imagebeastmarkbeast
New member
@that1starfish These are the same people who will allow their off leash dog to approach yours even when asked to recall them. And then when their dog gets bit or snapped at, they will blame you.
" Your dog is reactive because you dont let him say hi or play with other dogs"
- Thread starter that1starfish
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- reactive dogs vent
yvwhooligan
New member
@imagebeastmarkbeast 
!!!
I've had to do a 180 to get my dog out of dodge SO many times because of clueless owners. One was this hyper lab off leash and walking WAY ahead of the owner (we were NOT in an off-leash park, in fact not even in a park at all!) and then he started RUNNING towards us when it saw my (very big) dog. I tried to get out of there as soon as I saw this and yelled at the lady to call off and leash her dog. She called the dog but - surprise surprise, ZERO recall - and then yelled at me, chastizeling me for "over reacting" because her dog is "friendly". My dog gets stressed at dogs running at him because he was attacked (at a dog park) when he was a puppy. So now he wants to pull at the threat to pin/neutralize it. Thankfully, I managed to tug him away and get out before the dog reached us, while also yelling at her dog to back off. SUCH an enraging and unnecessarily stressful situation!
Just last weekend I had him off leash (AT an off leash park), for the first time since knee surgery that he had a couppe months ago (he's an old boy). I decided to leave when I saw another dog there. My boy came as called and we left quickly, no issue. 10 mins later I'm walking down a side street and come across the same guy, his dog now leashed but on those goddamn extendable leashes. Which, are actually against our city bylaws, BTW! I cross the street to avoid them. He is now on the other side of the street but dog is closer to me than his owner! The guy makes some dumb comment about how dogs behave better when not at home or something. I say "well, actually, he's recently had surgery so isn't friendly to anyone right now".
That shut him up and he finally got the hint to reel in his dog. Just because your dog is a floppy careless bundle of fur doesn't mean he deserves to meet every creature he passes. Also, if you can see that I'm intentionally avoiding you, WHY CAN'T YOU GET THE HINT AND BACK OFF?!? Fuck some people, seriously.
!!!I've had to do a 180 to get my dog out of dodge SO many times because of clueless owners. One was this hyper lab off leash and walking WAY ahead of the owner (we were NOT in an off-leash park, in fact not even in a park at all!) and then he started RUNNING towards us when it saw my (very big) dog. I tried to get out of there as soon as I saw this and yelled at the lady to call off and leash her dog. She called the dog but - surprise surprise, ZERO recall - and then yelled at me, chastizeling me for "over reacting" because her dog is "friendly". My dog gets stressed at dogs running at him because he was attacked (at a dog park) when he was a puppy. So now he wants to pull at the threat to pin/neutralize it. Thankfully, I managed to tug him away and get out before the dog reached us, while also yelling at her dog to back off. SUCH an enraging and unnecessarily stressful situation!
Just last weekend I had him off leash (AT an off leash park), for the first time since knee surgery that he had a couppe months ago (he's an old boy). I decided to leave when I saw another dog there. My boy came as called and we left quickly, no issue. 10 mins later I'm walking down a side street and come across the same guy, his dog now leashed but on those goddamn extendable leashes. Which, are actually against our city bylaws, BTW! I cross the street to avoid them. He is now on the other side of the street but dog is closer to me than his owner! The guy makes some dumb comment about how dogs behave better when not at home or something. I say "well, actually, he's recently had surgery so isn't friendly to anyone right now".
That shut him up and he finally got the hint to reel in his dog. Just because your dog is a floppy careless bundle of fur doesn't mean he deserves to meet every creature he passes. Also, if you can see that I'm intentionally avoiding you, WHY CAN'T YOU GET THE HINT AND BACK OFF?!? Fuck some people, seriously.
@that1starfish When I hear this I briefly contemplate letting my boy rip. But I don’t want anyone or their dog to get hurt
@that1starfish I mean genuinely how else will you address the reactivity overtime?
@that1starfish Them: Your dog is reactive because you don't let her play with other dogs.
Me: Do you know of a truly dog social dog who is energetic and physical enough to handle her natural play style while still being calm enough not to overstimulate her? Because that dog is not it.
Me: Do you know of a truly dog social dog who is energetic and physical enough to handle her natural play style while still being calm enough not to overstimulate her? Because that dog is not it.
servant1021
New member
@that1starfish Ha ha. That one is right up there with "have you tried training with food?"
bmabramczyk
New member
@that1starfish I really never understood why people think dogs can be “ trained to like people or dogs”. Or “ you can train him not to be so anxious “
- word of perfect pet owners
larrygeratyjr
New member
@that1starfish TBF you can see this happening in real time if you walk the same routes.
People with tiny dogs pick them up every time a normal sized dog goes past. Eventually, the tiny dog leans from this that the normal dogs are 'scary'. Then they bark and bite at the larger dogs.
I am definitely not saying every reactive dog is a result of this. But if I wanted to make my dog scared/reactive, this is exactly how I'd go about it.
People with tiny dogs pick them up every time a normal sized dog goes past. Eventually, the tiny dog leans from this that the normal dogs are 'scary'. Then they bark and bite at the larger dogs.
I am definitely not saying every reactive dog is a result of this. But if I wanted to make my dog scared/reactive, this is exactly how I'd go about it.
@larrygeratyjr Or we pick them up BECAUSE they are already reactive or because your huge dog is unleashed and untrained. Its always easy to be all chill with a big dog when yours can literally trample ours. Ive had enough bad experiences, similar to a comment above u, to not even hesitate about picking my pup up when a big off leash dog approaches. If u want us to stop doing that leash your dog and teach it to not sprint to every other dog.
Also, reactivity is not always fear and/or agression. I pick my dog up because he is overexcited, ive been doing it for months and he still adores (like is obsessed with) all dogs, no matter the size. So i dont think your theory has any real merit and im sorry for attacking u ill probably get deleted but owners like u who seem to know better than everyone else are our biggest nightmare
Also, reactivity is not always fear and/or agression. I pick my dog up because he is overexcited, ive been doing it for months and he still adores (like is obsessed with) all dogs, no matter the size. So i dont think your theory has any real merit and im sorry for attacking u ill probably get deleted but owners like u who seem to know better than everyone else are our biggest nightmare
oldthennew
New member
@richeal Same. I tried following stupid advice to “let them meet!” And let my dog deal but then 2 large dogs lept at him very aggressively and I never would’ve predicted it beforehand (I’m hyper observant constantly with other dogs) but they def would’ve bitten him if I didn’t get him in the air in time. He’s been very scared ever since, this didn’t happen the times before when I did pick him up out of caution because I can tell how much space he needs to feel safe to recover from OTHER past bs. We know our dogs.
@oldthennew Eaxctly. We know our dogs!
Im not discounting the original commenters experience of small dogs attacking his dog because i do think some small dog owners fail to train their dogs thinking they dont rly have to since small dogs are easier to control. But also, ‘average-size’ dog owners dont realise the specific problems small dog owners face, its hard being all chill if your pup is so small literally a pigeoun could hurt him.
I also think maybe different areas have different problems, where i live we have an epidemic of bad trained bigger dogs running havoc off leash and on the other hand im the only one picking my dog up.
So if i see an off lead dog (of any size) or a dog that is not giving us enough space to pass safely, i will pick my dog up untill the end of time, sorry if if hurts your feelings. My pup is reactive from the moment i got him and he is actually getting waay better, and even my trainer and vet confirmed picking him up was absoltely fine-i will protect my dog at all cots.
Im not discounting the original commenters experience of small dogs attacking his dog because i do think some small dog owners fail to train their dogs thinking they dont rly have to since small dogs are easier to control. But also, ‘average-size’ dog owners dont realise the specific problems small dog owners face, its hard being all chill if your pup is so small literally a pigeoun could hurt him.
I also think maybe different areas have different problems, where i live we have an epidemic of bad trained bigger dogs running havoc off leash and on the other hand im the only one picking my dog up.
So if i see an off lead dog (of any size) or a dog that is not giving us enough space to pass safely, i will pick my dog up untill the end of time, sorry if if hurts your feelings. My pup is reactive from the moment i got him and he is actually getting waay better, and even my trainer and vet confirmed picking him up was absoltely fine-i will protect my dog at all cots.
larrygeratyjr
New member
@richeal No you see them pick up in advance, even when mine is on lead. And he is responsive off leash, so besides the point.
My dog's mid sized. The only dogs that have ever attacked him are off leash little snappers. Owners call it "small dog syndrome". But in reality, they've just trained a fear/aggression response and created a little monster.
My dog's mid sized. The only dogs that have ever attacked him are off leash little snappers. Owners call it "small dog syndrome". But in reality, they've just trained a fear/aggression response and created a little monster.
blmartinez
New member
@larrygeratyjr So your theory is, if small dogs feel too protected and safe they will react and be more afraid of other dogs?
larrygeratyjr
New member
@blmartinez No. The fact is that If small dogs are repeatedly taught that regular-sized, friendly dogs are to be scared of, they end up scared of them and will eventually go on to display violent defensive behaviours.
This isn't 'my theory'; it's dog training 101. Same deal when walking on a leash: if you tense up and pull the dog close when you walk past a stimuli, like another dog, your dog senses it and will become distressed. Do it enough times, and you will condition your dog to think that whatever the stimuli is, is something they need to defend against; violently if necessary. Picking your dog up is teaching them to feel unsafe in the long run.
How to make your dog feel safe and secure is with positive reinforcement. Use a soft, high pitched voice to comfort them, and reward with a treat when they walk past nicely. That way you're teaching your dog that other dogs are positive and not scary. If they see you interacting with the other dog positively, it's also good.
Just to clarify; I've never seen a larger dog attack a smaller one, but I have seen a lot of the small breeds be very aggressive. It actually drives me nuts and makes me not want to let my friendly guy play off lead because some horrible little snapper that's been trained to bite will approach him and then bite him. Even on leash, they'll lunge and snarl at him - presumably because they've been taught to be afraid by naive owners.
This isn't 'my theory'; it's dog training 101. Same deal when walking on a leash: if you tense up and pull the dog close when you walk past a stimuli, like another dog, your dog senses it and will become distressed. Do it enough times, and you will condition your dog to think that whatever the stimuli is, is something they need to defend against; violently if necessary. Picking your dog up is teaching them to feel unsafe in the long run.
How to make your dog feel safe and secure is with positive reinforcement. Use a soft, high pitched voice to comfort them, and reward with a treat when they walk past nicely. That way you're teaching your dog that other dogs are positive and not scary. If they see you interacting with the other dog positively, it's also good.
Just to clarify; I've never seen a larger dog attack a smaller one, but I have seen a lot of the small breeds be very aggressive. It actually drives me nuts and makes me not want to let my friendly guy play off lead because some horrible little snapper that's been trained to bite will approach him and then bite him. Even on leash, they'll lunge and snarl at him - presumably because they've been taught to be afraid by naive owners.
blmartinez
New member
@larrygeratyjr how does picking up a small dog teach it to be scared of regular sized dogs? your cause and effect does not seem to compute imo. i move my dog out of the way of cars all the time so she does not get hit, and she has certainly (and unfortunately) not developed the slightest fear of cars
larrygeratyjr
New member
@blmartinez If you act like your dog needs protecting from other dogs, your dog will learn that it should be scared of dogs. By picking up the dog, you're re-enforcing the behaviour.
Like I said, this is dog training basics. If you want to create a reactive dog, this is a great way to go about it.
Example link that took 3 seconds to Google.
Like I said, this is dog training basics. If you want to create a reactive dog, this is a great way to go about it.
Example link that took 3 seconds to Google.
blmartinez
New member
@larrygeratyjr i act like my dog needs protecting from cars on the daily, yet my dog does not learn that it should be scared of cars? i also pull my dog away from other dogs because she does not understand that they are not all here to be her next best friend (she's a frustrated greeter, it's fairly mild now), and you betcha she has not developed a fear of dogs, big or small.
my point is, picking up a dog does not TEACH the fear. picking up a dog does not translate to "be afraid of this specific thing" because that logic means dogs MUST associate fear of other dogs with being picked up, which is not a natural dog instinct. now, if a dog is ALREADY afraid of other dogs, sure your points make sense. but the ORIGINAL fear comes from somewhere else and it's usually very valid (past experiences, abuse etc). you do not "create a reactive dog" by picking it up, that doesn't make sense.
i know you probably don't want to listen to this, but thought i'd explain a bit in case you're wondering why you have the most downvotes in this thread. and also, i have plenty of anecdotes of seeing small dogs get bullied by bigger dogs because that's the natural way of things in the animal world.
my point is, picking up a dog does not TEACH the fear. picking up a dog does not translate to "be afraid of this specific thing" because that logic means dogs MUST associate fear of other dogs with being picked up, which is not a natural dog instinct. now, if a dog is ALREADY afraid of other dogs, sure your points make sense. but the ORIGINAL fear comes from somewhere else and it's usually very valid (past experiences, abuse etc). you do not "create a reactive dog" by picking it up, that doesn't make sense.
i know you probably don't want to listen to this, but thought i'd explain a bit in case you're wondering why you have the most downvotes in this thread. and also, i have plenty of anecdotes of seeing small dogs get bullied by bigger dogs because that's the natural way of things in the animal world.