap with each other, Bo will start barking (at 6am), and if they see a person or other dog, all hell breaks loose, including going for each other. For the last week or so, 2 of us have been taking them out, and we split up and all is fine. Sometimes meet on way back or pass on route, and they are fine with each other.

We have absolutely no issues with them at home, they get on great. Play with each other indoors and in the garden. They come up the horses with me every evening where we go for a nice long walk in the woods and they are fine with each other and fine with other dogs and people. Bo is generally off lead unless horses about, Luna on a long lead all the time. If D is at home, he will also walk them mid afternoon, and he says they are ok then together. He takes them a bit further where he can let Bo off for a bit. We do think Bo is nervous around the roads, but the morning walk traffic is pretty quiet and there aren’t that many people about. (I didn’t see anyone this morning with Luna). OH had Bo and said they passed 2 other dogs, one he completely ignored, the other he had a growl at.

Any ideas anyone? Walking them apart of a morning isn’t really a problem for now, but there may come a time when only one of us is about for whatever reason.

They really are best friends at all other times, although if I were Bo I would find Luna quite annoying sometimes.
 
I've no help but didn't want to not reply.
The only thing I would say is don't let him bark and get wound up, they have to accept seeing other dogs, it is a fact of life. How to stop it with two breeds I know little about I can't help you with.
I wouldn't leave the house until they are calm though, no pulling you through the door and heading off. If they need to go out in the garden for 10 minutes to go if they are busting I would do that, then don't set out on your walk until they are sitting quietly. (Is that even possible with a husky!?). When we had terriers that were kennelled, all workers and pretty feisty, thery had to sit and wait until they were told they could come out. On bad days we never actually got a walk in! (Not very often and mainly when a new one came).
Good luck.
 
They do go out in the garden before we go out. She likes a wee before breakfast, he likes to eat first and then go out and do his business.

They are calm as we go out. This morning, she launched herself at a bird, he started barking, and then that was it. We were only together for about 2 mins before splitting up.

She will sit quietly if my right hand is in my pocket as she knows that’s where a treat might come from. (She doesn’t get treats every 5 mins though).
 
CorvusCorax said:
Just sounds like he is a bit overloaded after resting all evening and is venting on her as she is nearest thing to vent on. I'd continue taking them out alone or go and chuck a ball or do a bit of training with him for five or ten minutes first to take the fizz out of him.
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I did wonder a bit if it was a case of lots of energy first thing. Both sleep like the dead. Can do a bit of play before the walk and see if that helps, and continue as we are going separate ways. If there is a lack of confidence being on the roads for him, maybe being one to one of a morning might help?
 
Thinking about what our 2 Rotters are like at home - never on a walk, I would think that he is probably wanting to stop her playing with the bird (in this case), because he feels that it should be his. We send ours inside but I think you walking strategy is probably best in the circumstances. I appreciate that you are probably working round your employment but what would happen if the first walk of the day was later?
 
My two collies were like this. It always started with the one that was nervous of other dogs and then the other would go for him. They did grow out of it, but I think that’s because the nervous one got more confident. I’ve no advice really as we walked them separately too.
 
TheresaW said:
I did wonder a bit if it was a case of lots of energy first thing. Both sleep like the dead. Can do a bit of play before the walk and see if that helps, and continue as we are going separate ways. If there is a lack of confidence being on the roads for him, maybe being one to one of a morning might help?
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If he's a collie then car reactivity would not be uncommon. Considering what they are bred for and the lifestyle they are meant for and if you consider things from his eye level...cars may be quite worrying.
It may also be that your OH has a calmer energy and you don't know what barely perceptible (to us) vibes and body language either you, or Luna, or both, are transmitting to him. It wouldn't bother me to walk them separately if it helps, especially if it is only one walk a day, I have to do everything with mine separately with no OH to help lol, you get used to it.
 
He also was never walked in his previous life, so has seen nothing of the world, let alone a town. He is (T knows this) coping very well overall.

Good idea about chucking a ball for 10 minutes in the garden, but an even better one to do seperate walks while you can. Join the seperate walk club! :-)
 
Clodagh said:
He also was never walked in his previous life, so has seen nothing of the world, let alone a town. He is (T knows this) coping very well overall.

Good idea about chucking a ball for 10 minutes in the garden, but an even better one to do seperate walks while you can. Join the seperate walk club! :)
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Ah that makes sense.

The Separate Walk Club - 'We're Physically Broken, But At Least The Dogs Are Happy'
 
Pearlsasinger said:
Thinking about what our 2 Rotters are like at home - never on a walk, I would think that he is probably wanting to stop her playing with the bird (in this case), because he feels that it should be his. We send ours inside but I think you walking strategy is probably best in the circumstances. I appreciate that you are probably working round your employment but what would happen if the first walk of the day was later?
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We do walk around work during the week. Of a weekend we don’t tend to walk early, we go out and about with them and it’s fine. Could try of a weekend taking them out where we go during the week a bit later and see what happens.

Thanks all of you for your help. We will see how we get on.
 
CorvusCorax said:
Ah that makes sense.

The Separate Walk Club - 'We're Physically Broken, But At Least The Dogs Are Happy'
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Thank goodness I don't do it every day, well only the pup and that is 2 minutes. I only do the whole seperate walk thing for the big dogs 3 times a week.
 
are morning walks always the on-lead ones? many dogs can be different when on lead- where as I think you said most of your afternoon/evening walks bo is off lead?

my collie will sometimes what I describe as 'tell off' my lab- basically if he does something she won't do and stresses her out- so if he goes swimming! (she will on rare occasions in certain places but in general does not like to not feel the ground where as he will happily swim). when he gets out of the water she snaps and barks and chases him.
 
Yes, mornings both are on normal leads. Mother of Chickens has messaged me and she has also mentioned the “telling off” that Collies do, so something else I will keep at the front of my mind. We will continue separate walks in the mornings for now anyway as much more pleasurable for us all.

We’ve had a lovely walk this evening. Met 2 spaniels which were both off lead, so I called him back but didn’t put him on lead and they had a sniff of each other (Luna ignored them, too busy watching the pheasants across the field), and we went on our way.
 
pippixox said:
my collie will sometimes what I describe as 'tell off' my lab- basically if he does something she won't do and stresses her out- so if he goes swimming! (she will on rare occasions in certain places but in general does not like to not feel the ground where as he will happily swim). when he gets out of the water she snaps and barks and chases him.
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all of my collies have been nicknamed the fun police!
 
pippixox said:
Yes! It makes me laugh. I’m sure the lab sometimes weighs up if the telling off after will be worth it or not! But then other times he teases her by taking a ball even though he won’t play fetch, where as classic collie, she loves balls and fetch.
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haha, yes-nothing annoys Fitz more than Quarrie keeping the ball and rolling on it or just chomping on it to make it squeak-he does fetch too but am sure he does it on purpose to annoy Fitz.
 
Who starts it? It does sound like something I see reasonably regularly in border collies when they are over-aroused by something (which could be other dogs, people, livestock, traffic etc) and it can escalate quickly into redirected aggression at another dog/handler/kennel door or whatever is at hand.

Doing some play or training before a walk and walking separately for now (so it doesn't become habit forming) is probably a good idea. It would help if you could work out what the triggers are and then habituate the dog to whatever is exciting/unnerving him/her.
 
CorvusCorax said:
Ah that makes sense.

The Separate Walk Club - 'We're Physically Broken, But At Least The Dogs Are Happy'
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I used to scoff at this, umtil the searching for dogs in very dark woods overnight incident. I avoided stress by walking big dog and Bear together, non-reactive (unless another dog touches him or threatens his brother, Bear is fine) then Zak alone. It's fine at weekends, hard work on winter days. I was told to walk/train litter mates separately: I presume only in initial stages.
 
Moobli said:
Who starts it? It does sound like something I see reasonably regularly in border collies when they are over-aroused by something (which could be other dogs, people, livestock, traffic etc) and it can escalate quickly into redirected aggression at another dog/handler/kennel door or whatever is at hand.

Doing some play or training before a walk and walking separately for now (so it doesn't become habit forming) is probably a good idea. It would help if you could work out what the triggers are and then habituate the dog to whatever is exciting/unnerving him/her.
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He usually starts it by barking and straining on the lead, then they go for each other. The last time it happened, and I think she saw a bird and got excited. Other times, a dog barking in a garden will trigger it off. We’ve been walking separately in the mornings since I posted, and both have been fine. Yesterday I took him for a short stretch along the main road to see how he reacted, and he was fine. Didn’t seem at all bothered by the traffic, cars and a few small lorries, he just walked along with his nose to the ground.

This morning he was a little reactive when he heard a distant dog barking, turning and snapping at his lead, but settled quickly.
 
CorvusCorax said:
Everything becomes normal eventually.
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God, I'm so praying this is true. Every day is still like the first day of Spring for the daft Willow person. In the house, she's a different dog. No more pinching, chewing or general naughtiness but outside; oh my days, EVERYTHING IS STILL SOOOOOO EXCITING!!!! All in those big bold capital letters :)

As someone very knowledgeable pointed out to me at the weekend though, she's had a lot longer to get used to the house.
 
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