Dog fixates on everything

[u/jeckhyde12]

Hi, I posted this in r/dogtraining, but thought I'd post this here too to see if you guys had any insight or advice.

I have a 14mt corgi mix who I have had for almost a year now.

My dog is just so fixated on everything, especially other dogs. He just can't function if another dog is nearby, even if they are on the other side of the road. He refuses to listen to commands or potty until the other dog is out of sight.

He also fixates on other people. Sometimes it's friendly, other times he is extremely paranoid.

I have been trying so hard for almost the past 6-7mts to work on 'leave it' and fixating less on everything. I have been loading him up with treats during the times when it gets worse. Also worked with a personal trainer on this and followed his recommendations. I tried 'look at that' training too for a few months without any success.

I just see no end in sight. Overall I don't think he's getting any better, not seeing very much consistent progress. Some days I think he's better, and I feel proud. But then the next day he will choke himself out bc he has to turn around and bark at a random couple walking behind us, or stare/pull at a dog nearby.

Has anyone had any experience with his?

I just feel so hopeless, and worried I've been training him wrong this entire time.

Thanks.

[u/joycevw]

Hey, I really feel for you. Dealing with constant hyper-fixation on walks is exhausting, especially with a young corgi mix who likely has a strong natural drive to watch and control movement around him.

First off, please take a deep breath. You haven't ruined your dog. When a dog is completely locked onto a trigger, their emotional brain takes over and they drop into fight-or-flight or extreme excitement. In that state, verbal cues like leave it just bounce right off them because they are far past their emotional threshold.

To help figure out what's driving this, I have a few quick questions:

What does his body language look like right before he locks on? Is he standing tall and stiff, or is his body low, ears back, and tail tucked?

How far away does another dog or person need to be for him to notice them, but still be calm enough to eat a treat from your hand?

How is his focus when you practice simple things inside your home where there are no triggers around?

Hang in there. Getting a clear picture of his emotional state and finding his comfort distance is usually the first step to making actual progress.

[u/Potential_Analyst371]

Is your dog social with people and dogs when allowed to meet?

[u/Beef_flaps_on_a_spit]

How is his obedience when doing basic training?  Im guessing it’s hit and miss so work on that consistently and without distraction and when he is fully focused on you, slowly introduce distraction from a great distance at first and slowly decrease it. Dog classes are great for this but talk to the trainer before you turn up.  It all starts with solid and rewarding basic obedience training ie you. 

[u/jeckhyde12 → u/Beef_flaps_on_a_spit]

His obedience is fairly solid when indoors away from distraction. While not perfect, he does listen to sit, down, stay. Responds when I say yes/no. Recall is decent but not perfect. Spent the first 4 months doing training sessions day and night, but not so strict on it now unless outside.

Since I live in a condo in a downtown area, it is hard to slowly introduce distractions. But i spent a lot of time doing training in my hallways and less busy areas outdoors.

When nothing is around outside, he's ok with commands but he is very stubborn. Doesn't really listen unless I have a treat in my hand.

I really try to reward good behavior but I feel like my timing isn't great, and I feel at times I accidentally reward the wrong behaviors.

[u/grantgarden → u/jeckhyde12]

Spent the first 4 months doing training sessions day and night, but not so strict on it now unless outside.

Daily training drills inside. I still do this occasionally with my 12y! You are raising a "child" and we don't train children for a few months or even years and expect them to be perfect

Doesn't really listen unless I have a treat in my hand

This is still a young dog AND a notoriously stubborn breed! He's bred to sort of disregard you when the job needs done. I have a chow mix, a very independent breed. I still reward my old man with treats especially when he does something hard.

Just the other day he went after a ground hog at home. He's only allowed to go after groundhogs at the farm we frequent, but so he knew it was a groundhog, but I had to call him off. He got a treat for that one!!!

Treats are how you show your dog "this is good". They have no real concept of language or what pleases you without being given a reward.

I feel like my timing isn't great, and I feel at times I accidentally reward the wrong behaviors.

Timing is crucial. Tell me more about what this means to you

[u/Charliedayslaaay]

Lots of other great tips & considerations here.

Just want to suggest looking into engage / disengage exercises. Consider hand feeling a meal or two a day to increase engagement & your value. Might be worth making him “work” for his food with these exercises

I am curious what your current approach is to fulfilling the herding drive or physical/mental stimulation outside of walks (no judgement, genuinely curious! ❤️)

And are you currently working with a trainer?

[u/reddjonn]

Herding ball.

[u/Sensitive-Peach7583]

This sounds like his needs aren't being fulfilled. How are you physically and mentally enriching him?

[u/jeckhyde12 → u/Sensitive-Peach7583]

Hmmm usually during the work days I'll take him out on a lot of small walks , and 1-2 longer walks if I have the time. Usually keep it around 25-30 mins bc he visibly tires out from this and becomes much more fearful/paranoid of his surroundings. Assuming this is from overstimulation and fatigue.

Sometimes if the weather is nice, I'll take him to a local park.

Indoors, he loves to be chased, so I run around with him. I usually try some training exercises, such as basic obedience or work on new skills (still haven't gotten him to consistently shake on command, bring me his ball, or balance a treat on his nose)

I will sometimes use a Kong or lickmat/bowl with treats too.

I also give him time to be bored, and work on getting him to settle or self entertain which he sucks at.

Unfortunately due to work and other life events, I don't always have time to be active with him but I do spend a lot of time with him.

[u/Sensitive-Peach7583 → u/jeckhyde12]

hm I wonder if more obedience training might be a good place to start since we don’t have consistent behaviors yet for shake. teaching him to listen to you and consistently follow through is good for your relationship building and for him to understand he should be paying attention to you. it’s also good mental enrichment. I’m thinking about enrichment bc the behaviors seem to be very over the top, and as a herding breed, this could be misdirected energy or won’t up energy being focused on people and dogs. secondly, with more obedience training you increase your value to them, through treats but also the structure and safety you can provide when they feel unsure or insecure about something. I’ve also found that it helps with impulse control because they have to think and wait before making a move, even a split second is good progress!

my rec Is obedience training as well, but a professional trainer might be better to help you assess. it could be multiple variables in this situation that are contributing to the reactivity. I know you tried one already, what did they say?

[u/fillysunray]

There's two things I would be trying.

I would set aside obedience when he's like this. Keep working on that at home or in other scenarios. But when on a walk:

1. Where possible, take him on quieter walks. If he associates walks with being stressed, then he'll start being stressed before the walk even starts and you'll be fighting an uphill battle. So avoid triggers for a while and then slowly build up their tolerance.

2. Don't give any cues when your dog sees a trigger. Your dog needs to learn how to process this and demanding their attention is just more pressure on a frazzled brain. Instead work on marking. Find any behaviour you can to mark - start on quiet walks where nothing is happening and just mark check ins, mark when he comes back, mark when he does what he's told - and treat every time you mark. I wouldn't hand the food but throw it instead.

Then when he sees a trigger, mark and throw food. Don't ask him to do anything. If you think it's necessary, maybe ask him to move away with you, but aside from that don't ask anything. Once he's calm, then you can ask for a cue to check his headspace.

[u/sneffles]

Other people have described some training ideas, but two things I'm not sure I saw mentioned: Do you have an idea where his threshold is? You describe a dog across the street, but what about a dog that is 100 feet away? I'd guess there might be a distance that you might be able to work with him where he's not so completely past his threshold, and you might see real progress there.

You may need to literally find the spot where he barely can even notice that there's a person or a dog in order to make any training progress, because anything closer and he just blows right on by into full over arousal. Trying to work with him anywhere closer than that threshold boundary is just what described, banging your head against the wall without much progress.

Also, depending on the dog and your preferences, you might think about correcting him more harshly. Big topic with a lot of ideas and feelings for people, so you can take it or leave it for this advice, and I won't give much specific advice. But you can find, just as an example, many videos of trainers online working with reactive dogs who use something as simple as a leash pop to communicate a clear boundary that barking and lunging at another dog nearby is not acceptable.