How to deal with reactivity

[Elli123]

My dog generally ignores other dogs when she’s out and about off lead. She has become quite reactive, snappy if other dogs come bounding up to her ( think she feels threatened?) What is the correct way to handle this? I tend to call her name to get her away but not sure if this is reinforcing the behaviour.if the owners of the other dog are nearby, I ask them to call their dog but they are often far away.
popping her on a lead doesn’t work as it doesn’t stop other dogs.
i guess I’m just worried she snaps at the wrong dog and it escalates.

How old is she? If this is such a change, I would be investigating her health. Does she have pain-in joints or teeth for example?

Thinking back to when it started, can you identify an incident / breed/ colour of dog who pissed her off? Or was she unwell at all recently?

All that said, asking others to call their dogs off is one thing, but as we know that’s not always successful. And you won’t be thanked if she’s off lead and goes off on one and injures another dog.

If you have a friend with a dog whom she can tolerate, can you go for a few training walks with her? Parallel walks on lead , walking towards each other on lead, same off lead . In each case catching her attention and rewarding her for ignoring the other dog.

Poor thing, something is stressing her, and it’s no fun if your dog is not relaxed on a walk.

She’s 2.5 and as I said will ignore, walk past other dogs fine. It’s if they run up to her. She was well socialised and also goes out with the dog walker (with other dogs, all off lead) without issue.
it started after her first season ( which was quite some time ago) and she’s now spayed)..
I don’t let her run up to people or dogs but loads of people don’t seem to bother.

Your dog isn't the issue here. The issue is other dogs bounding up to her and getting in her face - it's rude and bad "doggy manners".

I have zero issue with my dog telling other dogs off if they're rude - especially if he's on the lead and they come barrelling over to him. If other people don't want their dogs to be snapped at, they should have them under better control.

Yeah, a bit part of me agrees but I always worry the other dog will retaliate and it will end up in a fight ( thankfully it hasn’t to date).
some of the other owners remark ‘ he/she deserved it or that’s him told etc but just feels awkward.

might of course be normal canine behaviour

I know it's easier said than done, but try not to worry about a fight. Most canine scraps look and sound a lot worse than they actually are - they're mostly noise and teeth rather than actual fighting.

The behaviour you describe from your dog is (IMO) totally normal. I'm sure if a total stranger came charging over to you and got in your face, you'd react too!

It is normal canine behaviour but I would want, as you do, for your dog not to have to deal with badly behaved dogs and have their walk made more stressful.

You may find that she will increase her reactivity as her lunging is not working in her eyes if dogs continue to hassle her.

Do call her back to you when you see an approaching dog. No you are not rewarding her behaviour you are taking control for which she will be grateful.

If you put her on lead, keep a relaxed lead and walk past the approaching dog in an arc. If the dog comes to you turn away or position yourself between you and the dog. You can throw treats on the floor for approaching dog to give you time to move past.

Bloody he only wants to play dogs do so much harm to other dogs!

I have a similar situation with my dog. I keep her onlead if there are other big dogs around (she is fine with small dogs) and I'm now very good at yelling 'MY DOG'S NOT FRIENDLY' at other dog owners who let their dogs approach her - not that it usually helps as it seems like no one can actually control their dogs.

There’s honestly not much you can do - if other dogs are not under control (I.e off less approaching your dog when you’ve called out to their owners to recall them) then you’re fighting a losing game anyway.

FWIW, dog fights always sound worse than they are.

If your dog is willing, you can always pop her on whatever side of you is furthest away from the other dogs. My dogs are all trained to walk to whichever side I tell them to - and I always make them pass other dogs with me between them. It doesn’t always do much, but it might help make you more relaxed to have a physical barrier (you) between her and them?

My dog is the same. Was fine until he turned about 2.5. He hates dogs that are bouncy & bigger than him. He also gets twitchy around black dogs sometimes which I believe isn't unusual.

He's fine with his dog walker & when he boards.
I just manage it by keeping him on his lead if needs be or warning the owners he can be a bit grumpy.
I used to really worry about it but now I understand his boundaries it's much less stressful.

Well neither can you control your dog as you have to keep her on a lead to manage her behaviour.

It's not normal for a dog to behave aggressively to other dogs just because they come over to them off lead.

The very act of having my dog on a lead shows that she is under control. If someone has their dog off lead and it doesn't respond to them calling it away from mine, then that dog is clearly not under control and shouldn't be off-lead. Never mind that it's widely accepted that someone shouldn't let an off-lead dog approach an on-lead one without owner permission, and the fact that letting a dog get up in another dog's face is exceedingly bad 'doggy manners'.

This whole thread is about reactivity, which is not the same thing as aggression. There are many, many reasons why a dog may be reactive - they may be injured, elderly, had previous bad experiences with dogs, a poorly socialised rescue, inherently nervous due to poor breeding, and so on. Quite frankly having a reactive dog is a pain in the arse - if you haven't had a reactive dog then count yourself lucky.

To my mind @AdelaideAtHome if the only way I can control my dog is to have them on a lead anywhere there may be other dogs present, that does not really represent me having control over my dog's behaviour. Apart from in the very literal sense that I have physically restrained them. That isn't teaching them not to be reactive it is just making it impossible for them to hurt another dog.

Not all dogs "get up in another dog's face" most just walk over to say Hello which is normal dog behaviour. The ones who come back upon their owner's call are the ones actually under control rather than the ones where the owner doesn't trust them to behave appropriately.

I do count myself lucky never to have had a reactive dog. But I have worked very hard at socialising my puppies from an early age. Part of socialising young dogs is to allow them to meet other dogs in the park and puppies don't always have the best dog manners to start with. But they soon learn them from the vast majority of pleasant dogs that will greet them nicely when they go over to say hello, or reprimand them promptly but with no nastiness if they are too boisterous.

If one of my dogs became overly reactive, which normally means baring teeth/aggressive sounding barking/snapping etc at other dogs, then I would consider it my problem to try to solve with the help of a dog behaviourist. Not try to blame other owners for having their dogs off lead in a park, or saying judgemental things like "on one can actually control their dogs" when many off lead dogs are very good at returning to their owners.

my JRT doesnt like bouncy fluffy dogs
they get her back up.
dh just walks on and she ignores the dogs
i often keep her on a lead and hope the dogs communicate with each other, the bouncy ones learn not to approach her wily nily

It seems this is going off track🤣.

my main point of the post was how to react when this happens. With the best will in the world, many dog owners are not watching/ not close by to their dogs when they come charging up.
My dog is generally well mannered, will ignore other dogs, goes off lead group walks without issue with the dog walker and was really well socialised. She was of course once that annoying puppy who would bound up to other dogs and get warned.
what I was trying to establish is what my behsviour should be when the dogs run up. Should I ignore (and not make it an issue) or should I call my dog, ask owners to call theirs etc etc as I’m doing?
My aim here is to get to a place where she is less reactive but it’s tricky as she obviously perceives dogs bounding up to her as a threat and don’t want to be too harsh correcting when she thinks she’s protecting herself.

one of my dogs the same age and does the exact the same, we have found if we hold his lead up (so its not tugging back if that makes sense) as he pulls forward, when another dog bounds towards us has help the situation so much! another thing we try is reaching for a treat in a bag so he hears the bag noise as off lead dogs approach us, then the automatic sit and calm him and turn his attention away from the dog! I do shout but 9/10 owners just shout back ohhhh but my dogs super friendly!

She probably thinks she is protecting you @Elli123 if you become reactive by making a fuss when other dogs come over.

I think it’s probably best not to make too much of an issue of it but to steer your dog away from the direction of other dogs if they don’t like socialising.

I also think it’s fine to tell other dog owners your dog is not friendly so they can move their dog away if the two do get close. But obviously say it calmly & pleasantly so your dog doesn’t pick up anxiety from you which could make their reactivity worse.

I think they both sound like very sensible techniques - making sure there is no tension in the lead & distracting with treats & giving your dog a command to follow to distract them.

My dog sounds similar to yours. He just doesnt want to be approached. He tries to get past any dogs we meet quickly. He will put up with a bum sniff. Beyond that he may tell a dog off. His reactivity is worse on lead so he's always off lead. He's never kicked off massively and usually a growl will give the other dog and their owner the hint. I just try and manage as best i can, detouring away from other dogs etc. I know the types likely to upset mine - boisterous young unneutered. I think management is the key. I also use the training/games in Control Unleashed which is a book and lots of videos on youtube

Your dog sounds fine to me @21ZIGGY their behaviour is normal dog behaviour. After all, they don’t have to like every dog & a warning growl is what they should do to vocalise that they are unhappy with what the other dog is doing. My dog 99% of the time will run away from a dog that growls at him as by 9 months he has learnt the signal to back off.
The 1% he doesn’t back off is to do with females and hormones and the fact he won’t be neutered until he’s 1 year old. But a sharp “telling off” by the female in question will definitely succeed in scaring him away.

i dont think you need to correct her,
she is doing the correcting of the unruly dogs

You are right to worry about that, my one is reactive to certain breeds, especially Shepherds and Husky's. I had to pass one off lead and I put mine on lead, the shepherd of course came bounding up, my one told him off and the shepherd just flew at him. I had to get in between, I didn't think just did it and in the process one of the dogs, not sue which caught the top of my finger. Not seriously but I did loose my nail.

I think you are doing the right thing, just try and avoid them but just as you say be a bit careful as you never know what the other dog will do.

My dog is the same..and has been since her first season (until then she was friendly) Now she likes a few dogs, ignores others and HATES bouncy cocker spaniel types and GSDs (ironic as she looks like one). Fine with small, or calm dogs except JRT.

I try to walk off lead on bridal paths, fields and quiet places so she doesn't have to feel nervous. On lead I cross roads, keep her close and talk to her and block her view if I feel she is going to react. I will always call to the other owner that my dog is nervous and may growl... if they don't recall their dog they will get growled at, and that's fair.. my dog is communicating, but she is under my control.
We have worked with a behaviourist (good, force free etc etc) but she remains reactive at times and I accept that and try to give her as many positive walks as possible.