Share with me what you LOVE about your reactive dog

[jonowebb]

@jacob86 Our reactive dog passed away last year unexpectedly and way too young.
I love your post because I always focused on the positives too.

Life with a reactive dog was challenging but wonderful.

The simplest way I can describe it is that everything was extreme.

She would be extremely excited extremely happy extremely smart but also extremely scared, worried, upset.

My favorite activity was doing scentwork together and I wish I did it for longer.

She was also the best travel companion because as long as she wouldn’t see or be near other dogs she was extremely chill and just loved being with us and smelling new places.

She was great in the car, train, plane and anywhere we would be.

 

[suterron]

@jacob86 Who else cryin’

 

[preacherbob]

@suterron 100% me

 

[johnjohn74]

@jacob86 I love how my boy comes up and leans against my legs like a hug

I love how he sweetly kisses my face with no spit

I love how he makes me feel safe from the bad people I know are out in the world.

 

[thankfulttt]

@jacob86 He’s the sweetest and smartest dog I’ve ever met, not a single mean bone in his body despite being a German shepherd. Even his barks at the mailman are more of a “I WANNA SAY HI” type of bark. Sweetest house bear that always wants to be with me, and loves to sing whenever I start singing. His tail wags are like a helicopter lmfao, and his eyes whenever I catch him tossing around his food and water bowls are adorable. He has this permanent puppy-dog face, where he’s constantly looking like he’s begging for something. I just have so much I love about this dog but I’d go on for a whole year if I tried to write all of it down!

He’s just like me in the bad ways, but I tend to forget that we’re pretty similar in the good ways too. Since getting him, I’ve been seeing a person in the mirror rather than a failure.

 

[alexrcraig]

@thankfulttt You both sound very nice and sweet, it takes a good person with a HUGE heart to notice those lovely things about another living being. I really want to give him a hug if he was comfortable with that!

 

[nathan2018]

@jacob86 I loved it when he would jump up on the couch and lean against me, putting his paw on my leg and leaning into me. I would scratch his neck, and he would just melt into my chest. I loved how he would find me wherever I was. I loved the big stretch when I would let him out of his crate in the morning. I loved sharing my toast with him in the morning. I loved how excited he got when I got home from work.

 

[jacob86]

@nathan2018 Dogs really make you appreciate the little things in life

 

[xile13]

@jacob86 My old reactive dog:

1. He had such sweet eyes and the most kissable face
2. He had a hedgehog toy that he loved and would carry around with him
3. His tail would wag so hard when he saw his people
4. He'd do a little dance when he knew we had a treat
5. He could hear food drop upstairs from all the way downstairs, and would haul ass up the stairs to try to get the food haha
6. He knew the "shake" command but would always try to "shake" my foot
7. If I laid on my stomach on the floor, he'd curl up on back and go to sleep
8. On walks he was SO good and cute. His tail was constantly wagging, stopping to smell everything and would do his little treat dance when he saw another person/dog. His ears would perk and he'd cock his head whenever he saw a weird rock or a bug. If he got ahead of me he'd keep stopping and looking back to make sure I was still with him
9. He was the tug-of-war champ and would drag us with the rope; never like, maliciously, but he was powerful and he'd get so excited
10. He was incredibly gentle with the cats he grew up with, and never tried to chase them outside of his puppy years

The reactive dogs at my work:

1. Absolutely nuts for my attention
2. Really playful and outgoing
3. Or really timid and shy, but will come up and stare/sniff at me or shove their head under my hand for pets when they think I'm not looking
4. So sweet and affectionate
5. Hide between my legs and look up at me, tails wagging, and waiting for pets
6. The absolute best dogs when we're doing one-on-ones
7. Usually let me know when they need a break before overcorrecting other dogs
8. Generally just so, so, so sweet. I can't stress enough the love I see in them or how much I cherish them

 

[dme]

@jacob86 My girl sleeps with me every night. She checks my pee and her pee every day. I have no idea what she’s checking for but I trust she’ll let me know the moment it’s there. She follows me constantly so I’m never alone. I can trust her with a plate of hibachi left in my bed. She won’t take a single piece. She’s gentle and kind with tiny things like 2 week old kittens or 5 day old mice and brand new babies. I don’t have to share her with any strangers because she’s not “friendly”. She can finish a level 3 advanced Nina Ottosson puzzle in under 45 seconds. She trusts me enough to brave fireworks and let me scrape the tarter off her teeth. She stays perfectly still when I need to scissor off the scabs on her lip. She’s the perfect companion when I’m sewing. Let’s me measure her as many times as I need and she models the things I make her so proudly. I’m not even good. But she’s so proud. She’s 70lbs and only sheds a normal amount. When I got Covid, she didn’t bring me her ball once. She’s a ball nut. But she didn’t so much as look at the chuckit longing for fetch. She waits for me to plug my ears before she starts barking. She lets me sleep in, barfs into a barf bag, will slam my door shut, has favorite cheeses, and she dislikes anyone I dislike. She’s the ham in my croque monsieur.

 

[noname1919]

@jacob86 she protec

 

[ps37_4me]

@jacob86 My big girl, an 80lb Black Lab, is very obedient and attentive to me and my family. I like that she doesn’t run off and has excellent recall and leash skills. She has a stuffed beaver toy that we gave her the first day when we adopted her 6 years ago. She treats it so gently, although all other stuffed toys she decapitates and shreds within an hour. We take her on road trips all the time and she can be on her own in a hotel room for a couple of hours without making a peep, no anxiety with separation at all. She’s perfect. I just wish she wouldn’t go ape-shit around other dogs. We’ve learned how to avoid other dogs unless they have been introduced in a very specific way.

 

[ryan2240x]

@jacob86 -She is the most emotionally intelligent being (including humans) I've come across. If I make even the slightest sound of discomfort she immediately stops what she's doing to see if I'm ok.

-She cuddles and licks my face when I cry

-She is a total goofball

-she loves exploring anything and everything.

-she is a fast learner and I can see her actively working against her nature so that she can be less reactive

-she absolutely needs her morning cuddles and does happy tippy taps when I greet her

She goes CRAZY when I talk like Marcel the Shell

Wags her tail when she hears Britney Spears (my favorite artist)

 

[retade]

@jacob86 My dog has and always will put his life on the line for me and my baby boy without thinking twice. He literally just protected us from a charging pitbull last week.

I actually like that he intimidates strangers away from me. I don't get scared or worried when my husband isn't around because of my dog.

He's taught me about unconditional love.

He forces me to get up and outside even on my worst days.

 

[jeffriesw]

@jacob86 Reactive babies are so, SO loyal to their people. My girl is terrified of literally everything, especially strangers, but she puts herself between me and random men on the street without a split second of thought time and time again. I know she’d do anything for me, and I’d do anything for her.

 

[jacob86]

@jeffriesw Me too!! I feel like our reactive pups know we’re looking out for them and they look out for us too!

 

[kupuc]

@jacob86 I love this positivity when us owners of reactive dogs don't get to celebrate the positives. Here is my list on my border collie/jack russell:
1. She is the sweetest at home. She knows if I come home sad, she will stay by my side.
2. She loves all of her stuffed animals. She has a collection of like 10 right now. I am pretty sure she has named all of them in some dog way.
3. She loves her "big brother". I also have a 12 year old akita lab. He has been going through health issues and she rarely leaves his side.
4. She loves kids. It's like she knows to be extra sweet to kids.
5. She loves women.
6. She is an amazing protector. I live by myself. I know my boy would show my jewelry cabinet to a robber for a milk bone. She on the other hand would be like, "umm I don't know you, I must protect." I joke around saying she would die happily knowing that she protected me and her brother if it comes down to it.
7. She is slowly getting better with other dogs. It's almost like she feeds off their energy. If they are calm, she is calm.
8. When it comes to family dogs and cats, it's like she knows that she doesn't need to be reactive around them.

That's all I can think of right now. Thank you so much for this after a rough couple of weeks of training. Definitely needed a reminder!

 

[jacob86]

@kupuc I’m glad this post can bring some joy to you

 

[fungi]

@jacob86 My rescue boy would follow me into a burning building. He's my shadow! He went to the shelter at 6 months, and I love watching him experience new things now. We're taking his bad ass to Colorado with us, and I can't wait to explore with him.

 

[dan94]

@jacob86 I love how sweet and how much of a snuggler he is.

I love how his eyes and ears go soft and happy as he greets me when I get home.

I love how smart and engaged he can be and that the more time I spend with him the more time he wants to spend with me.

I love that he will(has learned to) listen to commands even when hyper focused.

I love that he's not picky about his food at all!

I love that when he's disturbed as he sleeps he has to give me a few licks for comfort before he goes back to sleep. And he has to be touching me when he sleeps. Not as endearing when it's super hot, but still so sweet!