Reactivity In Your Dog

[Pretty Miss Emma]

So, my 22 month old BC can be reactive in some situations.

She is desexed, was exceptionally well socialised as a pup (in terms of variety and types of experiences; there are things I would do differently next time but everyone who knows her and what I did with her agrees that she was probably better socialised than many dogs during this time), goes to obedience and agility classes (has manners of gold 99% of the time at obedience, has become much much better at agility and is usually only reactive at the start of lessons and this seems to be due to the excitement of what is going on around her), she is still socialised in a variety of situations. In terms of her reactivity she has become a lot better, but I'm wanting to hear what others have done in these situations. I know she is a work in progress, but am interested to hear others experiences.

Things that I notice about her reactivity...

It is worse with me than it is when others walk her (she doesn't do it at all for most other people) - I'm trying to work out if I'm signalling to her, but it's hard for me to see!

Meeting dogs one on one in the street causes the greatest reaction.

Much much more reactive on lead (almost no reactivity off lead).

High levels of excitement/movement can cause her reactivity.

She doesn't deal at all well with dogs that stare at her.

We have been playing LAT, and there has been an immense improvement in her behaviour. She used to be reactive to the bus driving past us and now she can sit and watch it go past. I am also in contact with people with expertise in training and behaviour who know her, so am working with their advice also.

So really I'm just looking to see what expereinces others have had, how they've dealt with it, what you have found worked or didn't work. My biggest concern at the moment is dealing with dogs we meet on the street as that is always going to happen at some point (yes, whenever we can we cross the road or dart up a driveway to try and put some more space between us - tonight when I walked her that was an impossibility and she told the other dogs where to go. It was the only time she was reactive for the whole walk but I just felt bad for her as I could tell she just wanted to get as far away from them as she could).

Sorry turned into a ramble!!! Thanks for any responses!!

[ChristineX]

Always happy to talk to another sufferer with a reactive dog!

With dogs that are staring (its actually rude canine behaviour), I will step in front of Duke to break it off. Likewise if Duke starts staring at another dog.

For classes, I wait until everyone is pretty much at and in their class, and then get Duke out of the car and walk over. (of course, the instructors know all about Duke, and are willing to let me do anything I feel I need to do)

Reacting to other dogs - that's working at Duke's threshold, and rewarding for calm behaviour - pretty much the Look At That Game. Over the past 3 years, its worked pretty well, and his threshold has shrunk from 5 blocks (and saw just a tail) to about 2 metres. Over-excitement - I walk him away until he calms down, reward, and walk back one step at a time. If he's calm, I reward, and we move one more step. If he's not, we go back one more step and repeat. Its about teaching self control. He's not good at that.

And working on staying calm myself, and just moving Duke backwards away from anything he's not coping with. Like offlead pups playfighting - I also belong to Australia's best dog club - when stuff like this happens, I depart at the rate of knots and the advanced class jump on the offleash dogs! and return them to their owners!

I've learnt masses of stuff relating to being a better dog handler having Duke. That's the upside of a reactive dog.

[Brennan's Mum]

I'd hire a behaviourist and start working on it under their guidance/ advice. My girl is fear reactive around dogs. I recently hired a wonderful behaviourist and have been following the steps she set out for us and slowly but surely am seeing great results.

What part of Victoria are you in? there are a few good trainer/ behaviourists from Victoria on DOL;

Cosmolo, Erny and Nehkbet to name a few. I am sure that others could suggest some other names.

Underdog Training

InLine k9

Pro K9

ETA links

Edited August 23, 2011 by Brennan's Mum

[corvus]

Teach her to take a breath on cue! I freaking love this. It's apparently explained in the CU book and it's on the foundation dvds, but I missed it the first time around. I taught it to my dogs by holding food above their noses and marking when their nostrils flared or when they shut their mouth. You can use it in conjunction with LAT to speed up calming down.

Can you video working with her so you can see what you're doing or show someone else? I had the same issue and it turned out I was creating a chain that went bark, come when called over, perform some behaviour on cue, then bark again. I now have a 10 second rule where I don't reward anything within 10 seconds of behaviour I don't want. It's hard to stick to sometimes, though.

[Jumabaar]

Oh I might try the take a breath thing- I can see it working (since we use it all the time in humans!!)

I would probably recommend a behaviourist as well though. Going and seeing one and getting a plan, and also having someone to talk to who understands your dog is AMAZING- as is the feeling when you have a 'breakthrough' moment!!

I seen LAT done on a reactive dog, and in a round about method have done the relaxation protocol with another. Both were different dogs after a few months.

For one boy though I just wasn't getting anywhere- saw k9pro and it was like I had a new dog!! I was calmer, he was amazingly calmer and now I enjoy going out with him instead of being in training mode every second.

[bianca.a]

I have a dog reactive girl (on lead or in the car only). I think a lot of her behavior is a type of barrier frustration that escalates.

I have tried some LAT but really have not had a lot of success so today I had a behaviorist come to start on a new plan.

We were doing OB and agility (foundation) but she got so bad I pulled out, at least for now.

Interestingly today the behaviorist gave me some breathing exercises to try and stop or relieve any of my stress traveling down the lead.

Good luck and my new mantra is "we get the dog we need not the dog we want"

[JulesP]

If it is worse with you and worse on lead then I would suggest that resource guarding of you is coming into play. Poppy does this with me. People are quite surprised when they see the change off lead. If I stand still though she will come back to guard me.

I don't think this is fixable but rather something you manage. Does your dog give you great focus etc? I just view these 'quirks' as the flip side of a dog that is high drive and will probably work its butt off for you.

Most border collie girls I know do act like this to some degree. My old Fern wasn't too bad. My boy border collies haven't been like it. Poppy is a bit of a handful and Amber is thinking she is a bit good at the moment so I've just started LAT with her. Poppy is funny with the LAT, she puts a paw on my leg to let me know she should get a treat because 'omg there is a dog in my personal space and I didn't glare at it'.

If I can't get up a drive way etc I tend to sit the dogs and do a watch me whilst the other dog goes past.

Don't stress about it.

[Vickie]

I think it's fair to say that most Border Collies will be reactive to movement. It is who they are.

Most Border Collies also seem to have a strong sense of what is appropriate (or not) for dog to dog manners as well.

There are also many BC lines predisposed to fearful behavior.

Saying that, as Border Collie owners, we should never let these 3 things excuse bad behavior from our dogs.

Having dealt with all 3 issues above in various degrees, my thoughts are:

I do not encourage my BCs to socialize with strange dogs, they don't need it.

I do not take them to off leash parks, they don't need it.

I am always aware of my dogs and what is around them. I make sure I see things before they do.

They learn to share food, toys & me with the other dogs from a young age.

I will never punish my dogs if they react/discipline/snap at a rude dog running at or jumping on them.

I have built a strong reward system with them which means they are more interested in me than in other dogs.

I develop a strong bond with them and keep their minds and bodies occupied with training, both sheep & agility.

I take advantage of (and encourage) their natural tendency to be tennis ball/toy obsessed. If all else fails, lol, I can use this obsession to distract them from anything they may be reactive to.

Edited August 23, 2011 by Vickie

[Agility Dogs]

I think it's fair to say that most Border Collies will be reactive to movement. It is who they are.

Most Border Collies also seem to have a strong sense of what is appropriate (or not) for dog to dog manners as well.

There are also many BC lines predisposed to fearful behavior.

Saying that, as Border Collie owners, we should never let these 3 things excuse bad behavior from our dogs.

Having dealt with all 3 issues above in various degrees, my thoughts are:

I do not encourage my BCs to socialize with strange dogs, they don't need it.

I do not take them to off leash parks, they don't need it.

I am always aware of my dogs and what is around them. I make sure I see things before they do.

They learn to share food, toys & me with the other dogs from a young age.

I will never punish my dogs if they react/discipline/snap at a rude dog running at or jumping on them.

I have built a strong reward system with them which means they are more interested in me than in other dogs.

I develop a strong bond with them and keep their minds and bodies occupied with training, both sheep & agility.

I take advantage of (and encourage) their natural tendency to be tennis ball/toy obsessed. If all else fails, lol, I can use this obsession to distract them from anything they may be reactive to.

thank you for saving me the trouble of typing!

[aussielover]

Having dealt with all 3 issues above in various degrees, my thoughts are:

I do not encourage my BCs to socialize with strange dogs, they don't need it.

I do not take them to off leash parks, they don't need it.

I am always aware of my dogs and what is around them. I make sure I see things before they do.

They learn to share food, toys & me with the other dogs from a young age.

I will never punish my dogs if they react/discipline/snap at a rude dog running at or jumping on them.

I have built a strong reward system with them which means they are more interested in me than in other dogs.

I develop a strong bond with them and keep their minds and bodies occupied with training, both sheep & agility.

I take advantage of (and encourage) their natural tendency to be tennis ball/toy obsessed. If all else fails, lol, I can use this obsession to distract them from anything they may be reactive to.

:thumbsup:

[JulesP]

I think it's fair to say that most Border Collies will be reactive to movement. It is who they are.

Most Border Collies also seem to have a strong sense of what is appropriate (or not) for dog to dog manners as well.

There are also many BC lines predisposed to fearful behavior.

Saying that, as Border Collie owners, we should never let these 3 things excuse bad behavior from our dogs.

Having dealt with all 3 issues above in various degrees, my thoughts are:

I do not encourage my BCs to socialize with strange dogs, they don't need it.

I do not take them to off leash parks, they don't need it.

I am always aware of my dogs and what is around them. I make sure I see things before they do.

They learn to share food, toys & me with the other dogs from a young age.

I will never punish my dogs if they react/discipline/snap at a rude dog running at or jumping on them.

I have built a strong reward system with them which means they are more interested in me than in other dogs.

I develop a strong bond with them and keep their minds and bodies occupied with training, both sheep & agility.

I take advantage of (and encourage) their natural tendency to be tennis ball/toy obsessed. If all else fails, lol, I can use this obsession to distract them from anything they may be reactive to.

:thumbsup:

Totally love this line - Most Border Collies also seem to have a strong sense of what is appropriate (or not) for dog to dog manners as well.

ETA: There is no malice in Poppy's behavior she is just 'bossy' and I call her the fun police! She finds happy bouncy goldens the most offensive.

Edited August 24, 2011 by JulesP

[wuffles]

While I do agree with everything that's been said to an extent, many BCs tend to take offence to my girl for no reason at all. She's not rude in her greetings and does not stare. It's not fair on her at all and the owners tend to just chuckle when it happens

My older boy can be reactive on leash. Not too many suggestions for you, I just try to keep my distance when we're on walks. He is worse when walking with my other dog so most of the time they get walked separately.

Edit: We actually have seen a professional about it and are doing gradual desensitisation.

Edited August 24, 2011 by wuffles

[poodlefan]

If your dog's behaviour concerns you to the point where you are seeking advice, then get it from a professional with experience in dealing with the issue you're confronting.

I'm not talking about posters here (and listen to the BC folk) but internet advice from folk who've never dealt with a reactive dog in their lives will be worth what you've paid for it.

Ask for a recommendations for a trainer or behaviourist.. sounds to me like some desensitisation would be the go. There's also the distinct possiblility that you could be contributing to the issue.

[Weasels]

I take advantage of (and encourage) their natural tendency to be tennis ball/toy obsessed. If all else fails, lol, I can use this obsession to distract them from anything they may be reactive to.

I use this one pretty regularly too, not just for distraction but also to send them at top speed in the other direction after a ball if I see something that might be a problem!

[Jumabaar]

I think it's fair to say that most Border Collies will be reactive to movement. It is who they are.

Most Border Collies also seem to have a strong sense of what is appropriate (or not) for dog to dog manners as well.

There are also many BC lines predisposed to fearful behavior.

Saying that, as Border Collie owners, we should never let these 3 things excuse bad behavior from our dogs.

Having dealt with all 3 issues above in various degrees, my thoughts are:

I do not encourage my BCs to socialize with strange dogs, they don't need it.

I do not take them to off leash parks, they don't need it.

I am always aware of my dogs and what is around them. I make sure I see things before they do.

They learn to share food, toys & me with the other dogs from a young age.

I will never punish my dogs if they react/discipline/snap at a rude dog running at or jumping on them.

I have built a strong reward system with them which means they are more interested in me than in other dogs.

I develop a strong bond with them and keep their minds and bodies occupied with training, both sheep & agility.

I take advantage of (and encourage) their natural tendency to be tennis ball/toy obsessed. If all else fails, lol, I can use this obsession to distract them from anything they may be reactive to.

I think you can replace BC with most working dogs. I know it is defiantly in Kelpies- although I do think Kelpies are also prone to resource guarding their human on top of it, so while they don't interact with other dogs, I do make sure they see me interacting with other dogs as a positive. Just to try to eliminate any guarding tendency when other dogs approach.

[corvus]

I thought the OP was conversing with experts?

[Pretty Miss Emma]

Yes I am!

Just looking for others experiences with similar situations.

[Jumabaar]

Yes I am!

Just looking for others experiences with similar situations.

Ooops- then good luck and make sure you keep us updated. I love hearing about success stories

[Max#1]

I have to post a reply to this because yesterday I had the exact same frustration!!!

My dog is a bc cross, definitely working temperament as far as I can see - unfortunately we don't have sheep, so off-lead at the park it is.

I put it down to something that must've happened while he was younger that makes him feel as though he has to make a preemptive strike at any perceived threats. Like Corvus posted recently in a different thread, unfortunately I think this can be rewarding and reinforcing in itself, as when it works, he'll do it next time. Unfortunately I thought I was 'socializing' him and tried to make sure he met lots of different dogs when he was younger, which of course didn't always go well. I know better now and we do have a 'pack' of friends dogs whom he just loves, and I now make sure we spend our time with them.

Max does dog sports and obedience - and only has eyes for me. Like others have said its worse when he's excited, but at the same time if there's a ball he couldn't care less and will focus on that 100%. He's not the dog that races across the park if a new dog appears, he sticks to me like glue. If a dog bigger than him comes racing over to us, staring at him, I know it will be on. All is well if he tells the other dog to back off and it does (his next position is usually then between my legs - fear/resource guarding?). If the other dog turns around and says 'oh really' then there's trouble. Woe betide the other dog if it jumps up on me. Is worse on-lead (another dog that is wearing a halti seems to be even worse), but has happened off-lead, doesn't happen really with my OH, or if someone else is handling him.

I empathise!

Things that are working for me are going back to obedience, we had let it lapse for awhile. Going every week and seeing the same dogs, and there being no threat, I hope is countering the times he's been rewarded for having to make a preemptive strike. Watching out for eyeballing and breaking that up also works well. Working on me not tensing up is a work in progress.... I haven't tried look at that, but read about it, so will have to give it a go.

[Kavik]

Max - as Vickie pointed out in her post - good idea to stay away from dog parks if your dog can be reactive. Why stress your dog out by going?