To ask how you walk an extremely reactive dog

[meepmoop]

Hi all,

I'm really struggling and could use some advice.

I have a lovely border collie who is reactive to everything on the lead, dogs, children, birds in the sky the list goes on.

He is the most affectionate dog at home with us and strangers.

I've been a really bad owner as it's just made me not want to take him out. He barks so loud and lunges.

He's absolutely fine off the lead at the beach and we make sure we go for long walks at the weekend but I know
He needs a walk everyday. We also play fetch in the garden in the day. I've also bought some games.

As a result of this he's very unfit and has put on weight as well so I've reduced his food.

I've tried taking treats out and distracting him with them but he's now associated treats with something that's going to make him anxious. Toys don't hold his attention very well.

I've paid to have a dog behaviourist come out but she follows the wolf theories which didn't seem to fit. There aren't any others that are around us.

Has anyone had a really reactive dog and has turned it around?

my dog is reactive when on the lead because he was attacked by two little terriers when on lead a couple of years ago. He is fine off leash....he needs regular walks or it makes him really grumpy with other dogs...I get anxious taking him out so I head up to the woods instead of the local park. I try and go when its quiet.... Good Luck as I know how stressful it is and I do most of the walking too

Haven't read the replies because dinner is almost ready(!) but you need to get rid of the behaviourist and forget anything she's taught you.

Find yourself a behaviourist registered with APBC or COAPE - ask your vet, they should have someone they can put you in contact with

Mine went from nervous to nervous aggressive and reactive. I did everything. Vets and behaviourist. Read and read. Watched video after video. Then within one week. He reacted to a motorbike by going for it and pulling me in the road. I was nearly killed. And I mean I really was nearly killed he missed me by cms.

He then went for my sons neck as he was walking past him. He reacted to everything. I feel ur pain.

Classes probably aren't an option tbh. I had no idea how bad a dog could be until I got mine. Had lots of BCs in the past, so knew about the breed but this was something else.

My best advice to you is to accept that this dog won't change. Love and accept him as he is. Make his life at home as good as possible and stop pressuring yourself to go out with him. Not ideal, I know but the best option for you and him. Until you've experienced it, it's impossible to know just how awful it can be.

I walk mine after dark, take her to secure fields that we book out, I do canicross with her (she is so focussed on pulling and running that she stops noticing the things she's reactive to) and take her hillwalking at the weekends (really big hillwalks where we do a 2 or more munros in a day can knacker her out for a good couple of days). It took us a while to find the groove and get in a routine which worked for her and us. We actually also stopped walking her for a while at the recommendation of a behaviourist. This was to give her a break from the things she reacts to (which used to be everything). We would do brain games to tire her out instead and play with her for ages in the garden. We then started taking her out in a way that gradually reintroduced her to things she was reactive to, in a very controlled way, and would give her treats when she did see them so she would start to associate them with positive things. This helped and there are many things she can cope with now that she just couldn't before, but there are other things she still can't cope with (such as off lead dogs running up to her) so we do our best to avoid them.

Walk them at stupid o'clock in the morning and/or very late at night, or walk them off-lead every day.

You say you don't have time but I'm afraid that's part of owning a dog. I would wager that a lot of the dogs' problems are because he's chronically under exercised and under-stimulated. A game of ball in the garden is something that should be done in addition to a walk, not instead of.

Collies are working dogs (even if not from working stock) - they need stimulation. That doesn't have to mean hours of exercise a day but you do need to walk him daily. If you don't have time then pay for private dog walks. Your dog is crying out for attention and exercise - having a toddler to take out as well isn't an excuse, I'm afraid.

A good off-lead walk in the morning plus a shorter leashed walk in the evening is ideal, but if you can't do two walks then you can substitute the second with training - 15 minutes of trick training or similar would be good for tiring out her brain.

OP, get yourself onto a trainer from one of the organisations I mentioned before. But I just had a thought... Also have a look at a book called "Fired up, Frantic and Freaked out".

How is the dog with your toddler?

Thanks everyone lots to think about

@Crunchymum he's fine with our toddler but they are separated by a baby gate 98% of the time.
I think because he was here as a baby that did nothing he was able to get used to him at each stage.
If he knows the dog/child he's fine, he gets on brilliantly with my mums dogs.
He also loves everything that comes into the house.
I could get burgled and he'd welcome them in

He's to bad to take to any classes unfortunately. We did go to lots back in the day but they were only on weekdays so had to give up with work.
Lots of mistakes have been made

I sympathise with you - we've had 2 border collies. This was when we were living in the country. As well as being very intelligent they can be very 'highly strung.'
The male was very neurotic - chased vehicles, barked at strangers walking past the house. We tried to train him out of it but in the end he attacked one car too many. He would have been much worse in a town.
The other a female, was much more obedient and lived to 15 years.
But she also had some neurotic habits. She was our little sweetheart, we still miss her, but she would have been miserable in the town where we now live.
As for advice, sorry to be blunt, but has he been castrated?

Lots of agility clubs will do 121 training. So will tire his brain without the stress of other dogs

@Senac32 thank you, they're brilliant dogs but they are do have their fixations. Yeah he was castrated when he was younger

Unfortunately there's not many agility classes around here especially any offering 1-2-1

Our dog was the same, cut up very small nits of cheese and a hot dog sausage put it in a sandwich bag in your pocket, the dog will be able to smell it, when walking past other dogs etc rustle the bag, if he gets past without reacting give him a treat. It worked for us, dog was so distracted by the bag in my pocket he kept tripping over!

@meepmoop have u posted on agilitynet? I'd be really surprised if there wasn't anything nearby. Agility is everywhere nowadays

@PrayingandHoping I haven't but I will definitely have a look

Try doing some calming things with him before you go out. I've been doing a course for the last few weeks with my equally reactive collie x.

First thing we did was calming circles - literally walking backwards and forwards for 10 - 15 paces at a time at a ridiculously slow speed ignoring the dog, who is with you on a lead, this took a good half hour the first time for her to disconnect from the environment and focus on me.

Then do loads of focus games and whilst on the walk try and pre-empt the lunging possibilities, so if you see a duck, do an on lead recall and play focus games or add a calming circle in until the duck has gone, or use a treat to bribe him past.

Honestly week one of this course I did a 2 mile walk along the canal (it took ages) using these tools and she only lunged once.

The main advice we have had was it doesn't matter how far you walk but it has to be in control. Midweek of the first week following the course we got to the mile marker of our walk with no issues and I realised how long it had taken so had to put her on the halti to get home without pulling and lunging. I haven't needed the halti since.

I also have a recall issue with mine in some locations so this week I've used a long line along our canal bank and other than 1 hare and some rowers (rowers are evil incarnate) and she is so much better. I've even managed a couple of times to get her past cyclists without barking although that is a work in progress.

Also have a look for secure dog fields, with a toddler that could be your answer.

I second what @ParoxetineQueen was said about the Reactive Uk Facebook page. They have lots of tips and advice that will help. I also have a reactive border collie who used to lunge at cars, bark at birds etc and found it was due to the over stimulation from the noise or moving object. Try going on short walks to begin with and aim to avoid a trigger, then slowly build up to longer and longer walks. This will build both yours and your dogs confidence and hopefully reduce the amount of reactions

I didn't manage to 'fix' my reactive lurcher and he was also not good with my Dd when she was born, so he went to live with a friend who lives on the banks of a river in an isolated spot. He gets triggered a lot less there and consequently his background stress levels are just lower, which has helped him massively. So In my opinion you won't be able to fix this. However, this doesn't mean you won't be able to manage this issue. I would suggest reading feisty fido and a book on behavioural adjustment training. Teach some counter conditioning, such as 'watch' where you clicker train them to look at you. Then use this to get past hazards. Really short training walks at first, aiming to get out and back without an issue. Then build it up. Stage some situations with other dog friends, so for example you know where they will be, you know how close you can get before dog reacts, so you can practice your counter conditioning or use BAT. Also agree with pp about finding somewhere quiet and low stress to walk, like a secure dog field or industrial estate. The more 'good' non-reactive walks you can get in a row, the better. And how about trying something like ability? Could give your dog a positive focus? Good luck!