My standard poodle?

Question

she is very territorial at my house and on walks. my family cant afford a trainer at this time. she will bark and growl and snarl at any other dog or person or animal that walks by our car, house, or near us when we are out on walks. last time she did this she ended up putting her paw through the window. what should i do about this cause i am starting to get worried about her behavior. please give me some suggestions. she is 5 years old

thanks, beccaboo

Answer 1

is she spayed???

YES you can afford a trainer.. lessons are CHEAP.. infact 8 weeks of lessons is probably cheaper than one month internet.. which obviously you can afford.

http://www.gomestic.com/Pets/To-Spay-or-...

Answer 2

This sort of behavior really should have the help of an animal behaviorist.  But, this is a common problem, and there is a very standard answer to this.  You might want to look up dog behavior help on the internet to find a more detailed answer than what I am giving you.

what you need to do teach a behavior that the dog will do 100% of the time, where you say the word, and the dog does it, not thinking.  Usually this is a "Watch" command where the dog focuses on you.

So when another person or dog walks by your house, you say watch, even before that person or dog is close enough to set off your poodle.  You are replacing a bad behavior, with good.

This type of training requires vigilance.  It means that when you can't watch your dog, you have all access to the front windows closed to the poodle.  And that on walks, you try to avoid other dogs, unless you are training, and houses with dogs.

But, once the dog starts barking and growling, she's not going to listen to you, so you need to make sure you are catching this before your poodle is set off.  

Eventually the dog will automatically look at you when she sees another dog or person - that is the behavior you are going for.