Positive stories for residential training for reactive dogs?

[Biscuits33]

Hi All,
Just looking for a bit of support before we make the heartbreaking decision to rehome our beautiful dog.
I know that behaviour training with the owner as well is the best place to start and believe me we have tried this multiple times. She always makes good progress to start with but it never continues. I have become a nervous wreck as I’m so worried about something happening all the time and losing her/ her hurting someone. I also have two small children and am finding it near impossible to walk her due to her reactive behaviours and refusal to move at some points. At home she is a loving family dog (she has never displayed any of these behaviours with the family) , anyone in our inner circle she adores. All her behaviour stems from being attacked as a puppy and has got progressively worse over the years. She is dog and some people reactive, barking and lunging.
I’m just looking for someone with a similar experience, what did you do? Is there anyone you can suggest in these circumstances? Could residential training work? Have you ever got you reactive dog to a place where you feel confident around people and dogs?
Thank you for reading!

I have a reactive dog but nowhere near as extreme as yours I don't think.

Mine is also reactive after being bitten as a puppy but we manage it now with distance and treats and he's a lot better. His lunging and barking is very much fear based and he's never shown any aggression - so he's never growled, snapped, snarled or gone to bite another dog. He's also only reactive on his lead which is a fairly common problem with dogs who've been attacked as they feel restricted and can't escape.

I would also say that as you're incredibly nervous and worried, that likely has an effect on him too. Dogs sense when we're nervous or scared and your anxiety will be travelling down the leash to your dog. That's not to say it's your fault - having a reactive dog is bloody nerve wracking so I'm not surprised you're scared and worried.

I have no experience of residential training but my concern would be how they treat the dogs when you're not around (I know some can be quite old school in their approach) and also that training is just as much about the owner as it is about the dog - and although the dog may improve for the trainer, if you act totally differently then you'll be back at square one.

I really hope you find a solution though

@Biscuits33
Residential training is generally not recommended and definitely not for a nervous/reactive dog.

It's full of stressors, such as new people/experiences, and this adds to the emotional load for the dog.

Reactivity is not a training issue, it's an emotional regulation issue. It must be addressed by changing the dog's emotional state. Have you consulted a veterinary behaviourist and tried anti anxiety meds in conjunction with impulse control/behavioural adjustment training? Lovely l up Grisha Stewart and BAT, but definitely also seek veterinary behaviour support - dogs cannot engage effectively with training if they're chronically stressed, meds are often required.

I am going to go against the mn grain here. I do residential rehab for aggressive dogs. Some dogs do need to get out of the situation and need 24/7 care to get the to a stage where they are able to relax and then start to change their emotions.

I only take dogs from vet referrals and also from court cases so not a basic training situation.

Your first step would be your vet and a qualified behaviourist that your vet should refer you to. From their your behaviourist will be able to help you with the right approach for your dog.

Your behaviourist should very quickly get you into a stage where you can control and manage the situation, this really helps and does bring down the emotion on all sides yours and the dogs. They will also be able to assess risk to your family and knowing that will also help you relax. A behaviourist will also if necessary talk through options of rehoming and have contacts if that is what is best for all of you. It really is the best place to start.

It is a long and lonely path having a reactive dog and I can sense your despair and pain. Do get help and let your behaviourist take control for a while to give you time to think and relax. This is not your fault and it not something you have done let the professionals help you through this.

their = there i need another coffee!

"All her behaviour stems from being attacked as a puppy"... almost certainly untrue. Most of her behaviour stems from her innate personality. It is such a damaging misconception that all puppies are like a perfect blank slate.

Thank you so much everyone for replying! It’s very lonely and I definitely know I’m part of the problem that’s why I thought residential might help. I will contact the vets first and see if they can help us.

I definitely know I’m part of the problem I dispute this you have a challenging dog and you need help to deal with it - no shame in that at all. Good luck. Trust that this can be made a lot easier than it is at the moment .

Agree with Veterinari that this is much more likely to be genetic than anything you have done .

Although that is hard to keep at the front of your mind when you will be told by people that have only met you dog once that they have the "answer" give them a few treats when they see a dog that will cure them, tell them no! Ignore them you are the best person and with professional you have got this !

@Biscuits33 if the problems only exist when the dog is off your property then stop taking her out , assuming you have a garden and can play with the dog at home just do that . Obviously in an ideal world dogs need to go for walks but if it’s causing them and you stress then just stop .

You're not alone OP. My eldest can be dog reactive and it is hard work and stressful. He is a chaser too. He's 12 now and largely deaf. I keep him on lead permanently now and it's a lot less stressful not having to be on quite such high alert..! Obviously I would prefer he could hear but he doesn't seem bothered by it thankfully.

I'm guessing you already walk at quiet times, distract with treats, do a 180 if you're facing a situation you aren't confident she can cope with? I don't think I'd be keen on residential training, I'd prefer to have regular sessions with a trainer I think. Trust wise mainly.

[quote Floralnomad]@Biscuits33 if the problems only exist when the dog is off your property then stop taking her out , assuming you have a garden and can play with the dog at home just do that . Obviously in an ideal world dogs need to go for walks but if it’s causing them and you stress then just stop .[/quote]
Yeah, I do agree with this as a temporary measure actually.

Some dogs get very, very over-stimulated on walks and would benefit from some days "off". If your dog is triggered by other dogs, you have a couple of options - keep them at home and exercise their brains instead, or walk them at obscure times of the day where you won't see another dog.

I went through a phase of walking mine at 5.30am because I knew we'd not see a soul and he could get his exercise/sniffs without the stress of seeing another dog ruining his walk!

Another option is to see if you have any private secure fields nearby? You can rent them by the hour and you have sole use while you're there. It's a great way to let reactive dogs run and exercise without the worry of seeing other dogs and owners.

I definitely know I’m part of the problem
You're not - other than in becoming tense and nervous around your dog in situations that you think will cause a problem.

I'd agree with villainous that much of behaviour is genetic. We had a very confident dog, followed by a nervous one who was kicked by another walker with a leashed dog when a puppy: the combo of his nervousness, early neuter and the kick meant we ended up with a dog-reactive dog who has taken a lot of patient management over the course of his life. And it is extremely stressful when your dog is lunging and slavering and promising to kill a passing fluffball and the owner is giving you a filthy look.

Thank you all!
Yes we do have a secure field nearish by so maybe I could try and book that and then exercise her in the garden at other times whilst waiting for the vet to get back to us.
This would at least take the the pressure off. I felt like I had to take her out daily to try and get her used to life but this is just making her distressed. It’s really hard when they won’t respond to food out of the house.
It’s crazy how much a reactive dog really starts to control all aspects of your life. My whole mood for the day is set by how good or mostly bad the dog walk went which needs to change. I’ll let you know how I get on. I know it’s a long journey but if we can manage her behaviour while we get more help that will be a start!

The way I look at it @Biscuits33 is you wouldn’t make an agoraphobic person go out and travel on a bus so it’s really no different for dogs . I doubt the dog is enjoying the walk anymore than you are .

I do understand, as my dog is reactive too. I walk on quiet residential streets with her where it's easy to cross over if there's another dog, and give her treats. We still can't go too close but it's made a huge difference.

It's easier for me though as I don't have young children to cope with as well, and your dog isn't interested in food outside. Mine is!

Definitely use the secure field if you can. It's so much more pleasant - the dog can run and sniff. I book one for just us a few times a week normally, and she loves it.

There’s a FB group called Reactive Dogs UK I think?
Lots of useful advice on there.

[quote Floralnomad]@Biscuits33 if the problems only exist when the dog is off your property then stop taking her out , assuming you have a garden and can play with the dog at home just do that . Obviously in an ideal world dogs need to go for walks but if it’s causing them and you stress then just stop .[/quote]
It was a very long and painful journey for me to realise exactly this. I was determined to fix my extremely reactive dog and take her on walks cos that's what dogs are meant to do right but she just couldn't cope in the world. Once the pressure was off to take her out every day, life got a whole lot easier for us and her.

@Cloud21 Thank you, I will take a look!

@Floralnomad, @Othering, This is exactly what I was trying to do ... fix her. I felt like if I didn’t do the dreaded walk every day she would never get used to it. I have now had her in for a week just playing in the garden and games inside and we are all feeling much happier. I thought she would be going a bit crazy just at home but she seems much more content, it’s such a relief!
I have her booked in to see the vet later on in the week, just to see if there is any underlying problems and to see if there is anything that might help her anxiety. I have also booked some sessions at secure dog parks where she can run around on her own.
Thanks for all the support everyone!

I ploughed on for weeks and months. I was distraught. I knew nothing about reactive dogs. I was determined to fix her. I saw so many experts and got more and more despondent. It broke my heart in to pieces that I couldn't help this dog. It took a long time to come to terms with the fact that she would never adjust and the relief waqs enormous for everyone when we finally realised that the only tolerable life for this dog was not to go out into the big wide world. It went against everything I'd previously done with my dogs and it still breaks my heart to some extent but it was either this or pts. Don't be too hard on yourself or put yourself under too much pressure. She's very lucky to have someone who cares so much about her welfare.

I took mine to secure fields but she completely lost her mind at them. She couldnt even really enjoy them, as she just ran round in a frenzy. She was irreversibly damaged from an appalling start in life. I would also definitely look into anti anxiety meds too.

I had a reactive collie who got worse and worse. It was so heartbreaking. I had to totally reset expectations. No we couldn't just go for a nice family walk. No we couldn't take him to the pub. No we couldn't continue canicross.

We worked HARD at walking early/late to avoid other dogs and hiring secure field etc. It was ok in the end but it really wasn't what we had signed up for!

@Biscuits33 sounds like a much better way to go .