Humbled - training is NOT the issue or the answer

[baohomotorprovn250932]

I used to be a person who silently judged those with dogs acting crazy & uncontrollable outside. I’d think, geez, train your dog. Let me tell ya, I have been humbled. I didn’t even know “reactive dog” was a thing. I’ve always had dogs, but nothing like the one I have now.

Odie has had more training than any dog I’ve ever had. He is actually well trained and very good except, if we run into other dogs while out for a walk. I have done boarded training, worked 1:1 with a trainer who specializes in leash reactivity and nothing works.

This is hard. It’s stressful, it’s exhausting and it’s painful. I’m in PT twice a week for torn tendons & ligaments in my arm which is a result of my dog’s leash reactivity. I still take him out 3 x’s a day so we can do the work and try to work through his triggers. Today, I’ve hit the point I don’t know if I can keep going through this. The walks, not giving up on my dog. He’s stuck with me.

I literally walked home sobbing today after we ran into dog after dog after dog. I couldn’t avoid them and it was just too much for my guy.

Has anyone with a reactive just stopped walking them? He loves his walks so much and the exercise is good for both of us, but I can’t go through this every time we go outside. I’ve considered night walks. Early morning and late evening, that is what I’m trying next, but I wouldn’t be surprised if we still have encounters. To make matters worse, I live in a neighborhood with a lot of people who do not leash their dogs because they’re, friendly. That’s so great for them, but that unleashed, friendly dog is my worst nightmare.

I was of the belief I could train the reactivity out of him, but I’m not so sure anymore. Really appreciate any advice or insight anyone who has been in a similar situation may have.

 

[jwtinker]

@baohomotorprovn250932 Oh my friend it’s ok to not go for for walkies all the time! Focus on mental enrichment while you heal up (physically and mentally). Once you feel ready to try again start super slowly, giving both of you time to relax for a couple of days in between.

For indoor enrichment: nosework/scentwork, fill up a box with toys and throw a bunch of kibble in it, let him shred a head of cabbage (messy for you but my dog loves doing this), licki mats/bowls, chew bones (use a dog safe holder for bully sticks and the like), trick training, pet geek feeder (they hit a button and the kibble comes out—you can spread them out pretty far from each other), sit on the floor and put a leg against something and toss a treat from side to side so he has to jump over, practice calming techniques like the 1-2-3 game that you can use outside after a time…the list is endless!

 

[shadow2222]

@jwtinker Fully agree; we do a couple days/week of this stuff (I have these old washcloths that I wind up around treats, then snake into those open balls (kinda cheap, look like they’re made out of k’nex?!) Doesn’t take too long for them to figure out, but they like it!)

Sniffspot is a godsend too. Look for it. We’ve done yards, a yard with a pool, and my current go-to (we go weekly, for 2 hours for 2 dogs it’s $20) is this wooded lot with a creek. It’s only 5 acres but zero people and zero dogs, and they’re tired for 2 days from all the sniffing. That spot alone taught me that it’s not the physical exercise they need, it’s the engagement: plowing through the brush, smelling everything, investigating, getting “lost” then finding our way out - my boy dog, a difficult one to please, is especially in love with the place.

Early mornings are helpful. Do you have a car? Sometimes I’ll go to a quieter neighborhood, just drive and park.

And I’m here to say: it gets better. It really, truly does. My 2 still have bad moments (or bad days)…but so do I. And if they can get up excited to see me and do something with me the next day, I can very easily do the same.

Mine are approaching 4; first 2 years were tough. But we have a rhythm now; mine would react as yours does in those situations to this day. If you can try to avoid the situations (via the great recommendations here), you’ll both feel better.

 

[baohomotorprovn250932]

@jwtinker Thank you, the cabbage and leg thing are great ideas! I have the pet geek, lick mats, bully sticks with the holder, puzzle toys of all kinds. The only thing I haven’t tried is stopping the walks or at least reducing them.

 

[mama357]

@baohomotorprovn250932 Are you sure your dog likes thier walks??? People always assume wagging tail, etc means positive excitement, sometimes its just excitement but not in a good way. A dig can get overstimulated and then the get triggered easily.

U may want to consider a home treadmill? Especially for a high energy dog, there are ines made especially for dogs.

 

[marked]

@mama357 This is really important point. After about 2 years, we recognized that walks in our neighborhood were overwhelming and stressful, not just for us but for our dog, too. We don't walk her anymore, and we do what we can at home. I think some reactive dogs are just really sensitive to whatever is going on around them and can't tune it out like most dogs can. The common approach isn't always the best one in an uncommon situation.

 

[liztaylor972]

@mama357 Soooo true. Over arousal often gets read as excitement/happiness.

Even if that's not the case, just because the dog LIKES walkies doesn't necessarily mean they're good for the dog.

OP your dog might show frustration at the change in routine, but he might actually be better off with less walks. Try going every other day and focus on more training on the non wall days and see how that goes after a couple weeks. Might be less worrying about seeing other dogs on a walk turns out to work on both of your favors.

 

[sarahrachel]

@baohomotorprovn250932 I haven't stopped walking my reactive heeler, but we definitely don't walk as much as we used to. We spend a lot of time playing fetch in the backyard, playing tug and with a flirt pole for exercise. I have so so so many enrichment toys for meals. I have a significant number of stuffed dog toys for inside play. I have herding balls, and I make make makeshift agility courses, and my 18 month old son is learning to throw a ball. My fella also loves sun bathing, so I installed a dog door to the backyard and a ring camera so I can check up on him and call him in if need be. We have dig defense spikes along our fence lines because one of our neighbors has 3 crazy, escape artist dogs.

When we leave the house, I muzzle my dog. Muzzle training has been the single best thing I have ever done for my boy. I can not recommend it highly enough. Our walks are peaceful. People see us coming and cross the road, folks with off leash dogs (usually) leash their dog (but if they don't, my dog and I are protected by my dog being leashed and muzzled). We live in south Texas, and off leash and stray dogs are rampant.

We do regular neighbourgood walking sometimes, but our favourite place to walk is empty sports grounds early in the morning. I have a non reactive dog too, I put them on a long line, and we take a lazy walk. If the dog park is empty, we go in and play fetch. I hang his muzzle on the gate and stand next to it to let anyone who turns up know to let us out before they come in.

Reactive dogs definitely need special consideration for all their lives, but it is what it is. I hope you can figure out a way to give your pup his best, and safest life

 

[baohomotorprovn250932]

@sarahrachel Thank you, this is all excellent advice. I am learning quickly that we have to do things differently.

 

[veroch]

@baohomotorprovn250932 Are you able to drive your dog somewhere else to walk? This has been a game changer for us. We drive to a nice expansive industrial park type area, but they also have fields between the buildings and lots of mice for our dog to smell, which she finds super fun. I am finally able to relax and enjoy walks because if there is someone else with a dog there we will see them from very far away and can always hide in the fields that border the sidewalks. If you can find somewhere similar that you can drive to I highly recommend it.

I also second the person who suggested a vet behaviorist referral. Medication could benefit your dog for sure.

Finally, way to be there helping your dog! It is super hard...

 

[baohomotorprovn250932]

@veroch Yes, and I’ve done that. It IS so nice to relax and enjoy the walk. Honestly, it’s easy to say I don’t always have time to drive somewhere, but I can make the time. Especially, now that I’ve realized this isn’t a training issue and repetition isn’t going to fix it. I need to do something different. Thank you!

 

[seraph159]

@baohomotorprovn250932 This is what I had to do and it is so much less stressful now. Takes extra time and planning but I started looking forward to our walks which is something I never thought would be possible for us. Goodluck!!

 

[pixeloriousspriteson]

@baohomotorprovn250932 You’re realizing that “management” is going to be your approach, which is where I’m at. I adopted a senior so we settled on managing instead of fixing/changing pretty quickly.

 

[lokeangirl]

@baohomotorprovn250932 I have a five year old reactive German shepherd dog. Her last walk was over a year ago. She saw another dog and got so worked up she broke her collar and was loose on a busy street. I went home and ordered her a treadmill. She took right to that and loves it. We do enrichment games and learn more tricks. I’ve noticed if I try to take her on a walk she is extremely alert on guard just waiting for another dog to show up. She’s not relaxed for a second. She gets some time in the yard but I don’t think she misses walks.

 

[bibleloverbill]

@baohomotorprovn250932 Oh gosh, I empathize. My wife BURST into tears after a walk last year and I know that I have come close myself. Nighttime walks did make life easier. But in truth, we started exploring other options for exercise and that made life so much easier for us -- and it truly improved our relationship with our sweet, leash-reactive pup.

How does your dog do off-leash? Can you take him to a dog park or off-leash area and let him run around a bit? If that doesn't seem like a good/safe option for Odie, have you considered renting a Sniff Spot so that he has some private space?

Finally, I will share that medications like fluoxetine and trazodone helped my anxious girl quite a lot. We are in a totally different place than we were last year, and I am very grateful for that. Don't give up hope!

 

[pixeloriousspriteson]

@bibleloverbill I feel like I should know this but which professional prescribed that medication? Vet behaviorist?

 

[bibleloverbill]

@pixeloriousspriteson My primary veterinarian was comfortable prescribing, but I do know that a lot of folks end up working with a vet behaviourist.

 

[faithfulmommy1821]

@bibleloverbill It took me six years to get my primary vet to prescribe medication. It wasn't until I told her I'd hired a professional trainer and my dog almost attacked him (and actually got close enough to tear his shirt) that she finally relented. From my experience, if I had to do this again, I'd work with a behaviorist. Trazodone has been an absolute game changer for my beagle/coonhound mix. Before he could barely relax, even inside the house. I once walked him for five miles at a local dog park and he was still antsy and pacing when we were home. Now, we sometimes have walks where he'll even ignore a trigger or two. He's still reactive, but he calms down after a trigger WAY faster, and it's made training him at home much easier.

 

[lbauman]

@baohomotorprovn250932 We walk as much as we can but at off hours. Early morning, late at night, or mid workday bc I WFH.

If he has a bad reaction we’ll hold off on walks for a few days and replace with indoor enrichment or sniffspots if necessary, that way his body has time to work the cortisol out.

 

[iraregem87]

@baohomotorprovn250932 it’s okay to not do neighborhood walks, if you can fit in one or two longer nature hikes a week or going to sniff sports instead and do training at your house and enrichment that could be a good mix. i’m not in the camp of never walk your dog but picking different spots can help. i got to that point with my reactive dog but we came out the other side, but for now it’s okay to take breaks from the walks and the work