Dog owners who don't have a reactive dog, can I ask?

[Springermum1350]

The reactive dog thread has been really helpful.

One of my 'things I bought up' was other dog owners and what they think when they see a dog like that.

Can I ask you guys for an honest answer as to what you think when your walking your dog and you come across a reactive dog.

Is there anything us owners can say or do?

I always do my usual training stuff and praise well so I hope they know I am not just some idiot with an in trained dog.

I also bought a yellow bandana with the word nervous in it. Does that kind of thing help?

IloveAnt I think she meant she had to physically lift her dog up out of the other dogs reach. I had to do that once when two off lead collies went for my old boy. Thank goodness he was on the lead and I was able to grab him and hold him out of their reach. They were both great big vicious bastards and their doddery old owner never ever put them on a lead. She only ever walked them across the fields behind her house. Unfortunately lots of other dog walkers used those footpaths too and those dogs were a bloody nuisance if they saw you coming.

"IloveAnt I think she meant she had to physically lift her dog up out of the other dogs reach". Wow! I there was a nasty dog running towards me the last thing I would do is haul my two Labradors over my head! Even if it where possible. What's the sense in that? The reactive dog would then have a go at me to get to my dogs.

Well obviously she had a small dog! When it happened to me the collies weren't interested in me, they were jumping up trying to snap at the terrified spaniel in my arms. I would do it again in a heartbeat. It's like when you have children. Your first instinct is to protect them even if it means taking the hit yourself.

I couldn't do it now though, I also have a Labrador and he's a bit bigger.

You can normally tell by the way the owner is handling said dog that they're not wanting my stupidly friendly terrier to say hello so we I just make him walk past with no interaction.

I have had a very reactive terrier so I know what they're dealing with.

I think you find she has a spaniel so not a "small" dog. I have labradors too. I wouldn't think of picking them up would you? I don't care if an owner has a ciuhaha (sp). Why the hell would they pick them up if a savage dog was chomping at their heels?

I saw a large dog wearing a reflective coat saying "nervous dog" on it the other day - I thought that was a good idea.
In general owners have my full respect and sympathy providing they are clearly attempting to manage the situation and their dog the best way they can.
There is a man in our village with a very aggressive dog. To be fair he does keep it on a lead, but walks it down a certain long, narrow alleyway where you can't really get out of its way. I do (secretly) condemn him for this a bit. Tbf, this is partly because he's not very nice! His dog once went for my dd (couldn't reach her - as I say, he does keep it on a lead) Dd had got behind my dog because she was frightened - my dog sort of snarled at his in retaliation, didn't make contact or anything, and he was really aggressive to me about it, implying his dog was the injured party, and not my frightened toddler!

My springer had a nervous bandana on. The other day we were walking out of my mums flat. This stupid man walked up to us ( u can't miss the words nervous it's very large) he bent down to my raffles and barked in his face. And then when raffles went bananas at him he moaned at me.

The stupidity and the horribleness of some people is outstanding

My dogs are great until they see a cat. I do lots of training around this but I'm obviously not v good as the problem remains. The best we've got to is that they will unwillingly walk at heel (and by this I mean pull hard on a short lead!) While I quick walk them away, while they bark for about 20 seconds. I hate those moments and am grateful if there are passers by who aren't judging me. I remember someone one tutted and I felt just awful. They are perfect dogs all other times and people with nervous kids and dogs often ask if they can use mine as practice for theirs to get used to. When I come across others with reactive dogs I just move out of the way. I don't mind, don't judge. It will be my turn when we see a cat.

I just wish people would spend time training their dogs as puppies. It would save all this "My dog is reactive so put yours on a lead". As for those who are about to jump in and say but I have a rescue dog well so do I. I rescued him when he was 2 years old. I spent a great deal of time socializing him. I came home in tears from most walks but couldn't give up on him. nearly a year down the line he is so much better. No lunging at other dogs now. And his recall is second to none. If I can do it anyone can

I didn't start off telling people to put their dogs on a lead because he was reactive...because he wasn't then.

I started off telling them he wasn't to meet other dogs just now as he was recovering from an operation, then it became telling them to keep their dogs away because the operation hadn't worked and he has arthritis in his elbows, then it became telling them to keep their dogs away because he has arthritis on his elbows and spinal pain....

But they didn't stop their dogs bouncing at him.

So despite all the training me, the behaviourist I had and the specialist vet for behaviour I have now have put in, we're never going to convince him that dogs don't cause him pain when in fact they do.

Besides, if the training was working, every time a dog rushes over that just wastes week's worth of it and sets them back, keeping dogs away is inherently part of training a reactive dog.

My dog has been very well trained by vets and behaviouralists but is terrified due to something out of my control that happened as a 3 week old puppy. There is literally nothing I can do about how frightened she is and no training will get rid of fear

Grey horses. This is exactly the same. When I picked him he was fine. Nothing nervous about him. When I went back to get him he was a completely different dog. Nervous and a stress head.

Can I also ask owners of non reactive dogs - if I was to come up to you and request help with socialisation of my reactive dog, what would your response be?

My thought is to start with similar sized dogs. She's about 21kg and a medium dog. The local owners know she's been a nightmare handful, but the last two weeks I've been making progress with her. I've had 3 woof-free walks, which is a big deal for her. DH has also had 4. We're thrilled. However, I'm a bit wary of asking other owners if they'd mind if we tried starting to bring her over nearer their dog. Just a bit at first, to get her used to it, and only when it's me or DH walking her alone (we're strong enough to pick her up and stop her if she loses it, our home help isn't as she's tiny).

If you had a well trained dog, would you assist?

ILoveAnt I'm glad you've managed to train your dog to such a high standard. That's great.

But it's naive to assume that because YOU have managed it, so can everybody else, with any other dog. Many people get a rescue and don't know all of the dog's triggers. My girl was found straying. She was terrified of pretty much everything. Fortunately she didn't go for other dogs, she ran away, but even now, 4 years on, we come up against something new and she reacts. A couple of weeks ago we met a Newfoundland. First dog of that size she's met and she was terrified. We've also recently lost our other dog which has knocked her confidence.

And what about the person who has a wonderfully trained and sociallised dog, who is then attacked? Does your theory take account of that? I'm specifcally thinking of the Guide Dog my friend adopted. Worked for 3 years before being viciously attacked by a boxer and could no longer work. Now terrified of boxers.

Just because you did it in a year, doesn't mean the rest of us are failures because we're still working on it. The only people you need to be judging are the people who don't bother. Because most of us are working really, really hard with our dogs.

iloveAntbuthateDec my dog was very well trained as a puppy, he still has his recall, he just doesn't get to use it because he is always on a lead when we are in public. He was attacked three times by other dogs and kicked by cyclist riding a bike through a dog walking field. Now he reacts. I have been trying to train him again for another year and he is improving every day but every single time someone with a 'friendly' dog allows it to run at us or someone not paying attention to the walk ( on their phone etc etc) he regresses and we have to repeat weeks of training again. Don't assume that all reactive dogs are untrained. Most have been through something and good owners are trying to help them.

Lettherebecupcakes. I totally agree. I have been training mine since he was 15 weeks old. He is trained every single day. But because of his extreme nervousness outside is awful. Maybe people shouldn't judge everyone by what they have managed to achieve. I work just as hard as other people have but every dog is different.

In my experience dogs that are pretty sound (for want of a better expression) and have a scary incident or are rescue and have a bad start in live can be turned around pretty quickly and I expect that is what iloveAntbuthateDec dog was like.

Some dogs however have deep genetic issues which take time and sometimes can never be "cured" by training. They need life time support on behavioural and emotional support to help them deal with life which to them is a very scary place. People who own these dogs are absolute stars and should be given recognition for all the hard work and changes they have made to their lives to makes these dogs life easier.

The owners will spend pounds on training and training aids, may even forego holidays, alter their own work pattern so the dogs can be walked at different times etc. These owners deserve our respect and understanding at all times.

The thing is my dog is really well trained, to the point where vets and behavioural specialists actually comment on how well behaved he is and how focused he is...aside from when he's freaking out and panicking, even then once he's over his initial reaction I can get him back down.

But no amount of training in the world is going to convince him that something that's painful isn't and on top of his health issues, because he's not offlead where dogs might be and he's always muzzled, we only meet arsey dogs (sensible owners recall their dogs and sensible dogs take one look at his body language and go...nope, not friendly) which means he's been attacked quite a few times as well - that did wonders for his progress

Totally agree with your Tabulahrasa and that is just what I am saying. Reactive dogs are trained extremely well by hard working owners but training is completely different to changing behaviour.

You often mention pain and your dogs reactivity is your dog in constant pain?

He's got elbow dysplasia...so basically arthritis in his elbows, so to a certain extent yes, and what we think is a trapped/stretched nerve in his spine which hurts in certain positions.

He was on effective painkillers, but the NSAIDs gave him a perforated ulcer (nearly killed him) and since then it's never quite been under control as we've trialled pretty much everything and they're not good enough without the NSAIDs.

We're currently trying to work out whether his elbows are ok enough to keep going and have just been having a temporary flare up or if they've got worse and it may be time to have him PTS...so we're just weaning him off tramadol just now to see if he stays sound.

Poor chap - I guess surgery is not an option?

Not having read the replies and just responding to the OP first off - it depends entirely if the dog is on the lead or not. Also, if you can see us walking towards you and my dog is off the lead, a quick word of warning would be nice, just to say your dog is nervous. There are a few dog owners near me with nervous, skittish, and sometimes aggressive dogs who are all great at giving a really quick word so that I know to call my dog back to heel as we pass or I risk her getting barked at and then fleeing (she's a wuss who would never defend herself).

We have had one bad incident in which a reactive dog actually attacked Wispa when she was a puppy. Basically the dog was off lead in a park in which most dogs go off lead, and it was a place I regularly went with her to socialise her in the early months of having her - so she was used to going up to dogs there to say hello. Without any warning this dog turned on her and bit her quite badly on the hind leg, despite her dropping to the ground to be submissive. I was horrified, ran to get her away from the other dog, meanwhile the other dogs owner told me that I was the one who needed to get my dog under control as her dog didn't like puppies???!!!

Sorry, tangent. Anyways, basically I'd say that a dog who may get aggressive with other dogs should stay on the lead unless you know there aren't other dogs nearby, and if you do see someone coming you get your dog back on lead or at least warn the other walkers that they should steer clear.

MardAs, unless I had my toddler with me I would definitely stop to try to socialise the dogs a bit, if in a nice open space where neither would feel trapped. I generally enjoy walking in places with lots of dogs so mine can have a play with them as we walk along.

cheerfulmary - he's had arthroscopy already, it didn't work... if it wasn't for all the other problems we could try elbow replacements, but the ortho says no and I don't think he'd cope with being an inpatient again, it wax rough on him when he had the stomach surgery even and he was in intensive care for the aftercare and still managed to decide he was well enough to freak out at a nurse.

Oh bless him - what a lot he has had to go through - fingers crossed you can keep him comfortable. (see what I mean about how fantastic owners of reactive dogs are - all the time and effort you give to your dogs)