Shelter Dogs & Reactive Dogs??

miranadobe

 I'm with you - DA just "is" in my breed as well, and yet is not what they were originally bred for - it just is. 

Interesting!! I did not know that Dobes tended towards DA. I had always thought of it as more of a terrier trait

Max is a bit reactive too, and he's also from a shelter although he was only in there for 10 days when I adopted him.  He was great with other dogs when he was younger, but as he got older not so much.  That's the reason we stopped going to the dog park.  He's 100% rock solid with people of all ages, from babies to very elderly.  Everyone he meets is his new best friend and I don't have to worry about keeping him locked in if it's the day the pool guys come or the Termnix guy comes. He's happy to see anyone who comes into the back yard. He was also quite the puller and lunger and I got so I dreaded taking him for a walk ... until I got the Easy Walk Harness.  It wasn't cheap (about $30) but it made all the difference in the world and now he's great on walks.

Joyce

My dog came from a shelter and when I first got her she certainly LOOKED reactive.  She'd see another dog and go nuts, lunging, barking, feet coming off the ground.  A lot of people said "Is she aggressive?"

She wasn't.  She also wasn't afraid.  She was what people call a "frustrated greeter."  She wanted to meet those other dogs SO BAD that she couldn't control herself.  I compared her to a toddler in line at the grocery store who sees all that candy but Mom says "no" to it.  We worked with the "Look at that" game and a lot of relaxation and calming exercises to get her to realize she doesn't have to greet every single dog she sees (and some might not want to greet her anyway!).

So really, she's SUPER social.  She just had to learn how to control herself a bit!

Is a reaction to cats (prey drive) considered reactivity? Our American Foxhound is a sweet and good dog in every way EXCEPT  when she sees, (or thinks she sees or smells) a cat (or squirrel).  If she is out (for a walk or to do her business) ...if she sees a cat / squirrel, she goes in to her "mode"....tries to get out of the collar / off the leash to "get" the creature.  Before we had the right collar, she did get out of the collar / off the leash and fortunately, both times we were able to get her back.  Now we have a martingale collar (we learn the hard way) and trying to work with the "leave it" command, but its still a very frustrating thing when it happens. Its hard to turn off an instinct in her mind.  Anyone with experience with this?

thanks !

i don't consider it reactivity when a high energy hunting dog wants to chase prey. That's what this breed was bred to do.  This breed needs lots of exercise as they were bred to run long and hard.  You can work on teaching leave it and a reliable recall but it's unlikely you will ever completely overcome her instinct to chase prey animals or put her nose to the ground and follow scent. 

ETA:  I just read your intro and see you've had experience with hounds.  Good luck and keep that lead on her and a firm grip on your end! :)