Walking a reactive dog

[DunjeeOn]

How little can I get away with walking a very reactive/dog aggressive dog? High energy large breed unfortunately which makes it worse.
she’s been in training for 3 years, she’s not as bad as she was but she’s still very reactive. I hire the enclosed dog field once a week but I know that’s not enough.
but walking her is so bloody stressful.

Just wanting to vent I suppose.

I feel your pain. After spending a fortune on behavioursts I have given up. I hire a secure field every day though, for an hour. Very costly, but I took on a GSD, so he needs this, as a minimum. Otherwise I think he’d be very unhappy.

I walk very very early in the morning.

Can you walk in quiet places at odd times?
Brain games?

Walking at very unsociable times (I used to get up at 4.30am to walk our reactive rescue); counter-conditioning (a treat every time she doesn’t react to a dog in her ‘bubble’)…but IME it’s not something that ever completely goes away and it only takes one idiot with an “it’s alright, he’s friendly” out of control mutt to set them back again - hence the unsociable hours! It’s exhausting, you have to be on high alert all the time to spot the other dog that might be a trigger, while also trying to stay relaxed so your dog doesn’t pick up on your tension. You have my sympathy, I wouldn’t knowingly have another reactive dog as ours nearly broke me, lovable clown though he was with people.

I feel your pain too ☹️

Can you walk them very early/late to avoid seeing other dog walkers?

Also maybe a yellow 'give me space' bandana for them.

Mine isn’t even lovable with other people, she hates everyone that isn’t me. It’s been a lonely 4 years 😞

I feel your pain, ours is the same it’s so stressful.

I tend to take him out very late at night when it’s quiet, if he didn’t go out every day he’d be a nightmare, but it’s so tough.

Very very early. There is also a school of thought that very reactive dogs should be walked every other day, to help them unwind a bit too.

I meant to add something else…if your dog has an “incident”, I’d skip walks for a couple of days as it can take much longer than you might think for the stress hormones to disperse (look up “trigger stacking” if you’re not already familiar with it). I’d replace with mental activity games at home so she still gets plenty of stimulation but in a calm, trusted environment that will give her a chance to cool off stress-wise.

Look at Absolute Dogs (prepare yourself they are very very cheesy but do give have good info)

They advocate drop the walk and drop the routine and give lots of advice on how to proceed and have a happy dog especially if reactive. They do short mini courses online.

They have a free podcast which may give you an idea of how they work

It may help you and your dog.

The frequency of walks will vary greatly by individual dog and by how much other interaction/stimulation they get in the home.

However, a reasonable starting point is a good walk every other day - perhaps very early or late or even during a rain storm, to minimise the chances of bumping into anyone. If there are walks you can do that tend to be quieter, even if that means driving somewhere, it is worth doing these. This may mean investing in a good pair of wellies and waterproof gear so that you can remain clean and comfy during your walks.

If there are other things that stress your dog a little bit (e.g. traffic) then try to avoid these too as they all take their toll.

Add to that your weekly secure field booking.

As above, if you do have an incident where your dog gets wound up on a walk, then consider giving them a quiet couple of days to decompress.

On the days inbetween, do a couple of training sessions but make them fun based. This is good for you both and the more FUN you can have, the better everything becomes. The key is for you both to enjoy yourseleves together. The link for Absolute Dogs is a good one for ideas but there are also lots on YouTube (Chiraq Patel, Kikopup are a couple of get you started).

Also think about other ways to provide enrichment. A classic one is to scatter kibble around your garden or home, rather than feed from a bowl. The sniff and search activity not only provides entertainment but the very act of sniffing calms your dog.

Other ways are to have fun training tasks you would find useful. For example, the cliche of bringing you your slippers. Things that mean you can ask for them during the day, your dog gets the stimulation of doing them and also the confidence-boost of getting them right and you get to notice the side of your dog that isn't the stressful reactive bit. So often, someone like reactivity ends up being all you can see (through no fault of your own). But, ime, reactive dogs are some of the smartest and most sensitive dogs. There is a lot too them beyond their fears.

Early morning/late nights will aviod most other dogs and people. Is this the life you really want though? If you;ve been training for 3 yrs and she is still a problem, it's not going to resolve itself. My dad got a crazy boxer and it led to him losing most of his friends as they wouldn't visit. I'm not sure it's worth it in the long run.

Early mornings and late nights.... particularly in places like industrial estates which people rarely walk dogs in and will be deserted outside of working hours

Thanks everyone, I just feel so guilty, this is not the life I imagined for her.

I’ve just started teaching her how to dance (like the collies at crufts but with a 35kg Dobermann 😂) so we have that to work on in the house. She can do the slippers (she learnt that by herself believe it or not, she’s so incredibly smart). I’m going to buy her a toy box and teach her how to tidy up her toys too.

The industrial area walks is a good idea, I never thought of that.

Just on the Absolute Dogs note: I really like them too. They do a free podcast as well - they were discussing one of the trainers own reactive dog. It wasn't on a podcast called "reactive dogs" but I think on a games one where she said she couldn't walk her dog "normally" but wasn't bothered by it as people get hung up on the "must walk twice a day routine" and instead the dog got different games/enrichment which worked far better for them.

Really good advice re industrial estates also identifying some routes that are all pavement based (wide pavements if possible) next to roads where you can be sure you are never going to encounter an off-lead dog

Something else you might like to try is BAT - behaviour adjustment training.

((grishastewart.com/bat-overview/))

Essentially it involves the dog being allowed, at its own pace, to gradually get nearer and nearer to the trigger.

You can hear her talking about it here:
((thecanineparadigm.com/2020/11/28/episode-155-grisha-stewart/))
Episode 155 of The Canine Paradigm

Walk at night or first thing? Drive somewhere remote? Industrial areas are usually void of dogs and people pretty much.

Lots of mental stimulation like brain games and other training (teaching tricks maybe?). Also ensure she works for all her food if at all possible by using snuffle mats or kong wobblers. Walk early in the morning in quiet areas and buy a high-vis vest for yourself or the dog saying "walking a reactive dog, please give us space". It helps (somewhat!) to prevent idiots just invading your space.

Have you seen a behaviourist that's on the official register for veterinary behaviour? I only ask as they can help you explore if medication might be something that can help.

I understand your situation and am sending hugs

Industrial areas are great.. lots of good smells and very few people! Mine's a lot better than she used to be but we still do plenty of 'people and dog free' walks.. can you get out into the countryside with a long line. I drive out a few times a week to give my girl a really long sniffy walk and if we choose our weather (the worse the better) we barely ever see anyone!

Be aware if industrial estates near houses they maybe busier than you think of evening

I live next door to industrial estate and of evening several people walking dogs there upside they are all on leads

I've managed to find a few odd random places to walk so I can avoid others ,sides of fields ,old railway tunnels leading to old paths anywhere is worth a look cos you can find wee hidden treasures behind a wall etc
I do drive to isolated areas and have been known to have to try somewhere else if other cars about
So always take a phone

Many golf courses aren't totally fenced, especially the ones with public footpaths across them. My reactive dog had fabulous walks/runs on a golf course at 11pm, earlier in winter months.

I also feel your pain. Our 3 legged GSD uses wheels in the winter to have a good run and she became a nightmare, aggressively barking and lunging at dogs, cats, people, kids, rubbish... you name it. A trainer said it is because she feels vulnerable in her wheels so is reactive. Makes sense. But like you, walks have become soooo stressful. We walk her at times others are less likely to be about, we keep our eyes peeled for triggers and I also keep a slip lead on her - looped around her muzzle, not just her neck. Rather than letting her run too far head, I keep her close and under my control where possible, which seems to help but melt downs still happen. If she gets OTT we sit down or stand still until she is 100% over herself.

She only gets walked every other day... for her and our sanity. On non-walk days she gets games and training at home... trying to teach her to calm down and listen more.

None of this will probably help anymore than you were expecting it too... other than to say you are not alone, hahahahahaha 😂