Hi there. I’m looking for some constructive advice about dog reactivity.
I have an Irish Setter who is a year and a half old. She’s called Twix. I have had her since she was 8 weeks old.
She has developed some serious reactivity issues. She is over the threshold with many things around her, and lunges forward and barks. When this happens, it can take a long time to tame & calm her, which causes people to stop, stare, comment etc. in the street making the situation worse. Her triggers are everything from runners, cyclists, motorcycles, occasionally cars, vans, etc.
To try and target the problem, I’ve been walking her with the attempt of maintaining her attention on me. Sitting in distance but close by to traffic and treating her when I see her about to lunge and bark. With high value treats this sometimes works, but she sometimes ignores the treats and proceeds to lunge and bark because the distraction is too tempting. I don’t feed her prior to these training sessions, to ensure she’s hungry, but it’s still hit and miss. This happens when both at a distance and close by (e.g. she could spot a cyclist going by at the end of the road, and fixate on it).
This has really interrupted our loose lead walking training, because once she’s over the threshold (which can, and often is, within 2 seconds of leaving the house) it’s hard to calm her down. It has also impacted her recall. Her recall used to be truly excellent, and I could trust her off-lead anywhere. Now, even on an enclosed field, she is anxiously searching for stimulus around her and chooses when she comes back to me.
I’ve noticed when outside she always seems very anxious (continuous panting) and almost searching for something to react to. Holding her attention is very hard. Even when sat down for long periods (coffee shops, for example), she won’t relax or lie down.
At present, it’s really disrupting our training. We feel like it’s a catch-22 (attempting to train her loose lead walking or train her re-call, but it’s continually interrupted by her reactivity and the hard work is reversed when she’s lunging forward, barking, etc).
Please note: me and my partner spend at least an hour, everyday, working on her training, and have done since day 1. From toilet training at the beginning through to commands, loose lead walking, etc. We are really doing our best. She’s our world. Some people are simply recommending ‘more training’ which is very frustrating to hear. We have consulted a behaviorist too – currenting awaiting their reply.
Please if anyone has similar experiences, do share them with me. I’m all ears.
TL;DR: Irish Setter suffering with reactivity issues to almost every bit of stimulus outside of the house (cyclists, runners, vans, cars, etc).
I have an Irish Setter who is a year and a half old. She’s called Twix. I have had her since she was 8 weeks old.
She has developed some serious reactivity issues. She is over the threshold with many things around her, and lunges forward and barks. When this happens, it can take a long time to tame & calm her, which causes people to stop, stare, comment etc. in the street making the situation worse. Her triggers are everything from runners, cyclists, motorcycles, occasionally cars, vans, etc.
To try and target the problem, I’ve been walking her with the attempt of maintaining her attention on me. Sitting in distance but close by to traffic and treating her when I see her about to lunge and bark. With high value treats this sometimes works, but she sometimes ignores the treats and proceeds to lunge and bark because the distraction is too tempting. I don’t feed her prior to these training sessions, to ensure she’s hungry, but it’s still hit and miss. This happens when both at a distance and close by (e.g. she could spot a cyclist going by at the end of the road, and fixate on it).
This has really interrupted our loose lead walking training, because once she’s over the threshold (which can, and often is, within 2 seconds of leaving the house) it’s hard to calm her down. It has also impacted her recall. Her recall used to be truly excellent, and I could trust her off-lead anywhere. Now, even on an enclosed field, she is anxiously searching for stimulus around her and chooses when she comes back to me.
I’ve noticed when outside she always seems very anxious (continuous panting) and almost searching for something to react to. Holding her attention is very hard. Even when sat down for long periods (coffee shops, for example), she won’t relax or lie down.
At present, it’s really disrupting our training. We feel like it’s a catch-22 (attempting to train her loose lead walking or train her re-call, but it’s continually interrupted by her reactivity and the hard work is reversed when she’s lunging forward, barking, etc).
Please note: me and my partner spend at least an hour, everyday, working on her training, and have done since day 1. From toilet training at the beginning through to commands, loose lead walking, etc. We are really doing our best. She’s our world. Some people are simply recommending ‘more training’ which is very frustrating to hear. We have consulted a behaviorist too – currenting awaiting their reply.
Please if anyone has similar experiences, do share them with me. I’m all ears.
TL;DR: Irish Setter suffering with reactivity issues to almost every bit of stimulus outside of the house (cyclists, runners, vans, cars, etc).