We've been having the same problem with our 7 month old Dexter.....he just loves all people and dogs. When we see another person or dog approaching, we put him on a sit and watch command, so he is sitting and looking up at us. Once the focus sets in, we either tell him to stay until the people/dogs approach us, or we put him on a heel and continue walking until we pass.
It's a work in progress and being in his adolescent stage, it doesn't always work as desired. Right now, about half the time he sees people/dogs approaching he sits down on his own ( at the first sit command) and looks up at us for the next command.....and the other half of the time he goes crazy. Small victories and consistency, right?
We found that the town green is a good place to practice since there are many people walking back and forth, instead of one lone person passing on a walk. We find a bench to sit at, and reinforce with praise and treats when he waits for someone to come up to him, or ignores people walking by who or uninterested in his presence.
However, we are having a big problem with him being mouthy when people come up to pet him. It passes after a bit, but for the first 10 or so seconds all he wants to do is put their hand in his mouth. It's a light affectionate bite but people don't want their hands in a strange dogs mouth, and it scares little kids.
It's a work in progress and being in his adolescent stage, it doesn't always work as desired. Right now, about half the time he sees people/dogs approaching he sits down on his own ( at the first sit command) and looks up at us for the next command.....and the other half of the time he goes crazy. Small victories and consistency, right?
We found that the town green is a good place to practice since there are many people walking back and forth, instead of one lone person passing on a walk. We find a bench to sit at, and reinforce with praise and treats when he waits for someone to come up to him, or ignores people walking by who or uninterested in his presence.
However, we are having a big problem with him being mouthy when people come up to pet him. It passes after a bit, but for the first 10 or so seconds all he wants to do is put their hand in his mouth. It's a light affectionate bite but people don't want their hands in a strange dogs mouth, and it scares little kids.
