Reactive Dog Guardians

muddypaws

I've been reading this thread with interest.

Some APIers may remember Bran, the pointer cross boy that came out of the pound in May. Described as being good with dogs - ahem. He is fab at home with the dogs, we even had a foster dog here over the summer, and he loved her, constantly played with her, but unfortunately take him outside, and his fear makes him incredibly reactive. I'm working hard with him, but he has my heart broken, he is such a lovely, cuddly boy with people, but is the devil incarnate with other dogs - its all fear, but if he hears a dog barking way off at the distance, he throws himself at the fence to get out at them. Its so sad to see a dog so mentally stressed and unhappy. He loves playing with other dogs so much, my vet and I think he is younger than the pound thought. His chip was implanted on 1st January 2015, seemed very odd to be registered on a bank holiday, and his behaviour is very immature a lot of the time. He is currently curled up fast asleep, once he has had his dinner and it gets dark, he won't move, doesn't even go outside at bedtime to the toilet, so not sure if she's scared of the dark as well.

Poor lad, so much for helping me to European glory in bikejore

deadlybuzzman

Just thought I'd pose this question here as I don't want to presume it was someone just being daft.
Is there any good reason why someone would have a narky dog off lead on wooded trails that although they're not busy you'll almost certainly meet other dogs?
It happened yesterday and had I been a minute sooner, me and my dog would have met the narky dog on a corner where it would've been on top of us before the owner had a chance to leash him.

DBB

The owner is not doing his dog, or anyone else's dogs, any favours by letting his reactive dog off-lead in an uncontrolled way. I mean, I do understand wanting to let your dog have a good run... but jeez, it's at the cost of keeping a very sharp eye out, and making damn sure your reactive dog is on-lead if there's another dog coming, or the chance of another dog coming (say, around a blind corner).
It gives the owner of the reactive dog a chance to melt into the woods and give his dog the safe space it needs to deal with the proximity of another dog. And, it keeps innocent dogs safe from needless intimidation or worse, mauling.
Letting his/her dog rehearse its bad behaviours on other people's dogs is just counter-productive for all parties

deadlybuzzman

DBB wrote: »

The owner is not doing his dog, or anyone else's dogs, any favours by letting his reactive dog off-lead in an uncontrolled way. I mean, I do understand wanting to let your dog have a good run... but jeez, it's at the cost of keeping a very sharp eye out, and making damn sure your reactive dog is on-lead if there's another dog coming, or the chance of another dog coming (say, around a blind corner).
It gives the owner of the reactive dog a chance to melt into the woods and give his dog the safe space it needs to deal with the proximity of another dog. And, it keeps innocent dogs safe from needless intimidation or worse, mauling.
Letting his/her dog rehearse its bad behaviours on other people's dogs is just counter-productive for all parties

That's what was thinking, in fairness there's plenty of other sections where you have a clear line of sight for 30+ metres but this section was all blind corners.
I could see the other dogs owner was looking at my dog thinking "oh isn't she cute" and yeah she is but while she's never shown actual dog aggression she's only ever stood her ground or moved towards perceived danger.
I'd rather not find out what happens if the likes of that dog got close enough to try and bite my dog as it wouldn't be pretty and I'd be worried that my dog could lose some of her well behaved socialised behaviour in the long term

PoppedPopcorn

So my dog is reactive when out on walks on lead (muzzled due to restricted breed) but when i took her to the kennels she was wagging her tail and sniffing other dogs through a fence ?!? Could it be something to do with wearing a muzzle that makes her reactive? She use to live with another dog before we got her but was reactive to other dogs while living with another dog.

shakencat

My lad always wags his tail meeting other dogs, it then depends on the dog how he reacts, some must be a$$holes!

or maybe its him NAAAAH :P

Bells21

PoppedPopcorn wrote:

So my dog is reactive when out on walks on lead (muzzled due to restricted breed) but when i took her to the kennels she was wagging her tail and sniffing other dogs through a fence ?!? Could it be something to do with wearing a muzzle that makes her reactive? She use to live with another dog before we got her but was reactive to other dogs while living with another dog.

Depending on the tail wagging, if it's nice and loose and not frantic wagging and the rest of her body is nice and relaxed then it would indicate that she was very comfortable with the situation. Could it have been that she also felt safer as there was a barrier between them so she didn't see them as a threat? I know one of mine would feel a.littlw more comfortable in that situation was he wouldn't have to contend with others invading his space.

jellybear

Just had to post about a good experience we had today. We were walking Milo this evening and a lovely lady in our estate stopped to chat to us and Milo was an absolute angel!! He's usually very wary of people, particularly when it's dark, but he was so good and he even let her pet him. Very proud of him

Bells21

jellybear wrote:

Just had to post about a good experience we had today. We were walking Milo this evening and a lovely lady in our estate stopped to chat to us and Milo was an absolute angel!! He's usually very wary of people, particularly when it's dark, but he was so good and he even let her pet him. Very proud of him

Awh what a wonderful story about Milo. All your hard work and Milos cute face are paying off

Bells21

We had a Christmas miracle today. Hoops usually chases people down our hallway and if allowed would pull at the ends of trousers etc. He doesn't enjoy having new people/some people that he even knows in his house. But today we had a brothers partner up who he has never met before. I arrived home to her sat on the ground with hoops rolled over having a belly scratch. He then stood up when she had stopped came over to inspect me and then ran back to her putting his two front paws up on her knee and tried to lick her.

Choc Chip

Bells21 wrote: »

We had a Christmas miracle today. Hoops usually chases people down our hallway and if allowed would pull at the ends of trousers etc. He doesn't enjoy having new people/some people that he even knows in his house. But today we had a brothers partner up who he has never met before. I arrived home to her way on the ground and hoops rolled over having a belly scratch. He then stood up when she had stopped came over to inspect me and then ram back to her putting his two front paws up on her knee and tried to lick her.

That's lovely bells21. I've got one who's the opposite which can be a trial (he wees with excitement and is a general nuisance with kids), but I remember having a reactive pup and it was the most frustrating, heartbreaking thing when folk didnt get him or thought he was aggressive. Have a lovely Christmas.

em_cat

Mr C & I are out visiting parents in law in Ballybrack, he was ok for Xmas day until lads let off some fireworks at 10 pm :{ took us a 1/2 dose of Sileo & a high powered play of fetch up & down the stairs to wind him down!!!!

Today though we had a lovely walk up to Killiney; he was the most confident I’ve ever seen him.

PoppedPopcorn

Anyone have any recommendations for boarding kennels for a reactive dog? All the ones ive looked at the dogs are all facing each other or theyre beside each other with just wire between them.

shakencat

There's a lovely one in tipp, never used it myself but my Friend does for her lurcher and Rottweiler.

I'll try find the number and pm you. Give me till tomorrow!

PoppedPopcorn

shakencat wrote: »

There's a lovely one in tipp, never used it myself but my Friend does for her lurcher and Rottweiler.

I'll try find the number and pm you. Give me till tomorrow!

Thank you !

em_cat

Well we’ve been working with Mr C a lot & home life has improved immeasurably but a visit to the vet has set him back.

I should clarify the vet practice is fantastic with Mr C, but getting there is so overwhelming for both Mr C & I at times, so much that I fear it is traumatising him...

Here’s a new trigger: football practice in the all weather pitch next to our place;(

em_cat

Hope everyone with a reactive dog is coping well after the holidays.

We have improved with some things massively but keep having some nasty set backs with broadside, round the corner, close passes. It is is really frustrating as whenever it happens I get told oh it’s alright luv, just small dog syndrome or aw he's friendly!!!!

Well he’s not! I’m crying at the moment cause I feel like if he’s muzzled (Baskerville) maybe people with dogs will try to avoid us instead...

twiddleypop

I am just resurrecting this thread to have a small rant...

The untrained off-lead dog. I am trying my absolute best to help the leash reactivity for my dog. We were doing amazing work today until a 4-month-old lab came barging up. I asked her to call her back but of course, she couldn't. I am so frustrated and the other owner was looking at me like I had 10 heads- why don't people understand that not every dog is friendly especially to puppies. It's just so disheartening sometimes when you are making progress and to have it ruined in 5 seconds.

My dog is generally fine off the lead and listens but I keep him away from puppies as he has limited patience with them. I went out of my way to avoid them and they followed me (not intentionally). I suppose if you have never owned a reactive dog, you don't think or read the obvious "leave us alone" body language.

zedhead

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118559850#Comment_118559850

I feel this. Our guy has made HUGE improvements the past few months, but then yesterday an offlead dog blindsided us. Milo got snappy and growly and while the owner kept calling her dog back he kept approaching us again. All the while she was giving me dirty looks for my "aggressive" dog. Considering my dog was on a lead and had made no reaction until her dog rudely bounded up and was on top of him....im pretty sure we weren't the ones in the wrong. Its so incredibly frustrating and I feel your pain!

But on the positive side of things, while it took a good 5 minutes to calm him down, we saw a little white bichon frise about 10 minutes later and he didn't even lunge, so his recovery was soo good.

He does still lunge and pull with other dogs, and will growl at times but he is worlds away from where he was 6 months ago where the sight of a dog even half a km away would send him into an absolute frenzy.

twiddleypop

Look, there will always be set backs with reactive dogs and my lad has made such improvements too. He's not even that bad on the reactivity scale, he's fine with dogs he knows and will actually play happily most of the time, he's just funny with strange dogs and puppies. Some "friendly dogs" actually have no boundaries and cannot take a message. Demanding play and attention is pretty obnoxious. I'm sure you are doing great work with your dog-I really think the difficult dogs are so much more lovable.

I just wish people would at least try to train their dogs before letting them off. I think people think its a badge of honour to let your dog be off lead all the time. Personally I'd be more impressed if he was on lead and in your control. I'm all for giving dogs their off lead run, but there's a time and a place. Stop thinking your dog has to great every dog its sees and understand puppies are rude not cute to other dogs! Theres a couple of new puppies around that are going to be lucky to escape being overly corrected by other or possibly bitten, in turn making more reactive dogs. Then they will understand 😅

em_cat

We’ve a reactive wee Yorkie lad, we know it’s down to lack of confidence and other issues and walking him can be difficult. Walking him with other dogs he knows is helping a lot and when I go to the park with him & Esmae, our little ball mad Pom, his reactions have nearly become a thing of the past, as long as I employee some strategies.

I suggest embracing a very strong and stern NO that is said towards the dog approaching, it nearly always works to a: stop an approaching off lead dog, b: startles the owner and dog, long enough to dodge and hide if possible and lets Mr C know I’m taking care of it. So far while have some close calls, we’ve managed to escape unscathed. Won’t repeat what I sometimes get called, IDC though, in the end it keeps my dogs safe.

Your defo not alone though, I wish other people would cop the f on that most dogs are not particularly social with other unknown dogs and would at least learn some body language signs that I’m not interested in you!

marsay

Can anyone recommend a good boarding kennel in the Meath/Dublin/Tipperary areas that would deal with reactive dogs?