Fighting over who gets walked first

[tastubbs]

My newest rescue Tyson and Shaylea get into pretty bad fights right before walking. It started about 2 weeks ago. All I have to do is take the leash off the hook and Shaylea starts going after Tyson. I walk her first, so I don't understand what her problem could be. He gets pretty excited about the prospect of a walk and jumps around a lot, but he has done that since the first day I had him. Once she has had her walk, she is fine. Any ideas?

[gmacleod]

I'd make a couple of suggestions there. One of them is that when the dogs start getting excited and jumping around and/or attacking each other - you should calmly put the leash back on it's hook and turn round and leave the room. The prospective walk is cancelled in response to that behaviour. Instead, the leash will only be attached to the intended walkee when she/he sits nicely. After 20-30 cancelled walks, they will start to understand the rules and the need to control their behaviour

A second suggestion would be to separate the dogs before bringing out the leash. Once they've each leant the "rules" about calmly sitting nicely before the leash will be attached and the walk happen, then you've a better chance of being able to apply that with both dogs present (ie. they won't be egging each other on, or upsetting each other with the over-the-top excitement and leaping).

[tastubbs]

Thanks so much. It so often has to do with how we respond, doesn't it? I will try the first suggestion right away.

[Lola's mum]

It will work doing what gmac suggests as Lola always used to play stay away at walk time. Everytime the lead came out I had to chase her around to get it on. We had a 1 to 1 trainer at the time and he said when she does that just put the lead away and don't take her out, she wants to go she's just playing silly b*ggers. After 3 days she stopped doing it and would come to me.

[tastubbs]

Wow, three days. That is encouraging.