Adopted reactive dog and desperate

[Dogwarwick]

We've rescued a 5 year old dog who was entirely biddable and subdued in kennels. They told us he was reactive but it was so impossible to believe because he was gentle and quiet.

10 days down the line and, whilst he's so beautifully behaved and a joy in the house, he is incredibly reactive to everything out and about - dogs, people, cyclists. Any sudden moves and he's snarling and lunging.

We have had another rescue dog before but never experienced this. We've read and watched everything we can on the subject and are living it on every walk. It's exhausting and, if anything he's getting worse. Also, it's clear that separation anxiety is going to be another problem. We are retired so this would be rare - but we find ourselves with a dog we can't leave even for a moment and can not trust on walks.

Does anyone have any stories about how they turned this around please? Was it possible? Did it take time? Have we made a terrible mistake.

I'm bloody desperate and feel awful for us and the poor dog.

I know people will suggest a behaviourist and I have no experience of that.

But in the meantime, the lady around the corner from me has an extremely reactive large breed rescue. She walks him at anti-social times, in anti-social places with a muzzle and harness. Protects us, him and her.

I would highly recommend Dog’s Trust 1-1 reactive training. Approx £70 for 1 hr session.
Our rescue dog was reactive, and although not perfect now, he has vastly improved with the tips we were given. We had 2 sessions. Please don’t give up on the dog, the key is to be consistent, consistent, consistent. High reward treats.
Good luck.

If it could hurt someone then put it down

Do the rescue have a behaviourist? You want professional help

You absolutely can work on reactivity but if it’s the first time you’ve done it you really would benefit from someone showing what to do.

Also, give him a break from walks - at least a few days to a week just to chill and settle down, then don’t walk him every day, it can take up 48 hrs for stress hormones to settle down and he’ll already be stressed from moving to you, so every day he’s starting out stressed and ready to react

Yes, totally agree, that’s what the Dog’s Trust advised us - a dog doesn’t need to be walked everyday as you are just building stress upon stress, they need to time to come down from all that reactiveness. As long as you keep their mind busy with say snuffle mats, hiding food, playing then that is just as good as a daily walk.

Stop walking him. Hopefully you've got a garden? Let him settle, help him settle, build a bond with him, brain games and training in time. It could take weeks or months before he is ready for walks but may never be.
You're rushing things - no criticism of you - but give him time and you will hopefully get there. Behaviourist could be useful too but again in time.

What breed is he or do you see in him and what's his background?

Reactivity training. We had a series of 1-1s with trained stooge dogs and it’s the best thing I’ve ever done for my reactive girl. Also speak to vet about anti anxiety meds as this may help during the training period, or research cbd oil for dogs.

Does the rehoming centre have post-adoption support with a behaviouralist? If so they'd be my first port of call. If not, I'd get advice from a good local behaviouralist who uses positive techniques. 10 days is very early on and your dog will still be adjusting to you and its new life and will be for a while yet. But the reactivity is obviously not a problem that's just developed over the past 10days if the rescue mentioned it. A good behaviouralist will hopefully be able to give you an idea of what to do / not to do while your dog settles in (so as not to make it worse) and will then hopefully be able to help you begin to rectify it.

My rescue had issues with separation. He's now happy with being left but it took months of training almost every day.

Thank you so much for all your help and advice.

@redboxer321 He's a terrier mix up, JRT size. He was never socialised and was given up because of change in the family circumstances (new children in the house).

It's 10 days. So early in the process. Agree with everyone who says stop walking. It's too overwhelming. Decompress at home and although I've no doubt that you will face some reactive issues, all in good time.

Thanks so much for the advice about not walking him but the problem I have is that I can't leave him or take him out with me. I don't know how I can manage it. God, what a muddle. I so want to help the little chap.

They say it takes 3 months for a dog to properly settle in a new home - and that’s any dog not one who’s been in kennels / shelter environment. Agree with PP - slow everything down. Build a relationship - the dog has no idea who you are yet or how long until the next upheaval. Stay indoors with lots of time together and enrichment. Slowly introduce outside experiences. Try and stop the activity / go home before any reactivity happens, even if that’s 20-30 seconds outdoors. Behaviourist or help from the rescue will give you all the tips.

Good luck!

Sorry cross posted with your update. When we fostered a dog with separation anxiety my partner and I just had to split it up between us. We couldn’t go out of the house together. It was rough but temporary and the dog made progress. Medication also helped him.

God love him. He's very lucky to have found you and you him (I am sure you will come to think that in time). He'll be really stressed and he's going to take time but hopefully you'll get there.
There's some knowledgeable terrier types on the site, hopefully they will be along soon to give you more ideas but for now I'd just keep his world small and in time look to introduce him to new things slowly and from a safe distance - I mean at a safe distance for him so he doesn't feel like he needs to react. I know it probably feels overwhelming now but it's really early days and hopefully you'll be able to eventually look back on this difficult time and see how far you've all come. Good luck.

Your replies are all so helpful and I'm really appreciative.

We've just been through a period of being really restricted and pretty house bound with an elderly dog for the last 18 months of her life and really looked forward to getting out and about with a new dog. Walking is our life and we really wanted a dog to do that with us.

I don't think I can cope with another potentially indefinite barrier on getting out and about freely and tonight am struggling to see how I continue with it and I feel an absolute failure for that.

Book an appointment with your vet - your dog is clearly incredibly stressed. It's been no time at all, and you need to just let the dog settle before trying to make it fit into your lifestyle. Kennels are just such awful places for dogs and it may take months for them to decompress from that alone, as well as get used to another environment.

I've got a reactive sprocker - she's a bag of nerves and hates meeting other dogs. I've found that Nutricalm supplements along with a probiotic has really helped her, and your vet may also recommend a short use anti-anxiety medication.

We had a reactive rescue. She used to bark at everyone and everything on walks. She’s only little so easy enough to control.

Shes now so much better. We’ve had her 4 years and it’s been a long road. Seen a behaviourist a couple of times but I just tried to be consistent on walks and talked to her all the time. Excessive praise for really small things. I focussed on praise and distraction.

One thing I see people do is build up the suspense when they see something their dog will react to by stopping and pinning the dog against the wall and making a big deal of it. I avoided doing this and just tried to be relaxed as we walked past people and talked her through. She’s fine now.

She also has separation anxiety and can’t be left alone. Behaviourist hasn’t been able to help with that unfortunately.

@Dogwarwick Having seen your update, that changes things. Maybe he is a bit too much for you to take on right now. That's a real shame but it is understandable. Best of luck whatever you decide.

We rescued a JRT in March. He hadn't been walked before, and was abused so alot of baggage came with him.
Our dog was and still is reactive. He is better, 90% better but if someone gets close or he feels threatened he will bark. He has never been nasty. Our vet told us 3 to 6 months for a rescue to feel settled, and terriers always have some degree of reactivity.

@Justwingingit2005 Thank you for your positive story. Our previous dog was a JRT and so we're used to a feisty terrier behaviour but this is off the scale. Obviously we keep him well under control on his harness but I have little doubt he would be aggressive if he could get to his target. I never saw that in our old girl - as you say, never nasty, just a warning across the bows.

Thank you @HooMoo We've really tried to relax, praise, keep walking and talking, create a space, treat.....if anything it's getting worse, but I seen now that maybe it's all too much.

@redboxer321 I can't thank you enough for your response, so kind and full of understanding and compassion. We will keep trying and thinking and see where we get but you have taken a bit of the guilt away and I'm extremely grateful.

Which end of the country are you OP? We may have ideas on trainers we can recommend between us on MN..force free of course!!

Slow it down. 10 days feels like a lifetime but early days. Do you have a garden to exercise him in?
Get a behaviourist in as soon as poss. We did 2 sessions with ours, cost around £300 but it was worth it.
Good luck and well done for taking a punt on a lovely sounding little doggo xxx

Does that actually mean he attacked/bit a child? It sounds likely to me - and from experience with small dogs, I've found they tend to go straight for the face.

@wastingtimeonhere I'm in Bristol. That's so kind of you.

@halloumidippers Yes we do have a garden so plenty of room for play and training. The thing is that when it's just us he's a total dream, so bright and well mannered and never the slightest hint of aggression. Easy to love in the house. Easy to despair of out.