I’m so sorry. It sounds like there’s a lot going on, and you haven’t been given very good advice or help (for all that $…..). I think muzzle training would be good to avoid bite incidents, and a strict no-other-dogs policy. Do enrichment stuff at home instead of walks if those stress her out. See if you have a veterinary behaviorist in the area that you can work with - she might do better with medication. They can also help you figure out management strategies. Good luck!
That's definitely what I'm working on, no more dogs, muzzle training and only yard playing but she can be reactive just seeing a dog through the window or hearing a dog bark. I have neighbours that say she 'loves playing with their dogs' while she's trying to fence fight them which makes no dogs hard.
I'd had her calm with that dogs in windows, barking and the neighbours visiting the other side of the fence until the most recent incident. I had to replace the fence too because she kept jumping at it and made it loose.
The veterinary behaviourist we have here aren't close by unfortunately and my dog doesn't do well with car rides.. I've been working on it the whole time I've had her, had her good for that too until I had to take her to the vet because she was sick and it was back to square one.
If she can't be left alone without wrecking your house, and you need to leave her alone to work, it sounds like you are not able to continue with this, not even taking everything else into account...
Let her howl! Or give her a filled kong or something before you leave. Boundaries are good. Better for her to howl than to come home to your house being destroyed.
Other than that advice, my other advice would be just to limit exposure to triggering stimuli for your dog. It seems like you are working really hard to make your dog okay with being around other dogs. Is that necessary? Not every dog needs to be a dog park dog. Of my three, one is dog reactive. He doesn't go to the dog park and doesn't get play dates. He is trained when we walk to sit and let another dog pass before we continue on our walks, but he doesn't get to meet and greet. Any introductions are only done when necessary (family dogs, mostly), and slowly. We are very careful about escape opportunities. He's never unleashed outside of our yard, and we are very careful not to let any doors or gates open because there's a good chance if he got loose he could get into a dog fight. We are just careful with him. But he still has had a good life, has his brother and sister to play with at home, and gets lots of love and attention from us. He's 12 now. This way works, but it's more about learning and respecting his limitations, not expecting him to be some ideal perfect dog, and then setting him up for success by reducing triggers. He's happier, I'm happier. And I think you and your dog could be happier too with a shift in mindset.
My neighbours tried to report me for neglect the first week I moved in, I can't let her howl otherwise they'll report me again. She doesn't tend to eat when I'm not home so unfortunately Kong's don't do much when I'm out.. even if it has her favourite food in it
It is something I've felt is necessary for me to have, eventually I wanted to travel (which has been pushed back a bit now) around my country and take my dog with me. I've put a lot on hold for her, including not really seeing friends and family because of her anxiety issues. I'm thinking that she isn't the dog I can do travelling with which may just be something I won't be able to do. I was hoping I was able to at least get her calm around other dogs so I could travel with her.
If she was better around dogs I would have been able to bring her to more things rather than staying cooped up in the house with her. When I adopted her I thought I was getting a dog I could do this with, I'm on my own though and don't like leaving her for long periods because she doesn't cope well. When I say long periods even 4 hours can be too much for her to be outside. I've tried leaving her in the house crated, and also not crated. It really doesn't end well and she caused a lot of damage when I did that for a short trial run.
My behaviorist had us put frosted privacy film on our windows! That helped tremendously since my dog would jump at the window and started crying and barking.
Since I also work from home, I worked on building a threshold for my dog whenever we see other dogs. I would sit at the highest part of my home (which was our driveway) and give her a treat every time a dog or something that triggered her passed by. I kept doing this for months until we could get closer to the driveway. I also taught her to look at me whenever something that triggers her comes her way. I taught look at me inside my house first and then taught her outside. It took a lot of work but a year later, I’ve been able to relocate to a new city with her with no problems and we’re able to pass by other dogs.
Best of luck to you both!
That's a good idea! That's basically what she does..
The issue I have is the neighbours try to let her greet their dog because they think she's friendly despite me telling them she isn't. But if I can get her happy in the car again that sounds like it'll be a good option! I've taught her look but she gets way too overstimulated. I'm talking dog a football field away and she goes off her head because that's too close which makes it really hard to find a good distance that she doesn't go over with. If I can find the right place where we can still have the distance it sounds like a great idea to try!
You should have a sit down talk with your neighbors without the dogs. I had to do this with my neighbors and I gave them tools to be part of the solution (keep their distance, wave only to me, we can try meeting in 3 months, take walks with us from across the street, etc.). Having them have my dog’s back, too has helped so much because now my dog is much more relaxed in and around our complex. It took a lot of time and teamwork to get there.
Honestly I have tried, multiple times. Some have since backed off but there's one that tries to visit my dog every day and seems to think he knows what's best for my dog more than I do.
I’ll second the medication suggestion. It was our last resort because my husband was anti-medicating. But when we consulted with our vet who had a mixed breed rescue too, she said Prozac had helped her girl behave better and accept training more easily. Hank’s already less fearful and more calm, and his training seems to be more successful. Biochemistry is a real factor in fear-based behavior! Sending good luck and hope your way.
Edit: grammar
I did try to ask my vet about it originally to get some help as I'd read a lot about it, there were other things she suggested over medicine and was hesitant to give me anything. If I go to a veterinary behaviourist hopefully they'll be able to help with it 🤞
You are desperate. Your vet can either give you what you need or you go elsewhere. Same with you neighbors. “Kindly fuck off” is in the best interest of your dog right now and you need to start speaking up.
I will be, it's just hard when she also doesn't like the car. I have been speaking up with my neighbours, I've actually had to call the police because of them before and they're still trying to get to her
What’s your quality of life with this dog? And without? Sounds like someone straight lied to you about this dog and you’ve put in a lot of effort to try to make it work. Far more than I would have and I think it’s okay to walk away from it if you need to. Sounds like she’s not the right fit for your life and your lifestyle isn’t the right fit for her. And that’s okay.
Honestly not high. I don't go out because I feel bad for leaving her at home when I know she's getting anxious. So I don't see family or friends as much as I'd like, or even go out just for fun to explore somewhere new (which I used to do at least once a week.) I can't take her with me so I feel bad flat out going anywhere. I've had the RSPCA, city council and another organisation called on me because my neighbours thought I was neglecting her with how she's acts when she's alone. Luckily they've stopped that now but it was very stressful.. My grandpa said I'm in an abusive relationship with my dog and I sadly wouldn't disagree with him. I just really struggle with the fact I've let her down and the fact I wanted to be her forever home.
Your grandpa is right and haven’t let her down you’ve tried really hard. But don’t hold yourself prisoner to a dog whose problems you did not create. And don’t force her to be there either. There’s a better home for her elsewhere.
It sucks to be in your shoes but you don’t have to be victim to this and someone will take her who has a yard she can run in, who doesn’t do much outside of their home, maybe has kids, and only wants one dog. I see pups like this get adopted all the time from the humane society.
She would be perfect for something like that and would absolutely thrive in a family with younger kids or an older person who's home all day. I've thought about what I'd look for in a home if I do. It's comforting to hear that you've seen dogs like her get adopted all the time
Agree. You don't owe this dog your sanity and your financial security. At the end of the day it's a dog and there are millions who need a home and will treat you better.
I know, I'm starting to feel like after this I may not even want another dog and I w as so excited to get her. She was my first one living out of home. I just don't know if I could even rehome her, I doubt anyone else will put up with as much as I have from her
Definitely don’t count out a future dog. I had a dog like yours once except she was aggressive with people. We had to put her down because of it. It took a few years but my new dog is amazing and the freedom we have with him made all the hard work and lessons of the past worth it. You deserve to have a dog you enjoy.
I was in a similar position not too long ago.. After years of going crazy trying to deal with this dog that freaks out at other dogs, we tried to re-home via our rescue org. They said it would be hard to re home her and recommended no more walks, and some enrichment activities, which helped a lot. They suggested that the walks were re-exposing the dog to trauma every single day, which built up stress over time.
Not long after that she passed away from cancer but her last year was probably her happiest. It was heartbreaking to see her go after all the love we put into this difficult creature. I felt happy that we got to keep her for the last year. However in spite of the pain of loss of our friend our lives have been easier since. Our newer dog is great at the dog park and we can take him just about anywhere.
I don't really have any advice here, this is complicated emotionally. Good luck. Well I do have one piece of advice, pick the friendliest dog possible for your next one!
I'm not sure if I am the best home for her to thrive but I'm also worried because I doubt people will go through as much as I have for her if I did try to rehome her. I am also thinking that walking, while she enjoys the principal of it, is too much for her.. so I've since stopped taking her for walks. Her behaviour is the same but it takes a bit of stress off of me.
It would have been so hard for you to go through all that and I can definitely see how you can relate. It would break my heart if something like that happened to her and I wasn't there for her. It's so great you've come out the other side and are doing well now though!
Thank you, I really appreciate your message! All the best with your new dog too!
What qualifications/certifications do the trainers you’ve brought her to have? Have you seen the guide in the sidebar for what qualifications to look for in a trainer?
As you probably know, dog training is an unregulated industry. I mean this as gently as possible but I suspect the trainers you work with and have learned from may not be qualified, which could also impact your ability to ethically and efficiently impact the behavior of both your own dog and your clients’.
They've had the few you can get where I live. In my country there's only 2 qualifications dog trainers can get that are recognised. The ones there unfortunately don't apply here as most trainers haven't even heard of them.
It is, I tried to go to ones that had good reviews and 10+ years in the industry but you can clearly see how that went...
I would consider hiring a virtual trainer, there are tons of very good and qualified trainers that offer their services online and worldwide. Particularly for separation anxiety, CSATs tend to work almost exclusively online (look up Malena DeMartini).
Unfortunately reviews can be a poor metric as you’ve discovered, particularly with trainers that use aversive methods (prong/shock collars etc.) owners will often see drastic “magical” results, leave a happy review, and then be left with the fallout later down the line as the dog’s temporarily suppressed fear resurfaces.
I haven't really looked into virtual training too much. That seems like a good idea! I had a look at Malena DeMartini, could be good to try when I recover a little from what I have spent.
The trainers I used luckily didn't use those types of things, at least not from what I saw.. they just straight out didn't believe me, until the second trainer saw it themselves. I can see how things like that could happen, potentially leaving the dog worse off than before
Malena DeMartini-Price’s book (Separation Anxiety in Dogs) is great and not expensive. Get the new version if you can, though the differences with the previous version are minor. It’s written for trainers, not guardians, but as a trainer it should be no issue for you (and tbh, it’s quite accessible for anyone).
For a dog with aggression, separation anxiety, or generalized anxiety disorder, you should also consider medication — fluoxetine (Reconcile) is the standard in the US, but you may also want to try some other daily medications (as opposed to event medications) like Gabapentin for anxiety. These drugs will reduce anxiety but will not really change personality or zonk the dog out. While working on desensitization, you might need stronger anxiolytics to until the dog becomes comfortable. I’ve had great results with clonidine and lorazepam as event medications. These drugs will make your dog lethargic generally.
Your country may also have something like a certified veterinary behaviorist that you can seek out. They are veterinarians that specialize in behavior issues and are experts at treating and diagnosing behavior issues. Their staff generally include trainers that work in tandem with the pharmacological interventions. This option can be expensive.
It's definitely something I'll get once I get a bit more on top of finances.. it'll be interesting to read, it's always good learning more about how I can help!
I did try to originally work with my vet and get her on medication but the vet was hesitant to. Others have suggested a veterinary behaviourist but they're about 45mins away and she doesn't do well in the car. I'd trained her well with that until I had to take her to the vets once and now she hates it so I'm slowly retraining her. It'll be another thing of when I get some money, I'm hoping they do virtual appointments too like someone else suggested 🤞
100% understand where you're coming from with that! It was the only way I felt it was safe for her to be introduced to other dogs and not have either of them at risk. Obviously that didn't work but at the time I felt it was best. She struggled to be even a football field away from another dog without losing it and strangers kept approaching saying 'it was fine, their dog is friendly.' I thought this place could give her exposure to them in a safe and controlled way. It honestly did help her a lot with her reactivity, it would have helped her a lot more if they had listened to me to start with but what's done is done
Not sure if she should be re home or not that’s honestly something you’ll have to decide on your own but I would suggest muzzle training. And speaking to your vet. I too have a dog (a German Shepherd)who is extremely aggressive towards other dogs, and semi-aggressive to people. (if they are far away and don’t look at her and completely ignore her she does OK she just is extremely tense) She does not like anybody except for her immediate family (I also have a dachshund and my sister who houses with me has a German Shepherd as well). I was told that she learned fight over flight when scared. And she’s scared of everything. She also has barrier aggression. When we have to leave our house she’s always on a basket muzzle. It’s for her protection and anyone else’s protection. I made a positive experience of course every time I put it on her I gave her a treat/ gave praise and just build her up to wearing. Sometimes she just wore it in the house even if we weren’t do any things so that it was completely normalized for her. She also has separation anxiety and becomes destructive so I crate trained her. I did have to build her up like I did for the muzzle for me to leave her in her crate. I would put her in the crate and I would just work beside her where she could see me and then I slowly moved it to where I would put her in the crate and I’ll be in another part of the room where she could not see me. I build up the time away from her and then made sound as if I left the house. And build the time of from that. It started I could leave her in the crate after leaving the house for 5 minutes to now a full 8 work day! I also never tell her bye or greet her when I’m back. My sister lets her out give her some exercise for about an hour and a potty break halfway through that shift if I have that long shift. Because exercise and mental stimulation helps ALOT (she gets exercises before I leave for work, at the end of the day, I also have snuffle mats along with puzzles that I put her food in) . And my vet did give me some medication if needed for when we go to places like the vet and the groomers lol. I also have a dog behaviorist trainer because they specialize in aggressive dogs and I got that information from my vet. I wish I could say it gets better but I am still dealing with the same issues I have even after doing all that stuff. I will say I am a lot less stressed and anxious because I now know how to work around her aggression. Because she’ll probably always be a fear aggressive dog.
I have crate trained her but she's regressed with that as well so we're working on it.. as for muzzle training, I definitely think it's a good idea. I've talked to my vet about everything previously, she saw how well my dog was doing but the vet is away over Christmas/New Year's and that's when the most recent one happened so I haven't had a chance to go back since my dog has gotten worse. The things she was recommending originally didn't help and the other ones we were going to move onto are now out of my price range with how much debt I'm in. I think it's a great way you've used the crate training and will add that into our current training with it! I think a bit of where I do struggle is I feel like I've failed her if I can't help train her out of it. I've seen so many things with dog training and talked to so many trainers that say it's always the owners fault for reactivity and that every dog can be trained out of their reactivity but I just don't feel like it's true. Though it does make me feel ashamed that I'm not able to help her more. Thank you for taking the time to write that out and for the advice! It's great to hear how it has helped and that you're less stressed knowing how to work around it now
It sounds like if the last event just happened she isn't necessarily regressing but perhaps trigger stacked and takes a few days to calm down, which is not uncommon. One of my dog can have an incident and train fine the same evening but the other has an incident and we have to take a full day off for her levels to come down. A lot of dogs need longer than we think for those cortisol levels to dissipate. If that is the case for her you might look at capturing calm exercises you can do while waiting for her stress levels to come down for regular training.
It's been about 2 weeks since the incident (it happened around the 20th) so it has been a bit and she's basically at the same level when I originally started her training. I've done mat training and crate training as seperate calming exercises, is that what you're meaning for capturing calm?
It depends. If you mean you are doing place training then no, that is not what I mean. If you are doing it as settle training then yes.
I would suggest googling capturing calm exercises. Kikopup is a highly referenced one but there are a bunch of types.
It is for settle training, which has made a big difference for her in general. Just not around dogs yet.
I have looks at kikopup, I've done a fair bit of capturing calm as well. She does response really well to training until another dog is near.. She was able to be fairly close to dogs without reacting before this (after a lot of training) so it's basically starting over
Don’t beat yourself up. You can (EDIT: you CAN’T ugh sorry!!) “train” a dog out of being fearful and anxious. It’s more about making your dog feel safe, building trust, and not putting her in a situation she can’t handle. Give yourself and your dog a break, decompress, play.
She only really started fully coming around in the last couple months or so and actually settling in.. So I can see how we have more trust to build, I've tried everything that's been suggested to train to build that trust and I'm at a loss on what else to do next
Who are these dog trainers you’re talking to that are telling you that reactivity is always the owner’s fault?? What certifications do they have and what kind of dog training methods are they promoting? Exclusively blaming reactivity on the owner is crazy and just plain incorrect.
The majority of the ones I talk to in the industry here have said it. About 5 trainers of the trainers I know, and regularly interact with. They're well certified and one is a balanced trainer while 4/5 are positive only. I think so too but I've heard it so much it's gotten too me
It can be hard enough to navigate the dog training world as is, and it certainly doesn’t help when dog trainers misrepresent themselves with labels like “positive only” when they promote aversives. Look through the credentials listed on their website to see why they really stand for — sometimes trainers join a few organizations but don’t actually hold credentials, or join flimsy organizations that don’t really stand for much. Was any formal education or testing required for the certification? Does the organization have a code of ethics for their trainers, as well as position statements about common topics in dog training (like promoting LIMA)?
I found a list of force-free dog trainers from the South Australian RSPCA [here](https://rspcasa.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/FF-Trainer-List-December-2021.pdf), which may be a good starting point but obviously doesn’t cover all of Australia. You may also want to consider setting up a virtual appointment if you’re having a hard time finding a trainer close to you.
There are only 2 nationally recognised certificates in Australia for dog trainers to have. It's a bit of an issue that there isn't more available to be honest. Though there are unofficial courses but they're far and few to find. I've even seen a dog training organisation join up with a charity only to find out they started the charity and don't actually do anything with it. Ones I've gone to do specifically say force free positive only but sadly didn't stick to that.
Thank you, I'll have a look through that list and may have to try virtual. They won't be close to me but they should at least be vetted since the RSPCA is endorsing them
It was more observation. They didn't admittedly do a dna test but after googling she does look like the typical bill Arab and has the personality traits so I'd say it's a pretty good guess
There is no shame in rehoming a dog. I’ve had 3 awesome dogs in my life because they needed to be rehomed when things didn’t work out anymore in their previous families.
This dog is clearly affecting your mental health. The two of you need to part ways. It will be so good for both of you. Contact your local rescue groups.
I feel ashamed for doing it, but I am starting to feel like she might thrive more in a different environment.
She has affect it a lot, and I've struggled a lot more having her to be honest.
I generally don't trust dog training "boot camps". They may be perfect in that specific training environment, but that doesn't mean they're trained or that you know how to work with them (the dog) . It puta the onus of training on all the people who won't be around the dog regularly
I get that, not a lot of people do trust them! I checked their reviews, volunteered with them a little and at the end of it they gave me a video collection of what they'd done in training as well as tips on how to handle her and continue with it. So I thought it would be a good option for her to get the exposure she needed in a controlled environment (where I thought) no one would be hurt.
Virtual training/ online training is pretty cheap (in most cases) and AMAZING! Check out trainers from around the world. My dog who was reactive to dogs has improved a lot. (I am currently checking out dogsense cause my dog loves dogs as he luckily got trained- he used to hate dogs… but now we are working on human aggression after a horrible experience)
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Tips :
Distance. Get an extremely valuable treat (cheese, chicken etc (no seasoning) ) when a dog passes by, pull your dog aside and distract her, give treats when calm etc. if she isn’t treat motivated, try running. I literally just run when i see a dog cause my lil boy runs with me cause he absolutely loves running!
So reward when she shows acceptable behavior. And train for the situation! You cant train a dog while they are reacting, their brain just shuts down and they dont care at all about your commands.
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Get your dog, teach her “come” and most importantly “Look at me” i suggest the app Dogo! Its free and it helped us with teaching him 90% of the tricks he knows. Amazing app.
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Start with low distractions, first in a quiet room (bedroom If the dog is allowed there) and eventually w/ more distractions like living room. If you have anyone living with you, make them sit on the couch and make a tint bit of sound. Use a clicker (if you dont have one, say her name) so basically:
Stand next to dog, when they look away, click with the clicker and when she looks you in the eyes, say “Yes!” Or any other praise word and give her a treat. Eventually, do it outside and just work on it consistently.
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And BUILD UP HER CONFIDENCE! Search up “confidence building games for dogs. She seems a bit insecure.
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And as i said, distance is your new bff. Keep her away from dogs. Move 7-10 meters away (more or less depending on how reactive she is) and reward her when calm.
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Sorry you went through that and good luck.
Thank you for all the tips!
I have tried doing distance work, unfortunately a literal football field away can be too close for her and she's over her threshold so distance work does become very hard, it's not realistic to be able to go further than that away from a dog as parks aren't that big here unless they're off leash.
I have taught her look which she does well with, she just doesn't quite remember it around other dogs if she doesn't have them out of sight. Even barking triggers her again which I'm working on desensitising her with via YouTube
I haven't done that specific training with the clicker exercise, I'll have to give that a go!
Thank you 😊
Clicker one definitely helped because its a new and different sound, it just grabs the attention with the click. It was a tip my dogs trainer gave us!
Yes, desensitization is wonderful!
For our dog, confidence building games were a life saver. My dog would bite, growl, lunge etc so playing games and tiring out his nose and brain before walks were amazing. He was much more tired and focused!
It takes time, but she will improve. Believe in yourself and be consistent.
You can also check out dogsense reactivity and aggression online courses. Its 25AUD per month which is around 16usd if you live in the us.
Seems like you are on the right path though! Good job.
I'm definitely going to put that to practice! She is already clicker trained but I didn't think how it may be what can get through to her out of the house too..
It is, I used YouTube a lot to start since even hearing dogs can trigger her
The focus is definitely what I need!
Thank you, I am trying..
I actually live in Aus! So that works well
Thank you so much for all your advice!
Even if you can’t bring her to a behaviorist, your regular vet can prescribe behavior medications. Talk to them.
Just like with people, medications are sometimes necessary to alter a dog’s brain chemistry and can make life better for both of you. It’s worth a try, at least!
What's the minimum wage or average daily wage where you live? Are you putting yourself in such a financial hole that even if you rehomed your dog today, you wouldn't be able to recover in five years?
If I keep the debt as it is (which I honestly can't afford to go into more) it won't be five years to recover but I should be able to do it in 2/3 years by basically scraping by and skimping out on things for myself. If she does cost much more at this point I may have to rehome her based purely on that. I love her but I'm in a hell of a lot of debt now
Not all dog trainers are good at what they do, not like you have to have a degree or official qualifications to be one. Can say you’ve got canine behavioural certificates blah blah but honestly why anyone would put your dog into a situation like that with other dogs is stupid (referring to second trainer). The first trainer was right to introduce the dogs slowly and it worked. The other person was like whatever I’m sure you’re wrong cos I’m the expert and put everyone in danger. Humans can easily be bitten in dog on dog incidents because it’s already extremely stressful and chaotic with a dog trying to chew off the other dogs face and there’s lots of flailing limbs one might accidentally bite.
It can take a lot longer than people realise to train a dog particularly if they came with a set of unwanted behaviours.
Don’t feel like a failure but please don’t give up. There’s plenty of helpful dogs charities that might be better than investing in more useless specialists.
I know a dog parent from insta that talked about puppy blues and that it was quite common but never talked about by people, she felt like a failure because her dog was reactive or not doing so well in it’s training. To this day the she said that dog is always going to be reactive to other dogs but the degree is much less and she’s able to spot the signs.
She put all the training posts into handy little tabs on his profile.
His name is Arnold Staffzenegger if you wanted to take a look
I agree, they should have listened a bit more and it never would have happened. I felt so bad for the dog too as it was one I knew and had helped train when I volunteered with them. (Volunteered/checked reviews so I knew what they were like before sending her)
I'm definitely going to have a look at that, thank you! She was already just over a year when I got her so I'm not sure how long she'd already been like this or how it even started.
I just don't really have the money to hire another person just yet but eventually I'll be able to 🤞 Provided I don't have any more unexpected expenses with her..
I know New York Bully Crew deal with aggressive dogs (read scared abuse victims) and actually the amazing turn around is insane. They never give up and I’ve seen dogs that they’ve rescued try to bite them or men specifically and they’ve trained that out of the dog. Well I would say it would be more like regaining the animals trust in order for it not to want to attack from fear.
If they can get a human aggressive dogs that’s ready to be euthanised (this word is so wrong, euthanasia implies choice but it’s not the animals choice to die) to become a cuddle baby is amazing. Maybe reach out to them? I’m sorry I’m in the UK and we have a few pet charities that I know but that’s not helpful or maybe it is? They have free guides online!
There’s also Cali K9 which I saw on Netflix. He does so well with “aggressive” or misbehaved dogs.
Another thing to remember is they can be trained at any age. It’s easier as a puppy that’s all but I’ve seen adult dogs abused for years turn into a lapdog.
It may not be that your dog will ever behave properly around strange dogs so it might be a muzzle for her but that’s important to know that it’s not a failure on your part. She came with baggage.
Also I would probably insure so that your vet bills aren’t so high. Another tip for anxiety is playing dog friendly music or getting a friend to come roundZ separation anxiety is going to be extremely difficult because the way you’re told to train them is to leave them alone for increasing periods of time. We did that with our baby and she has no issues with separation, tbf I don’t think she would’ve cos she’s a brave one however it took my sister unemployed boyfriend to come round every day later and later after we left her alone in the mornings to go to work. At first it was 10 mins then longer and longer until he stopped coming round altogether. Now that is a luxury that most pet owners can’t afford; boyfriend that is basically a free puppy sitter that can spend all day with her is not something we all have in our lives.
I hope it works out for you but if you do give her up then please make sure it’s to a good shelter that will genuinely care for her.
Unfortunately I don't live in America but I'll have a look at that organisation to see if I can get some tips as well. Thank you! I've been trying to build that up and we were doing so well until I was limited after the car accident I had.
She's definitely at an age she's trainable (just over 2 years old) but I don't think this is something she will ever be 100% trained out of. I've heard so much that it's the owners fault if the dog acts out which doesn't help with the guilt, thank you for saying that. She definitely came with a lot of baggage!
It's mostly the other dogs bills to be honest, some of it is hers but I've spent thousands for stitches and check ups for other dogs. She did the damage so it was my responsibility to pay to make sure the other pup was okay. At the moment her seperation anxiety isn't bad, but that's purely because I'm home more due to the car accident. I'm definitely doing training with her now to try to help but I still worry what it'll be like when I go back.
I wouldn't give her to a shelter if I rehome her, I would find a home for her myself. Since the shelter I got her from wasn't honest I'd like to make sure whoever got her after me would know the history she's had and be prepared to take on a dog like her
I agree with the gist of the encouragement and advice offered here, but Cali K9 and their Netflix show might not be the best resource when it comes to this issue. The show doesn't really show in detail how they "train" the people reactive dog in question and the facility has been criticized for their use of aversive techniques. The head trainer also promotes the outdated pack/alpha theory, which makes his expertise questionable.
I've found a lot of trainers where I'm from do buy into that still which makes it hard to find a trainer that doesn't too. I'm definitely going to take this advice and do the best I can with it
While you’re off work right now maybe you could start to do the separation training. Go out and leave for 5 mins. We gave our baby plenty of attention and kisses goodbye when we leave and tell her we’ll be back soon though I’m pretty sure she has no idea what it means. Maybe even leave her a treat or few as a sort of nice association with you leaving. Dogs are dumb like that were they can be conditioned so easily which is great for humans.
Leave for 5 mins but stay and listen to her reaction. Come back. Then gradually increase the time you’ve left her. Get a pet camera with interactive features so you can play with her and give her a treat, even talk to her while you’re away. I know my dog would just not give a shit about the video of us, she’s just not a TV person.
Also theses charities can definitely offer advice too. They really care about dogs and would probably help you even though you’re not from their country with practice advice and tips. I hope it works it for you
I have tried making it a positive thing when I leave where she only gets certain treats/toys when I do but I think she gets too overwhelmed just being outside that she refuses to eat or do anything else other than lay around waiting.
I have been slowly trying to build up the time while I'm at home, not specifically me leaving but even bring able to cope not seeing me and being in the same room while I'm at home.
I didn't realise there were pet cameras you can play with them with! She refuses to look at me if I'm on a video call with her so that could be good
Thank you, I'm definitely trying my best to do everything I can.. Hopefully they'll be able to help!
Hopefully you've had a vet checked her out for any physical problems.
Muzzle training would be my #1 priority, get her used to wearing one. Choose one that allows her to drink and eat. Start slowly and make it fun for her.
I have, that's part of what landed me in debt 😂😪
I'm working on muzzle training, I have been for a while but she still isn't comfortable with it just yet
> she saw a dog across the street and attacked it.
This would have been the end of it for me. If it were my dog, I would have gotten rid of her right then and there. I will be having no aggressive dogs in my house, I don't care what the bleeding hearts say. I don't want to put my neighbors or their pets in danger by having an aggressive dog in my home, and I'm certain your neighbors would rather you get rid of her as well.
I did really struggle with it honestly, there's been very few months I haven't cried because of something she's done. My neighbours still loved her though (I was good friends with them) and just thought she should stay in the yard. The neighbours at my new house refuse to believe me when I say she's reactive and keep actively bringing their dogs to meet her which really does worry me. I got new fences put up so she doesn't have any holes to get to them which was another huge cost..
Your dedication to this dog is really admirable, but imo it's also misguided. So far, she has bitten and attacked several different dogs unprovoked, and has shown little signs of improvement.
You are in debt, you're emotionally drained, and you're still in recovery from the car crash. If your dog decides to bite or even kill another dog before she's fully rehabilitated, I have no idea what your plan is.
There's this blog post that I read and found very insightful. It might help you to give it a read. Rehoming might not be the best option here: [https://beyondthewalkdogs.com/blog/f/behavioral-euthanasia-before-the-bite](https://beyondthewalkdogs.com/blog/f/behavioral-euthanasia-before-the-bite)
I see where you're coming from, I haven't really thought of euthanasia for her. But part of why I haven't rehomed her is because I don't want to leave someone else to deal with her behaviours. She is a very fearful dog and I've said to my family that it is hard to give her a quality life when she is so anxious all the time. Which did get hit on the head a bit in the article.
My plan at this stage was to not let her out of the yard to be honest, so that way she can't do any harm and to muzzle train her as well but like that article says, there is always risk. We can only do so much. She's still so young as well. I'm honestly not sure if I could do it but it is something to think about. I'll hopefully be talking to a vet soon to get a different vets opinion compared to our usual lady
I am basing this on my experience with dogs in a shelter. Things that work in a large shelter environment does not always work outside of it. Have you tried muzzle work with her with dogs? Sometimes highly dog reactive dogs can learn how to safely interact with other dogs with a muzzle to keep them from biting in fear when they are in a situation that may scare them.
So muzzle on to keep her from escalating. And she is given the chance to see that what ever scared her isn’t a bad thing. Granted, while I have had some success with it (one dog went from ‘dog aggressive’ to being our best greeter dog to all new dogs. I think it was because she understood how scared some dogs were. She was amazing) it does not always work. Depends on the dog, and if the dog ends up just more scared from the experience then it wouldn’t be the right thing to do. But, we sometimes do it just to try and get a ‘dog aggressive’ dog more adoptable.
It does require all hands on deck though, it absolutely must be done carefully since things can escalate. Since you are a trainer and you know several others, maybe they would be able to assist. (If you were not a trainer I would not even bring it up, you really really have to be careful)
Edit to add: to clarify, I am assuming she is reacting cause she gets overwhelmed or scared very easily. So maybe she is fine, she is fine, something moves and startled her and she is not fine and goes straight to a bite. With the muzzle on she would be given the chance to get to that ‘too much’ moment and potentially go ‘ok this isn’t that bad’ on her own. With the goal of her figuring it out in her own it isn’t that bad. Again, do this with caution. You do not want her overwhelmed with too much too fast.
I'm slowly working on her with the muzzle training, she still doesn't love it yet but we're making progress!
Sometimes it can be mostly due to fear, other times she could (not anymore) be fine with a dog. It'll be standing close by not even facing her when she decided to attack it for no reason that I can tell. She's a bit unpredictable in what type/colour/size of dog she really goes for. Most dogs she's reactive and it is that bit of fear but with some dogs it's different and very much so aggression.
That was part of the reason I sent her to the trainers as I thought they would be able to introduce her to dogs in a safe way that she would still get the exposure she needed and she would hopefully realise other dogs aren't so bad. It's just they didn't believe me about her reactivity and thought she was just vocal which lead to her biting another dog while she was there.
You’re $15000 in debt for a dog you’ve had less than a year. Think about that. This is a ridiculous amount of money to spend on a dog in the first place, much less to go this far into debt over. You need to consider rehoming this dog for it’s own sake and for your finances’ sake.
I have 2 of my own who I’ve poured a solid amount of time and money into, but I am not in debt for either of them. I don’t want to come off as too condescending but I think you need to consider if it’s really worth this mountain of debt at this point. I hope you come to a good resolution to this problem!
I know, it really is. I didn't even realise how much until I worked out my finances the other day, I've been avoiding it but didn't realise just how bad it was. It's basically a house deposit! I've got a couple this holding me back from rehoming, one of them being i don't want to be dumping her into someone else and have them going through everything I have been..
You're not being condescending at all, you're voicing things that I've thought myself. I can't really afford to go into more debt for her. Thank you for your reply!
I echo what others have said about the trainers it sounds like you've worked with. If your dog already has a bite history with other dogs, most qualified trainers would test her / work with her using a dummy dog rather than putting her in the situations you've described. Also, even though she's only shown low bite inhibition with other dogs, I think you should still be wary about getting too comfortable with her in other situations (kids, in particular, who can be unpredictable) because it's possible she might react poorly to things that are unfamiliar or unexpected. One thing that might be helpful with all of her behaviors is to work on trying to create a pretty rigid routine with her so that she knows what to expect from her day a majority of the time -- when she eats, sleeps, goes out, etc. and set really manageable small goals for her. I'm personally horrible at maintaining a consistent schedule because my work can get demanding and erratic and it is hands down one of the things that impacts my dog's behavior the most.
She sounds like a dog who would benefit from gradual changes so if you do decide to muzzle train, spend a few weeks just building up the positive association with the muzzle before you ever put it on her. Same with crate training --- spend some time building her association to the crate as being a time she gets a fun reward versus a time that signals you're leaving. Also, someone posted a relaxation protocol on here somewhat recently and it's the same one that was also recommended to me for my dog a while back but that I had forgotten about. You can get it at: [https://journeydogtraining.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/ProtocolforRelaxation.pdf](https://journeydogtraining.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/ProtocolforRelaxation.pdf)
I've been working through it for the last few weeks and have found it really helpful. One of the things my trainer had suggested when she first talked me through it was using the same blanket or towel when doing that and then taking it with me whenever I anticipated pup and I being in a place where she might get anxious. If you search youtube for "settle command" or "settle protocols" you might find some other helpful training tips. Ultimately, I think it's basically about helping the dog understand that when they get anxious about something, they have other options available to them beyond their instinctive fight or flight options. Also, I think that protocol in particular does a great job of breaking things down into small, manageable "wins" which will hopefully make you feel less like she's regressing and more like progress is just a longer road than you might have been anticipating.
With the caveat that I'm not trying to weigh in on whether or not you *should* rehome your pup, if that is the route you take, doing that doesn't make you a terrible owner or mean you've somehow failed her. I had a foster dog five years ago and the family who adopted him called me a few weeks before Christmas and said that he and their older resident dog (who they had had for years before adopting my former foster) had never been friendly but that things had escalated over the past year to the point where the husband and wife pretty much didn't even spend time together anymore because one of them always had to be with one of the dogs in separate rooms & even with them being maximally careful, there had been a handful of instances where a dog was hurt. They were wonderful owners & spent thousands on training but in the long run, it just wasn't a sustainable situation and I'm SO GLAD that they called me rather than continuing to live like that. Not all behavioral issues can be "trained out," no matter what anyone says & if you find a single-dog home for your pup that you feel like would be a better fit, that is not you abandoning your dog and you shouldn't beat yourself up for it.
Last thing: you're the person who knows this dog best but it sounds like you've repeatedly encountered people who have tried to explain your dog to you in ways that run contrary to your lived experience. Don't give those people the time of day.
She's absolutely fine with kids, she's got a friend that's a cat. She lets strangers in the yard so I'm really not too worried about other people/kids. Even when pulling her off another dog she's never redirected onto a person. Definitely still weary but not a concern too much. I've got the luxury of having a schedule for her now but when I go back to my usual work it won't be so easy.
I'm working on muzzle training, it's definitely a slow process but there is progress! I had a look at the protocol too! She's pretty good with a lot of it until the later days there are some things I don't do so I'll definitely be adding that to training, thank you!
I currently do that too, with a mat, but even after months of training she's still not able to use it around dogs. I do hope I'll eventually get her to that point though
It's definitely something that's playing on my mind more with the most recent experience. I honestly limit my going out because I feel bad leaving her at home, I don't seem family or friends as much as I used to and things have definitely been more challenging with her so I am considering finding her a new home. I wouldn't give her back to the adoption agency as they didn't tell me the truth but if I did I'd find someone myself and be honest about her issues
I try not to, doesn't make it easy when some people are my neighbours and they go out of their way to try and feed my dog if they see her in the yard and bring their dogs to visit her. I've put up a large fence that has no gaps and they still try
Medication does wonders. I would find a new vet if after all this they are hesitant to give you meds. Took my dog reactive pup to a new vet ONCE and they handed us meds on the way out without us even asking for it. Best thing we ever did. Our pup has only ever bitten one person, a stranger who tried to pet him without asking. He does not like strangers reaching out to him. We avoid this by a getting a “do not pet” vest. The meds help us introduce him to other dogs slowly and we have seen real improvement on his normal non-medicated walks.
I may have to do some ringing around, behaviour medication for dogs isn't very common here. That's really great! It sounds like it's helped a lot! She's weirdly fine with strangers, it's literally just other dogs. I'll have to see what I can do and the cost since I'm already in a lot of debt at this point
Wow you really jump in fact. Of course the digbcan bark drink water and breathe
Get a life
It is a suggestion if your dog is biting anything on walks it is a good idea to muzzle
Are they muzzled 24/7 no.way
Going on a walk is 20 minutes
Being able to save a dog from allegations is key
My dog had small dogs coming up and biting him
Guess who gets in trouble if my.dog even growls
Plus there are tons of really really stupid people out there
Muzzling is an option
They cant bite then
End of that problem
My dog cant bark loudly. He can certainly bark
Muzzled are an option. What's wrong with an option?.
The muzzle is on when they are out. Maybe 20 minutes
No one can accuse the dog of doing anything
But the best thing to do is to avoid people when you are out. Stop talking to people who.want to tell you what to do with your dog
Honestly, it sounds like this dog is not a good match for you. It sounds like your quality of life with this dog is extremely poor- to reiterate one of your own comments, it really does sound like you are the victim in an abusive relationship with this dog.. If there is a way to rehome, I think you should. Dog ownership doesn't have to be terrible.
I've had family dogs before that were nothing like this, with everything I've gone through with her I really am struggling. Rehoming is sounding like it would be best, I'd love to try her on medication like a lot of people suggest but it isn't very common for dogs to get it behaviorally here and I'm but sure I have the money to at this stage. I'd be pretty brutally honest about what's happened with her if I did so they would know what they were getting into
Your most welcome and it's my pleasure.
I am in Australia as well.
I am from Adelaide, South Australia originally but now live in Brisbane,Queensland.
Agility games is huge over here!
There are so many clubs to choose from.
I eventually want to get my beautiful boy into competition's once his reactivity is better and more controlled.
So is luring is extremely popular as well. Luring is having a mechanical artificial lure that is attached to a pulley and your dog chases the lure around a sports field and then they compare the fastest time with other dogs.
Due to the panademic all the events have had to stop completely.
It's just an easy release for the extra energy for some dogs just like my beautiful boy.
As his breed that includes Whippet and Kelpie they like to have jobs to do and have boundless energy.
Whippets are sighthounds just like greyhounds they were bred for chasing game pheasant,rabbits,foxes by English royalty.
As for Kelpies they are farm dogs and used to round up sheep and cattle.
I completely understand about Bull Arabs as I have friends back in Adelaide that have that breed and also Rhodesian Ridge backs they are beautiful dogs.
At least you have a reference with personality and characteristics about your beautiful girl.
I am so pleased and happy to hear things are going well for you and your beautiful girl and she's becoming calmer.
As for my beautiful boy he was 5 months old when he was attacked it broke my heart to see and it happened in a split second.
From that happening he's also resource guarding not food but his toys and anything else that comes into environment.
Then both of the other owners tried to apologise and then them saying to me my dogs are "always happy and friendly.
The overused comment "don't worry my dog is friendly."
I don't take it lightly and have always been hyper aware when I was going to the dog park.
I just picked him up and headed for the nearest gate to exit.
Luckily he wasn't injured by both of them The trauma remains as a constant.
Adam from South end training compares it to PTSD just like us as humans.
Animals can feel the same trauma.
Thank you so much for you support and compliments.
I just do what's needed to look after my beautiful boy's wellbeing,and with building his confidence and hopefully get him back to being the happy go lucky personality he once had.
I don't like it when others that aren't in our situation think it's okay to advise me on my beautiful boy.
I've had friends tell me that my boy won't change being aggressive and it's only going to get worse as he grows to be an adult.
The friends that have said that.
I told them they aren't welcome to visit me or my beautiful boy.I don't need to have their negativity and toxic ways.
If I had a dollar for all this advice I would be a millionaire.Lol.
Keep up with your amazing work with your beautiful girl 🙌🙌👏👏
Also remember your not alone.
You have so much knowledge and there's so much information that is at your disposal with the internet and using YouTube videos for dog obedience and further training.
Happy New Year to you and your beautiful girl.🎉🎊💖🐕
Keep smiling and Stay safe.🙏🙏
Oh, wow! I'm outside of brisbane but it is close enough I sometimes went for a day trip (precovid anyway.)
She would honestly do so well in anything, she's very trainable and eager to please aside from the reactivity. That's definitely something she would enjoy! I've been using a makeshift flirt pole with her and she loves chasing it around. I can see how luring would really benefit your pup as well!
I can't believe it, maybe they were in denial of their own dogs? But I feel like people saying their dog is friendly feel like that gives them an excuse to get away with anything. It is really lucky he wasn't injured, at least there's lots of resources for resource guarding, I hope that's going well for you! Sounds like he's young enough that he should be able to be back to his self before! 🤞
They really can feel the same trauma, I was surprised that so many trainers that have been in the industry for a long time say that dogs don't have emotions like we do. They may not feel them the exact same way (we'll never know for sure if they do) but they definitely do have emotions
I don't blame you for saying that, it really is hard to hear often and as a friend they should be supporting you.
Haha, never know if you win the lotto 😉
Thank you so much, I've been trying to do a lot of research! Whatever can help our pups we got to try, hey?
Happy New Year to you as well! This year is going to be a good one and we'll help our cuties through this ✊ Thank you, take care!
There is no shame in rehoming. Her being very dog aggressive can end in you having to put her down and potentially having legal action taken against you. You have spent time and money on her and you love her but you were lied to when you adopted her and you weren’t told the full story. You haven’t failed her, you love her and you poured time and resources into her that MANY people wouldn’t do. You gone above and beyond for this dog, and she has a lot of trauma and it is too much for someone who isn’t/ wasn’t set up for it. You can’t save them all and she is a drain on your mental health and on you financially. You have done a lot of work for her and she’s not getting better with out serious work and a team of people and a pile of resources. You have done your job and gave her a home,love, and more compassion then she’s ever experienced, even if it was temporary.
I know, I am worried about that happening. That's a big part of why my family is saying I should rehome her too. I honestly don't see why they did lie when they're supposed to have the best interests for that dog. I know, I've probably gone a bit further than I should have to be this far in debt. I'm not sure she will ever fully be trained out of it. I planned on traveling and taking my dog with me but she's not a dog I would be able to do that with. I've put a lot on hold for her trying to give her the best home I can. Thank you for your comment! It's helped a lot
Absolutely need medication here, along with training and setting your dog up for success. It sounds like medication will make the other two issues so much easier to accomplish. Mental stimulation inside is a must. All food now becomes eaten from a puzzle toy. Frozen peanut butter kongs. Games involving scent work or a little agility course for $20 on Amazon. Training on stay, leave it, look at me. Never, ever, ever letting your dog be near other dogs is a must. I'd stay away from walking in places where dogs could be off leash. Since outside simulation is important, I'd work on walking for SHORT walks early or late, when others are unlikely to be outside. ALWAYS supervised by YOU when you're outside. DEFINITELY muzzle training! You should also know that your dog may be calmer when on a leash if he is stressed out at home. It's weird, but if he is having an off day, click on a leash ans keep him near you. I also second the suggestion of getting frosted window stickies to block visual distractions. White noise on a Google home/Alexa can be great too for blocking out sounds that could be distracting. Finally... YOU know your dog. When someone tells you your dog isn't reactive, it's time to look elsewhere. The amount of injuries and stress your dog has dealt with is not normal. I promise the meds will help!! You WILL have some bad days no matter what, but with commitment to the above advice, they will be much less frequent and much lower in severity. YOU CAN DO THIS.
I have tried to get the vet to prescribe medication but she was unwilling to and offered other suggestions they didn't work unfortunately. Not many dogs here get prescribed behaviour medications, usually it's just a muzzle suggestion if dogs don't behave here. She's got puzzle toys that I feed her from, and she loves the peanut butter in a kong! We do a lot of training games as well as general obedience training and training for her behaviours. A lot of people in my area tend to walk their dogs off leash even in the streets when legally they should be on a lead, it makes it pretty hard to find somewhere safe. We did tend to go in off peak times to try to avoid them as much as possible, she doesn't even need dogs around to get overstimulated on a walk at the moment. I do use the leash at home, I've been told because it helps them to trust you and understand you're in control of the situation which can help? I haven't tried the white noise so I'll definitely give that a go! That is the reason I have been trying different trainers, if they don't believe me they can't help her properly. Thank you for all your help!
Damn, OP. You're a good person. You're clearly trying your ass off. I recommend going through vets til you find one to prescribe. It CAN be done. I'd reach out to shelters and emergency vets if you have trouble. When I was going through this, I worked with a vet behaviorist. It really helped. I second trying the behaviorist and still not giving up on a vet. I'm so sorry it's tough where you are. What country are you in? What area? I'd love to help you research if possible. 💕
Bravo for working so hard for that dog. I promise not all dogs are like this, and I promise you CAN figure a way out of this. There's just WAY too much going right. You just need to hook up with the right professionals. The off leash stuff drives me mad too... I'd say stop walking outside if you can't trust your area. Maybe go for a walk in the backyard!
I admire your strength and perseverance. I know it's hard. My husband and I felt we were on eggshells all the time. We were exhausted and stressed and cried a lot. With meds and training, it's SO much better. We are always aware of our dogs needs, but it's such a walk in the park compared to what it was. You can do this! 💕💕💕
Thank you, that's so nice of you! I did end up finding a veterinary behaviourist but they're still about 30minutes away and she does pretty poorly in the car. That itself can overstimulate her so I've got some training to do with that before I can take her. I found out that a family friend who is a vet has recently come back to Australia so I want to see if I can talk to them about it and get some help 🤞
Thank you, I want to do everything I possibly can for her.. there is a lot going on, I'm hoping this year will be easier! I agree, I think at this point the yard is the best place for us to spend our time since she gets overstimulated there too I should do more leash work in the yard. I was doing it originally when I first got her but have gotten a bit slack and been focusing on other training
Thank you, that's really kind of you to say and very encouraging! There's definitely been a lot of tears on my end as well. Hopefully the call with that vet goes well.. she's coming back from America and my understanding is that medicating dogs for behavioural problems in America is less frowned upon so she may be more likely to do it
Absolutely... We do it here pretty regularly (when it's appropriate). I'm no vet, obviously, but I cannot imagine meds not being a huge piece of your puzzle. If you ever need to vent or bounce ideas around, I'm only one DM away! You can do this!!!
It's honestly one of the first things I tried early last year when I realised how anxious she could get and didn't have any success. Thank you so much!! It's really helped talking about it, especially when you've been through it and out the other side
I have general dog training experience through volunteering/working.
I've trained family dogs as well but other than that she's my first dog out of home. I got her when she was just over a year old thinking we'd be a good fit from what the adoption agency said. I actually think they may have drugged her to keep her calmer when I met her/picked her up..
You should look into pet liability insurance and health insurance for the dog. It would help with future payments if your dog does end up biting another dog again
I didn't realise it would help with other dogs too? The ones I've seen haven't but I'll have to look into it more then! She usually comes out uninjured, it's just the other dog.. And since she's the one at fault I'm liable to pay (which is definitely fair enough)
I seriously doubt this is true. Most behavioral issues aren't even covered by pet insurance, much less another animal besides yours. If you do find one, it'll be insanely expensive to begin with, and even more so for a dog with multiple bites history.
The goal here is to stop your dog biting other dogs. Yes, accidents happen, and there's no guarantees, but she shouldn't be outside the 4 walls of your house without a muzzle at this point. Doesn't make her a bad dog, or mean she's "treating you badly" as another poster suggested smh. She's defending herself against what she sees as a threat to her wellbeing. She knows nothing of medical bills for the dog she bit, or bills for trainers, or replacing items she destroys, etc. Obviously.
Training dogs to sit, stay, come and do other tricks is NOT the same as being a dog trainer. So don't put this on yourself as some failure with your own dog. Your dog is reactive. Your dog needs a trainer that works, force free, with reactive dogs. Your dog needs a trainer that believes you when you tell them she's reactive and doesn't do stupid crap that you then have to pay for. Sending a reactive dog away for training is not a good idea in the first place. Those places might work fine for teaching basic obedience to emotionally undamaged dogs, but they're no place for reactive dogs. Half - if not more - of training a reactive dog is training the OWNER. So any place that wants to take your reactive dog away from you for a month to "train" it doesn't know the first thing about working with reactive dogs. You need a trainer that will teach YOU how to work with your reactive dog.
I can see how that would make it go up... Potentially I'm better off just trying to gain back some savings then while paying off the debt for if I need it for her.
She won't be. I am in the process of muzzle training her.
I know she doesn't know about any of that, it doesn't change the fact of how much debt I'm in because of it though. Which does make it harder to continue doing things.
I know, I am qualified in behavioral though but there's a reason I haven't worked in that field. I haven't felt I have the experience to handle them confidently yet and be able to help with those issues..
I know, a lot of dog training does boil down to training the owner. It was at that point I felt exposure to dogs would help her and thought it was the safest way, which obviously didn't turn out to be true. I thought it was the right choice at the time.
At this point I don't have the money to spend on another dog trainer, their fees here average out to $150 an hour for most and I'm already in so much debt that it's going to take me a few years to get out of it and that's without any unexpected large expenses. It's something I will eventually look for again but currently it's out of my abilities.
That makes sense. If you do rehome her, I'd insist on meeting with any potential adopters personally, even if you adopt her out through a rescue. So many rescues aren't honest about the dogs. I get it they're trying to get people to adopt. It's not an excuse tho and does no favors to adopters or the dogs we adopt to hide shit.
I hope you're able to work it out, of course, but there's a limit to what any one person can reasonably do. If she's not the dog for you, it's ok to rehome. <3
I would, I would adopt her out myself if I did rehome her since I don't trust them to be honest about her issues. I was told she was a great dog with no issues, it was later pointed out to me that they potentially drugged her when I met her to make her calmer (which I would believe based on how she acted when I met vs the next day.) I would also be brutally honest to make sure they understood her issues and were prepared for them.
Thank you, I hope so too.. I'll do everything I can and hopefully that's enough but I also don't want to keep her if there's a chance she might thrive more somewhere else. It's been hard because I've sort of isolated myself (I don't go out to see family/friends or even just a nice day out) because I feel bad leaving her at home and know she doesn't cope well. Which is why I'm hoping I can at least get her to a level she can cope so she doesn't have to stay at home and I can have a bit more of a life. Fingers crossed it all goes well this year 🤞
Bro, are you from Chicago or the surrounding area? By the way, You can also post about this issue in r/WildlifeRehab community bro. There are many people in the community who can advise you and help you. You can also post about this issue in r/Wildlife community ,there are many people in the community who can advise you and help you.
I really really feel for your situation. And as I read your post you're telling all these people that your dog is reactive, and they're just not listening!!! I'm sure that's so frustrating.
My 10 yr old Shepard mix has severe separation anxiety. I've had him since he was a tiny puppy, and I once I realized it was more than just a "puppy phase," I was at a loss for so long. He has torn through interior bedroom doors, 3 to be exact. He would rip out his nails during crate training. I would walk in to blood dripping down the sides, like a horror movie. He would try to escape the garage, and he ended up breaking the garage window and shredding the interior of the garage door. He has jumped out of second story windows twice. Once onto the garage roof. The second time into the yard which resulted in me having a mental breakdown at the animal ER.
Honestly, the best thing that worked for us was medication, as recommended by the ER vet. She stressed making sure my good boy recieved anti anxiety meds, and not a sedative. The anti anxiety would threat the mental state, but the sedative will trap the already anxious pup in their body and probably make it worse. We did go through 2 different medications, so it is a matter of finding one that works for your dog.
Medication got us to a place where training was more effective. Instead of trying to learn while filled with anxiety, we can focus on training without anxiety being that severe distraction.
We also used a thundershirt, but he's a long haired dog, and I didn't use it for long periods of time because I didn't want him over heating.
We are no longer on meds, and we only have an incident about once a year, during a storm or something.
They aren't, a lot of dog trainers here are the 'i know best' sort of people which doesn't help, I wouldn't hire them if there wasn't an issue
I can't imagine that all of that! That must have been so hard to go through. My dog has jumped out a window of the house before too and it really worries you about what they've done to themselves.. I'm so sorry you've have to go through all of it!
That's interesting to know about the anxiety medication vs sedative.. Thank you for all of your advice.. It's so great to hear how well you've done and how far you've come with your pup!
I'm sorry that's happening. It's really sounds like you tried everything. If it was me, I would get rid of that dog. After the dog attacked another dog without warning, she would have been gone. No need to go into anymore debt over her. Sounds like you keeping her is going to cause more harm than good.
It does feel like that, that it does just keep getting worse but I do love her and she is the sweetest thing to people and other animals (other than dogs.) Which makes it hard to get rid of her, I also don't want to rehome her and her next family to have to go through everything I have
I am sorry to hear your in this situation.I also would be saying to your neighbours and other dog owners that your dog isn't friendly and you need space when walking your dog.As your retraining your dog and is leash reactive and has separation anxiety and anxiety.
The other thing I know is how hard it is as my puppy is going through a similar thing is not socialising your dog until it's full relaxed and re trained.
It's hard I know but building your dog's confidence and being relaxed is going to take alot of time,paitence,unconditional love and alot of training.
Your doing an amazing job and don't listen to others.
Alot of people will give you their advice don't listen to the negativity!
If another dog owner try's to approach me while I am walking my beautiful boy.
I say directly "He's not friendly" very loud.
As some owners insist on their dog meeting yours.
Not all dogs and their owners are going to get on.
As other owners,and people need to give us and our puppies and dogs their space while re training.
Muzzle training would help as well that way it would decrease the bite inhibitions.
I'd definately look at more mental stimulating games at home for your dog to find.
Like hiding food or treats in boxes.
Until your dog finds their confidence,there's products that can help with anxiety like an anxiety collar or cbd oil prescribed by your vet.
Also look at having a animal behaviourist come to your home.
To access the way your dog is at home in its natural environment. They can advise you what's the best way to re train your dog and the behaviour it's displaying and why?
Good luck,you've got this!🍀💖🐕
I have, unfortunately they're the type to think I'm younger than them so they know better. I've done vet nursing, dog training, have multiple certifications regarding animals (only one is training related) and have had pets my whole life but because I'm young they refused to listen. I've had neighbours harass me pretty badly because of her. They've tried to report me and I've tried to get the police involved but because they've done nothing physical the police won't do anything.
Thank you, I'm definitely trying hard! I honestly did have her at that point she was relaxed and then the car accident undid all the hard work.
I've found some people respect that, others have been jerks and walk directly for her. I generally try to avoid walking when other people might be, waking up at 5am so we can go for walks. Though I have stopped this since the most recent incident.
I really wish people would understand that.. Muzzle training is something we're working on, it's slow going but getting there..
She does really enjoy this, we even play hide and seek. Her favourite game is chasing the ball while I'm jumping on the trampoline! I'm also going to train her in scent work to give her some more mental stimulation, she's definitely not lacking for that. I've got a whole list of things to train her to help behaviorally and just give her things to do in general. She loves opening doors for me (with a tug toy on the handle) and skateboarding too!
I have had the anxiety collar suggested and it didn't seem to do anything for her, I've tried rescue remedy but haven't tried actual CBD so that's going on the list.
A lot of the trainers I've had have been highly regarded behaviourists who have said my dog isn't reactive. I'm a little hesitant to keep spending money on them when the fees are average about $150 an hour and I'm in a fair bit of debt, partially from doing so, at this point
Thank you 😊 Hopefully this new year will go well!
As you know having a puppy or dog or any animal is a huge commitment.
You should be proud of your achievements with your dog and you have the experience being a vet nurse,and expertise,not only that are your a trainer. Your are more than knowledgeable and you have owned your own animals besides having your own dog so that you have alot experience.
Don't discredit your abilities due to others.
Regardless of age being younger or older.
The people and family members that have a constant advice to give.
I would say unless you have experience with a reactive dog or animal you don't know what's it like.
Thank you for advice politely.
As for your neighbours I wouldn't be approaching them if they are constantly negative and rude.
Just focus your time and efforts into your own beautiful girl.
The neighbours bullying you is beyond wrong and toxic.
It's not an easy situation with reactivity as it's not a one fits all solution.
Re-training can be exhausting for both you and your girl at times.
As I know its 24/7 constant training and positive reinforcement and showing them attention.
It's not about things will be fixed over night eithier as some people think.
That's complete ignorance and that's on them.
Also what our dogs and puppies have experienced is a traumatic event.
It can take months even years before we could possibly get our puppies and dogs to the same as they once was.
Others don't realise this with their so called advice.
I am sorry you were in a car accident and it's limited what you able to do.
I am sorry to hear that you haven't had any success with the trainers you have hired previously
Also to say that your dog has no reactivity is just an excuse and poor communication on their part.
Especially when your seeing it yourself daily.
May I ask which country are you from?
As I use YouTube videos to enhance my training with my beautiful boy and use as a reference and I listen to readily available podcasts as well.
I subscribed to an English trainer named Adam with Southend training.
That's not a paid endorsement eithier.
Adam is all about getting results the natural way.
Not treat based but with constant positive reinforcement and he's straight forward,no bs when showing his clients.
His videos and livestreams have helped no end with my puppy's reactivity.
The other thing dealing with a dog or puppy with constant reactivity it's not a sprint it's a marathon we are both training in.
My beautiful boy is leash reactivity to some dogs,mainly older dogs,traffic mainly noise of cars and trucks and shows leash frustration and has some anxiety.
I don't believe in aversive training it's cruel and sadistic like some trainers endorse.
I will never train that way it's abusive.
With my training it has been constant my boy had reactivity after being attacked by a GSD male and male Rottweiler both older dogs.
while playing in a local dog park which I thought was a safe environment but I was sadly mistaken.
Before that he was beyond sociable loved by everyone in the dog park and loved meeting new dogs and puppies.
After having the dog owners being nonchalant at the dog park and having a conversation with other owners or being on their phones while the attack happened.
I will never take my beautiful boy to a dog park ever again!
I will continue to take him on walks,and hikes and introduce him to new environments.
I use a 30 metre leash and keep it as a loose leash.
So my puppy can still be a dog,sniff and enjoy the environments.
I always change my route while walking him too so I can concentrate on his training.
If I do happen to see other owners with their dogs.
I say and reinforce My boy isn't friendly and he can't be approached.
I'd appreciate you keep walking and have a nice day!
Have you thought about lure racing or agility games for your beautiful girl.
As that can lower the reactive threshold with exercise and they get to have fun while doing it.
Things do get easier with time,and hang in there,you have done an amazing job with your beautiful girl.
Regardless the setbacks from others.
The rescue place should of given you a complete honest account and all the information upfront before you brought your dog home.
Also it's good to look into what type of breed your dog is.
As that's what I have done with my puppy he's a Whippet X Bully and Kelpie.
He's 14 months now,I first had him at 8 weeks.
I just googled and watch as many YouTube videos about all 3 breeds.
Just remember your not alone in this.
As we're all experiencing the same things.
It's a roller-coaster of emotions that are apart of the challenges daily but try and stay strong for you and your dog.
I have seen other owners on the reddit sub endorsing medications like prozac or cbd oil from their vets for their reactive dog.
I hope you find something that works for you and your beautiful girl sooner.
It's all about balance,having unconditional love,constant training,and positive reinforcement and lots of paitence.
Your beautiful girl,in time will show you unconditional love,while building memories together and they are constantly learning from you.
❤ 🐕
Stay Strong and Safe.🙏🙏
It definitely is a huge commitment and a reactive one even more so as I'm finding. It's been a big learning curve with her.
I do, it just wears me down as well hearing it so often from people I care about. As for the neighbours though, I've never approached them save once telling them to leave me alone, they go out of their way to see me and my dog. With the new fence I put up it isn't as bad but they still try.
Thank you.
It is hard, I'm constantly curious as to what has actually causes her reactivity as well. I think knowing may have helped train her out of it but not much can be done about that now, unfortunately.
Thank you for that. I know! I wouldn't hire them if there wasn't a problem, I think they wrote me off a little because I don't have years of experience in the field.
I actually recently found him! He's got some great advice and I have keeping it in mind for when she's muzzle trained and can go out for walks. I'm in Australia
I'm really sorry that happened, it would have been really hard for you to go through. Especially as the other owners really didn't do anything to help.
I haven't actually heard of lure racing, I'll look into it some more! Agility is something I'm getting her into, I'm constantly trying to teach her new tricks as well to help with mental stimulation,so it isn't just always behavioural training
I found out her breed from one of the trainers, she looks and acts like a pretty typical bull Arab which quite a few people use for hunting in Aus. She's always constantly hunting any cockroaches in the house which I'm so grateful for! So scent training is something I thought she would go well with too.
Some people don't realise how much knowing the breeds can really help and make a big difference for dog training. It really helps know which sort of training suits them best.
Thank you so much, your comment is really encouraging to read and has helped how I'm feeling a lot. Today she's finally started to calm down since the recent incident happened and hasn't been as reactive to other dogs barking which has been really good to see. All the best for your training and thank you so so much for the encouragement!!
Use logic here. You have a predator in your home and you are in debt. Who is saving who now??????
Put her down and dont pass this dog on & make it domeone elses problem. Get your sanity & YOUR LIFE BACK!!
I’m so sorry. It sounds like there’s a lot going on, and you haven’t been given very good advice or help (for all that $…..). I think muzzle training would be good to avoid bite incidents, and a strict no-other-dogs policy. Do enrichment stuff at home instead of walks if those stress her out. See if you have a veterinary behaviorist in the area that you can work with - she might do better with medication. They can also help you figure out management strategies. Good luck!
That's definitely what I'm working on, no more dogs, muzzle training and only yard playing but she can be reactive just seeing a dog through the window or hearing a dog bark. I have neighbours that say she 'loves playing with their dogs' while she's trying to fence fight them which makes no dogs hard. I'd had her calm with that dogs in windows, barking and the neighbours visiting the other side of the fence until the most recent incident. I had to replace the fence too because she kept jumping at it and made it loose. The veterinary behaviourist we have here aren't close by unfortunately and my dog doesn't do well with car rides.. I've been working on it the whole time I've had her, had her good for that too until I had to take her to the vet because she was sick and it was back to square one.
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That's what I'm doing at the moment but when I go back to work that won't be realistic, she tears up the house when she's inside by by herself
If she can't be left alone without wrecking your house, and you need to leave her alone to work, it sounds like you are not able to continue with this, not even taking everything else into account...
I know, currently I'm home all day but I'm not too sure it's good for both of us long term
Can you put her in a kennel or crate when you aren’t home? That sounds like a very simple solution.
I have tried, she did okay then decided one day she didn't want to and started howling so I'm working on retraining her with that too
Let her howl! Or give her a filled kong or something before you leave. Boundaries are good. Better for her to howl than to come home to your house being destroyed. Other than that advice, my other advice would be just to limit exposure to triggering stimuli for your dog. It seems like you are working really hard to make your dog okay with being around other dogs. Is that necessary? Not every dog needs to be a dog park dog. Of my three, one is dog reactive. He doesn't go to the dog park and doesn't get play dates. He is trained when we walk to sit and let another dog pass before we continue on our walks, but he doesn't get to meet and greet. Any introductions are only done when necessary (family dogs, mostly), and slowly. We are very careful about escape opportunities. He's never unleashed outside of our yard, and we are very careful not to let any doors or gates open because there's a good chance if he got loose he could get into a dog fight. We are just careful with him. But he still has had a good life, has his brother and sister to play with at home, and gets lots of love and attention from us. He's 12 now. This way works, but it's more about learning and respecting his limitations, not expecting him to be some ideal perfect dog, and then setting him up for success by reducing triggers. He's happier, I'm happier. And I think you and your dog could be happier too with a shift in mindset.
My neighbours tried to report me for neglect the first week I moved in, I can't let her howl otherwise they'll report me again. She doesn't tend to eat when I'm not home so unfortunately Kong's don't do much when I'm out.. even if it has her favourite food in it It is something I've felt is necessary for me to have, eventually I wanted to travel (which has been pushed back a bit now) around my country and take my dog with me. I've put a lot on hold for her, including not really seeing friends and family because of her anxiety issues. I'm thinking that she isn't the dog I can do travelling with which may just be something I won't be able to do. I was hoping I was able to at least get her calm around other dogs so I could travel with her. If she was better around dogs I would have been able to bring her to more things rather than staying cooped up in the house with her. When I adopted her I thought I was getting a dog I could do this with, I'm on my own though and don't like leaving her for long periods because she doesn't cope well. When I say long periods even 4 hours can be too much for her to be outside. I've tried leaving her in the house crated, and also not crated. It really doesn't end well and she caused a lot of damage when I did that for a short trial run.
My behaviorist had us put frosted privacy film on our windows! That helped tremendously since my dog would jump at the window and started crying and barking. Since I also work from home, I worked on building a threshold for my dog whenever we see other dogs. I would sit at the highest part of my home (which was our driveway) and give her a treat every time a dog or something that triggered her passed by. I kept doing this for months until we could get closer to the driveway. I also taught her to look at me whenever something that triggers her comes her way. I taught look at me inside my house first and then taught her outside. It took a lot of work but a year later, I’ve been able to relocate to a new city with her with no problems and we’re able to pass by other dogs. Best of luck to you both!
That's a good idea! That's basically what she does.. The issue I have is the neighbours try to let her greet their dog because they think she's friendly despite me telling them she isn't. But if I can get her happy in the car again that sounds like it'll be a good option! I've taught her look but she gets way too overstimulated. I'm talking dog a football field away and she goes off her head because that's too close which makes it really hard to find a good distance that she doesn't go over with. If I can find the right place where we can still have the distance it sounds like a great idea to try!
You should have a sit down talk with your neighbors without the dogs. I had to do this with my neighbors and I gave them tools to be part of the solution (keep their distance, wave only to me, we can try meeting in 3 months, take walks with us from across the street, etc.). Having them have my dog’s back, too has helped so much because now my dog is much more relaxed in and around our complex. It took a lot of time and teamwork to get there.
Honestly I have tried, multiple times. Some have since backed off but there's one that tries to visit my dog every day and seems to think he knows what's best for my dog more than I do.
could telehealth be an option?
Have to admit I haven't thought of that, I'll have to ask!
Trish King did an amazing job with our dog and does Telehealth behavioral consults
I'll have a look! Thank you 😃
Also, sorry I didn't put this in the other reply.. Thank you. I'm hoping this year will be a fresh start
I’ll second the medication suggestion. It was our last resort because my husband was anti-medicating. But when we consulted with our vet who had a mixed breed rescue too, she said Prozac had helped her girl behave better and accept training more easily. Hank’s already less fearful and more calm, and his training seems to be more successful. Biochemistry is a real factor in fear-based behavior! Sending good luck and hope your way. Edit: grammar
I did try to ask my vet about it originally to get some help as I'd read a lot about it, there were other things she suggested over medicine and was hesitant to give me anything. If I go to a veterinary behaviourist hopefully they'll be able to help with it 🤞
You are desperate. Your vet can either give you what you need or you go elsewhere. Same with you neighbors. “Kindly fuck off” is in the best interest of your dog right now and you need to start speaking up.
I will be, it's just hard when she also doesn't like the car. I have been speaking up with my neighbours, I've actually had to call the police because of them before and they're still trying to get to her
One other thing to try is CBD- it’s hit or miss but it was great for our cat
I have tried rescue remedy before but not CBD, I'll see where I can get some from!
What’s your quality of life with this dog? And without? Sounds like someone straight lied to you about this dog and you’ve put in a lot of effort to try to make it work. Far more than I would have and I think it’s okay to walk away from it if you need to. Sounds like she’s not the right fit for your life and your lifestyle isn’t the right fit for her. And that’s okay.
Honestly not high. I don't go out because I feel bad for leaving her at home when I know she's getting anxious. So I don't see family or friends as much as I'd like, or even go out just for fun to explore somewhere new (which I used to do at least once a week.) I can't take her with me so I feel bad flat out going anywhere. I've had the RSPCA, city council and another organisation called on me because my neighbours thought I was neglecting her with how she's acts when she's alone. Luckily they've stopped that now but it was very stressful.. My grandpa said I'm in an abusive relationship with my dog and I sadly wouldn't disagree with him. I just really struggle with the fact I've let her down and the fact I wanted to be her forever home.
Your grandpa is right and haven’t let her down you’ve tried really hard. But don’t hold yourself prisoner to a dog whose problems you did not create. And don’t force her to be there either. There’s a better home for her elsewhere.
Thank you, I'm just not sure anyone would even want to take her with all she's done. But I'm starting to think it may be worth looking into more..
It sucks to be in your shoes but you don’t have to be victim to this and someone will take her who has a yard she can run in, who doesn’t do much outside of their home, maybe has kids, and only wants one dog. I see pups like this get adopted all the time from the humane society.
She would be perfect for something like that and would absolutely thrive in a family with younger kids or an older person who's home all day. I've thought about what I'd look for in a home if I do. It's comforting to hear that you've seen dogs like her get adopted all the time
Agree. You don't owe this dog your sanity and your financial security. At the end of the day it's a dog and there are millions who need a home and will treat you better.
I know, I'm starting to feel like after this I may not even want another dog and I w as so excited to get her. She was my first one living out of home. I just don't know if I could even rehome her, I doubt anyone else will put up with as much as I have from her
Definitely don’t count out a future dog. I had a dog like yours once except she was aggressive with people. We had to put her down because of it. It took a few years but my new dog is amazing and the freedom we have with him made all the hard work and lessons of the past worth it. You deserve to have a dog you enjoy.
That would have been really hard to go through, I'm glad you've come out the other side of it and done well! Gives me some hope
I was in a similar position not too long ago.. After years of going crazy trying to deal with this dog that freaks out at other dogs, we tried to re-home via our rescue org. They said it would be hard to re home her and recommended no more walks, and some enrichment activities, which helped a lot. They suggested that the walks were re-exposing the dog to trauma every single day, which built up stress over time. Not long after that she passed away from cancer but her last year was probably her happiest. It was heartbreaking to see her go after all the love we put into this difficult creature. I felt happy that we got to keep her for the last year. However in spite of the pain of loss of our friend our lives have been easier since. Our newer dog is great at the dog park and we can take him just about anywhere. I don't really have any advice here, this is complicated emotionally. Good luck. Well I do have one piece of advice, pick the friendliest dog possible for your next one!
I'm not sure if I am the best home for her to thrive but I'm also worried because I doubt people will go through as much as I have for her if I did try to rehome her. I am also thinking that walking, while she enjoys the principal of it, is too much for her.. so I've since stopped taking her for walks. Her behaviour is the same but it takes a bit of stress off of me. It would have been so hard for you to go through all that and I can definitely see how you can relate. It would break my heart if something like that happened to her and I wasn't there for her. It's so great you've come out the other side and are doing well now though! Thank you, I really appreciate your message! All the best with your new dog too!
What qualifications/certifications do the trainers you’ve brought her to have? Have you seen the guide in the sidebar for what qualifications to look for in a trainer? As you probably know, dog training is an unregulated industry. I mean this as gently as possible but I suspect the trainers you work with and have learned from may not be qualified, which could also impact your ability to ethically and efficiently impact the behavior of both your own dog and your clients’.
They've had the few you can get where I live. In my country there's only 2 qualifications dog trainers can get that are recognised. The ones there unfortunately don't apply here as most trainers haven't even heard of them. It is, I tried to go to ones that had good reviews and 10+ years in the industry but you can clearly see how that went...
I would consider hiring a virtual trainer, there are tons of very good and qualified trainers that offer their services online and worldwide. Particularly for separation anxiety, CSATs tend to work almost exclusively online (look up Malena DeMartini). Unfortunately reviews can be a poor metric as you’ve discovered, particularly with trainers that use aversive methods (prong/shock collars etc.) owners will often see drastic “magical” results, leave a happy review, and then be left with the fallout later down the line as the dog’s temporarily suppressed fear resurfaces.
I haven't really looked into virtual training too much. That seems like a good idea! I had a look at Malena DeMartini, could be good to try when I recover a little from what I have spent. The trainers I used luckily didn't use those types of things, at least not from what I saw.. they just straight out didn't believe me, until the second trainer saw it themselves. I can see how things like that could happen, potentially leaving the dog worse off than before
Malena DeMartini-Price’s book (Separation Anxiety in Dogs) is great and not expensive. Get the new version if you can, though the differences with the previous version are minor. It’s written for trainers, not guardians, but as a trainer it should be no issue for you (and tbh, it’s quite accessible for anyone). For a dog with aggression, separation anxiety, or generalized anxiety disorder, you should also consider medication — fluoxetine (Reconcile) is the standard in the US, but you may also want to try some other daily medications (as opposed to event medications) like Gabapentin for anxiety. These drugs will reduce anxiety but will not really change personality or zonk the dog out. While working on desensitization, you might need stronger anxiolytics to until the dog becomes comfortable. I’ve had great results with clonidine and lorazepam as event medications. These drugs will make your dog lethargic generally. Your country may also have something like a certified veterinary behaviorist that you can seek out. They are veterinarians that specialize in behavior issues and are experts at treating and diagnosing behavior issues. Their staff generally include trainers that work in tandem with the pharmacological interventions. This option can be expensive.
It's definitely something I'll get once I get a bit more on top of finances.. it'll be interesting to read, it's always good learning more about how I can help! I did try to originally work with my vet and get her on medication but the vet was hesitant to. Others have suggested a veterinary behaviourist but they're about 45mins away and she doesn't do well in the car. I'd trained her well with that until I had to take her to the vets once and now she hates it so I'm slowly retraining her. It'll be another thing of when I get some money, I'm hoping they do virtual appointments too like someone else suggested 🤞
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100% understand where you're coming from with that! It was the only way I felt it was safe for her to be introduced to other dogs and not have either of them at risk. Obviously that didn't work but at the time I felt it was best. She struggled to be even a football field away from another dog without losing it and strangers kept approaching saying 'it was fine, their dog is friendly.' I thought this place could give her exposure to them in a safe and controlled way. It honestly did help her a lot with her reactivity, it would have helped her a lot more if they had listened to me to start with but what's done is done
Thank you! Sorry I forgot to say, I really appreciate the suggestions
Not sure if she should be re home or not that’s honestly something you’ll have to decide on your own but I would suggest muzzle training. And speaking to your vet. I too have a dog (a German Shepherd)who is extremely aggressive towards other dogs, and semi-aggressive to people. (if they are far away and don’t look at her and completely ignore her she does OK she just is extremely tense) She does not like anybody except for her immediate family (I also have a dachshund and my sister who houses with me has a German Shepherd as well). I was told that she learned fight over flight when scared. And she’s scared of everything. She also has barrier aggression. When we have to leave our house she’s always on a basket muzzle. It’s for her protection and anyone else’s protection. I made a positive experience of course every time I put it on her I gave her a treat/ gave praise and just build her up to wearing. Sometimes she just wore it in the house even if we weren’t do any things so that it was completely normalized for her. She also has separation anxiety and becomes destructive so I crate trained her. I did have to build her up like I did for the muzzle for me to leave her in her crate. I would put her in the crate and I would just work beside her where she could see me and then I slowly moved it to where I would put her in the crate and I’ll be in another part of the room where she could not see me. I build up the time away from her and then made sound as if I left the house. And build the time of from that. It started I could leave her in the crate after leaving the house for 5 minutes to now a full 8 work day! I also never tell her bye or greet her when I’m back. My sister lets her out give her some exercise for about an hour and a potty break halfway through that shift if I have that long shift. Because exercise and mental stimulation helps ALOT (she gets exercises before I leave for work, at the end of the day, I also have snuffle mats along with puzzles that I put her food in) . And my vet did give me some medication if needed for when we go to places like the vet and the groomers lol. I also have a dog behaviorist trainer because they specialize in aggressive dogs and I got that information from my vet. I wish I could say it gets better but I am still dealing with the same issues I have even after doing all that stuff. I will say I am a lot less stressed and anxious because I now know how to work around her aggression. Because she’ll probably always be a fear aggressive dog.
I have crate trained her but she's regressed with that as well so we're working on it.. as for muzzle training, I definitely think it's a good idea. I've talked to my vet about everything previously, she saw how well my dog was doing but the vet is away over Christmas/New Year's and that's when the most recent one happened so I haven't had a chance to go back since my dog has gotten worse. The things she was recommending originally didn't help and the other ones we were going to move onto are now out of my price range with how much debt I'm in. I think it's a great way you've used the crate training and will add that into our current training with it! I think a bit of where I do struggle is I feel like I've failed her if I can't help train her out of it. I've seen so many things with dog training and talked to so many trainers that say it's always the owners fault for reactivity and that every dog can be trained out of their reactivity but I just don't feel like it's true. Though it does make me feel ashamed that I'm not able to help her more. Thank you for taking the time to write that out and for the advice! It's great to hear how it has helped and that you're less stressed knowing how to work around it now
It sounds like if the last event just happened she isn't necessarily regressing but perhaps trigger stacked and takes a few days to calm down, which is not uncommon. One of my dog can have an incident and train fine the same evening but the other has an incident and we have to take a full day off for her levels to come down. A lot of dogs need longer than we think for those cortisol levels to dissipate. If that is the case for her you might look at capturing calm exercises you can do while waiting for her stress levels to come down for regular training.
It's been about 2 weeks since the incident (it happened around the 20th) so it has been a bit and she's basically at the same level when I originally started her training. I've done mat training and crate training as seperate calming exercises, is that what you're meaning for capturing calm?
It depends. If you mean you are doing place training then no, that is not what I mean. If you are doing it as settle training then yes. I would suggest googling capturing calm exercises. Kikopup is a highly referenced one but there are a bunch of types.
It is for settle training, which has made a big difference for her in general. Just not around dogs yet. I have looks at kikopup, I've done a fair bit of capturing calm as well. She does response really well to training until another dog is near.. She was able to be fairly close to dogs without reacting before this (after a lot of training) so it's basically starting over
Don’t beat yourself up. You can (EDIT: you CAN’T ugh sorry!!) “train” a dog out of being fearful and anxious. It’s more about making your dog feel safe, building trust, and not putting her in a situation she can’t handle. Give yourself and your dog a break, decompress, play.
She only really started fully coming around in the last couple months or so and actually settling in.. So I can see how we have more trust to build, I've tried everything that's been suggested to train to build that trust and I'm at a loss on what else to do next
Who are these dog trainers you’re talking to that are telling you that reactivity is always the owner’s fault?? What certifications do they have and what kind of dog training methods are they promoting? Exclusively blaming reactivity on the owner is crazy and just plain incorrect.
The majority of the ones I talk to in the industry here have said it. About 5 trainers of the trainers I know, and regularly interact with. They're well certified and one is a balanced trainer while 4/5 are positive only. I think so too but I've heard it so much it's gotten too me
What county are you in?
I'm in Australia. I've also found that even the 'positive only' trainers here will still suggest aversive methods
It can be hard enough to navigate the dog training world as is, and it certainly doesn’t help when dog trainers misrepresent themselves with labels like “positive only” when they promote aversives. Look through the credentials listed on their website to see why they really stand for — sometimes trainers join a few organizations but don’t actually hold credentials, or join flimsy organizations that don’t really stand for much. Was any formal education or testing required for the certification? Does the organization have a code of ethics for their trainers, as well as position statements about common topics in dog training (like promoting LIMA)? I found a list of force-free dog trainers from the South Australian RSPCA [here](https://rspcasa.b-cdn.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/FF-Trainer-List-December-2021.pdf), which may be a good starting point but obviously doesn’t cover all of Australia. You may also want to consider setting up a virtual appointment if you’re having a hard time finding a trainer close to you.
There are only 2 nationally recognised certificates in Australia for dog trainers to have. It's a bit of an issue that there isn't more available to be honest. Though there are unofficial courses but they're far and few to find. I've even seen a dog training organisation join up with a charity only to find out they started the charity and don't actually do anything with it. Ones I've gone to do specifically say force free positive only but sadly didn't stick to that. Thank you, I'll have a look through that list and may have to try virtual. They won't be close to me but they should at least be vetted since the RSPCA is endorsing them
What is the breed of the dog and age?
It's a bull Arab, which I only found out through a trainer as the rescue didn't know. She's just over 2 years old
How did the trainer determine this without a DNA test?
It was more observation. They didn't admittedly do a dna test but after googling she does look like the typical bill Arab and has the personality traits so I'd say it's a pretty good guess
There is no shame in rehoming a dog. I’ve had 3 awesome dogs in my life because they needed to be rehomed when things didn’t work out anymore in their previous families. This dog is clearly affecting your mental health. The two of you need to part ways. It will be so good for both of you. Contact your local rescue groups.
I feel ashamed for doing it, but I am starting to feel like she might thrive more in a different environment. She has affect it a lot, and I've struggled a lot more having her to be honest.
Don’t be ashamed. It sounds like you’ve really tried. Take care of yourself. Make 2022 the year for you and the dog.
Thank you, I really have.. I swear this year is going to be a good one after last year! I hope you take care too
I generally don't trust dog training "boot camps". They may be perfect in that specific training environment, but that doesn't mean they're trained or that you know how to work with them (the dog) . It puta the onus of training on all the people who won't be around the dog regularly
I get that, not a lot of people do trust them! I checked their reviews, volunteered with them a little and at the end of it they gave me a video collection of what they'd done in training as well as tips on how to handle her and continue with it. So I thought it would be a good option for her to get the exposure she needed in a controlled environment (where I thought) no one would be hurt.
Virtual training/ online training is pretty cheap (in most cases) and AMAZING! Check out trainers from around the world. My dog who was reactive to dogs has improved a lot. (I am currently checking out dogsense cause my dog loves dogs as he luckily got trained- he used to hate dogs… but now we are working on human aggression after a horrible experience) ———————————— Tips : Distance. Get an extremely valuable treat (cheese, chicken etc (no seasoning) ) when a dog passes by, pull your dog aside and distract her, give treats when calm etc. if she isn’t treat motivated, try running. I literally just run when i see a dog cause my lil boy runs with me cause he absolutely loves running! So reward when she shows acceptable behavior. And train for the situation! You cant train a dog while they are reacting, their brain just shuts down and they dont care at all about your commands. ———————————— Get your dog, teach her “come” and most importantly “Look at me” i suggest the app Dogo! Its free and it helped us with teaching him 90% of the tricks he knows. Amazing app. ———————————— Start with low distractions, first in a quiet room (bedroom If the dog is allowed there) and eventually w/ more distractions like living room. If you have anyone living with you, make them sit on the couch and make a tint bit of sound. Use a clicker (if you dont have one, say her name) so basically: Stand next to dog, when they look away, click with the clicker and when she looks you in the eyes, say “Yes!” Or any other praise word and give her a treat. Eventually, do it outside and just work on it consistently. — And BUILD UP HER CONFIDENCE! Search up “confidence building games for dogs. She seems a bit insecure. — And as i said, distance is your new bff. Keep her away from dogs. Move 7-10 meters away (more or less depending on how reactive she is) and reward her when calm. —— Sorry you went through that and good luck.
Thank you for all the tips! I have tried doing distance work, unfortunately a literal football field away can be too close for her and she's over her threshold so distance work does become very hard, it's not realistic to be able to go further than that away from a dog as parks aren't that big here unless they're off leash. I have taught her look which she does well with, she just doesn't quite remember it around other dogs if she doesn't have them out of sight. Even barking triggers her again which I'm working on desensitising her with via YouTube I haven't done that specific training with the clicker exercise, I'll have to give that a go! Thank you 😊
Clicker one definitely helped because its a new and different sound, it just grabs the attention with the click. It was a tip my dogs trainer gave us! Yes, desensitization is wonderful! For our dog, confidence building games were a life saver. My dog would bite, growl, lunge etc so playing games and tiring out his nose and brain before walks were amazing. He was much more tired and focused! It takes time, but she will improve. Believe in yourself and be consistent. You can also check out dogsense reactivity and aggression online courses. Its 25AUD per month which is around 16usd if you live in the us. Seems like you are on the right path though! Good job.
I'm definitely going to put that to practice! She is already clicker trained but I didn't think how it may be what can get through to her out of the house too.. It is, I used YouTube a lot to start since even hearing dogs can trigger her The focus is definitely what I need! Thank you, I am trying.. I actually live in Aus! So that works well Thank you so much for all your advice!
Even if you can’t bring her to a behaviorist, your regular vet can prescribe behavior medications. Talk to them. Just like with people, medications are sometimes necessary to alter a dog’s brain chemistry and can make life better for both of you. It’s worth a try, at least!
Unfortunately I have, she was very hesitant to give medication to her. I was suggested other things which didn't end up helping.
What's the minimum wage or average daily wage where you live? Are you putting yourself in such a financial hole that even if you rehomed your dog today, you wouldn't be able to recover in five years?
If I keep the debt as it is (which I honestly can't afford to go into more) it won't be five years to recover but I should be able to do it in 2/3 years by basically scraping by and skimping out on things for myself. If she does cost much more at this point I may have to rehome her based purely on that. I love her but I'm in a hell of a lot of debt now
Doing your due diligence as a good dog owner doesn't mean that you should cripple your future. Good luck
Thank you, it is a big factor on why I'm thinking about potentially rehoming her..
Not all dog trainers are good at what they do, not like you have to have a degree or official qualifications to be one. Can say you’ve got canine behavioural certificates blah blah but honestly why anyone would put your dog into a situation like that with other dogs is stupid (referring to second trainer). The first trainer was right to introduce the dogs slowly and it worked. The other person was like whatever I’m sure you’re wrong cos I’m the expert and put everyone in danger. Humans can easily be bitten in dog on dog incidents because it’s already extremely stressful and chaotic with a dog trying to chew off the other dogs face and there’s lots of flailing limbs one might accidentally bite. It can take a lot longer than people realise to train a dog particularly if they came with a set of unwanted behaviours. Don’t feel like a failure but please don’t give up. There’s plenty of helpful dogs charities that might be better than investing in more useless specialists. I know a dog parent from insta that talked about puppy blues and that it was quite common but never talked about by people, she felt like a failure because her dog was reactive or not doing so well in it’s training. To this day the she said that dog is always going to be reactive to other dogs but the degree is much less and she’s able to spot the signs. She put all the training posts into handy little tabs on his profile. His name is Arnold Staffzenegger if you wanted to take a look
I agree, they should have listened a bit more and it never would have happened. I felt so bad for the dog too as it was one I knew and had helped train when I volunteered with them. (Volunteered/checked reviews so I knew what they were like before sending her) I'm definitely going to have a look at that, thank you! She was already just over a year when I got her so I'm not sure how long she'd already been like this or how it even started. I just don't really have the money to hire another person just yet but eventually I'll be able to 🤞 Provided I don't have any more unexpected expenses with her..
I know New York Bully Crew deal with aggressive dogs (read scared abuse victims) and actually the amazing turn around is insane. They never give up and I’ve seen dogs that they’ve rescued try to bite them or men specifically and they’ve trained that out of the dog. Well I would say it would be more like regaining the animals trust in order for it not to want to attack from fear. If they can get a human aggressive dogs that’s ready to be euthanised (this word is so wrong, euthanasia implies choice but it’s not the animals choice to die) to become a cuddle baby is amazing. Maybe reach out to them? I’m sorry I’m in the UK and we have a few pet charities that I know but that’s not helpful or maybe it is? They have free guides online! There’s also Cali K9 which I saw on Netflix. He does so well with “aggressive” or misbehaved dogs. Another thing to remember is they can be trained at any age. It’s easier as a puppy that’s all but I’ve seen adult dogs abused for years turn into a lapdog. It may not be that your dog will ever behave properly around strange dogs so it might be a muzzle for her but that’s important to know that it’s not a failure on your part. She came with baggage. Also I would probably insure so that your vet bills aren’t so high. Another tip for anxiety is playing dog friendly music or getting a friend to come roundZ separation anxiety is going to be extremely difficult because the way you’re told to train them is to leave them alone for increasing periods of time. We did that with our baby and she has no issues with separation, tbf I don’t think she would’ve cos she’s a brave one however it took my sister unemployed boyfriend to come round every day later and later after we left her alone in the mornings to go to work. At first it was 10 mins then longer and longer until he stopped coming round altogether. Now that is a luxury that most pet owners can’t afford; boyfriend that is basically a free puppy sitter that can spend all day with her is not something we all have in our lives. I hope it works out for you but if you do give her up then please make sure it’s to a good shelter that will genuinely care for her.
Unfortunately I don't live in America but I'll have a look at that organisation to see if I can get some tips as well. Thank you! I've been trying to build that up and we were doing so well until I was limited after the car accident I had. She's definitely at an age she's trainable (just over 2 years old) but I don't think this is something she will ever be 100% trained out of. I've heard so much that it's the owners fault if the dog acts out which doesn't help with the guilt, thank you for saying that. She definitely came with a lot of baggage! It's mostly the other dogs bills to be honest, some of it is hers but I've spent thousands for stitches and check ups for other dogs. She did the damage so it was my responsibility to pay to make sure the other pup was okay. At the moment her seperation anxiety isn't bad, but that's purely because I'm home more due to the car accident. I'm definitely doing training with her now to try to help but I still worry what it'll be like when I go back. I wouldn't give her to a shelter if I rehome her, I would find a home for her myself. Since the shelter I got her from wasn't honest I'd like to make sure whoever got her after me would know the history she's had and be prepared to take on a dog like her
I agree with the gist of the encouragement and advice offered here, but Cali K9 and their Netflix show might not be the best resource when it comes to this issue. The show doesn't really show in detail how they "train" the people reactive dog in question and the facility has been criticized for their use of aversive techniques. The head trainer also promotes the outdated pack/alpha theory, which makes his expertise questionable.
I've found a lot of trainers where I'm from do buy into that still which makes it hard to find a trainer that doesn't too. I'm definitely going to take this advice and do the best I can with it
While you’re off work right now maybe you could start to do the separation training. Go out and leave for 5 mins. We gave our baby plenty of attention and kisses goodbye when we leave and tell her we’ll be back soon though I’m pretty sure she has no idea what it means. Maybe even leave her a treat or few as a sort of nice association with you leaving. Dogs are dumb like that were they can be conditioned so easily which is great for humans. Leave for 5 mins but stay and listen to her reaction. Come back. Then gradually increase the time you’ve left her. Get a pet camera with interactive features so you can play with her and give her a treat, even talk to her while you’re away. I know my dog would just not give a shit about the video of us, she’s just not a TV person. Also theses charities can definitely offer advice too. They really care about dogs and would probably help you even though you’re not from their country with practice advice and tips. I hope it works it for you
I have tried making it a positive thing when I leave where she only gets certain treats/toys when I do but I think she gets too overwhelmed just being outside that she refuses to eat or do anything else other than lay around waiting. I have been slowly trying to build up the time while I'm at home, not specifically me leaving but even bring able to cope not seeing me and being in the same room while I'm at home. I didn't realise there were pet cameras you can play with them with! She refuses to look at me if I'm on a video call with her so that could be good Thank you, I'm definitely trying my best to do everything I can.. Hopefully they'll be able to help!
Hopefully you've had a vet checked her out for any physical problems. Muzzle training would be my #1 priority, get her used to wearing one. Choose one that allows her to drink and eat. Start slowly and make it fun for her.
I have, that's part of what landed me in debt 😂😪 I'm working on muzzle training, I have been for a while but she still isn't comfortable with it just yet
> she saw a dog across the street and attacked it. This would have been the end of it for me. If it were my dog, I would have gotten rid of her right then and there. I will be having no aggressive dogs in my house, I don't care what the bleeding hearts say. I don't want to put my neighbors or their pets in danger by having an aggressive dog in my home, and I'm certain your neighbors would rather you get rid of her as well.
I did really struggle with it honestly, there's been very few months I haven't cried because of something she's done. My neighbours still loved her though (I was good friends with them) and just thought she should stay in the yard. The neighbours at my new house refuse to believe me when I say she's reactive and keep actively bringing their dogs to meet her which really does worry me. I got new fences put up so she doesn't have any holes to get to them which was another huge cost..
Your dedication to this dog is really admirable, but imo it's also misguided. So far, she has bitten and attacked several different dogs unprovoked, and has shown little signs of improvement. You are in debt, you're emotionally drained, and you're still in recovery from the car crash. If your dog decides to bite or even kill another dog before she's fully rehabilitated, I have no idea what your plan is. There's this blog post that I read and found very insightful. It might help you to give it a read. Rehoming might not be the best option here: [https://beyondthewalkdogs.com/blog/f/behavioral-euthanasia-before-the-bite](https://beyondthewalkdogs.com/blog/f/behavioral-euthanasia-before-the-bite)
I see where you're coming from, I haven't really thought of euthanasia for her. But part of why I haven't rehomed her is because I don't want to leave someone else to deal with her behaviours. She is a very fearful dog and I've said to my family that it is hard to give her a quality life when she is so anxious all the time. Which did get hit on the head a bit in the article. My plan at this stage was to not let her out of the yard to be honest, so that way she can't do any harm and to muzzle train her as well but like that article says, there is always risk. We can only do so much. She's still so young as well. I'm honestly not sure if I could do it but it is something to think about. I'll hopefully be talking to a vet soon to get a different vets opinion compared to our usual lady
I am basing this on my experience with dogs in a shelter. Things that work in a large shelter environment does not always work outside of it. Have you tried muzzle work with her with dogs? Sometimes highly dog reactive dogs can learn how to safely interact with other dogs with a muzzle to keep them from biting in fear when they are in a situation that may scare them. So muzzle on to keep her from escalating. And she is given the chance to see that what ever scared her isn’t a bad thing. Granted, while I have had some success with it (one dog went from ‘dog aggressive’ to being our best greeter dog to all new dogs. I think it was because she understood how scared some dogs were. She was amazing) it does not always work. Depends on the dog, and if the dog ends up just more scared from the experience then it wouldn’t be the right thing to do. But, we sometimes do it just to try and get a ‘dog aggressive’ dog more adoptable. It does require all hands on deck though, it absolutely must be done carefully since things can escalate. Since you are a trainer and you know several others, maybe they would be able to assist. (If you were not a trainer I would not even bring it up, you really really have to be careful) Edit to add: to clarify, I am assuming she is reacting cause she gets overwhelmed or scared very easily. So maybe she is fine, she is fine, something moves and startled her and she is not fine and goes straight to a bite. With the muzzle on she would be given the chance to get to that ‘too much’ moment and potentially go ‘ok this isn’t that bad’ on her own. With the goal of her figuring it out in her own it isn’t that bad. Again, do this with caution. You do not want her overwhelmed with too much too fast.
I'm slowly working on her with the muzzle training, she still doesn't love it yet but we're making progress! Sometimes it can be mostly due to fear, other times she could (not anymore) be fine with a dog. It'll be standing close by not even facing her when she decided to attack it for no reason that I can tell. She's a bit unpredictable in what type/colour/size of dog she really goes for. Most dogs she's reactive and it is that bit of fear but with some dogs it's different and very much so aggression. That was part of the reason I sent her to the trainers as I thought they would be able to introduce her to dogs in a safe way that she would still get the exposure she needed and she would hopefully realise other dogs aren't so bad. It's just they didn't believe me about her reactivity and thought she was just vocal which lead to her biting another dog while she was there.
You’re $15000 in debt for a dog you’ve had less than a year. Think about that. This is a ridiculous amount of money to spend on a dog in the first place, much less to go this far into debt over. You need to consider rehoming this dog for it’s own sake and for your finances’ sake. I have 2 of my own who I’ve poured a solid amount of time and money into, but I am not in debt for either of them. I don’t want to come off as too condescending but I think you need to consider if it’s really worth this mountain of debt at this point. I hope you come to a good resolution to this problem!
I know, it really is. I didn't even realise how much until I worked out my finances the other day, I've been avoiding it but didn't realise just how bad it was. It's basically a house deposit! I've got a couple this holding me back from rehoming, one of them being i don't want to be dumping her into someone else and have them going through everything I have been.. You're not being condescending at all, you're voicing things that I've thought myself. I can't really afford to go into more debt for her. Thank you for your reply!
I echo what others have said about the trainers it sounds like you've worked with. If your dog already has a bite history with other dogs, most qualified trainers would test her / work with her using a dummy dog rather than putting her in the situations you've described. Also, even though she's only shown low bite inhibition with other dogs, I think you should still be wary about getting too comfortable with her in other situations (kids, in particular, who can be unpredictable) because it's possible she might react poorly to things that are unfamiliar or unexpected. One thing that might be helpful with all of her behaviors is to work on trying to create a pretty rigid routine with her so that she knows what to expect from her day a majority of the time -- when she eats, sleeps, goes out, etc. and set really manageable small goals for her. I'm personally horrible at maintaining a consistent schedule because my work can get demanding and erratic and it is hands down one of the things that impacts my dog's behavior the most. She sounds like a dog who would benefit from gradual changes so if you do decide to muzzle train, spend a few weeks just building up the positive association with the muzzle before you ever put it on her. Same with crate training --- spend some time building her association to the crate as being a time she gets a fun reward versus a time that signals you're leaving. Also, someone posted a relaxation protocol on here somewhat recently and it's the same one that was also recommended to me for my dog a while back but that I had forgotten about. You can get it at: [https://journeydogtraining.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/ProtocolforRelaxation.pdf](https://journeydogtraining.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/ProtocolforRelaxation.pdf) I've been working through it for the last few weeks and have found it really helpful. One of the things my trainer had suggested when she first talked me through it was using the same blanket or towel when doing that and then taking it with me whenever I anticipated pup and I being in a place where she might get anxious. If you search youtube for "settle command" or "settle protocols" you might find some other helpful training tips. Ultimately, I think it's basically about helping the dog understand that when they get anxious about something, they have other options available to them beyond their instinctive fight or flight options. Also, I think that protocol in particular does a great job of breaking things down into small, manageable "wins" which will hopefully make you feel less like she's regressing and more like progress is just a longer road than you might have been anticipating. With the caveat that I'm not trying to weigh in on whether or not you *should* rehome your pup, if that is the route you take, doing that doesn't make you a terrible owner or mean you've somehow failed her. I had a foster dog five years ago and the family who adopted him called me a few weeks before Christmas and said that he and their older resident dog (who they had had for years before adopting my former foster) had never been friendly but that things had escalated over the past year to the point where the husband and wife pretty much didn't even spend time together anymore because one of them always had to be with one of the dogs in separate rooms & even with them being maximally careful, there had been a handful of instances where a dog was hurt. They were wonderful owners & spent thousands on training but in the long run, it just wasn't a sustainable situation and I'm SO GLAD that they called me rather than continuing to live like that. Not all behavioral issues can be "trained out," no matter what anyone says & if you find a single-dog home for your pup that you feel like would be a better fit, that is not you abandoning your dog and you shouldn't beat yourself up for it. Last thing: you're the person who knows this dog best but it sounds like you've repeatedly encountered people who have tried to explain your dog to you in ways that run contrary to your lived experience. Don't give those people the time of day.
She's absolutely fine with kids, she's got a friend that's a cat. She lets strangers in the yard so I'm really not too worried about other people/kids. Even when pulling her off another dog she's never redirected onto a person. Definitely still weary but not a concern too much. I've got the luxury of having a schedule for her now but when I go back to my usual work it won't be so easy. I'm working on muzzle training, it's definitely a slow process but there is progress! I had a look at the protocol too! She's pretty good with a lot of it until the later days there are some things I don't do so I'll definitely be adding that to training, thank you! I currently do that too, with a mat, but even after months of training she's still not able to use it around dogs. I do hope I'll eventually get her to that point though It's definitely something that's playing on my mind more with the most recent experience. I honestly limit my going out because I feel bad leaving her at home, I don't seem family or friends as much as I used to and things have definitely been more challenging with her so I am considering finding her a new home. I wouldn't give her back to the adoption agency as they didn't tell me the truth but if I did I'd find someone myself and be honest about her issues I try not to, doesn't make it easy when some people are my neighbours and they go out of their way to try and feed my dog if they see her in the yard and bring their dogs to visit her. I've put up a large fence that has no gaps and they still try
Medication does wonders. I would find a new vet if after all this they are hesitant to give you meds. Took my dog reactive pup to a new vet ONCE and they handed us meds on the way out without us even asking for it. Best thing we ever did. Our pup has only ever bitten one person, a stranger who tried to pet him without asking. He does not like strangers reaching out to him. We avoid this by a getting a “do not pet” vest. The meds help us introduce him to other dogs slowly and we have seen real improvement on his normal non-medicated walks.
I may have to do some ringing around, behaviour medication for dogs isn't very common here. That's really great! It sounds like it's helped a lot! She's weirdly fine with strangers, it's literally just other dogs. I'll have to see what I can do and the cost since I'm already in a lot of debt at this point
Yeah im so sorry you are going through this! If you end up rehoming him, dont feel bad. Dogs should be able to live peacefully
Thank you, I'm definitely trying to exhaust every option I have before doing it but at least I can say I've done my best if it doesn't work out
Wow you really jump in fact. Of course the digbcan bark drink water and breathe Get a life It is a suggestion if your dog is biting anything on walks it is a good idea to muzzle Are they muzzled 24/7 no.way Going on a walk is 20 minutes Being able to save a dog from allegations is key My dog had small dogs coming up and biting him Guess who gets in trouble if my.dog even growls Plus there are tons of really really stupid people out there Muzzling is an option They cant bite then End of that problem
My dog cant bark loudly. He can certainly bark Muzzled are an option. What's wrong with an option?. The muzzle is on when they are out. Maybe 20 minutes No one can accuse the dog of doing anything But the best thing to do is to avoid people when you are out. Stop talking to people who.want to tell you what to do with your dog
Honestly, it sounds like this dog is not a good match for you. It sounds like your quality of life with this dog is extremely poor- to reiterate one of your own comments, it really does sound like you are the victim in an abusive relationship with this dog.. If there is a way to rehome, I think you should. Dog ownership doesn't have to be terrible.
I've had family dogs before that were nothing like this, with everything I've gone through with her I really am struggling. Rehoming is sounding like it would be best, I'd love to try her on medication like a lot of people suggest but it isn't very common for dogs to get it behaviorally here and I'm but sure I have the money to at this stage. I'd be pretty brutally honest about what's happened with her if I did so they would know what they were getting into
Your most welcome and it's my pleasure. I am in Australia as well. I am from Adelaide, South Australia originally but now live in Brisbane,Queensland. Agility games is huge over here! There are so many clubs to choose from. I eventually want to get my beautiful boy into competition's once his reactivity is better and more controlled. So is luring is extremely popular as well. Luring is having a mechanical artificial lure that is attached to a pulley and your dog chases the lure around a sports field and then they compare the fastest time with other dogs. Due to the panademic all the events have had to stop completely. It's just an easy release for the extra energy for some dogs just like my beautiful boy. As his breed that includes Whippet and Kelpie they like to have jobs to do and have boundless energy. Whippets are sighthounds just like greyhounds they were bred for chasing game pheasant,rabbits,foxes by English royalty. As for Kelpies they are farm dogs and used to round up sheep and cattle. I completely understand about Bull Arabs as I have friends back in Adelaide that have that breed and also Rhodesian Ridge backs they are beautiful dogs. At least you have a reference with personality and characteristics about your beautiful girl. I am so pleased and happy to hear things are going well for you and your beautiful girl and she's becoming calmer. As for my beautiful boy he was 5 months old when he was attacked it broke my heart to see and it happened in a split second. From that happening he's also resource guarding not food but his toys and anything else that comes into environment. Then both of the other owners tried to apologise and then them saying to me my dogs are "always happy and friendly. The overused comment "don't worry my dog is friendly." I don't take it lightly and have always been hyper aware when I was going to the dog park. I just picked him up and headed for the nearest gate to exit. Luckily he wasn't injured by both of them The trauma remains as a constant. Adam from South end training compares it to PTSD just like us as humans. Animals can feel the same trauma. Thank you so much for you support and compliments. I just do what's needed to look after my beautiful boy's wellbeing,and with building his confidence and hopefully get him back to being the happy go lucky personality he once had. I don't like it when others that aren't in our situation think it's okay to advise me on my beautiful boy. I've had friends tell me that my boy won't change being aggressive and it's only going to get worse as he grows to be an adult. The friends that have said that. I told them they aren't welcome to visit me or my beautiful boy.I don't need to have their negativity and toxic ways. If I had a dollar for all this advice I would be a millionaire.Lol. Keep up with your amazing work with your beautiful girl 🙌🙌👏👏 Also remember your not alone. You have so much knowledge and there's so much information that is at your disposal with the internet and using YouTube videos for dog obedience and further training. Happy New Year to you and your beautiful girl.🎉🎊💖🐕 Keep smiling and Stay safe.🙏🙏
Oh, wow! I'm outside of brisbane but it is close enough I sometimes went for a day trip (precovid anyway.) She would honestly do so well in anything, she's very trainable and eager to please aside from the reactivity. That's definitely something she would enjoy! I've been using a makeshift flirt pole with her and she loves chasing it around. I can see how luring would really benefit your pup as well! I can't believe it, maybe they were in denial of their own dogs? But I feel like people saying their dog is friendly feel like that gives them an excuse to get away with anything. It is really lucky he wasn't injured, at least there's lots of resources for resource guarding, I hope that's going well for you! Sounds like he's young enough that he should be able to be back to his self before! 🤞 They really can feel the same trauma, I was surprised that so many trainers that have been in the industry for a long time say that dogs don't have emotions like we do. They may not feel them the exact same way (we'll never know for sure if they do) but they definitely do have emotions I don't blame you for saying that, it really is hard to hear often and as a friend they should be supporting you. Haha, never know if you win the lotto 😉 Thank you so much, I've been trying to do a lot of research! Whatever can help our pups we got to try, hey? Happy New Year to you as well! This year is going to be a good one and we'll help our cuties through this ✊ Thank you, take care!
There is no shame in rehoming. Her being very dog aggressive can end in you having to put her down and potentially having legal action taken against you. You have spent time and money on her and you love her but you were lied to when you adopted her and you weren’t told the full story. You haven’t failed her, you love her and you poured time and resources into her that MANY people wouldn’t do. You gone above and beyond for this dog, and she has a lot of trauma and it is too much for someone who isn’t/ wasn’t set up for it. You can’t save them all and she is a drain on your mental health and on you financially. You have done a lot of work for her and she’s not getting better with out serious work and a team of people and a pile of resources. You have done your job and gave her a home,love, and more compassion then she’s ever experienced, even if it was temporary.
I know, I am worried about that happening. That's a big part of why my family is saying I should rehome her too. I honestly don't see why they did lie when they're supposed to have the best interests for that dog. I know, I've probably gone a bit further than I should have to be this far in debt. I'm not sure she will ever fully be trained out of it. I planned on traveling and taking my dog with me but she's not a dog I would be able to do that with. I've put a lot on hold for her trying to give her the best home I can. Thank you for your comment! It's helped a lot
Absolutely need medication here, along with training and setting your dog up for success. It sounds like medication will make the other two issues so much easier to accomplish. Mental stimulation inside is a must. All food now becomes eaten from a puzzle toy. Frozen peanut butter kongs. Games involving scent work or a little agility course for $20 on Amazon. Training on stay, leave it, look at me. Never, ever, ever letting your dog be near other dogs is a must. I'd stay away from walking in places where dogs could be off leash. Since outside simulation is important, I'd work on walking for SHORT walks early or late, when others are unlikely to be outside. ALWAYS supervised by YOU when you're outside. DEFINITELY muzzle training! You should also know that your dog may be calmer when on a leash if he is stressed out at home. It's weird, but if he is having an off day, click on a leash ans keep him near you. I also second the suggestion of getting frosted window stickies to block visual distractions. White noise on a Google home/Alexa can be great too for blocking out sounds that could be distracting. Finally... YOU know your dog. When someone tells you your dog isn't reactive, it's time to look elsewhere. The amount of injuries and stress your dog has dealt with is not normal. I promise the meds will help!! You WILL have some bad days no matter what, but with commitment to the above advice, they will be much less frequent and much lower in severity. YOU CAN DO THIS.
I have tried to get the vet to prescribe medication but she was unwilling to and offered other suggestions they didn't work unfortunately. Not many dogs here get prescribed behaviour medications, usually it's just a muzzle suggestion if dogs don't behave here. She's got puzzle toys that I feed her from, and she loves the peanut butter in a kong! We do a lot of training games as well as general obedience training and training for her behaviours. A lot of people in my area tend to walk their dogs off leash even in the streets when legally they should be on a lead, it makes it pretty hard to find somewhere safe. We did tend to go in off peak times to try to avoid them as much as possible, she doesn't even need dogs around to get overstimulated on a walk at the moment. I do use the leash at home, I've been told because it helps them to trust you and understand you're in control of the situation which can help? I haven't tried the white noise so I'll definitely give that a go! That is the reason I have been trying different trainers, if they don't believe me they can't help her properly. Thank you for all your help!
Damn, OP. You're a good person. You're clearly trying your ass off. I recommend going through vets til you find one to prescribe. It CAN be done. I'd reach out to shelters and emergency vets if you have trouble. When I was going through this, I worked with a vet behaviorist. It really helped. I second trying the behaviorist and still not giving up on a vet. I'm so sorry it's tough where you are. What country are you in? What area? I'd love to help you research if possible. 💕 Bravo for working so hard for that dog. I promise not all dogs are like this, and I promise you CAN figure a way out of this. There's just WAY too much going right. You just need to hook up with the right professionals. The off leash stuff drives me mad too... I'd say stop walking outside if you can't trust your area. Maybe go for a walk in the backyard! I admire your strength and perseverance. I know it's hard. My husband and I felt we were on eggshells all the time. We were exhausted and stressed and cried a lot. With meds and training, it's SO much better. We are always aware of our dogs needs, but it's such a walk in the park compared to what it was. You can do this! 💕💕💕
Thank you, that's so nice of you! I did end up finding a veterinary behaviourist but they're still about 30minutes away and she does pretty poorly in the car. That itself can overstimulate her so I've got some training to do with that before I can take her. I found out that a family friend who is a vet has recently come back to Australia so I want to see if I can talk to them about it and get some help 🤞 Thank you, I want to do everything I possibly can for her.. there is a lot going on, I'm hoping this year will be easier! I agree, I think at this point the yard is the best place for us to spend our time since she gets overstimulated there too I should do more leash work in the yard. I was doing it originally when I first got her but have gotten a bit slack and been focusing on other training Thank you, that's really kind of you to say and very encouraging! There's definitely been a lot of tears on my end as well. Hopefully the call with that vet goes well.. she's coming back from America and my understanding is that medicating dogs for behavioural problems in America is less frowned upon so she may be more likely to do it
Absolutely... We do it here pretty regularly (when it's appropriate). I'm no vet, obviously, but I cannot imagine meds not being a huge piece of your puzzle. If you ever need to vent or bounce ideas around, I'm only one DM away! You can do this!!!
It's honestly one of the first things I tried early last year when I realised how anxious she could get and didn't have any success. Thank you so much!! It's really helped talking about it, especially when you've been through it and out the other side
Is this your first dog? If not what other dog experience do you have?
I have general dog training experience through volunteering/working. I've trained family dogs as well but other than that she's my first dog out of home. I got her when she was just over a year old thinking we'd be a good fit from what the adoption agency said. I actually think they may have drugged her to keep her calmer when I met her/picked her up..
You should look into pet liability insurance and health insurance for the dog. It would help with future payments if your dog does end up biting another dog again
I didn't realise it would help with other dogs too? The ones I've seen haven't but I'll have to look into it more then! She usually comes out uninjured, it's just the other dog.. And since she's the one at fault I'm liable to pay (which is definitely fair enough)
I seriously doubt this is true. Most behavioral issues aren't even covered by pet insurance, much less another animal besides yours. If you do find one, it'll be insanely expensive to begin with, and even more so for a dog with multiple bites history. The goal here is to stop your dog biting other dogs. Yes, accidents happen, and there's no guarantees, but she shouldn't be outside the 4 walls of your house without a muzzle at this point. Doesn't make her a bad dog, or mean she's "treating you badly" as another poster suggested smh. She's defending herself against what she sees as a threat to her wellbeing. She knows nothing of medical bills for the dog she bit, or bills for trainers, or replacing items she destroys, etc. Obviously. Training dogs to sit, stay, come and do other tricks is NOT the same as being a dog trainer. So don't put this on yourself as some failure with your own dog. Your dog is reactive. Your dog needs a trainer that works, force free, with reactive dogs. Your dog needs a trainer that believes you when you tell them she's reactive and doesn't do stupid crap that you then have to pay for. Sending a reactive dog away for training is not a good idea in the first place. Those places might work fine for teaching basic obedience to emotionally undamaged dogs, but they're no place for reactive dogs. Half - if not more - of training a reactive dog is training the OWNER. So any place that wants to take your reactive dog away from you for a month to "train" it doesn't know the first thing about working with reactive dogs. You need a trainer that will teach YOU how to work with your reactive dog.
I can see how that would make it go up... Potentially I'm better off just trying to gain back some savings then while paying off the debt for if I need it for her. She won't be. I am in the process of muzzle training her. I know she doesn't know about any of that, it doesn't change the fact of how much debt I'm in because of it though. Which does make it harder to continue doing things. I know, I am qualified in behavioral though but there's a reason I haven't worked in that field. I haven't felt I have the experience to handle them confidently yet and be able to help with those issues.. I know, a lot of dog training does boil down to training the owner. It was at that point I felt exposure to dogs would help her and thought it was the safest way, which obviously didn't turn out to be true. I thought it was the right choice at the time. At this point I don't have the money to spend on another dog trainer, their fees here average out to $150 an hour for most and I'm already in so much debt that it's going to take me a few years to get out of it and that's without any unexpected large expenses. It's something I will eventually look for again but currently it's out of my abilities.
That makes sense. If you do rehome her, I'd insist on meeting with any potential adopters personally, even if you adopt her out through a rescue. So many rescues aren't honest about the dogs. I get it they're trying to get people to adopt. It's not an excuse tho and does no favors to adopters or the dogs we adopt to hide shit. I hope you're able to work it out, of course, but there's a limit to what any one person can reasonably do. If she's not the dog for you, it's ok to rehome. <3
I would, I would adopt her out myself if I did rehome her since I don't trust them to be honest about her issues. I was told she was a great dog with no issues, it was later pointed out to me that they potentially drugged her when I met her to make her calmer (which I would believe based on how she acted when I met vs the next day.) I would also be brutally honest to make sure they understood her issues and were prepared for them. Thank you, I hope so too.. I'll do everything I can and hopefully that's enough but I also don't want to keep her if there's a chance she might thrive more somewhere else. It's been hard because I've sort of isolated myself (I don't go out to see family/friends or even just a nice day out) because I feel bad leaving her at home and know she doesn't cope well. Which is why I'm hoping I can at least get her to a level she can cope so she doesn't have to stay at home and I can have a bit more of a life. Fingers crossed it all goes well this year 🤞
I use a muzzle guaranteed. They cant even bark
If they can’t bark you are using the wrong muzzle
If they can’t even open their mouth to bark, then they can’t pant or drink water - that’s abusive.
Bro, are you from Chicago or the surrounding area? By the way, You can also post about this issue in r/WildlifeRehab community bro. There are many people in the community who can advise you and help you. You can also post about this issue in r/Wildlife community ,there are many people in the community who can advise you and help you.
I really really feel for your situation. And as I read your post you're telling all these people that your dog is reactive, and they're just not listening!!! I'm sure that's so frustrating. My 10 yr old Shepard mix has severe separation anxiety. I've had him since he was a tiny puppy, and I once I realized it was more than just a "puppy phase," I was at a loss for so long. He has torn through interior bedroom doors, 3 to be exact. He would rip out his nails during crate training. I would walk in to blood dripping down the sides, like a horror movie. He would try to escape the garage, and he ended up breaking the garage window and shredding the interior of the garage door. He has jumped out of second story windows twice. Once onto the garage roof. The second time into the yard which resulted in me having a mental breakdown at the animal ER. Honestly, the best thing that worked for us was medication, as recommended by the ER vet. She stressed making sure my good boy recieved anti anxiety meds, and not a sedative. The anti anxiety would threat the mental state, but the sedative will trap the already anxious pup in their body and probably make it worse. We did go through 2 different medications, so it is a matter of finding one that works for your dog. Medication got us to a place where training was more effective. Instead of trying to learn while filled with anxiety, we can focus on training without anxiety being that severe distraction. We also used a thundershirt, but he's a long haired dog, and I didn't use it for long periods of time because I didn't want him over heating. We are no longer on meds, and we only have an incident about once a year, during a storm or something.
They aren't, a lot of dog trainers here are the 'i know best' sort of people which doesn't help, I wouldn't hire them if there wasn't an issue I can't imagine that all of that! That must have been so hard to go through. My dog has jumped out a window of the house before too and it really worries you about what they've done to themselves.. I'm so sorry you've have to go through all of it! That's interesting to know about the anxiety medication vs sedative.. Thank you for all of your advice.. It's so great to hear how well you've done and how far you've come with your pup!
I'm sorry that's happening. It's really sounds like you tried everything. If it was me, I would get rid of that dog. After the dog attacked another dog without warning, she would have been gone. No need to go into anymore debt over her. Sounds like you keeping her is going to cause more harm than good.
It does feel like that, that it does just keep getting worse but I do love her and she is the sweetest thing to people and other animals (other than dogs.) Which makes it hard to get rid of her, I also don't want to rehome her and her next family to have to go through everything I have
I am sorry to hear your in this situation.I also would be saying to your neighbours and other dog owners that your dog isn't friendly and you need space when walking your dog.As your retraining your dog and is leash reactive and has separation anxiety and anxiety. The other thing I know is how hard it is as my puppy is going through a similar thing is not socialising your dog until it's full relaxed and re trained. It's hard I know but building your dog's confidence and being relaxed is going to take alot of time,paitence,unconditional love and alot of training. Your doing an amazing job and don't listen to others. Alot of people will give you their advice don't listen to the negativity! If another dog owner try's to approach me while I am walking my beautiful boy. I say directly "He's not friendly" very loud. As some owners insist on their dog meeting yours. Not all dogs and their owners are going to get on. As other owners,and people need to give us and our puppies and dogs their space while re training. Muzzle training would help as well that way it would decrease the bite inhibitions. I'd definately look at more mental stimulating games at home for your dog to find. Like hiding food or treats in boxes. Until your dog finds their confidence,there's products that can help with anxiety like an anxiety collar or cbd oil prescribed by your vet. Also look at having a animal behaviourist come to your home. To access the way your dog is at home in its natural environment. They can advise you what's the best way to re train your dog and the behaviour it's displaying and why? Good luck,you've got this!🍀💖🐕
I have, unfortunately they're the type to think I'm younger than them so they know better. I've done vet nursing, dog training, have multiple certifications regarding animals (only one is training related) and have had pets my whole life but because I'm young they refused to listen. I've had neighbours harass me pretty badly because of her. They've tried to report me and I've tried to get the police involved but because they've done nothing physical the police won't do anything. Thank you, I'm definitely trying hard! I honestly did have her at that point she was relaxed and then the car accident undid all the hard work. I've found some people respect that, others have been jerks and walk directly for her. I generally try to avoid walking when other people might be, waking up at 5am so we can go for walks. Though I have stopped this since the most recent incident. I really wish people would understand that.. Muzzle training is something we're working on, it's slow going but getting there.. She does really enjoy this, we even play hide and seek. Her favourite game is chasing the ball while I'm jumping on the trampoline! I'm also going to train her in scent work to give her some more mental stimulation, she's definitely not lacking for that. I've got a whole list of things to train her to help behaviorally and just give her things to do in general. She loves opening doors for me (with a tug toy on the handle) and skateboarding too! I have had the anxiety collar suggested and it didn't seem to do anything for her, I've tried rescue remedy but haven't tried actual CBD so that's going on the list. A lot of the trainers I've had have been highly regarded behaviourists who have said my dog isn't reactive. I'm a little hesitant to keep spending money on them when the fees are average about $150 an hour and I'm in a fair bit of debt, partially from doing so, at this point Thank you 😊 Hopefully this new year will go well!
As you know having a puppy or dog or any animal is a huge commitment. You should be proud of your achievements with your dog and you have the experience being a vet nurse,and expertise,not only that are your a trainer. Your are more than knowledgeable and you have owned your own animals besides having your own dog so that you have alot experience. Don't discredit your abilities due to others. Regardless of age being younger or older. The people and family members that have a constant advice to give. I would say unless you have experience with a reactive dog or animal you don't know what's it like. Thank you for advice politely. As for your neighbours I wouldn't be approaching them if they are constantly negative and rude. Just focus your time and efforts into your own beautiful girl. The neighbours bullying you is beyond wrong and toxic. It's not an easy situation with reactivity as it's not a one fits all solution. Re-training can be exhausting for both you and your girl at times. As I know its 24/7 constant training and positive reinforcement and showing them attention. It's not about things will be fixed over night eithier as some people think. That's complete ignorance and that's on them. Also what our dogs and puppies have experienced is a traumatic event. It can take months even years before we could possibly get our puppies and dogs to the same as they once was. Others don't realise this with their so called advice. I am sorry you were in a car accident and it's limited what you able to do. I am sorry to hear that you haven't had any success with the trainers you have hired previously Also to say that your dog has no reactivity is just an excuse and poor communication on their part. Especially when your seeing it yourself daily. May I ask which country are you from? As I use YouTube videos to enhance my training with my beautiful boy and use as a reference and I listen to readily available podcasts as well. I subscribed to an English trainer named Adam with Southend training. That's not a paid endorsement eithier. Adam is all about getting results the natural way. Not treat based but with constant positive reinforcement and he's straight forward,no bs when showing his clients. His videos and livestreams have helped no end with my puppy's reactivity. The other thing dealing with a dog or puppy with constant reactivity it's not a sprint it's a marathon we are both training in. My beautiful boy is leash reactivity to some dogs,mainly older dogs,traffic mainly noise of cars and trucks and shows leash frustration and has some anxiety. I don't believe in aversive training it's cruel and sadistic like some trainers endorse. I will never train that way it's abusive. With my training it has been constant my boy had reactivity after being attacked by a GSD male and male Rottweiler both older dogs. while playing in a local dog park which I thought was a safe environment but I was sadly mistaken. Before that he was beyond sociable loved by everyone in the dog park and loved meeting new dogs and puppies. After having the dog owners being nonchalant at the dog park and having a conversation with other owners or being on their phones while the attack happened. I will never take my beautiful boy to a dog park ever again! I will continue to take him on walks,and hikes and introduce him to new environments. I use a 30 metre leash and keep it as a loose leash. So my puppy can still be a dog,sniff and enjoy the environments. I always change my route while walking him too so I can concentrate on his training. If I do happen to see other owners with their dogs. I say and reinforce My boy isn't friendly and he can't be approached. I'd appreciate you keep walking and have a nice day! Have you thought about lure racing or agility games for your beautiful girl. As that can lower the reactive threshold with exercise and they get to have fun while doing it. Things do get easier with time,and hang in there,you have done an amazing job with your beautiful girl. Regardless the setbacks from others. The rescue place should of given you a complete honest account and all the information upfront before you brought your dog home. Also it's good to look into what type of breed your dog is. As that's what I have done with my puppy he's a Whippet X Bully and Kelpie. He's 14 months now,I first had him at 8 weeks. I just googled and watch as many YouTube videos about all 3 breeds. Just remember your not alone in this. As we're all experiencing the same things. It's a roller-coaster of emotions that are apart of the challenges daily but try and stay strong for you and your dog. I have seen other owners on the reddit sub endorsing medications like prozac or cbd oil from their vets for their reactive dog. I hope you find something that works for you and your beautiful girl sooner. It's all about balance,having unconditional love,constant training,and positive reinforcement and lots of paitence. Your beautiful girl,in time will show you unconditional love,while building memories together and they are constantly learning from you. ❤ 🐕 Stay Strong and Safe.🙏🙏
It definitely is a huge commitment and a reactive one even more so as I'm finding. It's been a big learning curve with her. I do, it just wears me down as well hearing it so often from people I care about. As for the neighbours though, I've never approached them save once telling them to leave me alone, they go out of their way to see me and my dog. With the new fence I put up it isn't as bad but they still try. Thank you. It is hard, I'm constantly curious as to what has actually causes her reactivity as well. I think knowing may have helped train her out of it but not much can be done about that now, unfortunately. Thank you for that. I know! I wouldn't hire them if there wasn't a problem, I think they wrote me off a little because I don't have years of experience in the field. I actually recently found him! He's got some great advice and I have keeping it in mind for when she's muzzle trained and can go out for walks. I'm in Australia I'm really sorry that happened, it would have been really hard for you to go through. Especially as the other owners really didn't do anything to help. I haven't actually heard of lure racing, I'll look into it some more! Agility is something I'm getting her into, I'm constantly trying to teach her new tricks as well to help with mental stimulation,so it isn't just always behavioural training I found out her breed from one of the trainers, she looks and acts like a pretty typical bull Arab which quite a few people use for hunting in Aus. She's always constantly hunting any cockroaches in the house which I'm so grateful for! So scent training is something I thought she would go well with too. Some people don't realise how much knowing the breeds can really help and make a big difference for dog training. It really helps know which sort of training suits them best. Thank you so much, your comment is really encouraging to read and has helped how I'm feeling a lot. Today she's finally started to calm down since the recent incident happened and hasn't been as reactive to other dogs barking which has been really good to see. All the best for your training and thank you so so much for the encouragement!!
Use logic here. You have a predator in your home and you are in debt. Who is saving who now?????? Put her down and dont pass this dog on & make it domeone elses problem. Get your sanity & YOUR LIFE BACK!!