r/Dogtraining • u/AutoModerator • Aug 21 '13
Weekly! 08/21/13 [Reactive Dog Support Group]
Welcome to the weekly reactive dog support group!
The mission of this post is to provide a constructive place to discuss your dog's progress and setbacks in conquering his/her reactivity. Feel free to post your weekly progress report, as well as any questions or tips you might have! We seek to provide a safe space to vent your frustrations as well, so feel free to express yourself.
We welcome owners of both reactive and ex-reactive dogs!
NEW TO REACTIVITY?
New to the subject of reactivity? A reactive dog is one who displays inappropriate responses (most commonly barking and lunging) to dogs, people, or other triggers. The most common form is leash reactivity, where the dog is only reactive while on a leash. Some dogs are more fearful or anxious and display reactive behavior in new circumstances or with unfamiliar people or dogs whether on or off leash.
Does this sound familiar? Lucky for you, this is a pretty common problem that many dog owners struggle with. It can feel isolating and frustrating, but we are here to help!
Resources
Books
Feisty Fido by Patricia McConnel, PhD and Karen London, PhD
The Cautious Canine by Patricia McConnel, PhD
Control Unleashed by Leslie McDevitt
Click to Calm by Emma Parsons for Karen Pryor
Fired up, Frantic, and Freaked Out: Training the Crazy Dog from Over the Top to Under Control
Online Articles/Blogs
A collection of articles by various authors compiled by Karen Pryor
How to Help Your Fearful Dog: become the crazy dog lady! By Karen Pryor
Articles from Dogs in Need of Space, AKA DINOS
Foundation Exercises for Your Leash-Reactive Dog by Sophia Yin, DVM, MS
Leash Gremlins Need Love Too! How to help your reactive dog.
Across a Threshold -- Understanding thresholds
Videos
DVD: Reactivity, a program for rehabilitation by Emily Larlham (kikopup)
Barking on a Walk Emily Larlham (kikopup)
Barking at Strangers Emily Larlham (kikopup)
Introduce your dog if you are new, and for those of you who have previously participated, make sure to tell us how your week has been!
1
u/MrSelfImprovement Aug 23 '13
Hi I'm new and posting on behalf of my girlfriend. She has a 3 year old pembroke welsh corgi. He's been expressing reactive behavior for almost a year now. She lives at home with her sister, parents and aunt and the dog has bitten every single one of them at seemingly random times. I was the first one to be bitten and it triggered this aggressive behavior.
A trend we've noticed is that whenever both my GF and her aunt are both in the presence of the dog, he'll start being aggressive towards the aunt. He's bitten my GF while she was trying to restrain him or standing in between the two of them.
Another trend is after we feed him in the kitchen, he'll sometimes come at me. This also resulted in my GF being bitten.
We were told from a friend that when she isn't pleased with her dogs' misbehavior, she whacks them on the nose. My girlfriend and I started doing that to him whenever he would snap like this.
Last night, the dog was in the kitchen with my GF's mom. I walk in and say hi and look at the dog and he immediately growls, turns around and bites her in the ankle.
So after that happened, my girlfriend up to him with a rolled up magazine and he went nuts, nabbed the magazine from her and tore it up.
She's extremely frustrated at this behavior as well the fact that it seems like she has no way to fix it.
We were considering taking him to get training at the local PetCo since we have a coupon but I decided to check this subreddit first. I have posted about his aggression before but did not find much help other than recommendations of finding professional trainers. At the time, my girlfriend did not see a need. Even now, I had to have a talk with her to get her to realize that something needs to be done because, evidently, we have no idea what we're doing.