Rowdy is almost 5 months old already! He is turning into such a handsome boy❤ Im verry sad to say we have had some terrible set backs with his training. On two separate occasions, we were attacked by other dogs. The first time was by a golden doodle of all things. It broke free of its owner and charged at us while we were on walk. Thankfully Rowdy wasn't injured at that time other then some scratches, and he seemed completely fine going on walks after the incident. Then we had a vet appointment a week later, and while we were checking out, a woman came in with a GSP on a retractable leash and her dog went straight for Rowdy. I grabbed the other dog to stop him from getting to Rowdy, but unfortunately I was bit several times. The women made no move to get her dog, she just stood there screaming, which only heightened the situation. Ever since that incident, Rowdy goes ballistic at the sight of any other dog. He will pull at the leash with teeth bared, snarling and lunging at them. Thankfully he is still very sweet, submissive and playful with my parents' dogs, as I watch them often. We have a session scheduled with our trainer for the 14th, which is the earliest she could get us in, but I'm not sure what I should do in the mean time. I have two acres of fenced property so it's not like he HAS to go on walks to get exercise, so maybe it's best to just keep him at home until then? Things were going so well and now I feel like I've failed him😥 What would you all do in this situation? What can I do better in the future to prevent this?

 

It's ok to keep him him home for the next two weeks until you can discuss it with your trainer.It's more important that Rowdy doesn't have the chance to continually practice the behavior you don't want. It quickly becomes a bad habit and more difficult to undo.The trainer will be able to demonstrate how to fine tune your timing to stop his reaction before it starts and keep his attention on you.

 

Thank you! The idea of taking him out has become very stressful since the incident, and I'm honestly at a loss for how to regain his focus once he starts reacting. Plus my hand is still injured, so holding onto him when he is pulling that hard is very difficult.

 

What you did at the vet is exactly what I would have done although it didn't work out fully for you. But I try to block the dog with my extended leg (sole to the face or chest) or then it would feel my boot in a forceful way. And I don't make apologies for protecting my dog since it would be an event to pry Rogan off a dog that bit him.

Vet waiting rooms are pretty famous for dog fights, it's just a nervous amped up energy, whether one of the dogs is reactive or not.

For this reason, I always check out the waiting room before I bring the dog(s) in and they/we wait in the car until it's our turn. My vet also has multiple entrances for these instances and all dogs leave out the other entrance.

For now, I'd treat Rowdy like a reactive dog and work at a distance beyond his reactivity and reward for focus on you. I'm sorry this happened to poor Rowdy.

 

Thank you! My vet actually has a policy that you are to wait in your car until the receptionist comes and gets you, so other then the parking lot there is typically no interaction with other animals. It is a very small clinic, so there is not really room for multiple dogs to be safely in the waiting area. After the incident, the woman stated that because she was early to her appointment, she didn't want her dog stuck in the car for the extra 15 minutes until her appointment time. The vet and I were livid, and she assured me that the woman would no longer be a client there as this was not her first time breaking policy. I think I may start carrying a walking stick with me, as we have a bad problem with loose dogs in the area. I don't want to have to hurt another dog, but I won't ever let Rowdy get hurt because people don't know how to control their animals!

 

He is just so handsome and I am so sad that you both had to experience those instances. Wishing you uneventful and expedited healing from your injuries, and the best of luck working with Rowdy on how this has affected him. 🙏🏻❤‍🩹🍀

 

Thank you so much! I'm anxiously awaiting our appointment with the trainer, and hoping she can provide me with the skills I need to help him overcome this!

 

Rowdy dog is 5 months old now, and boy is he getting handsome! He has an obsession with playing in the water, which is great considering it's been about 100° all week! We are still struggling with reactivity to other dogs, but he's getting much better at focusing on me instead of them when we go out. We had a major health scare last week. He started mildly limping on his right hind, and it rapidly progressed to him not being able to get up on his own. His legs were shaky and weak, and I was absolutely distraught. We took him to the emergency vet that night, and and he was diagnosed with severe Panosteitis, which sounds far more scary then it is 😂 I hate that he's in pain, but I'm so thankful it wasn't something more serious! We are managing his symptoms and praying his flare up goes away quickly! Despite careful management of his diet he is growing very rapidly, and at a lean 70lbs is much to heavy for his age, which gives me concern for his long term joint health. Hopefully he's done with most of his growing now though🙏

 

Good looking pup and I love his name. But without being able to see clearly, he doesn't look particularly .... lean.

 

He is very handsome. Love to see his playing in the water. So cute. Hope the bout of pano doesn't last long. My first shepherd had it. I don't remember how old he was. His was in his one front leg and didn't last more than 2 or 3 weeks as I recall - memory faded; it was 25 years ago.

 

Thank you! His keeps switching between back and front legs, and has been pretty bad. I have never experienced this before, so this was extremely scary!

 

You've got yourself a great looking pup! The pano will be temporary and you can work him through the reactivity, so don't stress too much about it. It will take diligence and patience on your part and your trainer will be a big help. Also, there are multiple threads here on the topic that you will likely find helpful. Based on my experience, there is no one sized fits all solution to reactivity: what works for one dog, may not work for another and different tactics may work better in different situations. Most important will be the head space you are in when you and Rowdy come across other dogs, as your emotions will run right down the leash to Rowdy.

 

your emotions will run right down the leash to Rowdy.

A good reminder for all of us.

 

Rowdy has officially lost his last baby tooth! He is getting so big, and I'm just in love with how sweet and goofy he is. He is still having flare ups of Panosteitis, but they are becoming less intense and frequent thankfully! Unfortunately, I tore my acl and meniscus at a rodeo 2 weeks ago, so we are back to playing at home until I can get knee surgery and take him on adventures again. He has gotten so much better with his reactivity, and I want to thank everyone who gave us encouragement and advice on working through that! I'm so grateful to have this pup in my life, and I just love doing life with him❤

 

Sorry to hear about your injury. Rowdy looks all grown up! And very handsome.

 

Thank you! He is 6 months old now, and really coming into his own❤

 

Rowdy even knows how good looking he is - I love a dog with some swagger. Best of luck with your upcoming knee surgery and rehab.

 

He looks very solid for 6 months old. Be very careful with his weight for the next 12 months or you won't be the only one with a knee injury, he's very handsome

 

Thank you! He is built like a brick house, just like his dad. He has been evaluated by 3 separate vet offices within the last month, one of which specializes in sport dogs and physical therapy, and they all said his weight was great. I'll try to take some pictures that show his condition a little better!

 

Wow, he has gone from simply adorable to incredibly handsome….he is looking so grown up 😱🥰.
Praying his pano resolves sooner than later, and that he has improved comfort. Also praying you can get uneventful resolution of your injury….so sorry this has happened.

Blessings to you both! 🙏🏻

 

Im happy to say that this handsome pup hasn't had a pano flare for a little over a week now! It's so great to see him living his life pain free for what feels like the first time in forever. Much like my previous GSD Bandit, Rowdy has developed an obsession with finding the most absurdly large sticks and declaring them to be his most prized possessions 😂 He would wait for my husband to start splitting wood for our fire pit, and then carry off the pieces he deemed worthy, so I decided to start teaching him to help stack the wood instead! At first it took quite a bit of convincing to get him to surrender the sticks, but he now gets so excited to help and truthfully doing chores with the pup makes them so much more enjoyable! My knee injury has turned out to be a blessing in disguise, as it's forced me to become much more creative with our playtime and daily interactions, which has really improved our bond. I love this pup to the moon and back, and I'm finally starting to think he might like me to 😂