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Exercising Reactive Dogs Thread


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I'm so glad things went well with the VB, Snook, and Justice is as adorable as ever!! ????

We leave for Tasmania tomorrow for just over a couple of weeks. I'm so nervous about how Malcolm will be, but his in-home minders have been briefed on everything (we've made a little info pack and a spreadsheet for meds) and as he'll be home alone on weekdays more than usual his favourite vet nurses are going to visit him for cuddles. They seem very excited, lol. We're about a 5min walk from our GP vet. :)

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  • 3 weeks later...

I'm really bummed out right now.

It just goes to show, you can have 3 trainers right there with you, have a nice calm dog in a drop and talking in the middle of a big open field and still have someone else stuff it all up with their untrained dog :( Thistle did AMAZINGLY well considering but...still bummed out that it happened at all.

Basically, this small white fluffy (ain't it always...) blindsided me and Thistle while we were talking to the trainers over our tasks for the next week. It came up behind us and apparently came on fast (obviously neither Thistle or I could see it coming from behind, so this is what i was told afterwards). It went right up in her face but Thistle managed to stayed in her drop, watched it, then looked at me. I wasn't very useful, I was "what should I do?" but I tried to be calm, keep the lead loose, said "leave it" and "good drop" praising thistle for staying in her drop. The trainers were trying to lure it away (none of us want to freak either dog out i reckon...). In retrospect I think if I put her into a sit she would have found it easier to ignore as her head would have been higher and I'd have possibly regained her attention. What-ifs and could-haves and who-knows...

The dog started to leave then it came back and stopped in front of thistle (who started getting tense again) - then it did the intense stand and stare so Thistle lunged forward and told it off. It was a split second of noise then Thistle hit end of lead and came back to me. I don't think she nipped it but she did knock it back a bit. It started coming around again but the trainers were luring it away with foods and I took Thistle to the car incase it came back.

So I'm really bummed out about that. Obedience was going pretty well, we were discussing where dogs are failing and Thistle was being really good and focused and we were just enjoying things going mostly smoothly.

Everyone was nice about it. I think G, our trainer for the next few months as they've been rotated around again, told the other people off or something. These people were on complete side of the field and did nothing! Just stood their watching! One of the other attendees said one of them said something to the effect of "maybe we should get our dog to obedience", yes!!! Then you can get some training to not be so irresponsible and inconsiderate!!! Because they let it offlead, upset my dog, cause a scuffle and apparently it was doing it with lots of others dogs and is always that rude. It's just not fair on Thistle, she's on lead and in a drop surrounded by 3 strangers. She was doing really well :(

Everyone was really nice about it. Like as I was walking Thistle to the car the head trainer joined me and one of the other clients and they were nice and uplifting that it wasn't Thistle's fault and Thistle had recovered pretty well, was heeling between the two and even the advanced dogs would have struggled with that.

And other trainers said similar and got my bags for me to bring to the car and I hung around a bit to get my nerves back. Listened to them talk, we finished our conversation on Thistle's tasks for the next week (I'm working on changing my hand signals to the one AKC use - because more visible at a distance - more stand practice, more muzzle training - found out there's something wrong with my baskerville muzzle which might be why it always looks weird? - and the ever ongoing people socialising...and the biggest is me learning to be calm for T.) I didn't ask what she said to the owners but the dog was on lead at least...

But I'm just really bummed out about it.

The rest of class was good. Thistle only broke one position the whole time - stand to go into a sit. The sits, drops, LLW, heeling, leave it, focus, distraction work was all okay. She didn't bark or growl at G (who she hasn't seen up close in months) and I was just really chuffed with her. She even made a new dog friend today (another lab...) and ignored the dog reactive daschund.

Then this all happened :( blow to the confidence.

I'm not upset with Thistle - she didn't do anything wrong. Rude dog in her face and she did her best to ignore it, I'm just upset this whole damn situation happened and the owners were on the otherside of the field doing nothing.

They didn’t even try calling it when the trainer’s were luring it back to them!

Edited by Thistle the dog
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We are back from our trip. Malcolm went pretty well apparently, no disasters. The sitters reported that he struggled sometimes but was easy for them to redirect. He was described as a "total bed and heater hog" which is 1000% accurate. :laugh: And the vet nurses reported that he wasn't much interested in playing fetch but boy oh boy did he love cuddles. :)

He does seem to be struggling a lot now though now that we're home. Lights, noises, movements, my husband approaching us, and resource guarding silly things like carrot sticks. Interestingly though his dog-dog reactivity seems to have dropped further. At the vet on Monday there was one dog crying the entire time out the back and he saw two other dogs. They were his favourite breeds (CKCS and German Shepherd) and well behaved, but still. He would look at them then look at me or a vet nurse instead of staring, and he did not bark or growl at all nor tremble excessively. :thumbsup: He was only climbing my arm in the exam room which he does when he's more stressed.

So we truck on. Working back up to where we were with the Relaxation Protocol and a VB check-in next week. The increased anxiety may be related to the Trazadone so we're not sure what will happen with that. I feel like he's more anxious on it and more anxious as it wears off, but I'm not sure if that's even possible. The Prozac is amazing though.

How's everyone else going?

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We are back from our trip. Malcolm went pretty well apparently, no disasters. The sitters reported that he struggled sometimes but was easy for them to redirect. He was described as a "total bed and heater hog" which is 1000% accurate. :laugh: And the vet nurses reported that he wasn't much interested in playing fetch but boy oh boy did he love cuddles. :)

He does seem to be struggling a lot now though now that we're home. Lights, noises, movements, my husband approaching us, and resource guarding silly things like carrot sticks. Interestingly though his dog-dog reactivity seems to have dropped further. At the vet on Monday there was one dog crying the entire time out the back and he saw two other dogs. They were his favourite breeds (CKCS and German Shepherd) and well behaved, but still. He would look at them then look at me or a vet nurse instead of staring, and he did not bark or growl at all nor tremble excessively. :thumbsup: He was only climbing my arm in the exam room which he does when he's more stressed.

So we truck on. Working back up to where we were with the Relaxation Protocol and a VB check-in next week. The increased anxiety may be related to the Trazadone so we're not sure what will happen with that. I feel like he's more anxious on it and more anxious as it wears off, but I'm not sure if that's even possible. The Prozac is amazing though.

How's everyone else going?

Good to hear he did well. It might just take him a few days to settle back into having you home...

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Yeah I'm hoping that's it, although we did have some increased reactivity when he started on the Trazadone a week or so before we left. I was hoping that was more due to me being a bit stressed myself, as he's a little doggy barometer who feeds off any anxiety in a room. So we're giving the Traz a bit more time to make sure it's not just all the changes throwing him about mentally.

Did you have any favourite treats to take to Nosework classes Scottsmum? They say moist treats are best and also tiny pieces.

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Basically, this small white fluffy (ain't it always...) blindsided me and Thistle while we were talking to the trainers over our tasks for the next week. It came up behind us and apparently came on fast (obviously neither Thistle or I could see it coming from behind, so this is what i was told afterwards). It went right up in her face but Thistle managed to stayed in her drop, watched it, then looked at me. I wasn't very useful, I was "what should I do?" but I tried to be calm, keep the lead loose, said "leave it" and "good drop" praising thistle for staying in her drop.

I read this thread quite a bit but this is my first post here. My reactive dog is coming up to 13 years old now and has mellowed in her old age, but I still find this thread interesting

Thistle, I think you give your dog too much choice in these situations with the things that trigger her reactivity. Instead of taking control, you seem to adopt a bit more of a wait and see what she'll do response - and thats not always going to end how you'd like it to. In this scenario, all was well - she told the dog off without hurting it, the dog didn't retaliate (and wasn't of a size that would have been a huge threat), no harm done. But what if it had been a bigger dog, with a nasty intent?

When I sought help for my girl, leadership was the main lesson I had to learn. When I left my dog to make choices, she didn't always choose the right ones - so I had to always make the decisions for her. That worked 2 ways - I always took her out of situations where she felt she needed to react, so nothing bad ever happened again and because of this, she eventually trusted me enough that I could put her into situations where previously she would have reacted. She knew I would keep her safe. I completely took away her decision to meet other dogs - she wasn't allowed to at all, not for months and basically not until she stopped worrying (and then I would only let her meet dogs I knew were ok) Happily she got to the point where I could even trial her and do the out of sight stays without her worrying about dogs around her.

Any unknowns, unexpected meetings, dogs you don't know etc - high tail it out of there! The little dog showing up would have seen me put myself between Thistle and the dog, and take her directly to the car while it was removed. That dog wasn't something you could control so it was never going to be a good learning experience. Don't leave it to chance, missing out is better than having a bad experience.

Its really lovely to see how hard you try for Thistle, and I hope what I've said helps

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I hear you :(

Normally I do start high-tailing it if we are alone (and not so distracted I don't see it coming)! I guess I was different this time because I was mid-conversation with the trainer so I think I was hoping she could tell me what to do so I froze :(

It gets so confusing and my mind just goes blank and I'm of no help to poor Thistle. She made the best decision she thought and it got the rest of us moving, but you're right in she shouldn't have to :(

In a way, reassuring to read if upsetting (for me at myself, not you). In hindsight I would have preferred us to start walking fast and have the trainers to stay and deal with interrupting dog. Especially the moment when Thistle looked up at me - a good moment for us to "lets go!" but all that was gone from my mind! And that's what i've been teaching her! "Look at me when you want to move away from the person/dog/funny looking object on road". but i didn't follow through on my end of the deal...

I feel dreadful failing her this way, I will try better next time to show Thistle what to do. It is much harder for her to worry when we are moving, i wish i didn't worry so much too.

*no doubt there will be the next time, this is 3rd week in a row of offlead small ones coming up during classes. But the other 2 we were already moving or i moved us away or i saw them coming. This one i see i should have moved too :( thank you for your honest advice

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Oh poor baby! For us it's more like it seems to have undone a lot of our progress. I spoke to our VB earlier and she wants us to immediately drop the dose by half and reassess next week, as it may just be a dosage problem.

Meanwhile I have a trembling dog on my lap who has been refusing to eat from his bowl as he's suddenly and inexplicably become scared of it.

How's Justice going?

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AMAZING! :cheer: You've both come so far.

Nothing wrong with the right medication when needed. We wouldn't think twice about giving a dog insulin if his pancreas wasn't functioning properly, but can get kind of stuck when it's the brain.

(Says the person who approached them with trepidation as I have seen the good and bad of them ???? ).

Edited by Papillon Kisses
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Really loved this blog post:

FEARFUL DOGS

I really like this bit:

Taking all of this in can be overwhelming to the owner of a brittle dog. If your dog’s history suggests developmental disabilities, it’s important to realize that your dog is not a normal dog. He has special needs. Asking your dog to suck it up and go to the dog park or to stop cowering behind the couch every time visitors come over dismisses the very real disability your dog lives with every day. It’s as insensitive as calling someone in a wheelchair lazy or laughing at the retired combat veteran next door when he asks you to please give him a head’s up before you light off firecrackers. We wouldn’t ask a dog who was missing a limb or an eye to engage in behaviors which were potentially dangerous to him, but because we cannot see the damage to the brain of our previously-neglected dog with our naked eyes we oftentimes forget to give him the same respect. It’s unconscionable to ignore a disability just because it’s not instantly visible.

Also just stumbled across this blog post(again? I think I've read it before):

Does your insecurity affect your dog?

Yes!

Your insecurity affects your dog more than you may think. Not only can it prevent you from doing what’s necessary to give your dog the structure, training, and guidance they need, but it also bleeds down your leash, adding fuel to any insecurities your pup might already have, leaving him searching for a leader and assuming the position if he can’t find one.

And this because I am down today:

Remember:

Be Proud – You are working hard to give your dog structure, training, and exercise. You should be proud. Let your dog’s successes empower and drive you. You’ll find that your relationship drastically improves if you do.

Perfect Isn’t Possible – Making mistakes is the foundation of learning and evolution, so don’t fear it. Instead, embrace your mistakes as opportunities for growth. You can’t get better without them, so quit trying to avoid them, and instead, learn from your mistakes and evolve your training.

Get Above It – What gives people the right to judge you? What gives their words power? Even if they are judging, what makes them qualified to do so? People can say what they want, but at the end of the day, it’s your dog and you’re the one holding the leash. If they have suggestions, be open. If they approach with hate (which from experience, I can honestly say they RARELY, if ever, do), don’t give their words value. You’re actually training your dog and giving it more than a vast majority of the population will ever give, and for that, you’re AWESOME.

Engage, Play With, and Train Your Dog – I can tell you that 99% of the time, I train my dog at the park, and we are LOUD, and we are PLAYING together, and I completely tune out the world around me. I’m met with so many kind words, inquisitive people, and compliments…. even (or especially) when I am making mistakes and troubleshooting. It’s rare that I am ever met with judgement or hate. Be your dog’s cheerleader. He’s your biggest fan, so step up and make him believe you’re his too!

We have guests over today, fingers crossed we keep it positive.

Edited by Thistle the dog
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Ahh I love them together! They are like two peas in a pod! I have never noticed that black spot halfway down Justice's tail before? It's a lucky mark I swear!

And how well he recovered from the startle he had! He looks so relaxed and happy, you must be so proud! I'm proud and he's not even mine, so you must be ready to burst from it!

:D

Look at that happy tail go.

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I'm super super happy with Laikey (dog reactive). We've been working with Amy from Advanced Behavioural Training for a few months now. This past week, at the facility, Laikey approached Amy's crated dogs, by choice and didn't bark. She then happily worked with Amy at the front of the crates.

Today at home, we've been packing for the move. Some friends came over to help and brought their mini foxy who was crated a metre away from where Laikey was crated. Laikey didn't bark when she heard Roxy the Foxy. Additionally, when i took Laikey out to eat dinner, she needed to walk past Roxy's crate. As she was walking past, she stopped happily to have a look (knowing Roxy was in there) and didn't bark. Roxy barked the house down as soon as Laikey came super close. At that point Laikey did bark as she was becoming excited about dinner. She walked past into the kitchen and managed to settle herself quite well and focus on me.

I'm now looking at finding a behaviourist in Brisbane to continue working with Laikey so the ground isn't lost in her training. Even though she barked at Roxy, it was only after Roxy barked; a month ago she would have barked at Roxy as soon as she smelled her in the house! Super pleased mama here biggrin.gif

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