hankdog Posted November 27, 2013 Share Posted November 27, 2013 Yep, I work from home so the dog park was my social for the day. I have met a few people through just saying hi over fences though. How the puppies SammieS? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pretty Miss Emma Posted November 27, 2013 Share Posted November 27, 2013 Hi reactive dog owners! Just popping in to see how things are going and to give my little reactive girl a brag. Kenzie did her first dog dancing trial on Saturday - well there wre 2, 1 in the morning 1 in the afternoon. Anyway I chose to do dog dancing with her because she loves doing tricks so she automatically wants to focus more on me (even though we competed in heelwork, but there were still some tricks!), I can talk to her the whole time, the general good manners around the ring is keeping dogs quiet, keeping dogs away from the ring and people not being too close to the ring. So I was trying to put her in as safe an environment as I could. Also the trial were on her home training ground and the stewards were people who she knew - so everything was as much our way as it possibly could be! Anyway waiting and entering the ring were probably the hardest bits for us because that is where there was the possibility of being close to other dogs (and people were excited coming out of the ring and were rewarding their dogs). Oh and we had to perform off lead, so she was of lead for around 3 minutes all up each time I guess (sstress me out!!). So anyway, I made sure we had treats and stayed as far as we could from the ring entry until we had to go in - this worked for us! Once we were in the ring I just kept talking and talking to her and she was allowed to spin any time she wanted to if it meant that she could keep focussing on me! So the end result was 2 really successful routines, both getting passes and in the afternoon trial she even came 3rd in her class! I never thought I'd be able to trial her in something off lead!!! And she was a little superstar and manged to focus on me the whole time!! The only issue we had for the whole day was when there was a dog doing a really bouncy routine and she could see it from her crate - so she went off her hed for a little bit. But we went for a walk and then everything was ok for her. I'm so proud of my little girl! From not even being able to have another dog near her without telling it to go away to being able to get her Heelwork to Music starters title doing dancing off lead!!! She is the dog I got to be my performance dog and when I started dealing with her reactivity I thought all that was never going to happen. But now that I'm choosing my dog sports carefully (and which trials I actually enter her in) it is possible and we had a great time! Keep up the good work with your reactive dogs - it makes the "wins" so much sweeter!! I was just bursting with pride for my little Kenzie Kenz!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hankdog Posted November 27, 2013 Share Posted November 27, 2013 (edited) Oh double wow!!!Im green with envy. You must have been walking on a cloud, well done. ???????? Edited November 27, 2013 by hankdog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teekay Posted November 27, 2013 Share Posted November 27, 2013 Wow PME, that sounds awesome. I can just imagine how overjoyed you would have been. Well done Kenz, you're a star, and so is your Mum for all her hard work Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hankdog Posted November 28, 2013 Share Posted November 28, 2013 Sorry folks, today's title of best dog in the world goes to Jake. Worked right next to a Bernese and Dane both with me and with the trainer. He was very responsive to the trainer and was even leaning into her for reassurance. He was ok with me patting the dogs and ok when I threw treats for them to get some fun happening. Plus he's starting to make calming signals, more like "Im crazy so please don't eat " me signals all roly eyes and downcast body but.......Woohoo???????? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teekay Posted November 28, 2013 Share Posted November 28, 2013 Woohoo. Way to go Jakey boy. Medals all round I think :D We're on a roll so I'll add mine for this morning. I took Luka for a walk along the beachfront path. Very busy, lots of people and a fair few dogs. Not once did he react to any of them (admittedly they were all very calm dogs ). Didn't have any treats left in my bag by the end of the walk though :laugh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BC Crazy Posted November 28, 2013 Share Posted November 28, 2013 (edited) Way to go Jake !!! You must be so happy hankdog & very proud. It feels wonderful when we have a successful day. You have put in the hard yards with him. Your dedication is paying off. Enjoy. I read somewhere he has a sore leg ??? Hope he is ok :) Edited November 28, 2013 by BC Crazy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hankdog Posted November 28, 2013 Share Posted November 28, 2013 (edited) Haha teekay, I have particularly nice cheese in my great bag at the moment. Never any left when I get home either! Thanks BC he has the beginning of arthritis I'm afraid, I really enjoy our long walks but looks like we might need to split it into two short walks. ???? Edited November 28, 2013 by hankdog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raineth Posted November 28, 2013 Share Posted November 28, 2013 Hi, it's great to read this thread and see what other people's reactive dogs are like and what you're doing about it. I got Phoenix as a rescue dog a couple of months ago (kelpie/staffie cross - maybe with a bit of Lab) and he's great with people and with dogs he knows but not so great on lead with dogs he doesn't know. So I don't dare take him to the local park to let him off lead. I'm in the process of training him after a consult with a behaviourist and he's responding pretty well so far. He also gets car sick. I wonder if all of this is anxiety related. I'm hoping he grows out of this but am mindful that he may not. I've got some medication from the vet for longer car trips although that's expensive and I've also ordered some Adaptil upon recommendation from behaviourist. (Note, I accidentally started my own topic introducing Phoenix. Apologies for dual post.) Hello and welcome! Is that Phoenix in your avatar? He looks gorgeous! It's great that you have been able to get onto a behaviourist so quickly :) I look forward to hearing more about his progress :) Hi reactive dog owners! Just popping in to see how things are going and to give my little reactive girl a brag. Kenzie did her first dog dancing trial on Saturday - well there wre 2, 1 in the morning 1 in the afternoon. Anyway I chose to do dog dancing with her because she loves doing tricks so she automatically wants to focus more on me (even though we competed in heelwork, but there were still some tricks!), I can talk to her the whole time, the general good manners around the ring is keeping dogs quiet, keeping dogs away from the ring and people not being too close to the ring. So I was trying to put her in as safe an environment as I could. Also the trial were on her home training ground and the stewards were people who she knew - so everything was as much our way as it possibly could be! Anyway waiting and entering the ring were probably the hardest bits for us because that is where there was the possibility of being close to other dogs (and people were excited coming out of the ring and were rewarding their dogs). Oh and we had to perform off lead, so she was of lead for around 3 minutes all up each time I guess (sstress me out!!). So anyway, I made sure we had treats and stayed as far as we could from the ring entry until we had to go in - this worked for us! Once we were in the ring I just kept talking and talking to her and she was allowed to spin any time she wanted to if it meant that she could keep focussing on me! So the end result was 2 really successful routines, both getting passes and in the afternoon trial she even came 3rd in her class! I never thought I'd be able to trial her in something off lead!!! And she was a little superstar and manged to focus on me the whole time!! The only issue we had for the whole day was when there was a dog doing a really bouncy routine and she could see it from her crate - so she went off her hed for a little bit. But we went for a walk and then everything was ok for her. I'm so proud of my little girl! From not even being able to have another dog near her without telling it to go away to being able to get her Heelwork to Music starters title doing dancing off lead!!! She is the dog I got to be my performance dog and when I started dealing with her reactivity I thought all that was never going to happen. But now that I'm choosing my dog sports carefully (and which trials I actually enter her in) it is possible and we had a great time! Keep up the good work with your reactive dogs - it makes the "wins" so much sweeter!! I was just bursting with pride for my little Kenzie Kenz!!! that's wonderful! You must be so proud of her and yourself Sorry folks, today's title of best dog in the world goes to Jake. Worked right next to a Bernese and Dane both with me and with the trainer. He was very responsive to the trainer and was even leaning into her for reassurance. He was ok with me patting the dogs and ok when I threw treats for them to get some fun happening. Plus he's starting to make calming signals, more like "Im crazy so please don't eat " me signals all roly eyes and downcast body but.......Woohoo???????? Yay! Another fabulous update from you guys he's doing so well! I think the calming signals is an incredibly huge milestone; you're doing so good Hankdog and Jake! Woohoo. Way to go Jakey boy. Medals all round I think :D We're on a roll so I'll add mine for this morning. I took Luka for a walk along the beachfront path. Very busy, lots of people and a fair few dogs. Not once did he react to any of them (admittedly they were all very calm dogs ). Didn't have any treats left in my bag by the end of the walk though :laugh: :cool: nice work Luka! That's so good teekay! I imagine so many positive repetitions of that desired behaviour must be doing wonders for him :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raineth Posted November 28, 2013 Share Posted November 28, 2013 Well for us: club seems to be really helping. She's initiating LAT game with me sometimes now. She's also making a lot of good choices about not engaging etc. I think our best moment was yesterday when a BC gave her the famous BC 'stare' and she turned around to me for a treat :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BC Crazy Posted November 28, 2013 Share Posted November 28, 2013 Well for us: club seems to be really helping. She's initiating LAT game with me sometimes now. She's also making a lot of good choices about not engaging etc. I think our best moment was yesterday when a BC gave her the famous BC 'stare' and she turned around to me for a treat :) Yes !!! Gotta love that raineth. Stella does this now as well & I am wrapped. She has improved so much using this method. She turns around so quickly now when she see's lets say the postie I'm left scrambling to get the treat out LOL. But thats the only reaction I am getting now. No chasing, barking ,growling or snapping. Same with 99% of other dogs. The only thing that brought us undone yesterday was a cat hiding behind a car, hissing it's head off. I didn't see it until we were right in front of him. Stel went off her nut but what I find now is that she settles a lot faster now & we can keep walking relitively quickly. Where as before she would of had a complete meltdown & not been able to continue. We would of had to just go home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chuckandsteve Posted November 29, 2013 Share Posted November 29, 2013 Please be nice havent been here for a while. We have a reactive dog we have had under control for 1.5 years until yesterday. He got in a fight with my other dog it came from nothing, i was home alone with my 6 month old and it took a good 20 minutes to get them apart. Now it looks like all we can do is have the reactive dog PTS Its killing me but we cant have this happen again, our block is too small and we are too time poor to keep them completely separate. Thing is 99% of the time he is a great dog but i think the risk is just too great Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hankdog Posted November 29, 2013 Share Posted November 29, 2013 (edited) If I remember the second dog was a foster that you ended up keeping because of his behaviour difficulties. I know it's emotional but you have tried and with a baby as well I think you may need to make this decision. I can't imagine having the time and energy that a baby takes and also having the patience to deal with training a reactive dog. I've looked the decision to PTS squarely in the face a few times, it's not the worst thing in the world. I think for our dogs its an option that we need to consider In the same way as any if our training tools. I've told myself once I've had enough then I have that option and for you this may be enough. Be kind to yourself. Edited November 29, 2013 by hankdog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chuckandsteve Posted November 29, 2013 Share Posted November 29, 2013 Yeah he was a foster, if he was an only dog he would be great. He is awesome with the baby but as the baby becomes mobile we just cant risk him in the middle of it. I think i know it has to be done its just coming to terms with it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BC Crazy Posted November 30, 2013 Share Posted November 30, 2013 I agree with Hankdog 100% Chuck & Steve. As difficult a decision as it is. I have a very reactive girl & I too have given the PTS option some serious thought on more than one accassion & I don't have children. I know I couldn't manage her & small children as well. Not a chance. Reactive dogs are a tonne of work.They also need a tonne of supervision.I think you are being very responsible. I'm sure the dog wouldn't be having a peaceful life either. They don't want to be fighting & on guard all the time. That is no quality of life for him. Nor for your other dog either. IMHO I would be doing this ASAP before another incident happens as your first dog may not be so lucky next time Take care. Sorry you are in this sad situation. And thank you for at least trying with boy. Its more than what many would do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chuckandsteve Posted November 30, 2013 Share Posted November 30, 2013 The non reactive dog has gone to stay at my mums, so we can at least give the other boy a few good days and some time to come to terms with everything Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raineth Posted December 3, 2013 Share Posted December 3, 2013 Oh CAS! I really feel for you having to make such a tough decision. How terribly heart wrenching that must be. My feeling is that you do what you need to do to keep your baby safe; that is paramount. I really wish you all the best, and I hope you have many pleasant times with him over this week :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raineth Posted December 3, 2013 Share Posted December 3, 2013 A little happy moment for me and Del: We went past a barking GSD on the street (her fear is worse on the street) without any reactivity :D I find if I use BAT to begin with, it seems to settle her a bit, then we can get past with CC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hankdog Posted December 7, 2013 Share Posted December 7, 2013 I wonder if reactive dogs are qualitatively different. BAT seems to wind Jake up, both within a session and over sessions. We worked with an on-leash dog last week and he's better if he stays focused on the dog. You can calm him looking at the dog but if you try turn him he gets upset. He will turn himself and run away but then he's quite stressed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staffyluv Posted December 8, 2013 Share Posted December 8, 2013 Haven't had a chance to read much of the thread of late - been really busy with work and doing a lot of the K9 Pro program I have with Zig. The difference is unbelievable. Before we went to Steve Courtney, I had no intention of doing our ccd assessment but today, we did it. Unfortunately a little poodle was barking its head off during the drop stay and he broke the stay (this disqualifies him).. He came directly to me and sat at heel when he broke.. As soon as it started barking, I could see he wasn't going to stay and everyone was being really positive, telling me if it wasn't for the other dog etc but like I said - he has to learn to stay, no matter what.. That was the only thing he did wrong all day.. His heel work was awesome and we got huge praise for our recall - the assessor said that it was nice to see an animated dog here today. Zig doesn't do the robot heel, sit, stay, recall - he prances beside me, he sits and stays with his ears and eyes forward (waiting for the next command) and his recall was a total launch towards me, run at full pace and slam on the brakes just in time to stop within just millimetres from my feet.. I love it.. I love that he loves doing it.. Sadly though for us this time the breaking stays is what bought us down - it won't next time... We go back to obedience in February next year.. I am on hols in 2 weeks for 3 weeks and can't wait.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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