# Share dog reactivity experiences



## JeanKBBMMMAAN (May 11, 2005)

Do you have a dog reactive or dog aggressive dog?

How does it impact you/them?

Does it limit what you can do with them?

What kind of things do you do to help/work with it?

What kind of things have you learned?

What have you accepted about your situation?

Was this something you knew when you got the dog?

If you have worked through it, and your dog is 100% okay with other dogs now, how long did it take and what methods did you use?

If your dog is not 100%, are you going to continue to train or are you happy with what you have done?

Other thoughts?

Not a discussion on the genetics or temperament, cause, etc. so much as the "it is what it is" and now what the heck do I do! 

I read this thread and thought maybe I just dislike dog reactivity/aggression so much (because an off leash dog seems to be every 20 feet to freak me/my dog out) that I am being too pessimistic: http://www.germanshepherds.com/foru...rmation-general/180424-possible-adoption.html


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## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

Do you have a dog reactive or dog aggressive dog?: Yes

How does it impact you/them?: It impacts where I take her when visiting friends. 

Does it limit what you can do with them?: No. I can do anything with her. It's all training and focus.

What kind of things do you do to help/work with it?: LAT, positive reinforcement, some e-collar work

What kind of things have you learned?: Patience, always watch for other dogs and people without a clue

What have you accepted about your situation?: She is what she is. I'm here to help her.

Was this something you knew when you got the dog?: No, she was a puppy and a good deal of her reactiveness is my fault

If your dog is not 100%, are you going to continue to train or are you happy with what you have done?: Still working on it. Very happy with the results I'm seeing.


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## Bismarck (Oct 10, 2009)

Do you have a dog reactive or dog aggressive dog? *yes*

How does it impact you/them? *used to bark and lunge to see other dogs*

Does it limit what you can do with them? *it did.*

What kind of things do you do to help/work with it? *while walking, you have to watch the dog, the instant they go from regular oh well, another walk, to... DOG DOG DOG, he got an instant correction, told to leave it, and we continued on our walk, right past the other dog.
He learned that all the fuss he was making got him nowhere, along with a correction. when he was quiet and calm, he was allowed to meet other dogs. a prong collar did not ramp him up, because you correct the dog before it gets to the point where it would do no good. if you miss it, you just keep walking with your dog, and ignore the other dog. *

What kind of things have you learned? *calm assertive actions will work, just give them time.*

What have you accepted about your situation? *my dog is fine with other dogs now. no leash reactivity anymore.*

Was this something you knew when you got the dog? *no*

If you have worked through it, and your dog is 100% okay with other dogs now, how long did it take and what methods did you use? *about 2-3 months, read above for method.*

If your dog is not 100%, are you going to continue to train or are you happy with what you have done?

Other thoughts?


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## Gretchen (Jan 20, 2011)

Do you have a dog reactive or dog aggressive dog? Yes

How does it impact you/them? I do not want to let her go leash-free, she would like that though.

Does it limit what you can do with them? Yes, no dog park, no off leash beach play.
 
What kind of things do you do to help/work with it? Loose leash as much as possible, using treats as distractions, and arranging for private training sessions.

What kind of things have you learned? Started noticing her body language and how mine or my family's body language and attitude might affect her. Prevention.

What have you accepted about your situation? She will not be an off-leash dog like my old one. Once I accepted that, I seem to have more joy when we are out together.

Was this something you knew when you got the dog? No

If you have worked through it, and your dog is 100% okay with other dogs now, how long did it take and what methods did you use? Not there yet with stranger dogs, but she has many neighborhood friends.

If your dog is not 100%, are you going to continue to train or are you happy with what you have done? Yes, we will try private lessons, and I try to always have "good girl" treats in my pocket.

Other thoughts? Observing changes in our dogs behavior and reactions, adapting to them, what may have worked once, may not work now, and methods I was opposed to before could be helpful in our situation now.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

*Do you have a dog reactive or dog aggressive dog?*
Yes, Onyx is both but not with dogs in my pack or some dogs that are introduced to her properly.
*How does it impact you/them?*
See below.
*Does it limit what you can do with them?*
Yes, no group training, agility or just out in public she has to be managed carefully. I really wanted to do SchH with her, but she washed out because of her FA
*What kind of things do you do to help/work with it?*
We went through a Control Unleashed class based on the book and that helped tremendously. We took an agility class right after that, and Onyx was much better as long as dogs didn't get into her bubble. 
*What kind of things have you learned?*
How to read her body language and not put her in situations where she'll be set up to fail. Crate is a given when children come over and I tell guests to just ignore her. 

*What have you accepted about your situation?*
That there are things I just can't do with this dog. She is happy in her own environment and kept busy enough that she isn't lacking socially or physically.

*Was this something you knew when you got the dog?*
No, she was 7 weeks old from a breeder who didn't follow good breeder protocols. And my DH bought her for the family as a surprise, I never would have went with this breeder had I been given a choice.

*If you have worked through it, and your dog is 100% okay with other dogs now, how long did it take and what methods did you use?*
Certain breeds set Onyx off, other breeds she is ok with. LAT game is the main one that has helped us.
*
If your dog is not 100%, are you going to continue to train or are you happy with what you have done?*
I will work with her, but won't continue agility or other obedience classes with her. I think herding may be something in her future, just for fun as her herding instinct is very strong.

*Other thoughts?*
I don't think I can train reactivity out of this dog, it is genetic for the most part. I can manage it, reduce it, but not ever proof her to be non-reactive. Treats don't work for her when she is ramped up, and a prong collar as a control tool just ramps up the reactivity. So removing her from the situation is the best option for me. Though now at maturity she has been more balanced. Keeping her isolated is not what I do, I get her out and about, just not the pet store/training venue situations where she is up close to others.


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## Debbieg (Jun 7, 2009)

quote=JeanKBBMMMAAN;2452824]Do you have a dog reactive or dog aggressive dog? Yes a bit reactive.
  
How does it impact you/them? I help him get used to situations so he won't react. When I see a situation likely to cause a reaction I create distance, use LAT.
 
Does it limit what you can do with them? Benny cannot be a therapy or service dog.

What kind of things do you do to help/work with it? I focus on the many things we can do and try to keep his obedience very solid

What kind of things have you learned? I have learned to read my dog very well.
 
What have you accepted about your situation? That this is who my dog is and I will minimize the weakness and by training and focus on the many things he does well.

Was this something you knew when you got the dog? No he was a only 7 1/2 weeks

If you have worked through it, and your dog is 100% okay with other dogs now, how long did it take and what methods did you use? He is not 100% ok, but much better. He will react to dogs that are aggressive towards him, certain men.

If your dog is not 100%, are you going to continue to train or are you happy with what you have done? Yes, Training is an enjoyable ongoing process for both of us.

Other thoughts? Having a slightly reactive dog has taught me much more than if I had a perfect dog. And it feels really good to see how far he has come

Not a discussion on the genetics or temperament, cause, etc. so much as the "it is what it is" and now what the heck do I do!


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## Greydusk (Mar 26, 2010)

Do you have a dog reactive or dog aggressive dog? 
Yes I do. He's "aggressive" towards other dogs, a bully, not looking to necessarily do harm.
 
How does it impact you/them?
It means I'm constantly vigilant, always looking for other dogs so I can prepare him before he see's them. 

Does it limit what you can do with them?
Yes it really does. I can't take him off leash hiking or running unless I'm familiar with the area and know how heavily used it is. Taking him mountain biking is out of the question, I simply wouldn't have enough control over him, and I'd rather not worry about him when I'm on the bike. 

What kind of things do you do to help/work with it?
We got a trainer, it helped immensely, however he's starting to slide back into some of his old ways. Need to give the trainer a call again. 
 
What kind of things have you learned?
Body language, not just my own dog but of other dogs as well. 

What have you accepted about your situation?
That he's always going to have issues and will never be 100% around other dogs. 

Was this something you knew when you got the dog?
To be honest I wasn't expecting or wanting this, I didn't know about it until a few months after I adopted him. I wanted a great outdoor companion to take hiking and mountain biking, it just didn't happen. But I made a commitment, he's here to stay. 

If you have worked through it, and your dog is 100% okay with other dogs now, how long did it take and what methods did you use?
We're not done yet. Treat methods do not work for him. The best thing has just been desensitization. I feel this problem is a lot deeper than just a training issue. This will always be below the surface. 

If your dog is not 100%, are you going to continue to train or are you happy with what you have done?
He has improved greatly, but like I said before, I know he will never be 100%. He has made friends with a smaller female and they play quite happily, but I know that will never be the case with a larger male. With a slow and controlled introduction, he can be okay with most dogs, and accept their existence. However there have been times when we've been walking with a dogs he's met numerous times before and it's like a switch goes off, he'll latch on to the other dog, never drawing blood. Then we have to repeat the entire introduction again. 

Other thoughts?
It's tiring. Having to change directions if there's another dog coming our way and not enough room to move to safe distance. Having to make sure the front door is locked so he doesn't open the door and attack another dog walking in front of the house. It's a lot of work.


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## cshepherd9 (Feb 11, 2010)

Do you have a dog reactive or dog aggressive dog? Yes, Willow is reactive, not aggressive

How does it impact you/them? Not really any impact day to day. I used to have to take into account the timing of walks. If I got home and walked her right away then there were very few people out with their dogs. If I got delayed we would run into some issues as more people were out with their dogs. 

Does it limit what you can do with them? It does for now but she is getting better and better each day and I am considering signing her up for Mutt Strutt (a local dog walk for the Humane Society of Indpls). But, I don't hide her at home. I try to get her out to new places all the time and work with her. 

What kind of things do you do to help/work with it? I have gone all out with trainers and we have used several. We have used LAT and BAT, I use positive training with a clicker. I have read several books on the subject and done tons of internet research as well.

What kind of things have you learned? PATIENCE! Before Willow I always said I would not make a good dog trainer because I am such an impatient person but given all we have done the past few years I have learned a new skill myself- I'm not half bad with training. In fact, the trainer we just met with on Saturday was highly impressed with ME . 

What have you accepted about your situation? I haven't accepted anything because we are continuing to work and get better. It has been two years and we are still working on it! She is SO close to getting there. 

Was this something you knew when you got the dog? No, Willow was rescued as a tiny puppy and I took her home about 7-8 weeks old.

If you have worked through it, and your dog is 100% okay with other dogs now, how long did it take and what methods did you use? We are about 85%

If your dog is not 100%, are you going to continue to train or are you happy with what you have done? Yes we will continue as long as it takes. We are currently taking a class called "Polite in Public" which deals with reactivity. Willow really just needs help with the dog that passes by at about 20 feet. This is our last hurdle and this class is helping.

Other thoughts? I don't think dog reactivity is something that a lot of pet owners want to deal with. I live alone with two dogs and I enjoy working, walking and training my dogs but I know a few of my friends think I am nuts for all the money I have spent on trainers and time spent working with Will. For me, this has been a two year process and we still aren't done but when I see Willow walking down the sidewalk and there is a dog not 30 feet away behind a fence barking at her and Willow doesn't bark or carry on like she did when we started I feel incredibly proud of how far she has come.


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## onyx'girl (May 18, 2007)

What exercises are you doing in the _polite in public _class? Can you expand on this? Is it along the lines of the CU by Leslie McDevitt? 

I agree with Debbieg, had I not had a dog with reactive issues, I wouldn't have learned what I know now. There is a reason for these dogs to be placed with us! And lucky for the dogs, we are committed to them, not dumping them on CL or a shelter because they are 'too much' to deal with.


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## cshepherd9 (Feb 11, 2010)

onyx'girl said:


> What exercises are you doing in the _polite in public _class? Can you expand on this? Is it along the lines of the CU by Leslie McDevitt?


Sure, we just met for the first time on Saturday and it was just me and two volunteers with Shelter dogs (class is at the Humane Society) but we took all the dogs out on a trail where we worked with walking the dogs past each other and bringing them closer and closer to each other. We did some exercising were we set the dogs in different spots and then weaved a dog in and out. While one is walking the dog around me, I worked on getting Willow's focus to me or click/treat when she looked at the dog and then back at me. Stuff like that. Now, next weeks class will move to another local trail where there will be even more dog activity and we will just set up at an entrance to the trail and it will allow us to encounter more "unknown" dogs. And the following Saturday we will move to a different location again and hopefully the dogs begin to generalize what we are doing.


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## Heidimom (Jun 6, 2011)

Do you have a dog reactive or dog aggressive dog? yes

How does it impact you/them? Barks, lunges, hackles up when she sees other dogs.

Does it limit what you can do with them? No dog parks, no trips to Petsmart or dog events.

What kind of things do you do to help/work with it? while walking, you have to see the other dogs first. She is OK if the other dog doesn't look at or react to her. We use redirection, correction, leave it, down stays, anything to try to keep her calm. 

What kind of things have you learned? If I can redirect her attention before she gets reactive, that sometimes works. The key seems to be to stop it before it starts.

What have you accepted about your situation? I don't think she will ever be truly OK with other dogs. We have been to obedience class but she just stared at all the other dogs until they reacted, then she would bark and lunge.

Was this something you knew when you got the dog? no

If you have worked through it, and your dog is 100% okay with other dogs now, how long did it take and what methods did you use? We are still working on it, but she is only 2 yrs. old.

If your dog is not 100%, are you going to continue to train or are you happy with what you have done? We are still training.

Other thoughts? I will mention that I have 2 other dogs and 2 cats, and she is fine with all of them.


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## katdog5911 (Sep 24, 2011)

Do you have a dog reactive or dog aggressive dog? reactive yes. aggressive-no although she looks aggressive

How does it impact you/them? Cannot really relax on a walk. And have to keep an eye on her in obedience and agility classes.

Does it limit what you can do with them? Yes. I don't let her have a sniff with other dogs. She just wants to see them but with all her carrying on, they would think she is trying to hurt them and she might get hurt!

What kind of things do you do to help/work with it? Had a private session with a trainer. Try to distract her, do sits or downs. Am trying not to go beyond her threshold. None of this works all the time.

What kind of things have you learned? That there is no easy fix. 

What have you accepted about your situation? That it will take a lot of work and patience to get past this.

Was this something you knew when you got the dog? No. She was 8 weeks old.

If you have worked through it, and your dog is 100% okay with other dogs now, how long did it take and what methods did you use?

If your dog is not 100%, are you going to continue to train or are you happy with what you have done? We will keep on keeping on....She is only 9 months old.

Other thoughts? I will definitely work on this. I have a 9 year old newfie mix that got dog aggressive at about 1. I was not able to address it at the time and he is still dog aggressive. Age has slowed and mellowed his reactions some but he can never be off leash with other dogs.... Hope to avoid this result with Stella.


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## dogsnkiddos (Jul 22, 2008)

*Do you have a dog reactive or dog aggressive dog? * Our original pack consisted of two dogs with other dog issues. When we had them I would have called one dog aggressive and one dog reactive. When Beast moved in I learned what dog aggression *really* was

*How does it impact you/them?* The first two....we lived in the heart of the city. We went to the dog park just before dawn when no one else was there and always asked to be allowed to vacate before anyone else entered. I did not take them to public events like dog walks gatherings. I did take them to trainings and sports...but those were an awful lot more work for us to participate than most of the other people had to work through. Vet visits were awful.
Beast was tough. We loved going out and doing things with him but we had to do a LOT of planning. Our herding instructor said he was too dangerous for the stock. He certainly could not do fly ball, agility...anything with other dogs around. Just walking around the neighborhood was a real game of strategy! We had to change everything. We did a lot more training at odd hours. We stopped travelling (no one wanted to dog sit nor did we feel safe allowing it). Friends could not just show up with their dogs. Some large dogs would be ok if in our house...no small dog was tolerable, even a puppy. Trips to the vet required serious drugs 

*Does it limit what you can do with them?* See above

*What kind of things do you do to help/work with it? * For our first two we consulted with Dr Nicholas Dodman. He observed our pack together and separately. He worked with us to develop a plan and we really worked it. It was combination of diet changes, specific behavior modification in increments related to progress observed, and lots of exercise. There was certainly a component that acknowledged a lot of it would be composed of management.
With Beast we no longer lived near Dr Dodman. Though we consulted from distance I wished we'd still been close enough for more regular interaction. We used a lot of the techniques and approaches from the earlier set. We also added in activities that were suited to HIM. It was work every day, all day to gt him to function in our home. Even though I felt pretty good about the program, there was always a part of me that remained alert and concerned about the what ifs of other dogs....

*What kind of things have you learned?* I learned that I needed to not only be observant, but to actually pay attention to what I observed. I also learned that sometimes you just can't alter that hard wiring- you can just aim for management and control. I also learned that persistence and hard work do yield results. Beast was a BEAST- but he lived in home with other dogs. 2 Greyhounds visited us regularly. I was pretty good with recognizing his limits and not setting him up to fail.

*What have you accepted about your situation?* I accepted there would be no further fostering and likely no more dogs because of the Beast in the house. I accepted that many of the sports I enjoyed with my other dogs would not be for him- I accepted that with Beast, it was truly a lifestyle we were embracing.

*Was this something you knew when you got the dog?* We did not know with ANY of them. The first 2 came from city shelters- I don't think they necessarily knew. Beast came from an all breed rescue that was clueless about a lot of things.

*If you have worked through it, and your dog is 100% okay with other dogs now, how long did it take and what methods did you use?* I think we really only got 100 with one of them- and almost there with another. Beast was not measurable. For the Wise Old Man it took a bit more than a year of consistent, dedicated work. For our Clown, it was always a work in progress but she was close when she died. 
*
If your dog is not 100%, are you going to continue to train or are you happy with what you have done?* We never stopped working Beast. For the other 2 we got to the point where we were ok with them as they were and just adjust our lives accordingly.

*Other thoughts?* I certainly think life is easier when your dog does not have such issues, but living with a dog that does is not awful. Consistency, awareness, predictability- all help. It eventually becomes a way of life and that new way of normal makes it feel less like work, less stressful overall. It was important for me to let go of the dog I wanted them to be and accept and work with who they truly were. A good lesson in life when I think about raising my kids.


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## GSDkid (Apr 19, 2011)

*Do you have a dog reactive or dog aggressive dog?* Yes.

*How does it impact you/them*? Whenever we see another dog, we turn the other way.

*Does it limit what you can do with them?* I would love to do some off-leash or just be able to walk past other dogs without the pulling. It used to be not an issue at all but since we moved to the apartment, it's becoming more frequent.

*What kind of things do you do to help/work with it?* When I do see people walking their dogs at a distance, I make her sit so she can view the dog calmly and praise her for being calm. When we do have to walk pass another dog, I use treats to keep her focus on me and not the other dog. I also take her out and run 1 and 1/2 miles atleast 3 times a day so she won't have the energy to react later.

*What kind of things have you learned?* It's a lot of work!

*What have you accepted about your situation?* I admit that I have a reactive dog and am seeking the proper help.

*Was this something you knew when you got the dog?* Definitely not. I got her at 11 weeks and she was great with other dogs then.

*If you have worked through it, and your dog is 100% okay with other dogs now, how long did it take and what methods did you use?* She's still not 100% yet but I definitely see some improvements. What I'm doing is definitely working for her. However, my schedule for this week is pretty strange so we've slacked some and I do notice the bads again.

*If your dog is not 100%, are you going to continue to train or are you happy with what you have done?* I am going to continue her training and I've also contacted a trainer who works with German Shepherds. We're going to be working as a one on one and until she see's improvement, we'll take the step into a class setting.

*Other thoughts?* I'm seeing her react towards more of the smaller dogs. Before we moved to the apartments, she was great with all dogs. Now that we're here, I see all these small dogs barking at the windows, attacking the windows just because they see a dog. I really think it's influencing my dog.


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## marshies (May 18, 2011)

Do you have a dog reactive or dog aggressive dog?

Reactive, but not aggressive. Does not carry through with reactivity. Will stop when close to the dog.

How does it impact you/them?

It means that I can't do what I originally planned with Puppy, YET. I wanted her to be a go everywhere dog, but can't right now since I'm not prepared yet to manage her and her environment well in all situations.


Does it limit what you can do with them?

Given my lack of management skills, I am limiting her exposure to some environments like busy parks. 

It limits where I can take her, but not what I can do with her. My interactions with her haven't changed. I can take her to puppy class and even agility class. She is fabulous on equipment and offers focus even with other dogs.

What kind of things do you do to help/work with it?

Meeting other REALLY stable dogs who can ignore her completely to make dog meetings an non-event.


What kind of things have you learned?

Just started dealing with reactivity...still feeling helpless most of the time.


What have you accepted about your situation?

No. I still have moments of frustration and dissapointment, but I express them away from the dog. I am frustrated at my management more than her situation. I am not prepared to accept the situation mostly because she wasn't reactive when she first got here. Also, I've only had her for 4 months and have not started working formally on the reactivity.

I am optimistic for change and development, so have not come to accept her current condition. I love her, but want to work on this. 

Was this something you knew when you got the dog?

No. It didn't present itself until after about a week here.

If your dog is not 100%, are you going to continue to train or are you happy with what you have done?

Will definitely continue training. 

Other thoughts?

The reactivity is mostly my doing. I want to make this right and work so that she can be my go anywhere dog.


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## sheep (Dec 2, 2011)

*Do you have a dog reactive or dog aggressive dog? *I have a almost 10 months old GSD mix that has mild reactivity, but not aggressive.
*
How does it impact you/them?* I have to be always alert and prepared for a sudden pull. It makes it a bit hard to be in places with many people and dogs around (like coffee places near home). Also, it feels a bit embarrassed that my dog is not well behaved in front of others.  Also, I fell on the ground once (it was soft sandy ground thought) when trying to hold him still when he spotted his playmate. 
*
Does it limit what you can do with them?* A little, but not much.
*
What kind of things do you do to help/work with it?* Redirection/getting his attention somewhere else before he notices other dog (like motivating him to run with me or sharing food with him), acting as if nothing happened and continue walking, correction if reaction is being overboard with barking and pulling (verbal, leash jerk and/or holding him down for him to calm down), or praise and scratch his back when he looks at other dogs at distance while not reacting. Lastly, getting him used to see other dogs walking around is also what I'm trying to do too.
*
What kind of things have you learned?* Usemy intuition to understand what my dog is feeling at the moment, and then to determine what's the best way to deal with the situation. The timing and intensity of the correction is very important. Intensity being too low would be no use at all; intensity being too high would aggravate the reaction and can make the dog develop aggression towards another dog. And then, scratching and praising him when he's looking at other dogs at distance and calmly helps him to develop positive feelings towards the other dog and make him want to play instead of seeing other dog as suspicious.Also, leashtensioncan make a dog's reactivity worse, specially if the distance between the dogs is short. A reactive dog might not be aggressive but just too excited, but he can act as if he is by wanting to reach the other one no matter what but can't (which leads to frustration), and so if the other dog approaches, he might try to bite grab the other one.
*
What have you accepted about your situation?* Dog reactivity on leash is not a big deal for me. It's a common dog behavior and it requires some patience that hopefully with management and training it can be improved.
*
Was this something you knew when you got the dog?* Not really. When we got him in the shelter, he was just a 3 months old skeletic little pup that was recovering from parvo. He was so weak and non reactive to anything back then.*

If you have worked through it, and your dog is 100% okay with other dogs now, how long did it take and what methods did you use?* Still working on it. 
*
If your dog is not 100%, are you going to continue to train or are you happy with what you have done?* Yeah, it will take time, but I will continue working with him 'till he's not reactive anymore. 
*
Other thoughts? *Pulling on leash due to reactivity is a common behavior, don't worry too much about it and it takes time and patience. Make sure you're calm and assertive and not anxious whenever your dog reacts, or else it would only worsen the situation.


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## jakes mom (Feb 29, 2012)

Do you have a dog reactive or dog aggressive dog? Yes, Jake wasn't used to other dogs and was fear aggressive.

How does it impact you/them? Can't go where you like. Have to find areas where dogs are at a safe distance. 

What kind of things do you do to help/work with it? Just kept our dog at a distance he was comfortable with, gave him treats to make him feel better about dogs, and encouraged him to do redirect himself. We basically left him to make his own decisions - and he closed the gap at his own pace. He has no problems now - and would play with a dog if allowed to. He will turn away from any dogs he is unsure of. 

What kind of things have you learned? Keep calm otherwise your dog will be worried. Don't rush - and really observe your dog. Keep the leash loose, but be ready to hold tight and remove from a possible bad situation if necessray. Your dog needs to feel safe knowing you are confident and there is nothing to worry about. Make yourself a barrier between your dog and other dogs, if you can't remove yourselves from a sticky situation. Make a conscious note to yourself - do not tighten the leash when another dog is about. The tension will go down the leash to the dog, and he'll think there is something to be worried about. 

What have you accepted about your situation? Our dog is not normal, and we have to accept that he will never have a normal life with other dogs, because of possible seizure aggression. Shame we can't explain that to him. 

Was this something you knew when you got the dog? No, we had him from a rehoming centre when he was 5 years old. 

If you have worked through it, and your dog is 100% okay with other dogs now, how long did it take and what methods did you use? It took 6-9 months, using the method above. I suppose we could have encouraged him to go quicker - but the way we did it - he had no stress and neither did we. Apart from occasional loose dogs of course - what a pain in the butt dopey owners are!!.

If your dog is not 100%, are you going to continue to train or are you happy with what you have done?

Other thoughts? If you have nowhere suitable to work with your dogs - it's worth the money to engage a good trainer with the correct facilities and other dogs to assist. Jake was easy to be honest - but only because we had learnt from a previous dog, and understood fear aggression from trying to help him.
Educate yourself as much as you can. If you have no improvement at all in behaviour after a few weeks - think about why that may be. Look at everything you and the dog do. What else could you improve. Don't look at one behaviour in isolation - you need to look at the whole dog. Perhaps they would benefit from more obedience training, or participation in a sport, to keep their brain occupied for instance.


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## robk (Jun 16, 2011)

*Do you have a dog reactive or dog aggressive dog?*
He used to be but is doing much better. I have noticed other dogs (in public) are much worse around him now than he is.

*How does it impact you/them?* It does not impact us anymore really. It use to be a point of annoyance but we have worked through it very successfully. He is not 100% but we are progressing. I am confident that he will continue to improve 

*Does it limit what you can do with them?* At one time I would never be able to bring him near other dogs. I remember once we tried to take him to an out door restaurant but had to leave because some one else had a dog. He was pretty hard to handle at that time.

*What kind of things do you do to help/work with it?* Engagement, reward and correction (hard) when needed. Engagement training has been the key to our success. Lots and lots of practice. One exercise that we did was to go to a parking lot that bordered a yard that had some aggressively barking dogs behind a chain link fence. We started at the far end of the parking lot and trained with a clicker and a bag of crackers. Over several training sessions we inched closer to the dogs. After several training sessions we were able to sit right next to the fence and do obedience (heel, sit, down, stay, come) with complete focus. 

We also are active in our local schutzhund club and are now able to train on the field simultaneously with other dogs working on OB with out reactivity.

*What kind of things have you learned?* I am learning how to train a dog! It has been very satisfying to work through what was a very annoying problem. I have learned about my dog and how to keep him engaged. I have learned to read his body posture, his breathing, and general behavior clues that he gives me much better now. 

*What have you accepted about your situation?* Other people (generally speaking) are not going to take the time to train or even control their dogs so I have to be wary for them.

*Was this something you knew when you got the dog?* I am not sure that it was a problem my dog had when I got him since I brought him home at only 8 weeks. I think I unknowingly encouraged him to be dog aggressive by the way I treated him when he first started acting out towards other dogs.

*If you have worked through it, and your dog is 100% okay with other dogs now, how long did it take and what methods did you use?
* Like I said he is not 100% but getting there.

*If your dog is not 100%, are you going to continue to train or are you happy with what you have done?
* 
I will not stop training...ever.

*Other thoughts?
*I think dog reactivity is very common and for the most part can be overcome (to an extent). Dogs are social creatures. I think that humans feed insecurity into our dogs by the way we react when other dogs are present.


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## sitstay (Jan 20, 2003)

JeanKBBMMMAAN said:


> Do you have a dog reactive or dog aggressive dog? Yes.
> 
> How does it impact you/them? I can't take him to visit, we can't compete in dogs sports and training opportunities are few and far between because he will attack another dog if it breeches his personal space bubble, I have to be careful where and when I walk him and I have to crate and rotate dogs in my home.
> 
> ...


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## JeanKBBMMMAAN (May 11, 2005)

Follow up question - and should I stick it in its own thread...

For your reactive dog, what do you do when an off leash dog runs up on you?


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## cshepherd9 (Feb 11, 2010)

JeanKBBMMMAAN said:


> For your reactive dog, what do you do when an off leash dog runs up on you?


I think Willow is a weird case, she does react and bark at dogs but she is SO not dog aggressive. It actually helps her if the she can get close to the dog because then she loses all interest in reacting. So we have zero issues if a loose dog runs up to us and it has happened several times. BUT we have never encountered a "mean" dog, all have been friendly so far. 
Actually, I remember vividly one trip to PetSmart. We had been in the store and of course Willow had been doing some barking at a dog she had seen and then as we were walking out the door an older lady lost control of her little pug and it headed right at us. There were about 3 people near me and I could see the panic on everyone's face as this pug ran straight for us. I held up my hands and said Don't panic, just let her run over here to Willow and then you can get your dog. And that is what happened, Willow was happy, the pug was happy and the lady was able to get her dog.


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## kiya (May 3, 2010)

Do you have a dog reactive or dog aggressive dog? Yes, reactive not aggressive.

How does it impact you/them? I "used" to avoid certain areas in my neighborhood, only walk the neighborhood at the crack of dawn when nobody was around. 

Does it limit what you can do with them? Yes there were a lot of times they were left home rather than going to an outting.

What kind of things do you do to help/work with it? I had gone back to group obedience classes and both dogs were fine inside the class. I started brushing up on obedience and working on threshold exercises. Working each dog individually.

What kind of things have you learned? *SOCIALIZE, SOCIALIZE, SOCIALIZE*

What have you accepted about your situation? I accepted that both of my dogs were not properly socialized when they were younger. And although I worked hard to get them to be better, they will never be 100%. Now I can walk each dog individually at any time of day in my neighborhood and not worry about reactivity. They are better behaved individually then as a pack.

Was this something you knew when you got the dog? No, I thought I was socializing my dogs enough by going to group obedience classes and the occassional outings.

If you have worked through it, and your dog is 100% okay with other dogs now, how long did it take and what methods did you use? I can not say that Kiya is 100% but when a loose GSD came up to us last summer there was absolutly no bad reaction from her toward this dog. She is very food motivated so after several months of practicing threshold exercises with "Behavorial Adjustment Training" walking in an "arch" rather than walking straight up to a dog. My male is not always food motivated, he's a scaredy dog so it can be difficult to get him to focus, he is more prone to outbursts of barking at the object dog/person that he is reacting to. 

If your dog is not 100%, are you going to continue to train or are you happy with what you have done? I still do focus exercises and I try to work with each dog one on one. I would like to be able to take all 3 dogs on an outting together and not have to worry about a loose dog.


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## JeanKBBMMMAAN (May 11, 2005)

Thanks everyone for answering these questions! Very interesting.

This might help: 



> *REACTIVITY?* What are we talking about here? When I use the term I am talking about what we usually think of as “over reactivity,” or “reactivity” that we see as inappropriate. After all, a loose body greeting is a “reaction” to another dog, right? In this case, I am talking about barking, lunging, snarling, snapping, stiffening etc… in other words, doing things we humans don’t like that makes us nervous that the behavior might be followed by aggression or trouble of some kind. It’s not a great term, but it’s better than “aggression,” since so much of behavior that we consider problematic is not aggressive at all.
> 
> 
> *MOTIVATION:* I showed a video montage that illustrated that ‘reactivity’ can be the result of many internal states or desires: a dog who is barking and lunging could be : 1) afraid of the approaching dog and trying to get it to stop or go away, 2) frustrated because it can’t get to the other dog to play, 3) warning the other dog to stay away because whenever it gets close the barker gets a snap on the neck and it hurts, 4) begging the other dog to come closer so that it can get into a fight, which the barker heartily enjoys (rare, but it happens).


From: http://www.theotherendoftheleash.com/dog-dog-reactivity-treatment-summary

I have a 1 and a silent 4.  SBD.  My 4 can be introduced to fosters, particularly puppies - she is the best/most tolerant dog with puppies, my 1 I can not.


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## katdog5911 (Sep 24, 2011)

JeanKBBMMMAAN said:


> Follow up question - and should I stick it in its own thread...
> 
> For your reactive dog, what do you do when an off leash dog runs up on you?


The way Stella carries on, no dogs seem to want to run over! Yesterday I started walking her in the field next to the dog park. At first sight of a dog we had the usual lunacy. Within 20 minutes we were next to the fence sniffing other dogs after having approached quietly. Then there was what I consider normal play barking, yipping and bowing. Will try this again.


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## kiya (May 3, 2010)

JeanKBBMMMAAN said:


> Follow up question - *and should I stick it in its own thread...*
> 
> For your reactive dog, what do you do when an off leash dog runs up on you?


I think that question should have it's own thread, I think all of us have a story to tell about that "off leash" loose or stray dog.

Most times I have all 3 dogs and when I see a loose dog normally it runs the other way. 
If the dog does not I will turn my dogs in the other direction or away from the loose dog and "COMMAND" them to continue on "come on lets go". Thats what I did when my neighbors 2 loose dogs came at us.


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## cshepherd9 (Feb 11, 2010)

In your Motivation paragraph, we would be a definite 2.


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## Gretchen (Jan 20, 2011)

JeanKBBMMMAAN said:


> Follow up question - and should I stick it in its own thread...
> 
> For your reactive dog, what do you do when an off leash dog runs up on you?


It depends on the other dog, it's age and body language. Assuming it's well adjusted dog, I relax the leash and let the dogs smell front and back. My dog usually wants to play, but her play is very growly and aggressive. About 50% of the time they can play, if my dog gets to be too much, I tell her to come, or a down command. Training is paying off, and I rarely have to pull on the leash. 

If it's an older, hyper puppy we walk away. If the other dog appears aggressive, or we are sitting down and don't want to be bothered, I tell the dog "NO". I usually try to walk away.


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## jakes mom (Feb 29, 2012)

Do you have a dog reactive or dog aggressive dog? Yes. Sam, but we lost him 18 months ago. Extremely reactive to anything that moved - mainly obsessed with other dogs. We could never be 100% sure but we think it was over exhuberance and frustation rather than aggression. But he would mouth other dogs, or roughly nosebutt them if he had a muzzle on and got close enough. In the house following a year of training he was perfect, with us, the kids and any other dogs. 


How does it impact you/them? We got pulled about, exhausted, injured, stressed and worried. We were on constant alert. We found it impossible to relax and feel confident - and be on high alert at the same time. We knew how hard it was hold onto him when he lost control, fearing we would be dragged along the ground. We felt desperate to find a solution. Poor dog just didn't have the life he should have. He got pulled about, choked, shouted at - he missed out on so much. We considered ourselves good dog owners, and we were so patient and worked so hard at calming him in the house. But we were baffled by his behaviour outside. He obsessed our thoughts. How could we get him to be calm ? 


Does it limit what you can do with them? Yes. We had to be very careful where and when we walked him. Couldn't risk taking him anywhere we may suddenly meet other dogs. Training schools and a behaviourist gave up on him - he was so unpredictable and created so much - he stressed the other dogs out. They had no idea how to help him or us. 

What kind of things do you do to help/work with it? Everything possible. Avoiding dogs completely, because there was no safe distance. Leash corrections, leave it, turning round, water spray, citronella spray, head collars, no-pull harnesses, covering his eyes, trainers, behaviorist. Reading everything I could find.(I did not have access to the internet) Nothing would distract him, no matter what he was doing he was still on high alert for other dogs or people. Eventually we found equipment that gave us full control - so we weren't worried he would drag us along the ground. But still got nowhere with him. We even applied to go on "It's Me or the Dog", but were unsucessful. Finally, out of desperation, we just left him to it, and made sure he could do no harm to himself or anyone else. Strangely that worked - once he wore himself out - or realised it was a futile exercise - he calmed down enough to be allowed to go closer. Slowly he started to control himself for longer and longer. He learnt the only way he would be allowed closer to other dogs, was by being calm.


What kind of things have you learned?
I've really thought about that. Harsh corrections did not help in this situation, I think it was probably wearing a choke chain that really made him so bad. I hated using it, even though I'd used them before with no issues, but Sam would literally be choking himself and frothing at the mouth. That being said - we couldn't hold onto him at all without it. In the UK we do not have prong collars, or e-collars, not even head collars when we first had him. Tightening the leash was a big mistake - the shock for the dog of being stopped suddenly is much more effective strategy. We learnt that just looking at a particular problem behaviour as a single issue is a mistake. You need to think about everything else you do, and everything else the dog does, and see how other things may impact on the behaviour. We learnt that several short walking sessions were much better for us and the dog - less stress all round. 
Reseach and more research. If you see no improvement at all after a few weeks of using a certain method - try and think of another way. 

What have you accepted about your situation? 
We never gave up - even though we felt like it quite a few times. We asked the Police to take him - but when they assessed him they said he wasn't focused enough. Pity they didn't test him with another dog instead of an inanimate object. 


Was this something you knew when you got the dog? We knew we were his 4th or 5th owners when he took him on at the age of 12 months. We were aware that his previous 2 owners hadn't been able to cope with him. He wasn't aggressive, but he was very big, very mouthy and wild, and had never been on leash. 

If you have worked through it, and your dog is 100% okay with other dogs now, how long did it take and what methods did you use? We worked on his issues for 9 and half years, as described above. We went from no safe distance at all to approx 50 feet, sometimes a lot less - and we were getting very close to getting there when we lost him. 


If your dog is not 100%, are you going to continue to train or are you happy with what you have done? N/A

Other thoughts? 
With the benefit of hindsight, it's now become apparant to me what the problem was with Sam. He should have been working - he was born to do it. Nothing, and I mean nothing at all could redirect his attention from watching what so going on around him. I saw a video the other day, where dogs were herding huge balls around. I really believe that is what he needed to be doing, if he couldn't do herding for real. I feel so sad for him - we loved him so much - but he needed to use his brain, and do what he had been bred for. We've had plenty of time to think about him, and tried so hard to figure out what we were doing wrong. A couple of things maybe 

1. The choke chain - I think that was a major mistake and turned enthusiasm into aggression. I'm so pleased that there are now better, kinder ways of handling our dogs.

2. About 4 months after we got him, we also took on my daughter's Dalmation bitch. She was 16 months old, the same as Sam. That wasn't a mistake - they loved each other - but we made the mistake of allowing them to play very rough together.

There now seems to be a lot of information on fear agressive dogs. But I think there is still little information or knowledge for frustrated/ aggressive dogs. It's a really challenging problem, depending how bad the dog is. We'd had a reactive GSD before, or so we thought, but compared to Sam he was a p**** cat. We dealt with his behaviour quite easily with leash corrections and 'leave it'. Loose dogs are a nightmare, for reactive dogs and their owners. 

If possible, enlist the help of a specialist - if they exist.


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## jakes mom (Feb 29, 2012)

In the UK we have a couple of training centres that have "Teaching Dogs".
These are not stooge dogs, they actually show other dogs how to behave properly.

Do you have any in USA? 

Angela Stockdale, Dog Aggression Specialist - About Angela: an aggressive dog is an unhappy dog

I wish I'd known about this place before. 

Sue


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## Neo93 (Apr 25, 2011)

Do you have a dog reactive or dog aggressive dog? Yes, Frieda is dog reactive. She is also child reactive on occasion, but never to my own children.

How does it impact you/them? We have to plan for what-if more. She was crated more than I would have liked to crate her because there are many places where she just would be unable to function. Any outing or visitors over seems to take a ton of planning and choreography as to "who's got the dog/where's the dog."

Does it limit what you can do with them? Yes. It limits where we go with her, how much I let my kids handle her (they are not allowed to walk the dog on the street, in the park, etc. because they could not control her if she really decided to react), who comes over to the house. I had originally thought of training her to be a service dog for my husband or possibly doing search and rescue with her, but I seriously doubt she would ever be successful at either of those. 

What kind of things do you do to help/work with it? It's probably shorter to list what we haven't done LOL. We've tried a prong collar, an e-collar, various kinds of head collars, thundershirts, calming caps, reactive dog classes, CU/LAT, classical conditioning, meds, auto-watches, more LAT, CAT, BAT, and abandonment training.

What kind of things have you learned? There are a lot of ways to train a dog . There is no single way that is the best for every dog. Frieda requires very clear black/white this is acceptable/this is not acceptable handling (yeah, that was my big fault at the beginning). Frieda is who she is, though, and there is only so much you can do to overcome genetics. Puppies are not the blank slate that I once thought they were. 

What have you accepted about your situation? She will never be 100% reliable around dogs. I think we'll get to 90%, maybe 95%, but I think she will always require a vigilant handler and some form of management.

Was this something you knew when you got the dog? No. I didn't even know what reactivity was before we got Frienda :laugh:.

If you have worked through it, and your dog is 100% okay with other dogs now, how long did it take and what methods did you use?

If your dog is not 100%, are you going to continue to train or are you happy with what you have done? We will continue to train. I think Frieda and I are "lifers" at the training facility. I am happy with the progress she has made, though. She passed her CGC, which I never thought she would be able to do. 

Other thoughts? I have learned more about dog behavior and training dogs than I would have learned with a more stable dog. It was incredibly hard, though, and while I love her, I don't think I would knowingly get another reactive dog.


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## Good_Karma (Jun 28, 2009)

*Do you have a dog reactive or dog aggressive dog?* Yes

*How does it impact you/them?* Niko gets very alert when he knows there is a dog in the area, but he is able to give me his attention and ignore the other dog, provided we are outside his "danger zone" of reactivity.

*Does it limit what you can do with them?* Yes, we avoid areas where we have encountered off leash dogs in the past. And we don't go to places where other dogs are welcome (like PetSmart or Tractor Supply).

*What kind of things do you do to help/work with it?* We hired a private trainer and worked with her for a year. We do continue to take him out in town a couple of times a week where he can hear but not always see other dogs. Sometimes we will see another dog and we'll work on some LAT exercises and creating positive associations with the presence of the other dog.

*What kind of things have you learned?* Niko is more reactive when he is with me, so Don does more of the dog reactivity training than I do. We have also learned that we can't allow Niko to decide how he will react to another dog, since he always chooses wrong. For now we work on getting him to look to us for how he is to behave (ignore the other dog).

*What have you accepted about your situation?* Niko is still a good dog. We won't be adding a third dog to our household though.

*Was this something you knew when you got the dog?* No.

*If you have worked through it, and your dog is 100% okay with other dogs now, how long did it take and what methods did you use?*

*If your dog is not 100%, are you going to continue to train or are you happy with what you have done?* Training never ends. I think if we stopped working on it, he would lose the ground he has gained.

*Other thoughts?* It's not a fun behavior to work around. I envy people who have dog friendly dogs and I wish that Niko had more doggy friends than just Rosa. But I still think he's living a good life.

On the last question about being charged by off leash dogs, Don and I have reacted in different ways. The first few times it happened to us, we tried to get between Niko and the other dog, but failed and Niko was left to fend off the other dog ( mostly with a noisy display of teeth, although one time he slipped his collar and ran away). After that we bought pepper spray. The next time we were charged, I wasn't ready with the spray and I got pulled to the ground, lost the leash and Niko did his display of teeth and noise to the other dog (who backed off a little) and then I was able to spray the dog to get him to go away. Another time I was ready with the spray and got the approaching dog before any contact was made between them. I still ended up on the ground though!


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## jakes mom (Feb 29, 2012)

JeanKBBMMMAAN said:


> Follow up question - and should I stick it in its own thread... *Yes, it would be interesting to find out what works for others*
> 
> For your reactive dog, what do you do when an off leash dog runs up on you?


 
Not to be recommended but often what happens - Panic, and hold on for dear life :wild::wild: 

Plenty of theories - practice is another matter. It depends on the dog. 

IMO The best idea is shorten the leash but still keep it loose and walk away - you never know - the dogs may get on. And if your dog is aggressive or fearful he'll lunge and it will generally drive the other dog away anyway. 

OR - You should get your dog behind you, hold yourself in a very assertive position - bold upright put your one arm straight out with your palm facing the other dog and using your very best voice of doom - tell it to back offff !! or NO or SIT. 

OR - Carry an umbrella - open it up and use as a barrier.

OR - Carry a walking stick

OR - Carry the dog repellant spray - don't know what it's called.

You know its odd - but in all the years we had Sam we never had a loose dog approach us. But we have had loads approach Jake. I guess other dogs sense something we don't.

Sue


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## GsdLoverr729 (Jun 20, 2010)

jakes mom said:


> OR - You should get your dog behind you, hold yourself in a very assertive position - bold upright put your one arm straight out with your palm facing the other dog and using your very best voice of doom - tell it to back offff !! or NO or SIT.
> 
> Sue


This made my day!
Dakoda will generally ignore them unless they are acting aggressively. If that's the case I usually put myself between them and use my "voice of doom" as Sue put it  If that doesn't work Koda usually gets her way and chases it off while I yell for the owner and try to force the dog off.
She used to be full out aggressive when on a leash, but has gotten better since we started going to the dog park.


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## jakes mom (Feb 29, 2012)

Neo93 said:


> What kind of things do you do to help/work with it? It's probably shorter to list what we haven't done LOL. We've tried a prong collar, an e-collar, various kinds of head collars, thundershirts, calming caps, reactive dog classes, CU/LAT, classical conditioning, meds, auto-watches, more LAT, CAT, BAT, and abandonment training.


Hi Neo

I've only recently heard of abondonment training, sounds interesting. 
I'm pretty sure if we left Jake he would have come running after us. Our dog Sammy - I don't think so - but it would have interesting to find out. 

Did you find it any good? 

Sue


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## Neo93 (Apr 25, 2011)

jakes mom said:


> Hi Neo
> 
> I've only recently heard of abondonment training, sounds interesting.
> I'm pretty sure if we left Jake he would have come running after us. Our dog Sammy - I don't think so - but it would have interesting to find out.
> ...


It did work really well with Frieda. The first time we tried it, the trainer had her on a long line, I had the regular leash, and we waited for her to react to a dog. When she did, I actually threw the leash at her, got in the car, and left. The trainer filmed some of her training immediately after I left - it totally changed her attitude. She is definitely the velcro type GSD, though.


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## jakes mom (Feb 29, 2012)

Neo93 said:


> It did work really well with Frieda. The first time we tried it, the trainer had her on a long line, I had the regular leash, and we waited for her to react to a dog. When she did, I actually threw the leash at her, got in the car, and left. The trainer filmed some of her training immediately after I left - it totally changed her attitude. She is definitely the velcro type GSD, though.


Hi Neo

Wow, you actually left Frieda completely - I thought you just ran like mad in the opposite direction and hopefully your dog was more interested in you than the other dog. 



> From Patricia McConnell blog _ "The Other End of the Leash"
> 
> 4. Operant Conditioning, Positive Punishment: The only example of Positive Punishment that I ever use in these cases is Trish King’s "Abandonment Training." In this scenario, a dog is both on a leash and a long line, with the owner holding the leash as usual and a trainer holding the long line as a safety net. As they approach another dog, if the subject dog barks and lunges, the owner throws the leash onto the dog’s back (tactile cue) and runs like heck the other way. Basically, the dog is ‘deserted’ by the owner, and if it is bothered by that, it stops the behavior very, very quickly. I’ve seen it work beautifully on some dogs, but as Trish advises, this is only for clingy dogs who care deeply about being with their owner. (Can you spell German Shepherd? Forgive me, but do the GSD folks out there agree that GSDs seem to care deeply about being with their humans, more so than many other dogs? I am NOT saying this is appropriate for every GSD, or not for other breeds, don’t get me in trouble by misquoting me!)


I understand that it changed Frieda's behaviour when the trainer had control of her. But did it make any difference to her reactivity when you had her, because our dogs will sometimes behave different if we're not there. 

I wish I'd have thought of trying that - it sound really good. Thinking about it, knowing Sammy, our totally nutty dog, I think even he might have panicked about us leaving him, and he'd have certainly noticed - he noticed everything. 

Would you say your dog is fearful or too enthusiastic as per the list that Jean posted



> *MOTIVATION: I showed a video montage that illustrated that ‘reactivity’ can be the result of many internal states or desires: a dog who is barking and lunging could be : 1) afraid of the approaching dog and trying to get it to stop or go away, 2) frustrated because it can’t get to the other dog to play, 3) warning the other dog to stay away because whenever it gets close the barker gets a snap on the neck and it hurts, 4) begging the other dog to come closer so that it can get into a fight, which the barker heartily enjoys (rare, but it happens). *


Sue


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## Neo93 (Apr 25, 2011)

Sue,

I'd say that Frieda was primarily a 1 (fearful). There is definitely a learned component to her reactivity - she figured out that if she barked and lunged, she either was removed (yay! I get to leave) or she was refocused and treated (yay! I get liver sausage!). She wasn't really interested in learning how to co-exist peacefully with the other dogs in class. I think there is a part of her that actually enjoys watching people and other dogs jump when she barks. 

As far as abandonment training, it did change her behavior with me. It only took two or three repetitions before she figured out that I would leave if she acted crazy, and she didn't want me to leave. She tries hard to keep a lid on her reactions now. It's not perfect, but it's way better than it used to be.


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## jakes mom (Feb 29, 2012)

Thanks for that Neo. Very interesting. 

Sue


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## MegansGrace (Apr 27, 2011)

Do you have a dog reactive or dog aggressive dog?
*About a year ago Lucas started to become leash reactive. *

How does it impact you/them?
*We have to be very careful since we live in an apartment complex. I've had to learn to be very upfront with people that they cannot approach us on leash. I'd say it increases his stress and frustration on walks.*

Does it limit what you can do with them?
*Well, we recently almost got kicked out agility because he went after a dog in agility because someone approached up and I didn't see them. I've been careful about telling everyone in our class to give us space but this was someone from another class. He's great off leash and can stay focused but ... don't invade his space.*

What kind of things do you do to help/work with it?
*We've seen a behaviorist for his generalized anxiety and he's on clomipromine. We just started on LAT. I'm working with the behaviorist now more with his aggression because it seems to have slightly increased and we're trying to figure out if it's situational or a side effect of his medicine. *

What kind of things have you learned?
*It can be managed, there are A LOT of reactive dogs out there, you have to speak up to other owners, and you can have great days and absolutely terrible days. *

What have you accepted about your situation?
*This will be something that I will always have to manage.*

Was this something you knew when you got the dog?
*No, he wasn't like this until recently when we moved. That's what has made this even more frustrating. It's been a recent development.*

If you have worked through it, and your dog is 100% okay with other dogs now, how long did it take and what methods did you use?
*N/A*

If your dog is not 100%, are you going to continue to train or are you happy with what you have done?
*We had done a lot of work with "leave it" and "on me" which had worked very well. We just recently had had that problem at agility class. Just last night my foster dog started a huge dog fight (like 8 dogs joined in) and Lucas has never gotten in on fights but last night he out of the blue just attacked a dog (as the fight was being broken up). Kind of makes me worry that this is starting to extend into the reaches of dog-aggression. We're working with LAT and with a behaviorist which I would HIGHLY recommend to anyone. She has been amazing and has been able to give me tools and suggestions that I would have never thought of on my own. She's also been able to facilitate my vet appointments, etc. to make them successful for him. I can't imagine doing this without her.*
Other thoughts?


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## Lakl (Jul 23, 2011)

Do you have a dog reactive or dog aggressive dog? Yes

How does it impact you/them? She USED to be completely on edge anywhere outside the home and it bothered me A LOT that I could not seem to make life easier for her.

Does it limit what you can do with them? We avoid strange dogs or activities that might subject her to be around lots of strange dogs. I think she would have made a great agility partner, but her FA just won't allow it.

What kind of things do you do to help/work with it? The first year was tough, but we trainined a lot and used to LAT technique and worked at staying calm from a distance. We went through several different trainers, a behaviorist, and even boarded training (something I'd never do again!). But the BIGGEST impact on her FA has been my male, Achilles.

What kind of things have you learned? It took awhile for me to accept that this was something that could not simply be TRAINED out of her and that it was simply part of her genetics. I learned that I had to teach her how to deal with it instead and we've come a long way. When Kaiya was about 18 mos, I got my male Achilles. He is the exact opposite, and nothing phases his calm, cool, demeanor. As he grew, I began to see major changes in her level of comfort around other dogs. I've always kept them separated on walks or outings outside the home, because of the fear that her behavior would rub off on him. He is 15 months now, and I just last week started walking them together by myself. It was probably the best walk I've ever had with her. She seemed to be feeding off of him. We passed a house with several dogs charging the fence and barking at us, and this is usually something that can trigger the behavior. The hackles will go up, she will growl, and I have to give a verbal correction. Achilles barely glanced in their direction. I saw her look at him, and then continue on as if they weren't there! During our entire walk, even though she stayed alert of our surroundings, the uneasieness that she usually carries wasn't there.

Last night was the biggest revelation. Thunder, fireworks, and gun shots have always been traumatic for her. 4th of July is an occasion that sends her cowering in the bath tub. Loud noises do not phases Achilles at all. So last night someone in our neighborhood started popping fireworks while we were sitting outside. She immediately turned to head inside, then stopped and looked back at Achilles, who was casually lying down and acting as if he didn't even hear the noise. When she saw he did not react, she turned around and went back to what she was doing. The fear seemed to be gone! It was the first time she has EVER been able to endure fireworks! 

So despite all the foundation and training work I have done with her, I actually believe that HE has been the best trainer of all in her FA. He is teaching her that everything is not a cause for alarm and how to relax and just enjoy life. 

What have you accepted about your situation? That this takes time to work through and understand what triggers your dog and how to help them manage the fear.

Was this something you knew when you got the dog? Not a clue!

If you have worked through it, and your dog is 100% okay with other dogs now, how long did it take and what methods did you use?
Still a work in progress.

If your dog is not 100%, are you going to continue to train or are you happy with what you have done? I think the training and conditioning is going to be a lifelong task, but I am very happy with the progress we have made.


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## Debbieg (Jun 7, 2009)

Lakl said:


> D
> So despite all the foundation and training work I have done with her, I actually believe that HE has been the best trainer of all in her FA. He is teaching her that everything is not a cause for alarm and how to relax and just enjoy life.
> 
> .


 It is wonderful to see how a confident strong nerved dog can help another! Is Achilles the alpha? It makes sense that a strong nerved, confident dog who be more apt to influence the weaker than the other way around. 

Benny is a bit reactive, easily amped up, and I am planning on getting another pup. Strong nerves, along with health is my priority.


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## Lakl (Jul 23, 2011)

Debbieg said:


> It is wonderful to see how a confident strong nerved dog can help another! Is Achilles the alpha? It makes sense that a strong nerved, confident dog who be more apt to influence the weaker than the other way around.
> 
> Benny is a bit reactive, easily amped up, and I am planning on getting another pup. Strong nerves, along with health is my priority.


I don't think either is really the Alpha, but they have a very tight bond. My biggest fear was bringing a new puppy into this situation and having the same outcome with two dogs! When she was a pup and I was trying to work through this, people were always telling me that I needed to find a calm dog that I could work her around, but I just didn't know anyone with such a dog that could help. People were afraid to bring their dogs around her. The whole situation has really opened my eyes on the whole genetics and temperament thing. I'm sure that if Achilles was not bred to be sound temperamentally, then I could have surely seen the opposite result!


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## MegansGrace (Apr 27, 2011)

Lakl said:


> I don't think either is really the Alpha, but they have a very tight bond. My biggest fear was bringing a new puppy into this situation and having the same outcome with two dogs! When she was a pup and I was trying to work through this, people were always telling me that I needed to find a calm dog that I could work her around, but I just didn't know anyone with such a dog that could help. People were afraid to bring their dogs around her. The whole situation has really opened my eyes on the whole genetics and temperament thing. I'm sure that if Achilles was not bred to be sound temperamentally, then I could have surely seen the opposite result!


This is my biggest fear. My foster is also leash aggressive. I'm looking to add another dog after he gets adopted. I am really worried about having a second leash reactive dog. I'm definitely looking to go with a reputable breeder but I'm just not convinced that will mean the puppy won't have a leash reactive issue at some point. I feel like I'm managing my Lab's issues, but I can't train it so that it's no longer an issue. It's really been a problem for us and we're no longer able to take group agility classes any more because of it.


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## KentuckyGSDLover (Nov 17, 2011)

Do you have a dog reactive or dog aggressive dog? Yes. Dog reactive, people reactive, cat reactive, squirrel reactive . . . you get the gist. Some is fear reactive, some is a absolute crazy prey drive, some a combination. Never know - today she did something new: barked at the vaulted ceiling in the living room. 

How does it impact you/them? Impacts both her, my older dog and I with stress. 

Does it limit what you can do with them? Yes. She is okay in the house if no one else is here but me, but that's it. She can only be taken outside on-leash and, at this point, not around people or any other animals except my other dog. Though she likes to ride in the car, I can't take both dogs because I do not want my other dog to be in the contained small space in the backseat with her if she reacts to a dog outside of the car that we may drive past. I cannot travel/vacation with her and I've accepted I will have to build an indoor/outdoor kennel on my property when I want to vacation or go someplace overnight. 

What kind of things do you do to help/work with it? Incremental training for now. Trying to focus her and set limits that she's never been taught. Consistent behavioral expectations and consistent schedules. Took two steps forward and one step back. 

What kind of things have you learned? That my dog is nuts. lol Seriously, I've embarked upon a journey in a crash course in reactivity and it's all a new learning experience that I've embarked upon.

What have you accepted about your situation?  That this dog may always have to be contained in some situations, that she will never be the carefree companion that I'm used to having that can go anywhere with me. 

Was this something you knew when you got the dog? No. I was told the dog was "soft" (I actually think she's pretty hardheaded), and I knew she was a bit shy, but both times I visited before taking her home she appeared overall calm, didn't lunge at me, my friends or my dog at her former home. I had no clue she was spastic and reactive. 

If you have worked through it, and your dog is 100% okay with other dogs now, how long did it take and what methods did you use? Not there. I do have to tell her to leave my older dog alone (pouncing on him when he's sleeping, chewing on his ears and head, leaping on him, etc). I've seen her try to bully him to pig up my attention at times, too. This has been ongoing since I got her in December, but a firm "no" or "leave Buddy alone" usually works now. Methods? I tried multiple until I saw what seemed to get through her beady black head. I've found she requires unrelenting firmness and then when she complies much praise, to get results.

If your dog is not 100%, are you going to continue to train or are you happy with what you have done? Continue to train, lest she drive me insane. 

Other thoughts? I've come to think of this as a kind of process, one that I have no idea yet where it will lead. Sometimes I get very discouraged, but when I look back over the past 5 1/2 months, there's been a lot more progress than I sometimes think there's been. I can't compare her to "normal dogs" in terms of progress. When I compare her to what she was when I brought her home, she's come a long way.


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## GSDLearner (Aug 3, 2013)

Interesting thread.

Do you have a dog reactive or dog aggressive dog? 

Reactive/friendly.

How does it impact you/them? 

Crazy barking and lunging when another dog is seen while on leash. He's pulled me as far as 6-8 feet. Dogs behind fences and people can trigger it, but not always. Not interested in small animals.

Does it limit what you can do with them? 

Walks generally can suddenly turn crazy. He's fine once off leash in a dog park, although the approach to the gate can be crazy.

What kind of things do you do to help/work with it?

Tried the local trainers, and quickly reached the conclusion that they're not equipped to deal with this. Got a shorter leash, harness, and now a backpack to get better control. Get him to the dog park every day. (Waiting on contractor to extend my fence to enclose my yard so we can play a crapload of fetch to tire him). Dog park daily in the hope some socialization will rub off on leash walks.

What kind of things have you learned?

It's only been a month. I've learned it's not an everyday issue, and is going to be a grind and requires some capable help.

What have you accepted about your situation?

That these are battlefield conditions.

Was this something you knew when you got the dog?

There was a series of reports done by the rescue organization. The very earliest one hinted at something like this. The rest were quite normal. I'm assuming he acted somewhat differently during his foster time, as he was living with two adult shepherds. 

If you have worked through it, and your dog is 100% okay with other dogs now, how long did it take and what methods did you use?

If your dog is not 100%, are you going to continue to train or are you happy with what you have done?

Looking for a specialist with GSD/reactive problems.

Other thoughts?

He entered the dog park yesterday without setting off a commotion. He seems less obsessed than previously with people and dogs behind fences. I consider these baby steps in the right direction.


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