Simply Grand Posted December 10, 2014 Share Posted December 10, 2014 Oh she's beautiful, look at that pretty face I have to say my dogs are the best therapy I've found for mental health issues, they give me a focus, relax me and make me smile :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Better Late Posted December 11, 2014 Share Posted December 11, 2014 She is a stunner, both inside and out We're completely taken with her and will be going to the RSPCA tomorrow for a quick visit before work and then again on Saturday, and it looks like the big day is Monday. I haven't stopped reading since Tuesday and am feeling nice and informed about things now, plus I'm waiting to hear back from Nekhbet about a workshop day in January. So things are looking good :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hankdog Posted December 11, 2014 Share Posted December 11, 2014 She's very cute. Now I'm going to be the party pooper. ???? Not many of us who own a reactive dog would happily take in a second. It can be quite isolating as you cannot take your dog with to many places. It is a constant worry about "what if......" And relaxing walks are not relaxing, you are always looking ahead, scouting bolt holes and waving apologetically because your dog has again embarrassed you and you hope you're not going to be reported. Your yard must be doubly secure if she's going to be out unsupervised. You must be committed to endless training, everything you do is training your dog, there's no slack days. Take her on leash for a walk and set up someone to walk towards you with another dog, can you physically hang onto her, if an off leash dog comes at you are you able to deal with her weight. Check out your area for off leash dogs, is it a problem where you live? Think about the day you get in a fight, is it something you can face? If she's declared dangerous can you work with that? I don't want to be awful but these are just things you need to think of. I happily took Jake on thinking after a few training sessions we would be fine, the truth is a reactive dog is not likely to be "cured" and you will most likely be dealing with some level of problem for the rest of her life. Ok warning over. On a more cheerful note you are about to get a lot of dog knowledge and learn a lot about stuff you never thought of. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Better Late Posted December 11, 2014 Share Posted December 11, 2014 Appreciate that hankdog, and I certainly don't think you're pooping on my party at all! All of the above is something that I've been thinking heavily on since we met her, and I've lost count of the amount of articles I've read to try and gain some more knowledge on the issue. But thinking and reading, in reality, is not going to set me up to fix this dog. I'd be stupid to think otherwise. This is going to take work, and an incredible commitment to training as you said. Every day will be a training day. This is something that needs to be managed, and even though I will be her primary carer, both myself and my partner need to be on the exact same page when it comes to training otherwise we're just going to confuse her and derail any progress we make. There are going to be hard days, there is going to BE that day when we round the corner and there's suddenly a dog in her face. These are the types of things we need to plan for because they WILL happen and we need to be prepared. On the flipside, as the woman in the shelter said to me, she could be a completely different dog outside of the shelter environment. Who knows. But its so much better to be prepared for the worst, even if that does make me sound like a negative nancy. We want to make her a part of our family and we owe it to her to work hard and be committed. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hankdog Posted December 11, 2014 Share Posted December 11, 2014 Cool, just thought it needed to be said. Now back to the new puppy party????. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raineth Posted December 11, 2014 Share Posted December 11, 2014 Hi better Late. You probably won't like what I'm going to say, but I would urge you not to adopt a dog with reactivity. Especially if you are hoping dog ownership will have mental health benefits for you. Owning a reactive dog is stressful, and you are often at the mercy of other completely clueless owners and their 'friendly' dogs. I'm with Hankdog, no way, no how, would I ever knowingly adopt a reactive dog. Owning one is really stressful, and there are no guarantees that even with hard and careful work that they will ever get to a point where they are rehabilitated. Who knows, her reactivity might be mild and she may respond well to training, but it sounds as if you don't really know. It would be much easier if she was in a foster home environment, than a kennel environment. Anyway, I know that's probably not what you want to hear, but it's the kind of advice I'd want to hear if I was in your position. Whatever you choose, I wish you the best, you and your partner certainly do sound like you'd be really dedicated to any dog that was in your care :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raineth Posted December 11, 2014 Share Posted December 11, 2014 I'm just adding that it could be an excellent idea to get someone out to assess her before you make a final decision. Cosmolo (of Underdog training) has already been mentioned to you, and she has a wealth of experience in assessing dogs in pound situations. I think having someone like her come and look at the dog would be invaluable because it would give you an idea of exactly what you're dealing with. It might be that her problem is quite mild, or it could be a lot more than that...and then at least you would know what you're in for. Also as others have said here, getting straight onto a good behaviourist would be the best bet if you go ahead with the adoption :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
disintegratus Posted December 13, 2014 Share Posted December 13, 2014 I'm confused about how a dog displaying any kind of reactivity at all is being released from the rspca. They're not exactly known for their tolerance when it comes to ANY deviation of what they consider acceptable behaviour. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jemmy Posted December 13, 2014 Share Posted December 13, 2014 (edited) Happy update here :) At dog class madam was an angel, we even had some play bows and no frustrated barking when the play bow didn't get her play time with other dogs. I was so proud of her. This morning she had a bark at an off lead white fluffy on our walk, but it's a little jerk who snaps at her through her own gate, so I'm not sure if she was barking because it's a dog, or because it's THAT dog. Then we went down to the self service dog wash and there was a dog in one of the enclosures already... She didn't stiffen up or get her stare on, just kind of did a whole body tail wag and then kept on going with me. And on a side note, she can be a devil to bath because she likes to try and bite the water. But today she was so good! Maybe she knows Santa is watching? I understand it's still going to be a lot of work yet, but weekends like this one make it all worthwhile give me hope that I haven't completely failed her with some early training mistake. Edited to change my wording above. Edited December 13, 2014 by Jemmy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staffyluv Posted December 14, 2014 Share Posted December 14, 2014 (edited) I just had to come and share with all my reactive dog people friends.. From brat dog to gaining his first CCD points - an awesome 95/100 today. We have to do this another two times to gain our title (and under at least two different judges). He is nearly asleep in the photo because he is exhausted. Zig worked so well and had such an awesome day - I am so very proud of my lad. 2014.12.14 Zig 2nd in CCD by jamoore photos, on Flickr Edited December 14, 2014 by Staffyluv Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jemmy Posted December 14, 2014 Share Posted December 14, 2014 Congratulations Staffyluv and Zig! Hope Ziggy has a lovely nap today, he deserves it. Well done Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staffyluv Posted December 14, 2014 Share Posted December 14, 2014 Thanks Jemmy, he is already snoring on the lounge beside me. Not sure if you know Zig's story but he was a pound pup, that we bought when he was about 6 months old. No training, very submissive but he used to bounce up to every dog he saw and jump all over them - he was always in the face of other more shy dogs and generally uncontrollable whenever he saw other dogs. He still gets pretty excited when he sees other dogs but with loads of training and redirecting his 'enthusiasm' into other behaviours, we have come a really long way. Three dogs were loose today - running all over the assessment grounds, he was off lead and he still stayed where he was told to stay. It really makes you so proud when you see how far they come with our love and guidance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BC Crazy Posted December 14, 2014 Share Posted December 14, 2014 Well done Zig You have come such a long way. Congrats Staffyluv you must be bursting with pride :D Just wonderful what love & guidance can do. The sky is the limit... Gives me some hope too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dididog Posted December 14, 2014 Share Posted December 14, 2014 Happy update here :) At dog class madam was an angel, we even had some play bows and no frustrated barking when the play bow didn't get her play time with other dogs. I was so proud of her. This morning she had a bark at an off lead white fluffy on our walk, but it's a little jerk who snaps at her through her own gate, so I'm not sure if she was barking because it's a dog, or because it's THAT dog. Then we went down to the self service dog wash and there was a dog in one of the enclosures already... She didn't stiffen up or get her stare on, just kind of did a whole body tail wag and then kept on going with me. And on a side note, she can be a devil to bath because she likes to try and bite the water. But today she was so good! Maybe she knows Santa is watching? I understand it's still going to be a lot of work yet, but weekends like this one make it all worthwhile give me hope that I haven't completely failed her with some early training mistake. Edited to change my wording above. That's great Jemmy :) any progress is good progress and the small wins all add up eventually! We had our xmas breakup at obedience today and Didi was a gem, lots of dogs, lots of people being loud and children running around and lots of pats and took it all in her stride with a wagging tail (except santa, didn't want to go near him!). We were sitting on a bench near the grounds to take a break and some people walked past and said how pretty she was. I got off the bench just in case Didi got nervous and we had to move away from them but instead Didi walked right up in between them for pats and was so nice and affectionate. Obviously this doesn't mean she now likes being patted by strangers but it was great to have a nice experience with nice people and to know that she is confident enough to do that in some situations. It felt really weird to ask if they wanted to say hello when normally I'm asking them to leave us alone! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grumpette Posted December 16, 2014 Share Posted December 16, 2014 I just had to come and share with all my reactive dog people friends.. From brat dog to gaining his first CCD points - an awesome 95/100 today. We have to do this another two times to gain our title (and under at least two different judges). He is nearly asleep in the photo because he is exhausted. Zig worked so well and had such an awesome day - I am so very proud of my lad. 2014.12.14 Zig 2nd in CCD by jamoore photos, on Flickr OMG I am rapt for you and Ziggy. That is brilliant and definitely worth your pride and a huge brag. Next year will be awesome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hankdog Posted December 16, 2014 Share Posted December 16, 2014 Well done Ziggy, I'm sending Jake to you for reform school. He's so funny, when I got to training today my trainer was busy with another little dog. Jake climbed up onto the bench in the reception area and sat and watched in a very relaxed manner. Apparently if he's sitting in a chair being a people then other dogs are fine. Last training for the year. I'm pretty happy with our progress. Although he does still have outbursts he also does snap out of them quite easily. We survived our first fight with me being the bitten and the other dog being the biter so Jakes in the clear there. He's done two boarding sessions that he's handled well and I'm quite confident in planning a visit to my daughter next year and knowing he will be fine and better behaved for the experience. Modest achievements but I'm pretty happy with them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BC Crazy Posted December 16, 2014 Share Posted December 16, 2014 :laugh: Maybe I need to get Stella a chair then Hankdog Yes I would be really chuffed with Jakes progress HD. I think you make a very successful team actually & you have done really well with him. With reactive dogs it's all about ANY positive progress = success, no matter how small. Your post made me reflect over our year & while we haven't made as progress as what I would of liked training wise I believe I have strengthened my bond with Stella & I think she does trust me a lot more than she used to which is very important to a dog with a very weak nerve like she has. So I am very pleased about that. Also I seem to have finally got her medication correct for the moment as she is the happiest & calmest she has been for quite some time. She is such a sweet sweet little girl. I just adore her to pieces I'd love the set up you have regarding a regular trainer HD & that is something that I am having loads of trouble finding in our area. There are a few trainers but I'm after someone breed savvy & who has had experience with reactivity. I did have someone who would of been marvelous for us but she got to busy & has loads of commitments with her own dogs unfortunately. Seems everybody that I have contacted that would be suitable ( & that really limits us)are just too busy. Will keep trying & keep my ear out though, hopefully someone will come up soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Better Late Posted December 18, 2014 Share Posted December 18, 2014 Hi everyone, Raineth, I appreciate everything you said! Thank you. Your honesty (in fact everyones) is refreshing. We did go ahead with the adoption, but I haven't logged on until today. We are probably the people who have just done what a whole bunch of folk wouldn't do (because they know better) - take in a reactive dog - but she's home now and we've made a commitment to her. In terms of seeing a behaviourist, we'll be seeing Nekhbet in early Jan for a workshop, and she's given us some pointers to work on in the meantime. We're avoiding other dogs during her adjustment period while we all get to know eachother, thankfully there are showgrounds near us that are deserted so we just walk her around the stables/cattle pavilion so she can smell all the things. She had a whale of a time climbing in the manure pile yesterday :laugh: We did come across two dogs behind a fence on our walk today. I've never seen them on this walk before. The small dog started barking first and instead of growling she whined while straining for a better look. The small dog was joined by a larger dog, and she whined again, but I asked her to come with me and she chose to, which I was happy with. She doesn't bat an eyelid at freight trains orthe ducks kept at the school, but she growled and wuffed at a van towing a trailer full of wheelie bins, and she REALLY doesn't like the postman. I'm going to start LAT today so we can work on that and will work on getting her to either go to her crate when someone knocks on the door or go into a sit-stay. Its a learning experience :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hankdog Posted December 18, 2014 Share Posted December 18, 2014 Welcome to our "speshul" dogs club BL. What is her name? I'm sure you'll do great with Nekbhet and I'm looking forward to hearing all your methods and how they work. I have weekly training and it's a huge support to me, a good trainer behind you makes all the difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jemmy Posted December 19, 2014 Share Posted December 19, 2014 Of course after our positive post last weekend now we've started our weekend at bark-at-all-the-dogs central. #exhausted Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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