@seekingeden We haven’t broken up; quite the opposite. I came into the relationship with a very reactive dog who didn’t necessarily trust men because one of my brothers is very abusive. My dog is almost exclusively dog reactive but was also generally anxious as a rescue, and it used to be really bad because no one else I was living with was on the same page as me for training AT ALL. I got no help, just lots of conflicting (and sometimes abusive) behavior towards my dog. I moved out as soon as I could.
My partner knew what he was getting into, as he dogsat for me for a week a couple months before we moved in together. It’s taken us 1.5 years to get completely on the same page, to catch him up on my dog’s behavior, to make sure we’re always a team and united. Even still, he has expressed to me how much he dislikes how he can’t just go out with our dog in the middle of the day without preparing for it. He’s said how it drives him crazy at times when we go out and suddenly there’s dogs everywhere and we have a rough walk. It’s hard when our dog’s anxiety kicks in and all he wants is to be aloof or hide.
But he has also seen the sweet, goofy, loving, loyal side of my dog. We have worked so hard, and we are seeing so much progress! Every day it’s a little bit easier, even if we have a rough day or walk. The answer for us is always communication, and making sure he knew exactly what he was signing up for.
I don’t blame anybody for walking away from a relationship with a reactive dog involved - they are a HUGE commitment, a lot of work, and require so much intentional patience. Communication will solve a world of hurt before it happens, but sometimes you don’t know how much heat you can take until you’re out of the frying pan and in the fire. It’s tough, but definitely can be doable.