Brought to tears by dog's behaviour - help?!

[C0rBlimey]

I have a 3 year old Staffie, rescued from Dogs Trust at 15 months old. She was advertised as being great with other dogs and for the first 6 months I had her, she was great.

Since then she's become more and more reactive on the lead to dogs. Very occasionally if I can keep the lead slack, she'll do a beautiful hello but I don't Trust her enough now to do this.

Been to see dog behaviourists, one recommended using treats as positive association which worked really well to start with but then lost all effect. Currently seeing another one but too early to tell yet.

It breaks my heart as she's so loving and brilliant in every other way, but this isn't the life I signed up for. I wanted to be able to take my dog to the pub, on doggy days out but I can't because she kicks off so much.

I adore her but it brought me to tears on her walk today seeing her so worked up and I felt or the first time like I can't control her now. No one else will walk her for me when I'm at work because of it and its almost impossible to avoid other dogs on walks where I live, regardless of time of day.

Anyone got any experience of this or tips please?

Oh dear. Did anything happen in those first 6 months? I would get in touch with the charity and ask if they can help at all. As you’re already seeing a behaviourist not sure what else to suggest but it sounds very difficult. Can you ask around for good dog walkers? Perhaps if you offered extra money one would consent to walk a more difficult dog alone, there must be dog walkers who are able to do this.

Chat to the dogs trust as they have behaviourists who should be able to help and if you rehomed the dog from them they should give some additional support. Otherwise make sure you choose a behaviourist who is IMDT or APDT affiliated and ideally it needs to be a behaviourist and not a dog trainer as they are more qualified to dealing with reactive behaviour.

You say treats were working but not now, which could mean training was moving too quickly, or the food is possibly being poisoned by the overriding fear of other dogs. I would suggest getting professional help to nip this in the bud.

Unfortunately staffies are known for being dog reactive.

Are your behaviourists APDT registered?

@Kanaloa

Oh dear. Did anything happen in those first 6 months? I would get in touch with the charity and ask if they can help at all. As you’re already seeing a behaviourist not sure what else to suggest but it sounds very difficult. Can you ask around for good dog walkers? Perhaps if you offered extra money one would consent to walk a more difficult dog alone, there must be dog walkers who are able to do this.

As a dog walker myself, the only way I would take on a dog that needs to be walked alone would be to charge at least £20 an hour. Otherwise it's just not worth my time.

All the dogs I walk can be taken with at least one other dog - either my own or paired with another dog on my books.

I'm not a walker that does big groups but solo walks just aren't profitable at a lower price once you factor in travel time, fuel etc.

In the nicest possible way, did you not research the breed you were taking in?

Many many staffies are dog aggressive or at least dog selective just because of genetics and the way the brain works, she’s reached maturity now at 2 which tends to be the sort of age these problems establish themselves. It’s very hard to overrule the natural personality of the dog although you can help to manage it, much like you can’t change glass empty people into glass full people very easily either
I’m not saying staffies are aggressive but I would say dog reactivity and aggression is a well known trait.

You can definitely work with her though. I would keep going with the positive associations as it does help however having had quite a few reactive dogs in the past I did have to accept to a point that they wouldn’t be comfortable ‘saying hello’ and it’s not the end of the world. Remember every time she reacts she’s reinforcing the negative behaviour and causing herself stress so you need to minimise it as much as possible, give her as much space as you can from whatever triggers her so it’s calm. If you have to walk in random secluded places until she’s relaxed then do that and gradually move closer at her pace.
As long as you can get to the point you can walk past dogs and she isn’t aggressive to humans then that’s all you need really, we don’t all need to be social butterflies!

As @Leonberger says, adult traits tend to become apparent when a dog hits social maturity at about 2-3 years, so this is unlikely to be because of anything you've done. And while some Staffies are soft, as a breed they are prone to dog aggression, so it's likely you're going to be up against her genetics. Would you feel calmer if you got her used to being walked in a muzzle? If you're calmer, she will sense that too.

It's hard work owning a reactive dog. Having had one, much as we loved him I wouldn't want another.

Every dog is an individual but on the whole Staffies, while big people dogs, often (though not exclusively) do not do well with other dogs. It may be that your pooch had issues/events in her life that have shaped this behaviour. Good luck.

Your first behaviourist advice is the one that is usually recommended. I would get back to them to ask them to tweak it so it will continue to work.

I would guess that you stopped cc as your dog behavour improved which allowed things to escalate again. Or you may have decreased the distance to soon.

However saying all of that having a reactive dog is hard work and you do have to alter your behaviour and expectations. for you. I hope that you can get back into a position that makes life and walks happier for you both

Thanks everyone for your support. I did take her back to the Dogs Trust and they tested her around other dogs and she didn't react at all. Ironically i researched Staffies a lot and thought I'd hit the jackpot when they had assessed her as being good with other dogs. Lesson learned!

I didn't know about ensuring behaviourists were registered so I'll check that. And as much as I've held out on a muzzle I think it might be time as you say.

I have a rescue staffie cross. As we are approaching other dogs, I tend to talk to her, saying idiotically and in a happy low tone, " Look, a nice dog. Say, hallo nicely. What a nice dog." She gets the idea of what I expect and relaxes. The great thing about staffies is that what they want most is the approval of their owners. The main thing though is that a reactive dog naturally causes dread in their owner when another dog comes into view. Be careful that you are not subconsciously tensing up and tightening the lead in anticipation as dogs sense this immediately and makes them think something is to be feared so they need to protect. Also, if she is pulling towards the other dog, rather than walking on, pulling her with you, just stop and wait until they have passed and your dog has calmed down before you go on. You have already noticed your dog can do a nice greet on a slacker lead.

There was a couple in my area with two cockapoo-type dogs (first time dogowners)that were hugely reactive to other dogs. Their response was to shorten the leads, pull the dogs to the side and brace themselves while their dogs strained against the leads, hurling abuse at passing dogs, gently scolding their barking dogs. I saw them about 50 yards away once, spot my own dog, tense up and start hauling their dogs up (who hadn't noticed us but were thus alerted to something averse coming). Both of the owners were really anxious and worried. As we drew closer they went to their usual fallback of stopping on the far edge of wide path. My dog and I stopped too and I suggested we had a chat (still several feet away) and let their dogs carry on barking but not address them. My dog stood quietly by. We had a chat while the owners tried ignoring them and the barking slowed down, then stopped as their dogs got no reaction. Then the 2 dogs sat quietly and were completely calm. The owners were very surprised and glad. They were desperate for help and really needed a behaviourist to but it was 2020 covid time. I was hoping to run into them again and maybe we could try doing a walk together but sadly I never saw them again. I think they gave up their dogs as they couldn't cope and just hope the dogs went to a good experienced home. I have just mentioned this to illustrate the tension thing, not saying you are in any way like this unfortunate couple.

OP, this is supposed to be a very helpful protocol with reactive dogs:
grishastewart.com/bat-overview/
I've never tried it myself, but I've heard good things about it.

Is she on lead when she reacts to the other dogs?

Many dogs are "lead reactive" - the lead basically restricts their natural movement (and ability to get away) and so they feel a bit trapped and lash out to keep the other dog away.

Naturally it works as most dogs will run off or ignore them, and so they learn to keep doing it as (in their mind) it works. It starts to then become reflex - see another dog, react, dog stays away etc. and so they cycle repeats.

Definitely make sure your behaviourist is APDT registered. As Polly said, the positive reinforcement your first behaviourist recommended is the right thing to do, but you have to be incredibly persistent and not stop/relax when you think it's working. Once you stop the reinforcement, they forget/get scared again and you're back to square one.

Good luck. It's tough having a reactive dog

Tbh, I grew up where practically everyone had staffs, when I met DH he had a staff and while they are usually nice with people, I’d never trust one around other dogs unless it’s a dog they’ve grown up with.

As some PPs have said, dogs aren’t really properly adult until around 2 - 4 depending on the breed, I agree with the suspicion that she isn’t dog social now that she’s mature and I bet that treating her while walking past dogs (at a distance) and never letting her get close enough to greet another dog again will be the end of your problems.

Lots of adult dogs don't actually want to meet and greet other dogs once mature and
staffs are a breed specifically known for dog aggression.

You don’t always get the dog you want. You have to work with what you have.
I wanted a dog I could take in the car on holiday, did a lot of work in the car when he was a pup, but no - he’s a nightmare in the car. So we don’t get to take him away.

Try a change of route op. 6 weeks and your ddog will have forgotten her reactions from that route. If you are tightening the lead you are signalling tori ddog to beware. So it is reacting. My rottweiler was the same. As is my pre Covid ddog. Crinkly bag of treats. As soon as you see a ddog rustle the bag to gain her attention and keep walking as you feed treats.
My ddog is slowly reforming! Sometimes I don't even give a treat just rustle!!

If when she went back to dogs trust she didn’t react then it could be her picking up more on your nerves and then thinking there’s something wrong. A muzzle might give you confidence and allow her to calm down a bit too. There’s nothing wrong with muzzles if introduced correctly.
Also a dog doesn’t have to greet other dogs or say hello- you just need to get her to the stage where she can ignore.
If you can’t avoid other dogs completely, try crossing the road to give her more space- or open fields rather than tight woodland paths so you can pass at a distance.
I find lead flags help as well, get one saying no dogs, people are much more likely to put their dog back on the lead and give you space if they think it is for their dogs safety.
Look at the three Ds. You kind of need to do this in reverse- get her used to dogs at a distance and then reduce the distance. Try and get her focusing on you and looking to you for guidance

Ime if you put a ddog in a new environment it doesn't always act as expected..my pre Covid (just) dpuppy was very reactive.. I turned up at a trainer for an initial assessment.. As I got out of the car (in a farm) we passed some week old ducklings-literally under her paws - and some farm ddogs. DPUPPY DIDN'T BAT AN EYE.
Frankly she made me look STUPID.
The trainer said no classes necessary.. I was too embarrassed to argue and just left!!

Often if a dog is overwhelmed it will just shut down.

It’s probably why some dogs are more reserved in kennels with all of the stress and then the true behaviour comes out once they get home and settled in.

@fairylightsandwaxmelts

Yeah £20 per walk wouldn’t be really doable! Very understandable for the dog walker though and I can see why it would be difficult to get friends or family to walk a difficult dog. Bit of a tricky situation all round really.

Hopefully working with the new behaviourist will solve these issues but it’s a difficult one.

Has she been attacked?