How to teach a dog to ignore other dogs on walks?

Nathaniel Greenfelder
2025-07-27 06:34:46
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: 13
Teach them a Watch Me exercise randomly throughout the day. Start where there are no distractions, and your dog isn’t doing something else. Say their name enthusiastically and when they look at you reward them with a high value treat. Once they can do this reliably, practise this everywhere – always rewarding them.
Avoid places with many dogs, start training your dog the Watch Me exercise in a quiet place indoors where it’s just the two of you.
Once you know how to get your dog to start responding to their name by giving you their attention, you can start using this technique in the presence of other dogs. Start off a long distance from them – beyond the point where your dog would usually react. All you want your dog to do is look at you, and you will reward this.
Slowly build this up to being able to do it at closer proximity but never too close that your dog feels that they need to react to the other dog.
Always use high value treats to reward them for paying attention to you and not the other dog.
Practice is key, remember that patience is very important when training any dog and you shouldn’t expect instant results.
It is about being consistent and training each step very slowly and practising a lot.

Stefan Eichmann
2025-07-13 18:21:23
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: 28
You can train a dog to ignore other dogs by following these steps: 1. Prepare the right equipment. Dog owners can use positive body language and treats to teach a dog how to sit and stay when called and to obey you when around other dogs. Use a collar and leash with which the dog feels comfortable. Have treats your dog loves and a clicker for helping your dog know when they have done something right. Take a walk with no distractions, begin by taking a normal walk with your dog where there are no other dogs around. Every so often, stop and call your dog’s name, reward your dog and use your clicker if they look at you and remain calm, but turn away and withhold the reward if they don’t. Once you have trained your dog to stop, calm down, and leave objects alone while on walks, you can begin slowly walking around other dogs at a distance. Use your clicker and high-value treats to bring their attention back to you when you notice them getting distracted by the other dog’s in the distance. Over the course of multiple days and dog walks, begin moving closer to other dogs while still using positive reinforcement to bring their attention back to you when distracted.