# Rescue Dog - Hyper Alert on Walks



## heikemiddleton (9 mo ago)

Hello, 
I recently got a beautiful rescue dog, we are told he is a Staffy X (with a Whippet & Ridgeback). He has a really kind nature, very cuddly and affectionate, loves people and is great with other dogs. 
At home, he is very well behaved and engaged with us - however when we go on walks, he goes on such high alert that any movement or sound gets his attention and he becomes uber focused on everything else except for us. He pulls a lot and we have been training him to come to heal with treats which he does sometimes, but other times he's so focused on everything else that it's hard to get his attention. We try to communicate with him through the lead - so when he pulls we stop walking and get him to come back to us, or lightly tug three times to get him to come back in. He comes back to heal sometimes, but I can tell his attention is still elsewhere. And if we see another dog or cat he pulls and lunges forward, he almost pulls me over and it's very hard to get him to disengage. 
He also walks with his down tail most of the time - not all the way down so it's tucked under but down with a little flick at the end. And usually his ears are flat back against his head until something piques his interest and then they go up and stands quite proud (but still with tail down). He has never displayed any form of aggression, in fact he is very submissive and I would say a bit scared of his surroundings. 
We are trying our best and really just want for him to feel comfortable when we are out and about. 
If anyone has any intel or advice, I would be happy to hear it. 
Thanks!


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## BigBlackDog (Jan 2, 2021)

Congratulations on your new dog! Interesting mix. My approach with a new dog is to spend lots of time teaching desired behaviors at home with very little distraction and lot of treats and praise and play. Taking a new dog out walking in a new neighborhood without this prior training is like trying to learn how to swim by jumping in the deepest end of the pool!

Walking your dog is good. But trying to initially teach new behaviors while out and about sets the poor dog up for failure. Take it slow and use distance to help the dog get used to things at a pace he can tolerate.

It's a marathon not a race/sprint.


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## katzanddog (9 mo ago)

Our new rescue dog is trained and is good on leash most of the time -- until he sees a squirrel, cat or bird. Then he freezes or lunges, and I cannot get his attention back to me. I've even tried crouching down in front of him to get him to look me in the eye, but he won't. Then he is hyper-vigilant for the rest of the walk looking for anything that moves. He is not timid, anxious or aggressive and is not afraid of his surroundings, but he cannot control himself around prey. I wish I knew the solution.


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## Lillith (Feb 16, 2016)

katzanddog said:


> Our new rescue dog is trained and is good on leash most of the time -- until he sees a squirrel, cat or bird. Then he freezes or lunges, and I cannot get his attention back to me. I've even tried crouching down in front of him to get him to look me in the eye, but he won't. Then he is hyper-vigilant for the rest of the walk looking for anything that moves. He is not timid, anxious or aggressive and is not afraid of his surroundings, but he cannot control himself around prey. I wish I knew the solution.


If you want help with that issue, you are welcome to start your own thread.


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