Extreme focus - ignores all commands

[nokim]

My pup is about 4-5 months old, and iv had him for close to 1 month, i walk him every day for 30-45min, and i have been trainning him almost every day for a few minutes.

He knows the commands,come, sit, stay, down, speak, roll over etc, he learned them amazingly fast.

however when i take him out walking i tend to run into kids, adults dogs etc.
When this happens 1 of 2 things happens..
1. he gets happy and friendly and forgets commands exist because its like he doesnt even hear my voice any more and he just focuses on keeping track of everyone around him

or
2.his tail goes under, and he gets into this fearful, agressive state, he wont move he will just stay there usually without any noice but once or twiceiv heard this low growl.

in both cases he gets so focused that he wont listen to a simple command like sit, no responce what soever when i say his name, its like he is in a trance and i can't snap him out of it.Has anybody dealt with this? is there an easy way to snap his mind out of it and back into hearing mode?

 

[TwoDogs]

Is there an easy way to snap his mind out of it and back into hearing mode?

The short answer is "no" there is not easy way. Your pup has no impulse control and is completely guided by his emotions right now. Happy and excited by some things, scared and nervous of others.

It is way too much to expect a pup of that age to not be excited and lose his head. Instead of asking for a sit when he greets people, just work on him not jumping up on them. That's probably more along the lines of what he can handle right now. He can wiggle, he can squirm, but if he jumps up on them remove him immediately (or remove the kids immediately). Soon he'll learn that if he wants to greet them, he should keep his feet on the ground. Once he's learned that lesson, you can work on tougher stuff like remaining seated while someone greets him.

As for the tucked tail and growling--that means he's scared. If he does this, don't pressure him. He shouldn't have to meet people or dogs that make him nervous. Hes not being disobedient, just scared. Don't punish him for growling either--he can't help it if he's scared, he just is. Your job is to help him realize there is nothing to be scared about. Help him do this by letting him observe the scary thing (person, object, or dog) from afar and only approach it if he wants to. If he chooses to approach it, sniff it, or interact with it then praise him well and then move on. Certainly don't try and make him sit there and endure it. He'll only learn not to trust you.

 

[EllieKem]

I'm not sure what your training philosophies are but I try to never leave the house without treats. I typically carry dog food as treats but in class situations, or places where I know they won't be able to listen, I carry extra special treats. I like to use the Natural B. logs of "meat" or hotdogs. That may help you redirect and reward for listening (if possible ) when compeeting with children.

 

[brucemcq]

Samesies

My Bruce does the same thing. What I don't understand is that sometimes he isn't that bad. Around my family and my husband's family I can still enjoy him. But when neighbors and friends come to the house he goes absolutely insane. What is the difference? Is it in the way they hold themselves or something? I haven't seen any difference in the excitement in how they greet him. I want him to be one of those dogs people are happy to visit. How do we work that way? Sorry to intrude on this thread but I have been having the same problems. He also acts scared sometimes...mostly around kids which is a little worrying. Looking forward to more advice.

 

[TwoDogs]

My Bruce does the same thing. What I don't understand is that sometimes he isn't that bad. Around my family and my husband's family I can still enjoy him. But when neighbors and friends come to the house he goes absolutely insane. What is the difference? Is it in the way they hold themselves or something? I haven't seen any difference in the excitement in how they greet him. I want him to be one of those dogs people are happy to visit. How do we work that way? Sorry to intrude on this thread but I have been having the same problems. He also acts scared sometimes...mostly around kids which is a little worrying. Looking forward to more advice.

How old is Bruce? How often do you have non-family visitors to the house? How often does Bruce meet people outside of the home environment?

 

[brucemcq]

Bruce is just about 6 mo. He does not meet new people very often. Saying that, he does not even meet family very often. He actually was JUST introduced to my family this last week. Outside of the home I take him on walks daily. I have not actually had people walk up to me but we walk by people regularly. He gets excited when the pass of course. I try to put him in a sit and he actually does well until they are walking RIGHT by. He does like to watch them until they are quite a distance away though.

 

[brucemcq]

H actually did alright today when my friend came over though. Woohoo! He jumped a few times but was actually able to just wiggle a lot of the time and play with his own toys. Proud of the progress!