4yo Aussie drops and freezes when he sees other dogs. Is it too late?
My boy Todd turns 4 this month. Around his first birthday he started dropping into a down whenever another dog came into view, sometimes from 20-30 metres away. No barking, ever. He just flattens and locks on, eyes fixed, ears forward and stiff, heavy like a sack of potatoes lol. Owners walking past ask me if he's dangerous. He's not. If I call him at that point I don't exist. It can last anywhere from 30 seconds to 2 minutes, depending on the others too ofc.
If the other dog gets close enough he lunges, low and fast toward its side, doesn't bark, doesn't growl. When he gets there it's usually excited sniffing, sometimes rough play, depending on the other dog. And if the dog just passes by without contact, he gets up and whines.
Happens with about 90% of dogs. Less with very small ones like chihuahuas, though he still stares and pulls hard.
Off leash in a dog park he doesn't do any of this, he just runs and plays normally.
I worked on this for a while and then stopped. I was going through depression and social anxiety and walks became something I dreaded. He's now getting less time outside than I feel he needs, and I feel awful about it and I want to start again.
What we have is a huge nose drive, he works the ground like a scent hound and will ditch a frisbee to go sniff. Loves tug. Follows me around waiting for something to do. Learned a new cue every day or two since he was a puppy. So it's not like he has nothing to do. I just want him to be outside more, and this behaviour is honestly killing my own drive to be out with him. It's like we have a totally different relationship outside and I want to fix this.
All things considered, does this read as herding eye-stalk plus leash frustration, or is fear still on the table?
Is 4 too late to change it?
Starting from zero, do I go straight to threshold work, or rebuild engagement first?
No money for a trainer, so anything I can do myself. Thanks.