How to humanely train my older dog to trust strangers and walk?

You can use a head harness, such as a Gentle Leader or Halti, to exert more control and to easily redirect Bruno away from any stimuli. Work with a trainer to reinforce basic commands, especially "sit", "stay" and "leave it".

Hi, thanks for using PetCoach! You should start with one on one training and NO walks until he is trained. Hire a trainer. Use positive reinforcement and train him to "sit, "heal" on a leash, "look," and "leave it." Also get him used to the gentle leader harness that goes on the muzzle, this allows for amazing head control. Once he is used to the harness and is able to listen to you at home, practice outside on a leash. When people approach ask him to "look" at you and sit. When he does this and ignores the person passing by he gets a treat and verbal praise. You can do this with people you know first. This will take A LOT of time and effort on your part but it should help. https://www.petco.com/shop/SearchDisplay?categoryId=&storeId=10151&catalogId=10051&langId=-1&sType=SimpleSearch&resultCatEntryType=2&showResultsPage=true&searchSource=Q&pageView=&beginIndex=0&pageSize=24&fromPageValue=search&searchTerm=gentle+leader&omnitureEnabled=false&cm_sp=SearchSuggest-_-gentle+leader-_-Location&searchsuggestion_keyword=gentle+leader I wish you and Bruno the best!

Poor pup! Lots of dogs have this problem, and it's definitely something that can be improved. The basic treatment plan for this issue involves teaching your dog to associate good things (usually treats!) with seeing people and other dogs. You need to start at a distance where he is able to notice them without immediately reacting - so depending on how severe his problem is, you may need a lot of distance at first! Every time he looks at a person or another dog, praise and reward with a treat. If he's barking or not interested in the treats, this means you're too close - back up a bit to where he's comfortable, and try again. It can be hard to do this on your own at first, so I would strongly recommend making an appointment with a veterinary behaviorist or a good reward-based trainer to work with you in person. He/she can help you set up controlled training situations at first to practice, until you and your dog are both comfortable with how things are going. Punishment of any kind is not recommended for this behavior, as it only makes the dog more anxious and worsens the problem over time - steer clear of any trainer who recommends corrections for this behavior. You can search for a board-certified veterinary behaviorist in your area here (www.dacvb.org) or a qualified trainer here (www.ccpdt.org).

Well Bruno is still very young and learning how to behave. I would recommend getting a trainer involved to help you with basic commands (sit, come,stay). Also waking on a leash takes time. Try and use positive rewards like treats.

Poor Bongo! I bet the amount of people being around was overwhelming to him. Heck- it overwhelms me. If he has a good food drive, I would recommend using that to train him. It is best to use one person st a time. Make sure they have a yummy treat- something he only gets during training. Have the person walk by & gently toss the food to him & keep walking. No telling or staring at him. He will start to associate yummy treat with people. Have the person move closer if Bongo isn’t responding. The person holding Bongo’s leash needs to remain calm and praise positive behavior & ignore unwanted behavior. When he has that down- have him sit & allow the person to hand him the treat (make sure you trust that person). I would not place him in situations with large numbers of strangers for a while. I would also recommend a good basic obedience class-it will help him learn in a group setting. Thanks for reaching out to Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Hi, thanks for using PetCoach! Lucci's behavior is common. He is still young and you can still work on this. I would take him to a trainer to have him learn the "leave it" and "look" commands. I would purchase a gentle leader face harness and use that on walks. Do not take him off the leash around other dogs or children until he listens to you perfectly. Little breed dogs are loud and they bark. Some are more pushy with their dominance and you will need to figure out how much Lucci will exhibit these behaviors as he grows up and reaches social/behavioral maturity (up to 3 years of age). I recommend you get aggressive with training and using professionals. Good luck! https://www.petsmart.com/dog/collars-harnesses-and-leashes/training-collars-leashes-and-harnesses/petsafe-gentle-leader-training-dog-collar-8851.html

Bruno will continue to be friendly towards strangers if he is introduced to them on a regular basis. If you truly are using him to be a guard dog rather than a companion or family pet, having him spend time with lots of strangers is not going to make him effective at performing his job. This will make him well-socialized and ultimately a friendly well adjusted dog. If you haven't already considered it, I would recommend looking into Schutzhund training. There is a ton of literature and media on this available, which will demonstrate how to train Bruno into being a good protector. German Shepherds are generally better dogs when they have a job do, and this type of training will provide just that type of stimulation.