Comments on: Why Adopting A Reactive Dog Was The Best Thing I Ever Did

By: kenzo

kenzo — Tue, 28 Oct 2014 13:05:35 +0000

Thanks for writing this. They have such an impact on our lives. I would do it all over again.

By: Jen Gabbard

Jen Gabbard — Sun, 26 Oct 2014 13:28:26 +0000

This post is just amazing – I’ve had many of these thoughts myself but haven’t been able to put it into words so eloquently. I really do believe that having my reactive dog Laika has made me a much better dog owner. I’ve never been so “in tune” with a dog before – we work together all the time on training and it’s the best feeling in the world when we make progress. I’m doing the best I can to make her a more relaxed and confident dog, which in turn has made me more self aware and thoughtful of dog behavior.

By: Jodi

Jodi — Fri, 24 Oct 2014 17:52:31 +0000

YO!! Seriously, you don’t live that far from me. I could really use a training partner. Part of my issue is the two different reactions my dogs have. Sampson wants to greet, jump and play, Delilah, well I’m never really sure with her.

And sadly, in my area I’ve only seen one person who was working on getting her dog to behave around other dogs and she’d been given the wrong advice.

By: Groovy Goldendoodles

Groovy Goldendoodles — Fri, 24 Oct 2014 14:38:15 +0000

Very interesting to me today, I’m noticing now that he’s a solo Doodle, Harley is becoming a bit reactive from time to time. He will sometimes bark when first meeting another dog as if he’s trying to convey that he wants to be in charge. When Leo was around he never did that. he’d just sniff and play. Now we’ve added this bark before the sniff. I wonder if this will eventually fade.

By: Lauranne

Lauranne — Fri, 24 Oct 2014 08:43:07 +0000

I always thought that after BD I would go on to adopt another reactive dog, but now that I only see BD once a week or so it is harder than I remember and the other day I couldn’t help but think it would be so nice if he was more like Mity and thought I can’t do this again. My problem isn’t BD, I can manage him, I know his triggers and I know how to avoid them. My problem is the other idiot dog owners. Hint: if someone is walking their dog and changes directions as soon as they see you with your dog, do not encourage your dog to go and play with this persons dog. Do not throw your dogs ball or toy near the other dog. Do not walk towards that person when you have an entire god damn field to walk around and can keep away with relative ease.

By: Jen

Jen — Thu, 23 Oct 2014 23:38:47 +0000

Elka can be reactive. My HUGE mistake with her was not finding good, safe dogs for her to socialize with. The people in our town who walk their dogs don’t seem to know much about dogs. Not even their own!

So, Elka has had few “good” dog encounters. One is with a sweet mix breed boy who’s also super shy, and was adopted from the shelter with a big question mark for his history. He’s a good match because he absolutely does not get in her face, and they can play bow and run next to each other a bit with no untoward contact. Another one was a Doberman puppy (we only saw him once), and they seemed to perhaps understand they were the same sort of dog and were non confrontational and again, did some running next to each other (Elka likes running in a big huge circle. It is evidently the height of fun.)

By: Jackie Bouchard

Jackie Bouchard — Thu, 23 Oct 2014 22:57:52 +0000

In reply to Jackie Bouchard.

BTW… Need to see if I can find a supervised small play option like you found for Shadow. That’s one reason I liked having Rita signed up for training. At the end of each class, the trainer would pair up the dogs for one-on-one off leash play, and together we’d hand pick a good dog for Rita to play with. (She does fine as long as the dog is not TOO big and pushy or, at the other end of the spectrum, not too fearful/submissive.) The training schedule just hasn’t worked lately w/ my calendar, but hopefully we’ll eventually be able to get back into some classes.

By: Jackie Bouchard

Jackie Bouchard — Thu, 23 Oct 2014 22:55:40 +0000

Rita’s puppyhood was mostly out of our hands (she was 7 months when we got her and had been rescued from the beach). She’s definitely reactive but has come a long way since we got her. She can now walk calmly past things she couldn’t before – gardeners, cyclists, mopeds, loud cars, *most* dogs. We’re still working on crows and the handful of dogs that she HATES with a purple passion. I too have learned that it can sometimes be me. I try very hard now to stay calm and keep the leash relaxed when we see another dog. Problem is when I see one of her 5 or 6 “nemesis” dogs, I still stiffen up, because I know she will turn into Cujo just at the sight of them – or even at the sight of their parents. We’re continuing to work on it and trying new things – like even higher value treats (turkey dogs!) and at the moment we’ve gone back to “look” at the “threat” and then turn the other way and avoid it. Unfortunately, sometimes we’re in a spot where we can’t avoid it. It’s a long slow process. Since I’m not a super patient person, she is definitely working on teaching me that!

By: Beth | Daily Dog Tag

Beth | Daily Dog Tag — Thu, 23 Oct 2014 18:53:59 +0000

I need to work on my observation skills. I don’t know when Theo will react to dogs and people on our walks and when he won’t. I suspect it has to do with how closely he is walking to me, a short leash seems to deter him.

I know someone with the cutest little dog. She bought him as a puppy (from a reputable breeder) and took him to puppy classes. His older brother is fine, but he is completely bonkers when he sees other dogs. She has tried everything, but no success yet. I know she has learned a ton and would never trade a moment with him.

By: Taryn

Taryn — Thu, 23 Oct 2014 18:19:06 +0000

Despite ENDLESS socialization as a puppy, Jimmy is a reactive dog, especially to larger male dogs. And it’s a 50/50 thing so I never know when he will snark. As a result, he’s not allowed to greet any dogs. Fortunately, in an agility environment it is very manageable. He knows what he’s there for and ignores all the other dogs. I just have to make sure no one sniffs his butt ( a huge trigger) or jostles him. It gets tiring having to keep my guard up all the time, but it’s just a fact of life with Jimmy. I’ve probably learned to read canine body language better, but I’ve also learned I’d rather not deal with a reactive dog. Wilson is an angel. All dogs seem to love him and while he tends to be aloof to other dogs, he would never, ever snark at another dog.