# Barking at joggers!



## WaggyTail (Aug 11, 2009)

Help!

I have a 2 year old lab doberman cross - Honey, she is rescue and we have had her a year and a half.

This morning I walked her as normal, same park, same time (on lead). As we were walking a jogger came past, the same jogger came past twice and Honey didn't bat an eyelid. Third time the jogger came past and Honey barked and jumped up, as Honey was barking the jogger moved their arm back in a jogging motion and Honey caught the joggers elbow with jaw. The jogger rightly wasn't very happy. I apologised and explained it wasn't in an aggressive manner.  She has done it a couple of times before but never connected with the jogger. This morning was just an accident as the jogger moved their arm as Honey barked.

I spoke to my friend and their dog also barks and jumps up at joggers. Does anyone know why dogs do this? Any ideas why Honey was fine when the jogger went past twice before but not the third? Is it a warning sign? :

I want to get this sorted and train her not to do it however I can only correct her when a jogger is near and cant always guarantee a jogger on every walk. Any ideas or techniques how to train her to stop?

Any suggestions welcome as I do not want another episode like this morning! :frown:


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## RobD-BCactive (Jul 1, 2010)

WaggyTail said:


> I spoke to my friend and their dog also barks and jumps up at joggers. Does anyone know why dogs do this? Any ideas why Honey was fine when the jogger went past twice before but not the third? Is it a warning sign? :
> 
> I want to get this sorted and train her not to do it however I can only correct her when a jogger is near and cant always guarantee a jogger on every walk. Any ideas or techniques how to train her to stop?


In this case it sounds like due to bulding excitement, there can be other reasons for barking at oncoming joggers, but your dog wasn't feeling threatened or been chasing them so it doesn't sound like fear or predatory chase behaviour is involved.

To reduce the issue you need to give Honey something else to focus on, and reward for staying calm. It sounds like the "Watch Me!" comamnd would be most appropriate like Victoria Stillwell often uses, where you teach the dog to give you eye contact. Practice it in quiet spot like garden at first, then in park with more distractions, then as joggers go past in distance, finally take her a little off to the side and away from fixating on them. Reward for the eye contact and calm behaviour, gradually lengthening the time watching required.

The idea is to minimise the attention given to ppl running by, and avoid making a big deal out of it. At same time, if they run past on narrow path, you may be best to turn round and have Honey sitting looking at you, so she doesn't have time to get worked up enough to lunge up.

Needless to say, whilst you're working on this, you should try to avoid joggers if you're with your friend's dog, or they'll possibly reinforce each other.


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## Sled dog hotel (Aug 11, 2010)

Was the jogger coming towards you, or did he come up from behind? You just say he passed you. Ive found its mainly if they run up from behind. It happened to me once in the street, I didnt hear him coming (probably because of the running shoes) and he suddenly appeared right on top of us,which made be jump out of my skin, he then passed within inches and one of mine barked jumped and air snapped, to which I got a lot of abuse for, and which he got a lot of back for being an idiot, running up fast from behind and not giving any margin of space to two dogs. So if one of the times he approached from behind when she snapped, that may explain it.

If all the times were approacing from in front, she might have coped the first couple of times, but by the 3rd he may have been closer and/ or she was so stimulated and aroused by then it was fearful or hyper excitement.

Maybe the best thing to do would be to make a positive association with joggers and teach her a new learned behaviour when they are around. Starting at a distance, with a wide margin, getting her attention with treats, getting her to sit and watch you. and either rapidly giving something yummy of individual treats, or the cheese spread in the tube. Just a small squeeze and a lick, usually works out pretty self focusing as most love it so much they become engrossed trying to get more, just licking the tube.
As you get more success and stays focused, you can then decrease the margin of space between you and the joggers, as she gets used to and more comfortable with them about.


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## RobD-BCactive (Jul 1, 2010)

Sled dog hotel said:


> Was the jogger coming towards you, or did he come up from behind? You just say he passed you. Ive found its mainly if they run up from behind


Having been a runner in past, I never noticed a pattern to reaction from dogs, and there were very many jogger-reactive dogs in those days as there were far fewer until the Marathons got going, so pups were not habituated to ppl running by.

It wasn't uncommon to have 2 off leash dogs to run over in hunting patterns one coming each side (mostly front & behind). Almost all of my friends in Athletic club got bit at some point, and I saw a few dogs get kicked. But I just would end up having shouting arguments at the clueless and ineffectual owners if it ended in a stand off, they just did not understand how close their dog had been to biting and were often acting like I'd come in to the park to take on their dogs!

It is *not* practical to say, joggers or runners should stop or slow down, because it defeats the whole object of aerobic endurance training.


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## RobD-BCactive (Jul 1, 2010)

Sled dog hotel said:


> Maybe the best thing to do would be to make a positive association with joggers and teach her a new learned behaviour when they are around


I considered that angle, but it seemed to me there wasn't evidence of a negative association in the post, it was more about keeping things calm and learning to ignore them.


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## Emmastace (Feb 11, 2011)

RobD-BCactive said:


> It is *not* practical to say, joggers or runners should stop or slow down, because it defeats the whole object of aerobic endurance training.


Was it such a narrow corridor like park that the jogger couldn't have veered off slightly if they are coming up from behind and then passed the dog with a reasonable amount of room?


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## RobD-BCactive (Jul 1, 2010)

No it was a school playing field where that would mostly happen, wide open with an athletics track in it and probably a dozen football pitches. People would take their dogs on there, to have a run around together, and then they'd spot something to chase in distance and go for it.

Needless to say, now a days dogs are banned completely from that area and confined to about 1/2 of the park.

If there's room, everyone I've seen naturally does try and avoid a close pass of dogs, but you can't rely on that it's better to teach the dog to ignore such passers by.


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## Sled dog hotel (Aug 11, 2010)

RobD-BCactive said:


> Having been a runner in past, I never noticed a pattern to reaction from dogs, and there were very many jogger-reactive dogs in those days as there were far fewer until the Marathons got going, so pups were not habituated to ppl running by.
> 
> It wasn't uncommon to have 2 off leash dogs to run over in hunting patterns one coming each side (mostly front & behind). Almost all of my friends in Athletic club got bit at some point, and I saw a few dogs get kicked. But I just would end up having shouting arguments at the clueless and ineffectual owners if it ended in a stand off, they just did not understand how close their dog had been to biting and were often acting like I'd come in to the park to take on their dogs!
> 
> It is *not* practical to say, joggers or runners should stop or slow down, because it defeats the whole object of aerobic endurance training.


The one and only situation that it has happened to me was on a pavement in the street, the idiot came running up from behind, unheard by myself, which made me jump out of my skin, it was a pavement and he gave no margin as he passed at all. Plus I had 2 dogs with me. Then started the abuse because he was the one who had illicited the fearful reaction both in myself and one of my dogs. In this case I dont think I could be called a clueless and ineffectual owner, when it was in a public street on a pavement and he approached silently from behind. If he was more worried about defeating the object of his aerobic endurance training, rather than exercise a bit of the old common sense, then in this instance it wasnt exactly my problem. In fact he was lucky I didnt bite him on the a**e instead of the dogs.


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## RobD-BCactive (Jul 1, 2010)

Sled dog hotel said:


> The one and only situation that it has happened to me was on a pavement in the street, the idiot came running up from behind, unheard by myself, which made me jump out of my skin, it was a pavement and he gave no margin as he passed at all. Plus I had 2 dogs with me


Everyone I knew would have left the pavement and taken to the edge of the road in that situation 

I've passed loads and loads of dogs with their owners, and the main pattern I noticed was 2+ dogs off leash. Occasionally I'd have singleton dogs chase after me, but they usually give up knackered soon enough without the boost of a companion.

I never had a problem passing dogs in situation you mention, but perhaps that was partly because I was reading them, and take care not to have nasty surprises, perhaps calling out a warning if it seemed best to warn the dog walker.


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## WaggyTail (Aug 11, 2009)

The jogger did not come from behind, they were approaching from the front. However they were slightly closer than the previous times. Honey did not seem to be aggressive as the bark wasnt her usual deep warning bark.

Honey was busy sniffing as the jogger approached so maybe she was startled.

Thank you all for your advice and tips. 

She has run after joggers before but given up after a while. I dont know if she thinks its a game and she has to chase the jogger or not. 

I think joggers do sometimes seem to appear from nowhere as you can not hear them approaching due to the running shoes, calling a warning would be very handy to alert dogs and their owners.


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