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If you're worried about your pet's health, please speak to a vet or qualified professional.

Jealous of “normal” dog owners

39 replies

Ginnywoofly · 28/02/2021 22:46

Anyone else with a reactive dog sometimes resent it and feel really jealous of owners of “normal” social dogs? I love my dog and he is perfectly behaved at home but can be very reactive (lying down, growling, lunging) when we see other dogs. We have done 1:1 training and are trying to countercondition with treats but I don’t have much hope that we’ll make much progress as he’s walked by other family members quite often who are less committed to training than me, and we are so often approached by off lead dogs/see dogs unexpectedly on walks (we try to walk in quiet areas but most places seem to be busy in lockdown) that we lose all progress as soon as a dog comes up in his face and scares him. I’m always stressed walking him, I don’t think he’d bite as he’s been close enough a few times and just snapped as we pull him away but it is a worry. Got him from battersea in March a few days before the lockdown and they didn’t reccomend muzzling and said they had seen a huge improvement in his reactivty during his time there but we’ve not seen much progress. We did rush into getting him a bit as we wanted a dog and thought the rescues would shut due to covid (we got him the weekend before first lockdown) so felt we had to choose a dog that weekend or or for months (we had been looking at rescue dogs for 4 months previously after our last rescue died just hadn’t found the right one). We took him the same day we first saw him as battersea was closing to visitors the next day. We love him and are 100%committed and won’t give him up, and have experience with reactive rescues. Just wanted to avoid it this time around and sometimes find myself browsing rescue centres looking for other dogs we could have got then feeling guilty! And feel very jealous of friends dogs and perfectly behaved dogs we see walking. Anyone relate? Or can anyone reassure me with their experience of successfully retraining a reactive dog?

OP posts:
Ginandplatonic · 02/03/2021 10:01

I can absolutely relate to your situation. We also have a rescue dog - a 3 year old poodle crossed with we think some kind of big hound, possibly a sight hound. He is very reactive with other dogs, barking, lunging and generally going off his head. And he is big - 45-50kg so hard to control. He also barks constantly and often wees in the car. He was a stray so we don’t know his history, but based on his reaction to loud noises and sudden movements it’s clear he has been abused in the past, poor baby. Despite this he is the most beautiful, calm, sweet, affectionate dog at home.

We have worked with a vet specialising in behaviour, and initially thought it was all anxiety based on his body language. He is now on medication and is slightly calmer but the reactivity problems remain. We walk him (only ever on lead) in places you don’t see many dogs, constantly alert for a dog in the distance and turn and go the other way when we see one. It’s exhausting and stressful.

We also have an older dog, 10 years, who we had from a puppy, who is perfect with other dogs. Louie is lovely with her (or we wouldn’t have got him from the dogs’ home obviously) weirdly.

We adore him, and are completely committed to him, but we’ve had to adjust our ideas of what exercising a dog looks like. He’s worth it though, and he deserves the best life he can have.

Allfurcoatandnoknickers · 02/03/2021 15:39

I can really relate to you OP. We had a reactive terrier for ten years - you name it, he did it. We have another 'perfectly behaved' dog who is 9 years old this year. When the terrier died, we got a Romanian rescue last February mainly to keep our other dog company. He's extremely nervous and reactive to some dogs. We've had comments such as 'not another one' (helpful) and people who seem to think letting their dog come up to him off lead is ok. We are now working with a behaviourist, and it's been great to see his confidence grow but it is hard work and frustrating in equal measure.

Allfurcoatandnoknickers · 02/03/2021 15:41

Also, to add, we were lucky and our insurance company paid for our behaviourist as we got a vet referral. She's very good and offers ongoing support after the initial sessions.

PollyRoulson · 02/03/2021 15:45

@Cheeks4970 try Sarah at Petneccessities

SunshineWatchs · 03/03/2021 00:27

[quote Cheeks4970]@PollyRoulson Thank you that's really helpful. And yes, I think you're right we had more of a trainer! Sigh. I explained to them what our issues were but they sent someone who looked like he was 12 years old. That's £150 down the drain Grin.

Anyway, we are in south east London so suggestions are v welcome .

x[/quote]
We use Karishma at Calm Canine Academy

Cheeks4970 · 03/03/2021 10:09

@PollyRoulson thank you Polly x

@SunshineWatchs thank you too Sunshine - is Karishma in London as it looks like she is in NYC though I know it says they have an office in Islington but does that mean it would be someone other than her?

SunshineWatchs · 03/03/2021 10:18

@Cheeks4970 she moved back to the U.K. but I think kept her US clients through online sessions. Not sure if she's doing face to face consults but she's doing online ones.

We used her in NYC and did online sessions over the summer.

Cheeks4970 · 04/03/2021 21:53

@SunshineWatchs Thank you so much.

Ginnywoofly · 05/03/2021 14:36

This is a lovely thread thanks all. Just back from a lovely walk where we managed to keep ddog calm with treats around 3 different dogs (did have one pup decide to come bowling over from 100m away but luckily it changed it’s mind before it came too close).

OP posts:
ArcherDog · 05/03/2021 16:00

I can empathise.
I have a dog reactive dog and walks are never the fun relaxing experience that they should be. I am always on high alert. It’s quite exhausting actually.

I look on so enviously at the carefree dog owners who can just stroll along with their dog off lead.

Ecci · 05/03/2021 20:06

Totally understand how you feel. We have a dog reactive Samoyed, who is about 10. We got her when she was 3 and we are her 6th home, according to the rescue centre. She reacts aggressively when she sees another dog, which we think is a fear reaction. We have another Samoyed, male, also about 10, also rescued, who picks up on her stress and then sometimes behaves as if he is also reactive. She snapped at him the first time they met but was then OK because he backed off.

She has changed our lives, and I often think of the 'good old days' with previous dogs, when we could go to a pub or cafe with the dogs but without the stress. We have taken her into pubs and cafes but have to check them out first to see if there are dogs inside, in which case we don't go in, and sometimes have had to leave mid meal, if other dogs come in and she gets too stressed. Can't remember how we found this out, but if she's kicking off and getting stressed, she instantly calms if DH picks her up and carries her out. Not easy, as she weighs 25kg, but it does amuse the other customers and sometimes it's the only way to get her safely out of that situation.
She has calmed down a lot during the 7 years we've had her but we can never completely relax when we take her out. She can get on OK with other dogs if they are introduced in the right way and now has several local doggie friends that we go for walks with. We find that she still reacts initially in the same way, snapping, lunging, growling, but calms down afterwards much more quickly.
She's the most difficult dog we've ever had in 30 years of having dogs but she's great at home and with people and her issues are caused by whatever was done to her before we got her, not least being rehomed so many times and probably being attacked, we think. We amend our lifestyle to accommodate her needs and if that means we can't go to some places and do some things then so be it.
We've never managed to get her to accept wearing a muzzle, she will scratch her face open to get it off, so we gave up on that. We consulted a behaviourist when we first got her but didn't find it very much help. She's never been off lead except in a secure field, which I feel is so sad, but we can't take a chance that she will hurt another dog. I too get annoyed with the 'it's OK, my dog is friendly' brigade who can't control their off lead dogs, but I have to remind myself that I used to be like that. We've learned a huge amount about dog behaviour and how to manage it as a result of having our girl, it makes life interesting.

squarespecs · 05/03/2021 22:42

I can relate to so much on this thread.

My dog is so much calmer now, thanks mainly to being given a morsel of food every time she sees another dog, and walks are enjoyable rather than stressful as long as we avoid the lovely green areas where there are dogs off lead. I am always alert though.
It is limiting but I don’t mind as we walk in pleasant, quiet residential streets instead. There’s just the occasional pang when I see other owners chatting while their dogs have a sniff at each other

She loves the secure field and I can’t wait to get back there once travel restrictions ease.

My dog isn’t aggressive. I think it’s a mix of over excitement and fear. She missed out on socialisation and wasn’t walked enough by her previous owners.

At home she’s lovely and she adores all people.

I often think that life would be easier if every dog owner had to walk a reactive dog for a couple of weeks!

ArabellaScott · 07/03/2021 13:24

I am so feeling this thread.

Turtles4543 · 17/03/2021 20:30

Yes I look at quiet dogs walking calmly passed and think how nice that would be

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