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Activities for an occasionally reactive dogs

686 views 4 replies 4 participants last post by  newlie 
#1 ·
My boy, Newlie, is great with people, but not reliable with other dogs. Sometimes he is fine and other times, for no apparent reason, he acts like a nut. Newlie is a rescue, we got him in December 2012 and we think he is about 3 years old. He has been to obedience class and then to 8 weeks of work with a personal trainer and we are starting a new set of 8 weeks, just to give him some more challenges. We have tried to expose Newlie to a number of different things since we got him. He has done some (informal) agility in his trainer's backyard, has gone swimming, played tetherball and located treats in the house with his nose, just for a few examples.

Here is my question. I would like him to have the chance to be involved in more organized activities and I wonder if anybody could suggest anything where the dog basically competes alone, say for example in a field, and other dogs just wait their turn to do the same. I just don't think I would be comfortable with him off-leash around other dogs.
 
#2 ·
Here is my question. I would like him to have the chance to be involved in more organized activities and I wonder if anybody could suggest anything where the dog basically competes alone, say for example in a field, and other dogs just wait their turn to do the same. I just don't think I would be comfortable with him off-leash around other dogs.
Since your dog already does indoor nosework, this would be a great fit for you: Nothing Smells Better Than a K9 Nose Work Dog | K9nosework The dogs rest in a crate when it is not their turn, and the search is individual. :) Hope this helps!
 
#3 ·
This is not an organized sport, but have you looked into joining some hiking or dog walking groups? I found a couple meetup groups, one was for GSDs and there are others that just like to walk in packs, all breeds. These are mostly leashed walks and I found once the dogs get moving forward and have interesting smells, they do very well in group walks. This may help your dog get over some reactivity by being around other well behaved dogs.
 
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