tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1101438868458660054.post6659966650581840306..comments2024-03-04T06:54:50.622-06:00Comments on Reactive Champion: Help! I think my dog is reactive! What should I do?Crystal (Thompson) Barrerahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01738188430244886019noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1101438868458660054.post-2326668339173029302012-07-31T09:50:15.245-05:002012-07-31T09:50:15.245-05:00I know this post is a few months old but we're...I know this post is a few months old but we're at the very beginning of this journey with our 1.5 yr old boy - thank you for this post. <br /><br />It's been a rough few months and although we're working with a behaviorist it's been slow going. I'll be honest, there are moments when I still mourn for the dog I wish I had and wonder where we went wrong. Since we brought him home at 12 weeks, we socialized the heck out of him and we had him enrolled in some form of group classes from puppy kindergarten and puppy agility and now rally and intermediate obedience. Moving out of state when he was 9 months old seemed to trigger his reactivity though there must have been signs of stress we missed before... Anyway, I'm glad I found your blog.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1101438868458660054.post-15686300759612429122012-07-31T09:48:53.164-05:002012-07-31T09:48:53.164-05:00This comment has been removed by the author.Thomas Chanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10213841895155496673noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1101438868458660054.post-65200115327776252762012-04-06T16:45:34.504-05:002012-04-06T16:45:34.504-05:00Great comments here.
Susanna, you were indeed luc...Great comments here.<br /><br />Susanna, you were indeed lucky. I was in an intermediate obedience class when I first recognized Maisy's reactivity. The instructor was excellent with skills, but couldn't advise me on behavior.<br /><br />Kerry, I agree. We all do the best we can. No point in beating ourselves up about the past.<br /><br />Nicky, I really wish I'd gotten in with a vet beh sooner, too. <br /><br />Ninso- you said that so well! I agree completely. :)Crystal (Thompson) Barrerahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01738188430244886019noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1101438868458660054.post-73077805915187019882012-04-06T13:58:37.269-05:002012-04-06T13:58:37.269-05:00The biggest piece of advice I'd have is, you h...The biggest piece of advice I'd have is, you have to go all in or you're not going to get anywhere. Unless you're ready to commit 100%, don't even bother working. That might mean implementing some inconvenient management strategies, pulling out of sports or training, finding new ways to exercise your dog. It's a commitment. A very rewarding one when you do make progress, but sometimes it takes awhile to get to that point where you just decide you've had enough.Ninsohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11926615638315977082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1101438868458660054.post-32804614542329470362012-04-06T12:57:49.089-05:002012-04-06T12:57:49.089-05:00(Hey look! I'm in your picture!)
I don't...(Hey look! I'm in your picture!)<br /><br />I don't have any advice, but I think this is a fantastic post. Looking back, I just wish I'd known what I was seeing and how to "classify" it. If I'd been able to intervene, appropriately, when we first got Shanoa I think she'd be so much better off today. I just didn't know.<br /><br />The only thing I'd add, in addition to education and finding a great trainer, is to consider getting in to see a veterinary behaviorist early in the process. That's another thing I wish I'd done much earlier.<br /><br />NickyAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1101438868458660054.post-63262719069997735392012-04-06T09:43:03.878-05:002012-04-06T09:43:03.878-05:00I like the "take a break" advice. The b...I like the "take a break" advice. The biggest mistake that I made when I first got Huck over a year ago was that there was a dog he HATED in my first training class with him, and I made him stay in that class. <br /><br />I thought it was a good exercise for him to learn to be in the presence of the dog without reacting, which I agree with still in theory, but the training room was small and I couldn't get more than 15 feet away - far too close. So he would erupt a few times a class for short bursts. I don't think we made it through a single class without an outburst and I would absolutely not stay in that class again. <br /><br />Since his issue is only some dogs, not all dogs, it would have been trivial to switch classes to find a class with dogs that he had no animosity towards. <br /><br />However, while I would absolutely do it different today, I don't beat myself up about it, because I was doing what I thought was best at the time. It was because of Huck and my intention to help him overcome his reactivity that renewed my interest in training and it has been a fascinating year!Kerry M.https://www.blogger.com/profile/06655343290376320971noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1101438868458660054.post-3158603009384477722012-04-06T09:00:31.222-05:002012-04-06T09:00:31.222-05:00Great advice!! If I could emphasize one point to p...Great advice!! If I could emphasize one point to people dealing with reactivity for the first time, it would be that reactivity can look like aggression but it usually isn't; it's usually about fear, anxiety, and/or stress. That's what you've got to deal with.<br /><br />I was so lucky: Trav's reactivity became obvious (<i>really</i> obvious) at our first Rally class. Our trainer uses reinforcement-based methods and also does behavior modification. I learned solid techniques from her, esp. about the importance of keeping Trav under threshold, which usually meant far enough from the trigger that he could still think straight.<br /><br />Plus the class was small (6 teams) and the place (an indoor horse arena) large, and I wasn't told to come back when my dog could behave better.Susannahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12859415775307390408noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1101438868458660054.post-30245126785807247982012-04-06T07:45:18.659-05:002012-04-06T07:45:18.659-05:00Ooh, I love that post over on Love and a Six Foot ...Ooh, I love that post over on Love and a Six Foot Leash. Thanks for mentioning it! :)Crystal (Thompson) Barrerahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01738188430244886019noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1101438868458660054.post-87822096280002081982012-04-06T00:18:10.637-05:002012-04-06T00:18:10.637-05:00Such amazing advice being given today with reactiv...Such amazing advice being given today with reactive dogs -- this, I think, coupled with Love and a Leash's post today, is such monumentally helpful info for people who are struggling with their dog's anxiety. Elli's not like this at all, but it's still important knowledge to have!Ximenahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15149363758149608097noreply@blogger.com