Avoiding triggers is all well and good, but what do I do when my girl is in the middle of a meltdown?

[betty44]

So I'm ~3 months into owning an extremely dog reactive rescue pup (~11 months old; ~55lbs; GSD-husky-coonhound et al. mix) and I've definitely gotten better at preventing her from going off. Like, I've got a quick trigger finger when I see a potential trigger on a walk and I'll usually be able to respond quickly and effectively enough that she doesn't get set off (cross the street, turn around, distract with treats, etc).

But as I'm sure you all know, it's impossible to have a perfect track record here - you might get ambushed around a corner, or you might overlook an obstacle, or learn that something completely new might be another potential trigger (for example, i just discovered today that Libby is freaked out by skateboarders).

What should I do once Libby has passed that point of no return and is in the middle of a Full Blown Meltdown? For her this means all but trying to snap her leash in half and making very loud, very unpleasant bark/whine hybrid noises (like, i worry that people nearby might think i'm abusing her). When she reaches this point she completely ignores anything I tell her to (not) do and treats are suddenly absolutely useless. My only recourse at this point is physically dragging her away with the leash, but I get the sense that this just riles her up more and I end up stuck in this positive feedback loop of public puppy meltdown.

That's about it... Any advice? I highly doubt this is a unique situation.

 

[imagebeastmarkbeast]

@betty44 You get the hell out of there and try again tomorrow.

 

[betty44]

@imagebeastmarkbeast ugh, yeah. that's kind of what i figured the answer would be.

it's just easy to get frustrated and it's helpful to vent a bit even if there isn't a magic bullet i'm missing.

 

[youngwolf]

@imagebeastmarkbeast Adding to this: get very, very good at "Come front!" command. YT videos if needed. So simple, but we've been working this hard lately and it's incredible how much easier it is to get my leash reactive boy to actually move away with me (then we jog a bit to get distance, then we jeep walking home). No matter where you step or go, they come around with you. It's helping us.

 

[betty44]

@youngwolf Oh no doubt, I've been drilling the 'front' command like crazy whenever we're on a walk. She's still not perfect at it - I often have to repeat the command while taking a long step backward - but it works really well at getting her attention as long as she's not too close to that breaking point.

 

[john919]

@betty44 I think this person is suggesting an emergency U turn type move - a front move can be way more stressful as you're asking the dog to turn their back on the trigger and stay still. Some dogs find being still really, really tough when super stressed. I had a lot more success when I kept moving.

 

[youngwolf]

@betty44 Oh, life with a reactive dog. The veterinary behaviorist recommended a flirt pole which has been life-changing for us. The neighborhood walks have been a trigger minefield so we're cutting back on walks while we work on more DS and CC under distance threshold. 10-15 mins with the flirt pole and he is exhausted...something even a 75-minute walk never did: he'd be extremely frenzied, head on swivel, etc. Great for high energy breeds, dogs with prey drive. Really tires out large muscle groups and refines impulse control and commands. Wish we had this a year ago but we're inching forward! He gets so excited when the flirt pole comes out and we can use it in our small backyard. I think it was $24 through Chewy

 

[seriously21]

@betty44 Have you trained an emergency u-turn at all? I worked on one with my dog and he'll listen to it very reliably now - even when treats aren't enticing. It's a great tool to have, as it helps get your dog moving in another direction (I don't always use it as a literal u-turn so much as a "go this way with me fast" cue) so you can hightail it away from a trigger without having to drag your dog, or get them moving after you've hauled them far enough away that they're sort of listening.

 

[youngwolf]

@seriously21 This! Sorry, I commented above but yes. The "come front" aka u-turn is 10/10 a lifesaver.

 

[whatnow]

@betty44 Honestly, you're doing your best. Life is unpredictable; we all can get caught with surprises. I have a similar mix and just try to redirect and (if necessary), pull her away. She wears a harness so I've physically picked her up (she's ~55lbs) and carried her away from whatever the situation was.

Like the other poster said, you try again. In the middle of it, you try to be calm, keep your head focused, and get out of there. It's ok to be emotional afterwards!

You sound like you're trying your best and that's what matters most. Good luck!

 

[dtoitw]

@betty44 I super appreciate the meltdown soundtrack

 

[betty44]

@dtoitw PUP are a god-tier band

listen to all their albums immediately