#dog reactive

[sheepdog-and-fakegoldenretriever]

Such a silly boy.

[mygermanshepherd]

hi! can I ask where you got Lola's muzzle from?? Also, do you have any tips on how to acclimate a dog to other dogs? my gsd is extremely dog reactive and it's really difficult to find anyone willing to let me bring her around their dog(s). Thanks so much <3

Of course! I bought my muzzle off Amazon; it’s a Baskerville basket muzzle. I think it was just under $30.

Kilo used to be very dog reactive as well. If you have a good trainer experienced with the breed I would highly recommend working with one to get started. They should be able to show you what to do when your dog reacts, and what to do in the future, etc. I didn’t have any other dogs to work around either when I first got Kilo so I just took him on regular walks where I knew other dogs were around (passing them in their yard) but I made sure I would be able to control him and the other dog(s) wouldn’t be able to reach us. If I wasn’t sure if loose dogs would come about, I would have him muzzled.

Basically what helped Kilo’s dog reactiveness was when I brought him to work every day. I used to work at a dog kennel that had dog daycare so I would take a pack of dogs out for a couple hikes every day. That was sort of a handy situation though and not really possible unless you work at a kennel I’m guessing haha. But basically having Kilo out and about other dogs helped him a lot. Before I worked at the kennel he would improve, but if I went a long period of time without taking him to a public area he would regress. I no longer work there but I’m still making a point to take Kilo out and about so it’s not such a huge deal when he sees another dog now. I wouldn’t go to a dog park; there are too many unknowns on the types of dogs there and if their owners can control them, or are paying attention, etc. 

One little tip I do have though is to make sure you remain calm, and don’t try to anticipate him reacting. As in, when you see another dog, don’t shorten your leash, tense up, etc as all those things indicate to your dog that there is a reason to react. I definitely struggled with that at first. 

Anyway, hope this helps! 

[the-disreputable-service-dog]

I took Kibeth & Stitch to the 7th annual stonewall celebration/rally on Wednesday. I explicitly took them for training purposes. They both need work on their leash skills, and totally did NOT look like service dogs (or a prospect, in Stitch's case).

When I went to go take a picture of the pups and Jenny on the rainbow toilets, another dog passing by lunged and tried to get at my dogs. I am still thinking about this several days later, because if I had been any less lucky, that dog could have done serious damage to my dogs. The dog didn't get us, and my dogs didnt even react, but I am more scarred by the incident they are.

In retrospect, the dog was showing VERY obvious stress signals. Taut lips, whale eye, ears pinned back, stress panting (the tongue was entirely , but I wasn't even actively acknowledging the other dog.

Maybe, normally, this dog would never be reactive. However, this dog was in a situation where speakers were giving loud feedback, there was dancing, lots of bright colors, people in drag, big hats, lots of movement, dancing, suddenly loud sounds, etc.

STOP. DOING. SHIT. WITH. YOUR. DOG. IT. DOESN'T. ENJOY. THAT DOG WAS NOT ENJOYING ITS TIME THERE.

LISTEN TO WHAT YOUR DOG IS TELLING YOU. PAY ATTENTION TO IT'S BODY LANGUAGE.

This doesn't just apply to taking your dog places. If you have kids, DON'T LET THEM CLIMB ALL OVER THE PETS. It's not comfortable. Do you let your kids or pets climb all over you? Do you like it? Dont take your dog to the dog park if it's not enjoying itself!!!!!! STOP DOING THINGS WITH YOUR DOG THAT IS NOT ENJOYABLE FOR THEM 2K17 (leisurely activities/spending quality time with your pet) Like, not everyone likes to sky dive or go to roller coasters and theme parks but they can still have fun. You wouldn’t force your friend into a situation where they would react like that, so don’t do it to your dogs! 

[whitefangsandwildhowls]

I am so proud of how far this crazy herder mutt has come in such a short amount of time. She came to me an under-exercised, under-stimulated, untrained demon-beast with behavior issues that the average pet owner can't handle. That I didn't know how to handle. Now, almost three years later, I understand her. I am able to listen and communicate with her, and she has taught me so much about dog behavior and rehabilitation. Korra may not have been the dog that I wanted (at first), but she is definitely the dog that I needed. Today, I can take this pointy-eared demon dog on a 30min + walk offlead (with the leash dragging, as there are leash laws) around the neighborhood, passing dogs, cars, and all sorts of distractions without breaking a heel. She is confident, she trusts in me, and I reward her with freedom and unconditional love. For those of you who struggle with your dog's behavior problems, I understand you. I was you. We were lucky enough to find an amazing dog trainer to help us along in our journey, who gave us hope when we were in our darkest hour. I an so glad I didn't give up on Korra because my life would have been very different if I had.

[d0nutd0g]

Working a Reactive Dog

Expert Mode:

Group 1: beagle + handler (they know Ares is an asshole so they kept their distance)

Group 2: 3 young children, 2 adults, 1 adolescent gsd, 1 flashlight. Family walk.

Group 3: reactive shitzu thing + 1 adult and 2 older kids.

Bonus: hidden dog in a back yard, screaming at us.

Ares did an amazing job given the circumstances, and I'm so impressed by his skills!!!

[partnersdogs-blog]

dog attack

Is your dog lunging at other people or dogs? Learn to recognize the signs early on and how to stop your dog from lunging. v�

[konstargirl]

I dont like him, but I like him. There are days I regret fostering him becausenof his reactivity issues with dogs as a kitten and today as well as aggression issues with them and his high energy and drive can be ridiculous especially if no one is playing with him, but I dont regret fostering him because he came from a hell situation. Now hes sort of a foster fail because my twin sister loves him.

[maepolzine]

Dog Reactive on Leash tips

My mom and sister's dog Winnie Bear is very dog reactive when she's on a lease. And we're positive it's because she's terrified of running into another dog when she's on a lease. She's great with Pixie, but any dog she sees on a lease she goes into full panic mode. It may not appear that way by her smile or waging tail, but underneath this front she doesn't know how to handle the situation of running into another dog. And she wasn't always good about Pixie either, they had to build up a lot of trust before Winnie was fine to be left alone with Pixie. So what do you do when your dog is terrified of other dogs? Especially when trying to take them for a walk.

Tip #1: Don't Punish the Dog

The first thing people often do when a dog is exhibiting aggressive behavior such as growling, lunging, or baring their teeth is they punish the dog. This is actually the opposite of what you're supposed to do. They are doing this behavior for a reason, it's their warning to other dogs to back off because they are uncomfortable.

Goals:

Keep your dog calm and focused on you throughout the walk so they don't have time to be looking around at all the things you may pass by.

Create positive associations with your dog's typical triggers. Go from being scared or anxious about the oncoming dog knowing what your dog will do. Be excited and positive about it. They'll read your body language and understand over time that it's something positive rather than something negative.

If at all possible, avoid situations that will put your dog over their comfort zone.

In order to do this though you need to know what your dog's triggers are and what motivates them. As you can use that motivation to distract them past the obstacles that trigger them. For instance, Winnie loves her stuffed pig so we bring that on walks with her or treats and use them as the distraction or motivation to walk past over dogs. Another thing we do is create distance between Winnie and other dogs. Even if it's a puppy that's half the size of her head, she's scared so we create distance so she's comfortable with the situation again.

Now another thing that you really should do when your dog is reactive when on walks or just in general to dogs is to take them to a trainer. We are going to be taking Winnie Bear to a class that specializes in this topic. It's a six week program where you work with your dog to get them over their fears of other dogs. I'll let you know how that goes when Winnie starts the class next month.