Reactive dog advice - if I'm on lead and dog approaches us

[scaredydog2]

We are working on reactivity caused by my dog being attacked 4 times (and counting ) . The most recent was a few weeks ago at a holiday cottage where a woman was "walking " dogs by driving behind 4 loose dogs on a lane and one went for mine just by the house we were renting in the side garden. Anyway. That's a whole other story but he'd been doing so well and we have strategies to distract , start walks away from the house (I.e.drive somewhere not start from the doorstep which where the first dog went for him ). Stop and treat to refocus and reset. Be aware of other dogs and move away. He's mostly fine with DH and behaviourist reckons this is because the attacks happened when I was there.
Today he was off lead as no other dogs around , playing with ball, I spy a dog across the field and immediately put him back on lead. A youngish dog races over. I shouted "he's not always friendly !" They we're trying to recall but he wouldn't go back. Seemed like a lovely friendly dog My dog (on lead and held by me by his harness ) was ok at first (he doesn't react to all dogs which is a challenge in itself and some he will welcome and want to play with ) and he didn't react other than tail going down (which is a sign I guess) but as she started getting closer and sniffing his bum, he seemed to lose patience and he started snarling and snapping. She ran off in a matter of seconds but I was upset again that I couldn't do anything to distract him there or really take him out of the situation. Or felt panic. How should I react here? Pick him up? He's a smallish terrier. Or try to throw better treats. Maybe have the big guns of treats such as hot dog/ chicken ? He was upset pretty quickly.

Do I assume he'll always snap and have a new strategy? My behaviourist tells me he barks and snaps (hasn't actually gone for another dog himself or bitten) because in his head he does this and they go away. Regardless of if they're called or we walk away- it's like he switches on his "get away " defence mechanism. My behaviourist is coming back soon for another session, as he was doing really well but this is upsetting me and I know a lot of you have tonnes of experience and don't all have the perfect easygoing dog either. For what it's worth he was absolutely great as a puppy and until 18 months until he was attacked. Friendly. Never barked at the door or any other dog and now is a bundle of nervous energy when we get ready to walk. I was thinking maybe change location again. Dog field every week? But these are expensive here. Mega early for a few weeks to build confidence ?
For context he is fine at dog boarders and with his dog Walker and the regular group he goes with but I just want to help him to feel safer. He clearly has his safe places and safe dogs ...
Please don't flame me for being out with him or having had him off lead as he was firmly on lead and always back on when there are other dogs. Any sympathy or positive tales or advice most welcome. Trust me it's nothing we've done - and the poor dogs who attacked have been attacked themselves prior. (Spoken amicably to the owners since )

Treats to distract would never have worked in this situation because you've got a friendly dog coming over to say hello so that dog was always going to invade your dog's space.

Honestly, there is nothing you could have done any differently and if you think about it from your dog's point of view, he's entitled to snap to tell a dog to leave him alone, what else can he do.

Like your behaviourist said he's being defensive not aggressive.

I would just put this down to being an unfortunate incident and move on with what you were already doing to help him. There is no need to change anything.

And of course you were fine having him out and about and off lead, you did nothing wrong, you put his lead on when you saw the other dog.

Try not to be too upset, these things happen, it was the other dog's owners fault for not having their dog better trained and no-one got hurt and the dogs didn't fight, so all is well really.

Good luck moving forward with the training, you'll get there x

You are doing so well with your dog.
You e engaged a behaviourist and doing all the right things.
Persevere.
Sometimes their behaviour just comes down to management.
We have a different problem with our seven month old, he suddenly acts out terribly after friendly interactions with other dog so we're working really hard to avoid any contact to try and correct his behaviour.
We've had some success by changing his training treats. We go out with an assortment of treats, generally a mix of his kibble, ham, cheese and a bit of red pepper.
Our trainer explained it was good to have a mix so the dog wouldn't know what he'd get the next time.
We're at the point where when he's on the lead we make him sit and use to 'look at me' command till the other dog walks past.
In the fields when he's off we avoid othe walkers like the plague, changing route away from potential triggers.
Sounds simple. Some days our walks are amazing, others it's like one step forward and two steps back.
But I'm sure you know that consistency is the key.
One thing we've found useful (thanks to my DD) is if you have your dog on the lead, say to others that you're on a training walk and don't want the distraction.
We're finding that most walkers appreciate this and give us a wide birth.

Don't lose confidence, I know it's hard after a less than perfect walk.
But hopefully one day you'll realise that the good days begin to outweigh the bad.
That's what I'm hoping anyway 😂 💐

Well done! Sounds like you are doing well.

You’ve got two options (well legal ones). Pick up your dog. I do ( terrier). Show him you’ll rescue him if he’s scared. Reactivity is him making the decision. You don’t want him to do that. He’ll make a poor one.

A voice of god, or angry mum voice and a flat out hand STOP! to the other dog can also work well with most dogs. Make yourself big and scary. You can then chick food and get your dog out of there sharpish.

My dog isn’t reactive but she is 6 Kg and has been bounced on my rude and untrained dogs with shit for brains owners who make no attempt to collect their dog. Stuff happens. I’ve got no issues with owners who come over, apologise and collect their dog. I do have issues with the ‘he’s friendly’ brigade.

I forget I can tell the other dog to stay back as well as shouting in an apologetic voice to the owner. I just need to be ready. I long for the dog I used to have and likely won't get back. My neighbour has a reactive dog too and she said the same - we almost grieve for the dog we have lost due to another dog who's been ill treated or hurt themselves. It's a nasty spiral and I feel so judged by owners of "easy" dogs

I don't think you need to sound apologetic to the other owner, their dog shouldn't run over to yours full stop.

Honestly don’t worry. You’ve done all you can by putting your dog on his lead and telling the other owner. My dog is very over friendly so I put him on his lead when we see another dog and ask the owner if it’s OK to play. Sometimes it is, sometimes it isn’t and that’s fine.

Is it possible that he’s picking up on your anxiety given that he’s OK when he’s with other people? Perhaps you both need some confidence boosting? Do you know anyone with a laid back but unfamiliar dog you can build up some interactions with? I’ve done this for a neighbour with a Romanian rescues as my dog is big, friendly and could get away if needed. The dog now loves my dog and I can tell he’s not happy with me when I see him out and about but don’t have my dog with me 🙈.

Also, have you got a yellow “nervous” lead/ collar/ harness?

Do not be apologetic. People with off lead dogs which aren't under their control are an absolute menace.

Your dog was under control, theirs wasn't. If your dog had bitten theirs, it would have been their fault.

I would pick him up and walk away.

And also if you haven't got it, join the Dog's Trust and you can get 3rd party insurance which normal dog insurance policies don't cover. Hopefully you won't need it but better to be belt and braces.

The only other thing I would say is keep him in for a day or so. Play games indoors. Get his cortisol levels right down before you take him out again.

Hi OP, I’ve been in this situation a few times with my lad (nearly killed by a XL bully so very traumatised post attack). The therapist I saw said that my boy would snap at the dog to make it go away because he didn’t want to be hurt, so it’s important to distract early to reduce that chemical build up when your dog sees another dog. Also, my boy LOVES fetch so I always have a ball to hand to distract him with.

To be fair, it’s the other owner who was at fault today - you had your dog on a lead. If a dog has bad recall then it shouldn’t be off lead.

You sound like you’re doing a great job with your dog. I always feel anxious when another dog bounds over (my boy is OK with a quick sniff hello and that’s it) and I try to keep my voice calm and immediately go for the ball distraction.

Are you stopping and restraining your dog by his harness? By doing that you’re making him immobile and a standing target, which in turn will make him more likely to react.

You need to get between your dog and the threat. Shout at it to sit, or throw treats to distract, or use an umbrella to block it from your dog (first teach your own dog not to fear the umbrella being opened) - and get out of there. Advocate for your dog and protect him - don’t pin him down to protect the rude dog approaching.

This is interesting and makes total sense. He got out last week (was saying hello to my mum on the drive which he's done countless times before and not moved ) and saw one of his nemesis dogs. He raced over but barked and snarled then when we shouted him back (again seconds later ) he raced back to me but didn't attack or seem to want to fight. I feel more confident on the lead (him not me obviously !) because I can't say hand on heart that I definitely know he wouldn't have fought. I'll be leaving him in today with cuddles and indoor fetch and keeping on lead and at as much of a distance as I can too.

I usually get infront of my dog while blocking the other and tell the other dog to go away very sternly. If that doesn’t work I generally turn and walk away as fast as possible keeping my dog engaged and moving forwards.

Unfortunately this means I have had someone’s dog following me more than once while some frantic owner tries to recall but it’s really not my problem.

Don’t apologise. Tell them to get their dog now please. Polite but firm.

Your dog is under control. Theirs is not. Their problem. Save your breath and energy for your dog.

I have low tolerance for owners who are not considerate of the needs of others.

Have you tried standing in front of your dog, blocking the oncoming dog? This worked well for mine when I first had him. You may have to do a bit of a boogie to keep between the inbound dog and yours, but yours will see you are defending him.

I forget I can tell the other dog to stay back as well as shouting in an apologetic voice to the owner.

shout at the other dog loudly and firmly, put yourself between your dog and the off lead one. Stop apologising to the other owner who has an out of control dog they cannot recall.

I can imagine quite the dance but I'll try this. I kept him in yesterday and he was on top note all afternoon. Barking madly at the fence and any passer by ...it's hot today so we may just have a cooler in the woods wander later

I've just done Reactive Dog School with Dogs Trust, my little PomChi did so well. It was a class with one other reactive dog and managed really well, gave us lots of common sense tools and ideas on managing my girl, she's already improving. Fortunately she's really foodie which always helps.

My girl is probably even smaller than yours, when we do have off lead dogs come right up to us, usually much larger dogs, I have had to scoop her up and ask, firmly, for the other dog owner to come get their dog. I try not to shout or panic too much as it will just rile her up. Usually once I've scooped her she just sits in my arms quietly rumbling to herself.

For the most part though I try to keep her on the floor and use her favourite snacks as a distraction, tossing them onto the floor in the opposite direction of the thing she's angry at helps and food is always more exciting than the other dog.

It might be worth seeing if you have a local Dogs Trust Dogs School with reactive dog classes to help you out. They cost about £150 for 5 sessions.

This sounds fabulous thanks. Think there's on in Liverpool which is near me