Reactive dog whilst on lead

[SeaWitchly]

Hi all,
Just looking for some advice... we have a lovely nearly one year old Border Collie / Kelpie X rescue dog. He has been de-sexed. Dog is as good as gold off leash. He is ball obsessed so if we take him to the off leash dog beach he focuses on us throwing him the ball and is only slightly interested in the other dogs. However when he is on lead he can become very reactive - growling, barking and lunging - when he sees larger dogs, particularly Staffies or other powerful looking breeds (usually also on leash). Does anyone have any advice how to manage this as it's reached a point where I am trying to avoid him being near other dogs whilst on lead but sometimes this is impossible.

It's relatively normal - lots of dogs are leash reactive unfortunately. Leads means they can't act "naturally" and often feel trapped in the presence of other dogs.

The way to solve it is positive association with other dogs but it's a long process unfortunately. There aren't many quick fixes.

Find the point at which your dog can pass another dog without reacting (this could be 10-15 metres at first) and when the walk past without reacting, use a word (just "dog" is fine) and treat. Eventually you'll be able to reduce the distance between dogs, but it may be touch and go for a while.

Mine is leash reactive after he was attacked on his lead - some dogs he's absolutely perfect with, others he'll kick off from 10 metres away - I have no idea why some trigger him and some don't! I suspect it could be a combination of breed, coat colour, gender and whether the other dog has been neutered or not.

it's reached a point where I am trying to avoid him being near other dogs whilst on lead

This is honestly what you need to do - as pp said. In fact, 10-15m is a short distance and many reactive dogs cannot manage that proximity so be prepared to give even more space than that (think 50m+). Once you accept this needs to be done, and start planning walks to make sure it's always possible, it gets easier.

This is important as, if consistent, it gives him the chance to relax when he sees another dog because he learns that it won't come any closer. Only then does he have the chance to relearn how he feels about other dogs. If you don't do that, you risk making the behaviour worse because it perpetuates a pattern in which bad things happen when he sees other dogs (remember - fear itself is a bad thing).

A good behaviourist will be able to observe and give insight into why he is reacting (i.e. it could be fear, could be frustration) as well as provide observational insight into how you are behaving that may be contributing. Thats not a criticism, just that it is natural for us to do things like micro-freezes or tiny tighten of the lead that can increase the chances of the dog reacting. It really helps to have someone watch and look for these tiny gestures because it's too hard to spot them in yourself 'in the moment'.

More info here: behaviorvetsnyc.com/confessions-of-a-dog-trainer-i-have-a-reactive-dog/

Don't sign up to anything on that page, but it gives good insight into the whys and how (good) behaviourists would help you deal with this.

Did you find out his background information from the rescue. If you can find the trigger you can work on solving the issue.

Thank you all, this is very helpful 😊

It takes time. I have a dog that's leash reactive with certain breeds as he was attacked by that certain breed. Maybe your dog has had a similar encounter.

I used to avoid other dog when I was walking on lead as my dog used to react.
Now I try not to avoid them and get my dog to focus on me, make him know there is a treat in my pocket or show him his ball. Basically he needs his eyes on me not the other dog. Once we have managed to walk past the other dog without him reacting negatively then massive praise and a treat.

Yes, as above, try distractions and 'look at me', this helped with our jrt. It has been an unbelievable change, she used to be very dog reactive. Now I give her a treat as we're setting off (plus a chirpy way of calling her) and when I call her she knows she'll get a treat. She's good at catching them so we don't have to linger, we can keep walking.
Look at me has been our single best command, it has transformed communication.

Just to reiterate (as PP said above), if you can relax - difficult, I know - and convey down the lead your total confidence and calm, it will go a long way to calming your dog down was you walk along. Try not to tense up when another dog comes into view. I make low remarks to my dog in a relaxed tone if I think there is something that unnerves her coming up and she will be much calmer if I do. We used to encounter two very reactive dogs in the past, whose (new) owners at a loss to cope and would always tense up and shorten their dogs' leads if they sighted an oncoming dog even still 30 metres away. I felt really sorry for the owners (and dogs). Next time we met them, on a wide path, I suggested that, rather than keep pulling their dogs back and trying to walk on, they just stood and waited. I also stopped opposite them and we had a chat. After a few minutes, their dogs both sat down and shut up and were calmly just watching me and my dog. I think it was at least partly because the owners had stopped being so wound up and everyone was ignoring the two dogs. Unfortunately, I didn't see them again; I later thought that I should have told them to reward their dogs for the good behaviour every time they calmed down and meant to offer to walk (distanced) with them on another day to see if it helped.

Oh and if it’s inevitable that she’ll notice a dog is there I also say something like ‘Look DDog, it’s your friend, what a lovely dog that is, is that your friend’ and similar nonsense. I think it keeps me breathing normally (no breath holding or sighing iyswim) and a cheerful tone reassures her.
My friend told me she did it for her two so I tried it and lo and behold it does seem to help (along with treats). 🙂

You can also try giving her something to carry, her call would be ideal if she’s that obsessed.

*ball 🙄