Wait. No. That is a lie. In fact, that is ALL I do.
"Sorry, your dog can't meet mine right now."
"Sorry, I can't hear you over all the barking/screaming, whining."
"Sorry they look like raptors from Jurassic Park."
"Sorry. I can't talk on the phone while I am walking because I am scanning my route."
"I'm just sorry."
If you have never dealt with re-activity, you have no idea what I am talking about. You can take your dog for a walk and you don't have to watch for dogs. You don't have to hold your breath as you walk around corners. You don't have to plan your walks in less than populated (or better yet-unpopulated) areas. I bet you can even listen to music from time to time.
And I am jealous.
Gracie was my first experience with leash re-activity. She would start to lunge and pull when she saw other dogs. Then the screaming, barking and whining started. And it ONLY happened on walks. I could take her to classes, to large dog events, to Petsmart--and she was fine. But see a dog on a walk, and all bets were off. I started working with her early on and we made progress. We did a lot of the "Look at That!" game (where she learned that dogs=treats, so she would look at a dog and then at me for a reward.). I still can't pass a dog on a sidewalk, but I can keep her attention on me as a dog walks by. It baffles me that she has her AKC Community Canine, but she can be awesome when she put her mind to it, but on walks she is just...different.
The along came Garmin. He showed signs of re-activity early on, and his was worse. As in, he would redirect any and all frustration. He would see a dog, get all amped up, bark, lunge and then go after Gracie. If he couldn't get to Gracie, he would bite me. He never broke skin--he was redirecting his frustration. But he left some good bruises. I began working with him, but he was harder to crack. He would get so over stimulated that anything that moved set him off--cars, people, dogs, birds, anything. Vet visits were a nightmare. He couldn't go anywhere where there were dogs. I can't take him to classes because he screams his fool head off. Eventually, I made the choice to put him on Prozac in addition to some behavior modification. Now, we can see cars, people and even kids on skateboards and he is fine. But dogs--nope.
As a result of having not one, but two reactive dogs, I can't walk in neighborhoods with both of them. We are confined to an empty parking lot. It isn't ideal, but it keeps them safe and under threshold. Part of the issue is that when I am working, I don't have the time to take them out one at a time--they have to go together. Once I am out for the summer, I can work with each of them intensively on their own. But, it is exhausting. Every little step forward is a victory. Today, for example, the church whose parking lot we use was busy--a Sunday night youth group was riding scooters, playing Frisbee, running, screaming and playing ball. Cars were coming and going--and they were both perfectly fine. Loose leash, no reactions (in Gracie's defense, she never reacted to stuff like that). For Garmin, this is huge. There was a ton of stimuli.
But then we went into the neighborhood for just a short bit, and they were both hyper vigilant. Even Gracie was whining and pulling more than usual. Garmin ramped up very quickly, so we called it quits and went home.
If you are one whose dog is reactive, please know that you are not alone. There are plenty of people out there just like you looking for answers. Look for trainers in your area who could help you. You can also read the book Feisty Fido by Patricia McConnell for some basics.
Whatever choice you make, please make sure that you avoid painful corrections. If your dog is already freaking out when she sees another dog, the pain will not help matters. In fact, it could make the issue worse.
I am blogging this tonight in case you ever see dogs that are reacting like this. Or if you ever see someone turn and walk the other way quickly when they see you and your dog approaching. Please know that they aren't being rude--they are most likely trying to keep their dogs under control so they don't have to say "sorry" for anything else.
"Sorry, your dog can't meet mine right now."
"Sorry, I can't hear you over all the barking/screaming, whining."
"Sorry they look like raptors from Jurassic Park."
"Sorry. I can't talk on the phone while I am walking because I am scanning my route."
"I'm just sorry."
If you have never dealt with re-activity, you have no idea what I am talking about. You can take your dog for a walk and you don't have to watch for dogs. You don't have to hold your breath as you walk around corners. You don't have to plan your walks in less than populated (or better yet-unpopulated) areas. I bet you can even listen to music from time to time.
And I am jealous.
Gracie was my first experience with leash re-activity. She would start to lunge and pull when she saw other dogs. Then the screaming, barking and whining started. And it ONLY happened on walks. I could take her to classes, to large dog events, to Petsmart--and she was fine. But see a dog on a walk, and all bets were off. I started working with her early on and we made progress. We did a lot of the "Look at That!" game (where she learned that dogs=treats, so she would look at a dog and then at me for a reward.). I still can't pass a dog on a sidewalk, but I can keep her attention on me as a dog walks by. It baffles me that she has her AKC Community Canine, but she can be awesome when she put her mind to it, but on walks she is just...different.
The along came Garmin. He showed signs of re-activity early on, and his was worse. As in, he would redirect any and all frustration. He would see a dog, get all amped up, bark, lunge and then go after Gracie. If he couldn't get to Gracie, he would bite me. He never broke skin--he was redirecting his frustration. But he left some good bruises. I began working with him, but he was harder to crack. He would get so over stimulated that anything that moved set him off--cars, people, dogs, birds, anything. Vet visits were a nightmare. He couldn't go anywhere where there were dogs. I can't take him to classes because he screams his fool head off. Eventually, I made the choice to put him on Prozac in addition to some behavior modification. Now, we can see cars, people and even kids on skateboards and he is fine. But dogs--nope.
As a result of having not one, but two reactive dogs, I can't walk in neighborhoods with both of them. We are confined to an empty parking lot. It isn't ideal, but it keeps them safe and under threshold. Part of the issue is that when I am working, I don't have the time to take them out one at a time--they have to go together. Once I am out for the summer, I can work with each of them intensively on their own. But, it is exhausting. Every little step forward is a victory. Today, for example, the church whose parking lot we use was busy--a Sunday night youth group was riding scooters, playing Frisbee, running, screaming and playing ball. Cars were coming and going--and they were both perfectly fine. Loose leash, no reactions (in Gracie's defense, she never reacted to stuff like that). For Garmin, this is huge. There was a ton of stimuli.
But then we went into the neighborhood for just a short bit, and they were both hyper vigilant. Even Gracie was whining and pulling more than usual. Garmin ramped up very quickly, so we called it quits and went home.
If you are one whose dog is reactive, please know that you are not alone. There are plenty of people out there just like you looking for answers. Look for trainers in your area who could help you. You can also read the book Feisty Fido by Patricia McConnell for some basics.
Whatever choice you make, please make sure that you avoid painful corrections. If your dog is already freaking out when she sees another dog, the pain will not help matters. In fact, it could make the issue worse.
I am blogging this tonight in case you ever see dogs that are reacting like this. Or if you ever see someone turn and walk the other way quickly when they see you and your dog approaching. Please know that they aren't being rude--they are most likely trying to keep their dogs under control so they don't have to say "sorry" for anything else.