Life with a dog who doesn't like dogs

[JackNicholson]

Hello. For complicated reasons, we have taken on a 14 month old dog (smallish breed) who is a delight in most respects and has bonded beautifully with us all, but who just doesn't like other dogs. We're 100% committed to her, and can't turn back time to get her socialised better, so I just wanted to chat to people who've had dogs like this (including other rescues). She's not great with new people either, especially not in the house, but this is manageable and we're working on it. But when she's on walks, we have to keep her right away from other dogs, or she'll bark and bark. So we won't ever be able to let her off the lead.
Just wanted to chat with others who've had dogs like this... TIA

Our old rescue dog was fear-aggressive with other dogs. I don’t have a huge amount of time right now to get into it, but we worked with a behaviourist who taught us counter-conditioning techniques, and with consistent handling we got him to a point where he would pass another dog on the other side of the road without reacting.

You do have to be very alert though, and be prepared to change direction, walk at anti-social times (I used to take him out at 5.30am rain or shine), have a constant supply of treats for distraction etc. The hardest part is the cohort of numpty owners who let their badly-trained dogs run up to yours and undo months of hard work

It was exhausting and I’d be wary of taking on another reactive dog because of that, but it was rewarding to see him gain trust and confidence in us. Good luck OP.

My dog can be reactive to other dogs after being attacked and bitten as a puppy.

I won't lie - it can be stressful and upsetting. He's absolutely FINE with people and with dogs he's been introduced to properly, but strange dogs in the street are another story. I think because he was on lead when he was attacked, so he associates the lead with being hurt or scared. He's absolutely perfect when he's off the lead too.

The main problem you'll experience is the judgement from other people. The dirty looks when your dog lunges and barks, when you have to cross the street or turn around and walk the other way to avoid other dogs. It's hard and it can be upsetting - you need to learn to develop a thick skin.

The vast majority of people (including quite a few dog owners) have no concept of reactive dogs and will assume your dog is vicious and about to bite them.

I've done a lot of work to help combat it (my dog is three now) by using positive association but it's not foolproof, especially if another dog comes round a corner or pops out of a side street when you're not expecting it.

It's doable and it's certainly not (imo) a reason to rehome or anything, but just be prepared for the inevitable judgement and dirty looks you'll get from other people who just assume you have an aggressive dog and don't care to understand about leash reactivity.

Not really to do with your question OP but just regarding the off lead situation.

Have you tried hiring an enclosed field for her to have a run in from time to time.

I know someone with a dog reactive rescue. They've had him about three years now, they've worked so hard with him and he's come on leaps and bounds, however, they still can't let him off lead around other dogs but they do hire a field from time to time; I think they pay about £5 for an hour.

It gives him a chance to have a good run.

I don't know why it's not spoken about more but anxiety medication can make a massive difference, especially alongside a training routine.

I have a fear reactive dog. She is 7. Started due to the number of times she's been attacked out on walks. We've been working on her with the guidance of a trainer/behaviourist and today whilst out a dog went right in her face and tried to have a pop. She sat whilst I grabbed its collar until the owner turned up. Massive progress, but when we saw the dog later she started barking again. It is possible to help them, but it is ongoing work.

Oh and we hire a local field £10 per hour

I have a dog reactive dog. Particularly when he is on a lead. He is a large breed which unfortunately makes it harder too.

Not going to lie, it sucks. It’s hard. I so so envy people who can just go on a nice relaxing dog walk, not be constantly on high alert for other dogs.
I’d love to be able to just let him off lead for a run around.

• it can improve. We do a lot management and training. Pockets full of treats for every walk. Every time we see a dog, move away and chuck treats at him- we use the ‘look at me’ method.
• Over 3 years he can now walk within 2m of another dog.

-Long lines are useful to let the dog have a bit more freedom. We have quite a large field near me and I can see 360degrees. If it’s empty I can use his long line, attached to a harness, so he can run around for a bit.

• ‘yellow dog’, you can order yellow harness, leads, bandanas etc that say ‘no dogs’ which does help warn people to recall their dog etc.
• Hire a private dog field. A pricey but nice treat to allow both of you to relax.
• Accept you will have bad days. And it can take 24-48hours for the dogs hormones to reduce after a bad encounter.

I will say that he does have some doggy friends who he gets on great with, we spent time just walking side by side until he was comfortable with them.

I'd try avoid walking places that tend to be busy with other dogs especially off lead ones as makes it very difficult to give your dog the distance away so they feel safe (its often fear based). As PP there's lots owners that see no problem in letting dog charge over, but is much like us humans would find a stranger rushing over while out shopping & forcing a hug on them threatening, in right context a hug is friendly but it isn't following social etiquette of an initial greeting. Sometimes it may even result in pain or discomfort, perhaps they were very rough or your sore from arthritis or injury so you'd become even more wary.

My reactive dog lives with others and does meet other dogs with the Dogwalkers fine, they pick ones that are calm types. Has an anxious/pessimistic character underneath the bolshy exterior, decided best way to stay safe is to scare others away first.

My friend's dog has a yellow lead that has 'nervous' written in large black letters along it's length. Unfortunately, it seem to be generally ignored by most other dog walkers.

Yes, the reactive dog doesn't seem to mind my dog, never has. They just don't interact with one another, which suit them both, as my dog isn't really interested in other dogs.

They are a very similar looking breed, my dog is a smaller version, and they're the same colour. Don't know if that makes a difference to the other dog and how comfortable he feels around her.

I used to walk mine in places where I could see other dogs approaching. He had fabulous recall. In fact, if he saw another dog he would turn round to look at me.

Just occasionally a dog would surprise us from behind.

Thank you all so much. Fantastic to hear your stories and to not be alone in this. I'm taking note of all the tips....

My dog was a nightmare for this and we got a personal trainer who really helped.

We cut down on the amount of food she had at home and transferred it to a pouch. We taught her a ‘look at me command’ and held the kibble or treat in front of her. When she looked she was rewarded from the pouch.

To begin with we did this on every walk. Then only when we saw another dog approaching. At first I would make her sit, push her gently with my knee against a wall, or hold her close if in a field. Gradually she began to associate another dog with a treat. Now she does not need restraining as she is constantly watching me for treats.

I make the command in a very firm voice to get her attention and also as a signal to other owners that she has an issue. The best thing I bought was a yellow coat which said ‘KEEP YOUR DISTANCE’. ‘Lots of owners are aware that yellow is a signal that a dog is nervous. This is great in parks, because the better owners will call their off-lead dogs as soon as they see her.

Thank you - really useful info.

Can I ask those who've had some success with training for this - did anyone do this when their DDog was 15+ months old? Is it still possible at that stage?
Many thanks again

But when she's on walks, we have to keep her right away from other dogs, or she'll bark and bark. So we won't ever be able to let her off the lead.

My dn has a reactive collie/gsd cross rescue (neglect/abuse) who is very vocal on lead, sadly he isn't good with my Labrador because he isn't confident and shies away from the barking which seems to make it worse.

But he has great off lead runs with a select few dogs he knows well (also vocal collie types) in enclosed fields or very empty beaches/areas.

He was 18 months when she first got him 6 years ago and she immediately signed him up for agility classes with a very understanding group who knew his background. The first year he did the classes he wore a muzzle, the barking settled after several months and he got used to the surroundings. He even entered amateur competitions, eventually unmuzzled as he would be in agility mode on the course.

He still needs to be carefully managed and on a long training lead for most walks, but he gets great stimulation and exercise from agility and well managed off lead walks too.

He is vocal/looks aggressive with new people in the house and when she first got him we were all so nervous and we reacted making it worse and the barking lunging continued indoors, but it was all show. Even now when I knock on her door I can see him jumping/barking through the glass like he is on a trampoline reaching up to the top of the door 🤣 but when you are let in if you just ignore him he stops straight away and comes for a sniff/pat.

Each dog is different, but with a lot of work and patience some can still improve some of their behaviour, don't write her off as never being allowed off lead so soon.

Can I ask those who've had some success with training for this - did anyone do this when their DDog was 15+ months old? Is it still possible at that stage?

It's possible to train a dog at any age :)

My advice would be to train and train hard, but don't let setbacks upset you too much. Mine was very overwhelmed this morning when we rounded a corner to a man with a group of 6-7 dogs, plus another lady with a big dog on a lead. Mine was on his lead but was very overwhelmed barking and lunging.

As we'd walked round the corner to see all these dogs/people, there was nothing I could do to calm him down. His behaviour didn't upset me too much as I'm used to it, and I am eternally grateful that the lady with the big dog saw me struggling and waited with her dog while we got past!

However, not everyone is as understanding and you will get filthy looks from some people who think your dog is aggressive. Just be prepared for that as personally I find that the hardest bit of having a reactive dog.

We've had our 5 year old rescue GSD for six months and she's so reactive to other dogs. It's getting better with constant work. We use treats and distraction, and you have to be very alert for it to work. I spot other dogs in the distance, make her sit or lie down while petting her, or throw tiny bits of treats in the grass for her to find.

She used to bark and lunge at every dog, now it's down to about 1 in 4 or 5. She's quite a small German Shepherd but has a huge bark, so people do judge, but you get used to it.

Our dog wasn’t interested in other dogs at all, he just didn’t want to play.

He loved people and was always friendly, he just didn’t like dogs, no idea why.

My dog is reactive on the lead towards other dogs. I find using the look at me command and treats is working gradually like pps have described. And the worst thing is idiots who don't bother to control their dogs.
Have you tried your dog offlead around other dogs though? Many dogs that are reactive on the lead are fine when loose. Mine loves playing with other dogs. Pre covid we took ours several times a week, weather permitting, to social sessions. Basically a field where your dog can meet other dogs offlead. Usually costs around £6 an hour. If you muzzle your dog you won't need to worry about him biting, at least until you see how he reacts.

I have noticed since covid we meet 5 times as many dogs as before which also makes it harder.

The answer is yes she can be trained. You need persistent and consistent training. I do believe a level of self confidence is required also. She took a lot longer to work with my DH as he was very stressed by her behaviour.

My dog was 9 when we got her. The dog was well loved but sadly the owner died. The relative told us that the dog had been reactive all her life, despite having several trainers. She was exercised in a paddock to keep her away from other dogs.

We were very lucky with our trainer as she worked training police dogs. As well as giving us all the information I detailed in my post she also said the following.

At the beginning, try to keep her away from any stress situations. As well as dogs she was manic when crossing roads even if there was no traffic. Along pavements she would react to buses, motorbikes and taxis. Lunging into the road if she could. She advised us to exercise her a night and early in the morning and avoid roads as much as possible. The reason was because you cannot train a terrified dog.

Once she understood the ‘look at me ‘ command we slowly introduced her to more stressful situations . She did not become confident immediately. It took about a year for her to be really confident around dogs and traffic. It was reassuring though because, month on month, she improved. She became a much happier dog.

She never reacts to traffic now and confidently crosses roads. With dogs I still have to keep the training to make her aware that a dog approaching means a treat not a threat. The only time she reacts to dogs is when they are off lead and come up close. I am much more confident now in telling people to call their dog and she no longer wears her yellow coat.

We used the counter conditioning with treats with DDog when he was about 6/7. We used to live very rurally until then so rarely saw others on walks but when we moved it became a problem. He's now 12 and I still do it with him occasionally but he's been brill with most other dogs for years now.

Our aforementioned rescue was 8 years old when we started counter-conditioning! So 15 months will not be a barrier to making progress.

My second guide dog was dog reactive in harness/on lead. We don’t know but we think he must have had a bad experience with a dog when he was being puppy walked, and the serious reactions didn’t start to appear until I had qualified with him, the thinking was that he was protecting us as a unit.

He was perfect off lead though, and was an excellent guide dog apart from that, which is why I persevered with him.

I tried everything, training, treats, look at me etc and nothing had any impact what so ever. It didn’t help that because I couldn’t see other dogs approaching, he would already be reacting before I could bring him under control.

It did have one benefit though in that parents no longer tied their dogs up outside the school gates and left them there.

He was withdrawn after 3 years after a member of public made a complaint.

I am currently on the waiting list for a dog and the only stipulation I have made is that I won’t accept a dog which is dog reactive in any way.

When I got him I was told he was dog reactive, but I thought they likely meant that he would be distracted by them, not lunge and bark and growl at them while wagging his tail... and because we walked past several dogs during training it didn’t occur to me, until he had lulled me into enough of a false sense of security and then showed his true colours.

Absolutely, my dog didn’t turn reactive until he was badly attacked at 4years old.

Then we use counter conditioning and the ‘look at me’ method to make ‘dogs=treats’ and can now walk within 2m of any other dog without reaction.

Why does no one consider medication?