Exercising Reactive Dogs Thread

[BC Crazy]

Thanks raineth, yes the Vets visit was the icing on the cake for me. I must say the Vet we visit there is amazing. He's very calm with her. I love the way he approachs her. He sits on the floor at first & just talks to me to let Stella gather herself. He really is just wonderful. We visit the area quite often so I have decided to make him Stella Vet of choice whenever possible :)

Also to have so many nice coments about owning such well behaved dogs made me glow with pride :)

And yes caravaning is so much fun. Probably not for everyone but we dont ruff it. Our van has a toilet/shower & is just like a home on wheels.We only go to places that are dog friendly naturally :)

[hankdog]

In my dreams I'm going in a road trip/ camping walkabout with Jake. He'd need to be better behaved than he is now but I need dreams.

Staffyluv I'm in Turramurra, if you need stopover I could just keep Jake indoors and Zig outdoors.

Raineth I desperately wanted to muzzle Jake but his face doesn't lend itself to a muzzle. I think the confidence would be good, in today's litigious society having my dog not able to bite would be peace of mind. It's all very well to say the other dog shouldn't be out etc but as the owner of a reactive bull breed I know I'm going to start on the back foot.

Eta; Your pictures not wrong Raineth , the baby ducks quickly learn to beg food off me and since Jakes normally one step behind me if they can't find me they'll go beg off him. Silly monkeys!

Edited November 3, 2013 by hankdog

[maddogdodge]

Wow, everyone's dogs are going so well! Hard work pays off i guess :)

I too have a dream of camping with my dogs, but like Jake, Koda would need to be much better behaved. I love camping, but i'm used to going in a camper trailer, sort of a mix of a caravan and a tent, i do enjoy roughing it though.

Hankdog, I was looking online at various muzzles that are available, and i found a few metal cage type ones that were designed for dogs with short noses, i don't remember the website though.

I couldn't find a muzzle that fit Koda at our local pet shop, so i went online and ordered the Baskerville Ultra Muzzle. It sounds like a great muzzle, the dog can easily still eat, drink and pant through it. I am keen for it to arrive so that i can start getting Koda used to it and soon after that start taking him out again!

[sheena]

I have been looking at getting "Click for Calm" for ages now, & I found it on Kindle the other night & am thoroughly enjoying it. Has anybody else read this book ?????

[Kavik]

Yes I have read Click to Calm! I really liked it, lots of good ideas and exercises for helping with reactivity. Really increased my confidence in my ability to handle Zoe around other dogs.

[BC Crazy]

I haven't read it but sounds like I should. Thanks for the "heads up" that it is on Kindle Sheena. I'm going to buy it now & look forward to reading it :)

Kavik, glad to hear you enjoyed Click to Clam as well. I am always ready to learn anything that may benefit reactivity.

Edited November 4, 2013 by BC Crazy

[raineth]

I Have click to calm. There was definitely some good information in it. I must have a look over it again.

Interestingly today I walked Del in our neighbourhood for the first time in about a week (I have been taking her elsewhere which I have the luxury of doing while I'm on uni break) and she was so much more relaxed out here than she has been in a long time.

I'm actually starting to wonder how much my overall stress levels during my exams and having a very sick child might have contributed to her overall stress? Who knows - dogs can be so confusing sometimes!

Wow, everyone's dogs are going so well! Hard work pays off i guess :)

I too have a dream of camping with my dogs, but like Jake, Koda would need to be much better behaved. I love camping, but i'm used to going in a camper trailer, sort of a mix of a caravan and a tent, i do enjoy roughing it though.

Hankdog, I was looking online at various muzzles that are available, and i found a few metal cage type ones that were designed for dogs with short noses, i don't remember the website though.

I couldn't find a muzzle that fit Koda at our local pet shop, so i went online and ordered the Baskerville Ultra Muzzle. It sounds like a great muzzle, the dog can easily still eat, drink and pant through it. I am keen for it to arrive so that i can start getting Koda used to it and soon after that start taking him out again!

That's the same as the one we just bought :) I was lucky that the new pet store in town stocks them. The other store only sells the ones that keep the dog's mouth closed. I honestly think Del would die if I walked her in one of those!

We are on day two of muzzle training and it's going well so far :) Let me know how you go when you get yours?

[maddogdodge]

That's the same as the one we just bought :) I was lucky that the new pet store in town stocks them. The other store only sells the ones that keep the dog's mouth closed. I honestly think Del would die if I walked her in one of those!

We are on day two of muzzle training and it's going well so far :) Let me know how you go when you get yours?

Yes, our petshop only stocks the metal cage ones and the nylon ones that keep the dogs mouth shut. Koda would hate the one that keeps his mouth shut, especially because it restricts their breathing! I'm hoping my muzzle will arrive on wednesday, seeing as tomorrow is a public holiday. Will definitely keep you guys posted on how things go when it arrives :)

This click to calm book sounds good, I might go and see if my local library has it :)

[Staffyluv]

Thanks HD but it is going to be a long day - up, training and back as it is..

I am thinking I might stop every half hour just at a rest stop for 10 minutes and try to break the trip up..

I have been taking him for more 'drives' of late to get him more used to the car but half an hour seems to be his limit.. so hopefully the half hour stops will make it easier on him.

[Staffyluv]

We have discovered another issue with Zig..

He doesn't do well if someone else takes his lead - the trainer, took his lead to show me how to do something (I over correct him and she has pulled me up on it constantly, so she wanted to show me how to do it).. When she started to walk away with him, he freaked and tried to get back to me. Then he dropped to the ground and wouldn't move..

He is OK with my son and my sons girlfriend (and obviously me). He is also fine with someone else holding the lead if I am standing there - but try and walk him away from me and he just drops and won't go (he does for my son and his GF)....

Any suggestions??

TIA :)

[Cosmolo]

Other people need to take him and build reinforcement history. If this can't practically be done, he won't be able to work for other people he doesn't know.

[hankdog]

Yep, Jake is very much my dog. Varies between grudgingly taking treats from the trainer to flat out refusing. Last week I took jelly tots, I eat them late at night if I'm working and he will wake up at 1am for them. She put one on his bottom jaw and he refused to eat it.

We have played recall between two of us with the trainer having the long leash so she can reel him in, I also just walk off and leave him with her. He's better if he can't see me. If I'm there he'll look at me each time she gives a command. He does however understand her commands, when she says "Tell him to down" hell drop before I say anything.

Edited November 5, 2013 by hankdog

[raineth]

Del can be like that too StaffyLuv. When my OH and I go for a walk together, he can take her lead, but she will put herself beside my left hand side as if I was walking her anyway.

But if I wasn't there, I know she'd be ok.

Digby will go off with others but not do anything they tell him to... I just think he often doesn't understand them.

I think it's to do with having that relationship with them. While I'm sure Cosmolo knows tonnes more than me about it :) I think it's not just about reinforcement history but also about communication. You can communicate with them in the way they understand and they communicate with you back and you understand it. So I think they also prefer you over others for that reason too.

[BC Crazy]

Sonny my male BC is a bit of a one girl dog. He just wants to be with me & wants me to handle him. While he will go with say OH on a walk the whole time he is turning around looking for me. He is still obedient to a point but certainly not as relaxed as he is with mum :)

Stella is very robot like with another handler. She does exactly as she is told but is very stiff. Doesn' t look all that comfortable with the scenario.

Neither will take a treat from a stranger usually. Stella will sometime except a treat but always spits it out again lol.

Sorry Staffy luv but not sure how to improve that behaviour really apart from letting others take him more often till Zig gets more used to it.

Edited November 6, 2013 by BC Crazy

[Staffyluv]

Other people need to take him and build reinforcement history. If this can't practically be done, he won't be able to work for other people he doesn't know.

Thanks Cos, I sort of figured that and hadn't even realised it was an issue until last week.

I will make an effort to get others to hold his lead, get him to sit etc - even if it is just the basics.

He does sit, drop and stay at home when anyone else asks him to but it was out and about on lead that it seems to be an issue.

Thanks all, glad I am not the only one who has this issue.

[Guest hankodie]

Big THANK YOU again to everyone who recommended the BAT book to me. Took Odie for a walk today and she successfully walked silently past not one, not two, but THREE barking dogs today :D That's a record for us! I'm so happy.

Mind you she did hesitate for a split second when one of them literally CRASHED into the fence barking, but I made sure my timing was right. It's definitely a mental workout for the both of us!

It also helps if I get into my ""happy place" before I walk her, I have a cup of tea, couple of deep breaths, get my head in the game and off we go :D

We've also been playing a few scent games around the house which mellows her out like nothing else. I get her to go to her place, then I take a little container of peanut butter and hide it somewhere, then give her a release cue and she takes off snuffling around trying to find it. It's hilarious! She always finds it surprisingly quick, given she's only got a squashy little nose to work with

I love her to the moon and back so I'm really happy we found something that is starting to work for us, or at the very least given me something to work with. Thank you again lovely people

[maddogdodge]

My muzzle for Koda came in the mail this morning. I decided to start with a bit of positive rienforcement before i had to head out for the rest of the day. Koda was going really well with it, so i put it on him for a couple of minutes. In that two minutes, my Mum let Dodge (my Kelpie) into the backyard where Koda was, i could see she was acting strange, and all the sudden as Koda was trying to play with her, Dodge just lashed out and attacked Koda. This has never happened before, and so not like Dodge at all! I'm just presuming that Dodge was a bit freaked out by the muzzle...

I'm going to work with it again tomorrow, hopefully i can get both dogs to be very happy with the muzzle.

[hankdog]

So does Odie scream? Jake has a bizarre scream, he actually says "hubba, hubba". I've never seen a frenchie in real life but from some you tube clips it's a very frenchie type behavior. From what I know of his breeding he's half frenchie. I'm attributing his norty behavior to that side!!!

[Guest hankodie]

So does Odie scream? Jake has a bizarre scream, he actually says "hubba, hubba". I've never seen a frenchie in real life but from some you tube clips it's a very frenchie type behavior. From what I know of his breeding he's half frenchie. I'm attributing his norty behavior to that side!!!

Hahaha she does! It's so bizarre! "Hubba hubba" is the perfect description of how it sounds I've only ever heard her do it a few times though and always when she's in a really excited state (or way over threshold).

I have no doubt Jake's behaviour is attributed to his frenchie side, they are feisty little creatures :laugh:

She also "purrs" (best way I can describe it) when she's playing - it sounds like a cross between a high pitched growl and a cat purring. It's so weird! My trainer says she's never heard anything like it before :laugh:

[hankdog]

Jake can also hiss, he rolls on his back and hisses like a snake to get you to rub his belly. Grunting,snorts, extremely loud yawns that sound like he's stretching his vocal chords and various sighs and gurgles, bulldogs are never quiet. I'm used to it but when my sister stayed over she was laughing all the time.

Edited November 6, 2013 by hankdog