[Brightelf]

Okay, since a few of us are actively working hard with our dogs on doggy-reactivity, I figured I'd start this thread.

Our dogs are reactive for different reasons, we use different techniques and tools... but we'd like to learn from those who've got a dog who's able now to walk by other dogs calmly.

Did your dog used to be dog-reactive, but now isn't?

What factors seemed to play the largest role in helping your dog be able to walk by other dogs consistantly without being reactive? Was it a great class or trainer? Clicker training? Focus work? FeistyFido?

Do you feel maturity helped, in that as the dog aged, he or she mellowed a bit? At what age did you notice this?

Did changing your style of leadership, changing how you walk your dog, adding NILIF, seem to improve things?

What techniques or equipment made things worse?

Was your dog reactive due to fear, or over-eager impatience?

Thanks for contributing any info regarding having a "used-to-be-doggy-reactive" dog!

 

[Kayos and Havoc]

Kayos can be reactive due to impatience and eager to see the other dog. She has a good leave it and some maturity on her so she is more patient. But until she was about 3 she was a handful.

It was my doing too, as I let her greet every dog she saw - bad - move. And when I decided she could not greet a dog she became upset. She wanted to play. I also see some uncertainly on her part about whether she was going to interact or not. It is better I think to simply never let them interact on walks and find some dog buddies for off leash play. That way it is black and white.

 

[Northern GSDs]

I have a male that was quite dog reactive. I think alot of the reactiveness was fear based/"wanna be dominant but not sure I should be". I adopted him when he was already 4 1/2 years old (neutered), so I'm not sure what his history was in regards to socialization etc, although I can say with 99.9% confidence that previous proper socialization was non-existant. He also came to us with alot of bite wound scabs from dog bites, so this likely had much influence with his dog-reactivity.

I tried pretty much everything from desensitization methods, to corrections, to focus (this helped quite a bit but again, not the "solution"), to ignoring, etc etc. Went to numerous training classes with lots of other dogs.....you name it, I think I tried it to little avail. NILIF/pack leadership training/lifestyle was already in place as well. Although most worked to a degree, the only thing that eventually worked to stop him from lunging and snapping was....this may sounds cruel to some, but believe me is kinder than the kinds of corrections that would otherwise have been needed.....a water bottle set at "stream" that I aimed and fired at his face when he escalated/right before I could see his posture starting to indicate his reactive behaviour. I swear this was the only "cure" that worked for us. I do think age also helped him to mellow. Overall, he is much much improved. Corrections often egged him on and were not of much use for him.

 

[LuvourGSDs]

Not cruel, but good idea IMO, thanks for the tip. Sure would get their attention ! I use at home in crates to stop barking when someone comes so, hey like that better than the popping & popping of a training collar.

Might have to give it a go...............

 

[debbiebrown]

i have had two dogs like this in both cases the prong correction made things worse. i went to the GL for both. being able to re-direct the head and have focus on me helped.

my male had a few bad dog experiences at a young age, from then on he had the mentality "i'm gonna get you before you get me" i found he needed a comfort distance when walking by another dog. when i saw someone coming down the road walking a dog i would take him off road into someones driveway or where ever i could get to the comfort distance. i would get his focus, food reward, etc. that did work, and we finally could pass by dogs, but never closer than about 20 feet or so. i could control things at that distance. but, i always had to be on top of things and be aware of my surroundings. any surprise or unexpected encounter it would come sneaking back. i believe this was fear based.

my current female is over-anxious and reactive of other dogs. her first response is to get to the other dog, its definitely excitement reaction. again the prong made it worse, the GL helped me re-direct the head. i did a few things that worked with her. one is that she has extrme ball drive. i had friends and neighbors walk by my house with their dogs while i was out in the front yard playing ball with her. her focus on the ball is so intense she could care less what else is happening. when walking her i set her up with friends and dogs where they would be walking twards us in would stop get her attention/focus then i would say nothing just join the other person and walk with them. i would not let her interact with the other dog and i kept a good space between the other person and dog while walking. this worked well.

although i honestly believe with reactive dogs whatever the reason, if your guard is down and they have a surprise or unexpected en counter its always lurking and can come out. an owner of a reactive dog needs to be very careful how they handle things themselves. being aware of your reaction, or pre-reaction certainly makes or breaks the situation. trying to be calm and relaxed when anticipating the encounter and acting appropriately, not showing any nervousness, anxiety, etc. we all know sometimes we aren't even aware of one little thing we might have done ourselves to escalate the situation.....

debbie

 

[JakodaCD OA]

I'd say I've got Masi to about 95% if not better in deprogramming her doggie reactiveness..

She was totally fine with other dogs/people etc until I took her to a purely positive puppy class. when she was around 6mths old.
Unfortunately, she would get "jumped" every single week by other rambunctious puppies (and owners who didn't respect our "space") first it ended up scaring the heck out of her,,then it became a defense mechanism,,if a dog stared at her, barked at her, she'd be "off" in the "I'm gonna get you before you get me" mode.

It also didn't help that it was a puppy free for all at the end of class, and participating in this TWICE, did NOT do her any good.

Needless to say I yanked her out of the class, I now had a dog who was lunging at cars, barking/lunging at dogs, had no consequences to bad behaviors because in this purely positive class, there were no corrections. Her defense drives were kicking in inappropriately to say the least.

I put a prong collar on her and stood at the end of my driveway while cars whizzed by,,she got a correction ONCE, and now today, she can walk any main roads on a flat buckle with no car reaction.

A dog trainer friend of mine, allowed me to come and hang out during her basic obed classes with Masi..For the first three-four weeks we stood behind a gate, the first nite, she was an idiot,,the second week, she ended up falling asleep on the floor..)) Slowly, students would bring their dogs to the gate and they were allowed to sniff thru the gate,,by the end Masi was in the big room with all other dogs and could have cared less,,,by the last nite,,she was PLAYING with all the other dogs!!!!

Now we are in our 6th week of a formal basic's class..All new dogs, 12 of them in fact,,the first week we were instructed to use a 6ft leash,,LOOSE, hanging leash!! and walk the room for 20 minutes,,I was like YIKES!!! But ya know what? She was fine,,a little snarky when a couple of puppies jumped at her,,but NOW, she could care less ..

I have absolutely nothing against purely positive training, (my aussie loves it! and responds well),,for Masi tho,,the class was not positive and I am so thankfull I didn't ruin this smart girl. She thrives on structure / clear boundaries and high praise motivates her more than anything (oh besides her frisbee) She needs a firm leader as well as a fair consistent one.

I am so glad she's got good recovery tho we are still a work in progress))

 

[LuvourGSDs]

JakodaCD OA,

This is great too hear !

Did you end up correcting her with a pronge around dogs like the car deal ?

I have used every collar under the moon, but just didn't like the GL. I feel he does need a firm correction to get the point across to him. I do fear the pronge might hype him up, but it doesn't seem to so far. I also have went to a choke to get that pop in & he gets it & b/c of what I heard the pronges may do, hype up !

I have tried the positive training & just feel the corrections do get the point across much better.

I have went back to the pronge for walks, puller & down to a choke or flat while around dogs. Hope to stay flat totally someday. Not sure, he is so anxious to go bye, bye, to get in the store first, etc !

I hoping his age (2) has something to do with his issues.

Interesting about the puppy class. I told myself, I didn't socialize him right & if we got another puppy someday, would do like your puppy class, let them be puppies & play.


With dogs like this (reactive) have you ever tried to bring a puppy in ?

Our storm had a pup break loose & come at him, he reacted & grabbed him. Had him by the ear.

We have another male that is reactive IMO (rescue) & he is going to be work. He gets so amped up & anxious over seeing other dogs & deers !

With the dogs, I think he wants to go meet & greet so bad he gets all whinning & just crazy. Has no dogs manors & pushy with them when sniffing.

Good thread, hope we can learn more.

 

[Brightelf]

Debbie, Diane, Nicole, and Jen, thank you so much for contributing to this thread! I am learning from experiences. (Kathy, we kinda speak the same language.. Havoc and Grimm's LOL)This is my first (and last, please!) reactive pooch. I love hearing what helped, what didn't.. and the possible basis for the reactivity. I think threads showing the way that has helped really make an impact. Thank you all for being such generous teachers here!

 

[ThreeDogs]

My Cyrus is Mr. Reactive.

He is dog aggressive and extremely reactive on leash. Explosive reactions.

The prong did ramp him up, and only because my corrections where not firm enough. Couple of weeks ago it escalated into him re-directing.

Called the trainer, she as usual told me I was too nice

and showed me how to take him in hand.

I honestly hated to give such firm corrections but It was getting out of hand, and with all the unleashed dogs in my neighborhood it was getting dangerous.

Two weeks later, he can do doggie classes

and not bother with the other dogs, walks are now calm and he barley glances at other dogs, even the yappy JRT down the street.

I think with any behavioral issues it comes down to the dog recognizing YOU as his compass on how to behave. Some dogs just need a firm no nonsense leader who is willing enforce boundaries.

I know our biggest hope is that as they grow they will be more focused and better behaved but for some, like mine will get worse without direction.

I love my dog and I know that in order for us to live a happy calm life *I* need to step it up and become the leader he needs.

FYI Cyrus is apparently fear aggressive. He is totally the whole "I will get you before you get me"

 

[Brightelf]

ThreeDogs, what a success! YAAYYY to you and Cyrus!!!!!

Thank you for sharing what worked for you two. Doging doggy classes is a HUUUGE step forward! Thanks for the input.

You and Cyrus are a super team.

 

[matildacroley]

the prong solved our problem too. without it, no matter how many leash corrections with a flat collar, she would not stop. she knew i wasnt able to correct her firmly enough. i only had to use it maybe twice, now she wears it but mostly as a reminder. she knows when she isnt on it, even if she's wearing it but not connected to the leash, she knows.

 

[JakodaCD OA]

Yes I did use the prong in the beginning of deprogramming the dog reactiveness,,while I still use it at times (cause she is one stubborn BIG dog that could yank my arm out of the socket!) I don't need to correct for doggie reactiveness cause it isn't there..

I know some say, well the negative corrections are going to mask and the behavior will still be there..With this dog,,NO,,while I don't see that she wants to "play" with every dog she meets, she is interested, but seems to be much more confident and relaxed around dogs that are ALSO confident and relaxed. She's finally getting it, that not all dogs want to "jump" her.

What "can" ramp her up, is a dog charging up in her face, and dog that "fixates" on her, THIS to me, is not an un normal reaction since it's basically bad doggie manners)) She doesn't like 'rude' dogs.

I know there are alot of anti prong people, but there are 'easy trainers' and 'not so easy trainers',as in dogs themselves, that do need a phsyical correction when nothing else seems to come across.

In the end, for me,,I don't care one bit if Masi doesn't like or want to play with strange dogs, (as with all my dogs) I just want my dogs to tolerate other dogs, to be able to go out in public , compete in whatever, and 'deal' with whatever situation life may put them into with self confidence and exceptance.

 

[Brightelf]

Diane, your last paragraph says it very well. Just to be able to go for a walk withOUT exploding.. so that we can relax with our dogs, is what it's all about.

Erin, lots of people solve the problem with the prong.. for some, it makes it worse. Guess it's all about the dog, the type of reactivity, and the handler's capabilities. Great job working with Matilda!

 

[LuvourGSDs]

Tonight in class (Rally) Storm was more focused on me as I say watch & give treats. If he looks away to focus, I correct & say NO ! I have been giving corrections with a choke which people don't like, but works for us. He is getting the point & I do feel you just have to be the leader & get at them even if it isn't positive. He does fine around dogs & can be in a class setting, but doesn't like rude & wild dogs.

I continue to keep him in obed, agility, & rally class & he continues to do good if dogs aren't right in his face. Seems to be the little dogs more. They are just too wild or bouncy.

I in the past & when I go into a petstore I let my guard down & get nervous b/c I'm not sure what a darn dog in public is gonna do & what he is going to do so, I know this ramps him up. I need to work on calming me down.

I truly think this is why he is this way, I avoided dogs. He has never played with other dogs. Maybe that's a bad thing or a good thing, not sure now ?????

I hope if we would ever bring a pup in, he would be ok. He's getting that I am boss 100%, but since he is reactive, don't want to put a pup in a bad situation.

I know this is something I need to get control over b/c I have found no trainer in this area willing to work with dogs being reactive, just says to give harsh corrections with NO ! This is getting the point though.

Good thread & glad started................

 

[Northern GSDs]

I agree this is a great thread - lots of different methods out there and no one may work the same for every different dog, so sometimes it is a matter of "experimenting" so to speak with what works best for both the handler and the dog

Always good to come away from a discussion with a few extra "tricks" to add to the training bag!

 

[Papanapa]

Marley is dog reactive but less so now than 7 weeks ago. We started a basic obedience class. First couple classes she couldn't even focus on me because she needed to know where EVERY dog in the area was. She would bark and lunge at ANY dog or puppy that stared at her.

We used positive treats BEFORE she started the barking. Also, kept our distance and gradually got closer to the dogs as she improved. Some dogs do not bother her at all, others freak her out.

Last night she went NUTS over a shepherd that was sitting calmly by its owner but staring at her steadily. Was fine heeling right next to other dogs though in class.

I would say that Marley will never be the kind of dog to play and interact with strange dogs. That's okay with me. I am just working on getting her to be in a room full of dogs and not pay ANY attention to them what so ever.

I have enrolled again in Obedience 1. I want her to be able to focus on me from the minute we walk in the door and keep it up for the full hour and a half that we are around the other dogs before I go to the second level.

BUT, she will do her sit/stays and down/stays for a full minute even if the other dogs are walking around her and playing with their owners.
PROGRESS!!!

 

[Brightelf]

Every piece of advice-- every insight here-- it helps so much! You guys are all teachers. Thank you for contributing and giving ideas, warnings, successes-- even what didn't work. I am learning so much from the struggles of others who were or are in the same boat! Thank you!

 

[Riley's Mom]

Originally Posted By: Nicole L....a water bottle set at "stream" that I aimed and fired at his face when he escalated/right before I could see his posture starting to indicate his reactive behaviour. I swear this was the only "cure" that worked for us.

Ya know, the squirt bottle worked for me for another issue but then I was told this was a negative type of correction vs positive. He absolutely hates to be squirted w/water. But it took just one shot to cure him of barking in the car which was a long time ago.

What's your thoughts on this being a negative type of correction?

 

[LuvourGSDs]

IMO, if it works.

I have only used it when dogs are crated at the time someone comes to the house & they start to bark when they hear them pull up or come in. I use the water bottle along with quite. All 3 hate it, but 1 will take it more than the others. It sure gets the point though.

I will just keep using the pop of the collar & no for dog focus I think & the water bottle for the quites.

 

[Brightelf]

I think for each and every tool and method, "if it works" is something to consider. For some dogs, using food and clicker backfires-- they start actually defending their 2-legged food-dispenser from other dogs, amplifying the problem. For some dogs, the prong ramps them up further, no matter how correctly it is fitted and applied.

But the water bottle is a novel idea.. intriguing that you thought of it, used it, and saw lasting results from that! Amazing.