Reactive Dog

[ConcernedUndoggyPerson]

An elderly relative has a dog which is frankly a bit much for them. They mostly pay a specialist reactive dog walker to take it out.

A lot of effort has gone into trying to train it and it is much calmer than it was, but occasionally it reacts badly to something at random.

3 times in the last 5 years it's bitten a person. Once was a jogger that ran quite close to it. Once was someone making a noise it didn't like nearby. This time, it saw a type of dog it doesn't like, on a lead. The dog walker grabbed it, but it slipped away and went for the dog on the lead. The dog walker got bitten.

The owner seems to think it's just one of those things. None of the bitten people have ever made a fuss or wanted to pursue it further.

It just feels wrong to me to just accept it and risk it happening again with potentially greater consequences. But there isn't really anything that can be tried that hasn't been tried already.

I walk it very rarely, and when I do, keep it on a lead and bring it close to me if anyone else is around. But I am not sure it is at all safe to be out. I guess a muzzle? Or should it be put down if it is randomly unpredictable?

All of those situations could have been managed by the dog being on a short lead and kept at a distance from others. If dog is otherwise healthy it would be cruel to put it to sleep because the humans walking it are careless.

Was the dog on the lead okay after your relative's dog went for it? What type of dog is it? I think it should be muzzled, and your relative has been very lucky that the 3 people haven't made a fuss.

Muzzle train it. Much safer for the dog and everyone else. They are not cruel at all.

Thanks. It's a Labradoodle. Adopted at 2 after a difficult start. Short lead and keep distance is basically my strategy. Relative's strategy is to go to quiet places at quiet times. Dog walker is a specialist so I'd guess will be re-thinking whether she lets it off the lead now.

The dog walker was naive to let them off lead. If you decide to muzzle train then everybody needs to use it, it will take time to condition the dog to the muzzle so consistency will be important. I suspect its breed has got it off the hook with the people it bit because it looks cute.

Yes, the other dog was fine though the owner would obviously be upset. The dog walker ran over to stop the dog attacking and got bitten trying to grab its collar.

A professional dog walker, experienced with reactive dogs and familiar with this specific dog would not be walking this dog off lead and near other dogs/people.

I'd be asking some very serious questions of that dog walker.

This dog needs effective controls and to be walked in places where they do not encounter the things that stresses them out. That is basic dog walking 101. Any semi-serious dog walker should know that.

A muzzle is not an effective control for a reactive dog (imo). It is a damage limitation tool. It is there as a safety net in case all your other controls fail you. It's is simply to keep the other party as safe as possible and - therefore - to keep your own dog alive.

Effective controls are hard boundaries (fences), leads and/or visibility of the environment you are walking to it be able to see there is not another dog within any kind of distance that the dog can detect, along with reliable recall training.

Doesn't sound like a very trustworthy/educated dog walker if they claim to be a specialist in reactive dogs yet let the dog offlead somewhere where there were other walkers!!

I have a reactive dog, he is muzzled in public, we wear accessories from the yellow dog project to make others aware to give us space (not that it always works but it's an extra layer of protection against the 'it's on hes friendly' brigade) and he only goes off lead in places/times I am as sure as I can be that we won't encounter his triggers. And he keeps the muzzle on then too. A long line is a good compromise in places where there's a small chance of encountering triggers. Lots of space to pass anyone and try to move in a curve around them rather than walk directly towards them.

But if the stressor is a reaction to a person or dog going about their business in a very normal way, surely the only way to ensure the dog isn't stressed is a private walking area?

I can't comment on the dog walker, they have been chosen by my relative. They may have been lulled into a false sense of security as this has never happened on their watch before.

But if the stressor is a reaction to a person or dog going about their business in a very normal way, surely the only way to ensure the dog isn't stressed is a private walking area?

Yes, if the dog is very reactive or you live in a very urban area that might be best. There are fields you can hire for this. Depends where you live but we walk in rural areas where I know I can change direction and make space if we meet anyone. The less the dog has chance to practise the behaviour the calmer it will be.

But if the stressor is a reaction to a person or dog going about their business in a very normal way, surely the only way to ensure the dog isn't stressed is a private walking area?

Yes.

Or very quiet rights of way through fields etc - the availability of which will depend where you live, of course.

Privately rented fields. They can be found all over the country.

Or other areas where you can achieve the distance the dog needs, which is likely to be several tens (if not hundreds) of metres. For example, we have a few public woods nearby that are not bery busy and where the pathways are all long and straight with multiple 'off' options that would allow the walker to see another dog/human coming a mile off and take evasive action.

It can be achieved with street walking in quiet places but often only with a willingness not to commit to a specific route and/or double back, cross the road, take a longer route. All to avoid too close contact with a stressor (it's the dog that decices what is too close or not).

It's not easy and I don't pretend it is, especially if you live in a built up area. But to take a dog out into an environment where s/he is likey to encounter the very thing that stresses them out is likely not in the dog's best interests. Better would be to find other acivities that stimulate and entertain the dog and only go on formal walks occasionally when the right arrnagements can be made.

And dog walker claiming to 'specialise' in reactive dog that doesn't already now all this, is not really a specialist at all.

To be fair, this is pretty much what I do when I occasionally do walk them. I am happy to cross the road to avoid other dogs, and have them on a short lead if there are people about. My relative goes out very early in the morning - which is fine unless someone else has the same idea - or pays the walker to do it for them. I'm guessing the walker will be having a re-think about strategies.

All this feedback is very useful and I will see what is suggested going forward. I am limited in how far I can influence the situation but wanted to check that it wasn't simply that the dog should be put down. Thanks for the responses, everyone.

Sounds like there's def more than can be done to manage the reactivity. I'd encourage them to stop paying the dubious dog walker and spend the money hiring private fields a few times a week instead, where the dog can run safely with no worries for anyone!

Muzzle training would still be wise though - it's not a one stop solution as pp said but stuff goes wrong, leads break, idiots let their off lead dogs/children run up to strange dogs without asking first. If that happens you can at least feel confident you've taken every precaution you can to keep the dog and others safe. I find the muzzle also helps encourage said idiots to keep their distance!

Muzzle training won't stop the dog being stressed to the eyeballs and reacting out of fear. It is a good skill for a dog to have but the owners would be better placed to hire a secure field, look at brain games to tire the dog out in between and one to one structured training to try to improve the dog's outlook.

This is a long term project and management.

Continually placing the dog over threshold is hell for the dog and just adds to more trauma for everyone. Reactive dogs can be safely kept but a lot of thought and management needs to go into them.

None of those bites could have happened, if the paid " dog walker" had the dog securely attached to a fixed lead, and was paying proper attention to the surroundings. A properly controlled dog should never have got within reach of a jogger, noisy person, or another dog on a lead.

If the dog walker repeatedly failed at that most basic tenet of reactive dog management, then I doubt very much they have the faintest clue about training it. They;ve been taking money for a service they are incompetent to provide.

The dog walker should never have had this dog off lead to begin with. The fact that they thought it acceptable to walk a randomly reactive dog off the lead in public is shocking.

I'm a dog walker myself and walk a randomly reactive terrier - he is never allowed off the lead. Ever. I don't muzzle him because it makes him even more stressed and also because he's not reactive to people - just dogs - which can be easily managed by walking him in isolated areas on a short lead.

Yes, sometimes we meet another dog and he may have a bark and lunge but he's never once bitten another dog or come close to it.

It's impossible to

Oops.

It's impossible for us to use an enclosed private field as the nearest one is well over an hour away.