"Aggressive" "Reactive" -- Either way, this book looks good...

Don't feel bad about locking her up.  A stressed dog absolutely appreciates quiet time.

It is not "locking up" to a dog, but more like...thank god I have some time to myself...no noise, no people, no dogs...just me and my bully stick.

With regard to walks, here's one thing a friend of mine with a really severely reactive dog did to "up the ante" once her dog seemed to have mastered calmness around the home. Try walking in the middle of the night! Unless you are in a super huge metro or industrial area, you can master the "away" factor, without the "things moving around" ingredient.

If it's unsafe where you live, of course don't try this, but very few bad guys will bother you with even a little dog making nasty noises at them.

Congrats on the graduation and enjoy the party!

Another good exercise is find it.  Mine loved this one. (still does)  I would hide food and he would have to find it.

During Zeus' down time, (and for months afterward) we did:

2 basic command training sessions for self control. Holding sit/stays..downs, etc.
2 clicker sessions for confidence building
2 find it's ..

we did this daily.

I kept these very short and very fun.. I made sure it was mentally stimulating but never stressful.  There were plenty of laughs, hugs, smiles, and grande yaaaaaaaay's! Any sign of stress, the session was ended.

I still do these things but not on a strict routine like before...just enough to keep it all reinforced.

BTW...congrats on the graduation.

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Thank you, everyone--I will update (i'm sure, often...). The graduation party was kind of stressful because a friend of mine (with LOTS of facial hair) was here and Dweezil absolutely abhorrs it when he comes over...so I did lock her in her crate in a quiet bedroom, but she barked up a storm the entire time (meaning, I felt guilty whenever I was in the vicinity). Anyway--updates to come, of course. Thanks again for all the ideas--everything sounds great! Just gotta keep breathing.

From the OP:
Well gosh I feel like a dummie... I was thinking, "we gotta get out there and get started, let her see the stressors, let's get her used to it all" -- as opposed to, "let's get some quiet time in first, and start with a "clean slate."

 
And JM's advice? Good good good. Don't go walking if it sets her off. Don't let her reinforce those behaviors. Charge up the clicker and then introduce her slowly to her stressors/distractions.
 
That's what you can be doing for now. (And it sounds like you are!)

ORIGINAL: willowchow

Also, you may be progressing to the outside too quickly.  In the book Feisty Fido it makes a big point of stating that they need to have it down really solid without distractions first.

This is probably your problem.  Start inside, progress to different rooms, then go the back yard, then the front yard, etc.  Dweezil needs to learn "attention to mom", and she cannot do it if she's already aroused.  You absolutely have to work far from the distractions at first, within the dog's comfort zone.  So, figure out where she starts to react, then get farther away from other dogs.  She must be able to take a treat and hear the click that tells her she did right for this to work.  If she's too wound up to eat, she is not learning anything, and all your attempts will be futile.  Some dogs do better on a Gentle Leader with this kind of training, since it's easier to get them to look at you, which is going to be the default behavior you want.  Also, you must be working far enough from the distractions so that your leash can remain slack.  This isn't easy, but once you get the hang of it, it is very effective.

Again, thanks for the advice! spiritdogs, she does take food....once she clearly sees it. But, when distracted, the clicker "isn't heard." So, yes, it's definitely that I expected too much attention too quickly. We're starting over today; I'll post again in a few. Thanks!

Some dogs do better on a Gentle Leader with this kind of training, since it's easier to get them to look at you, which is going to be the default behavior you want.

How do you use the GL in this context? Do you physically bring the head around to face you? How does this differ from an attention-getting correction like a touch on the neck or a name spoken sharply?

I'll be honest--I saw the GL online and it made me a little nervous thinking about putting it on Dweezil...

ORIGINAL: bichinpanda

well gosh I feel like a dummie... I was thinking, "we gotta get out there and get started, let her see the stressors, let's get her used to it all" -- as opposed to, "let's get some quiet time in first, and start with a "clean slate."

 
this SAME EXACT THING happened to me when i started clicker training- i jumped in face first, and had a few really discouraging days before the lovely people here brought me back to earth.
 
as a little encouragement, i've been clicker training my dogs- who tend to be as reactive as yours seems to be, and also to the "tune me out" thing- for a few months now, and it DOES get easier!  it just takes a while![&:]

Here's a couple of threads that might help you balance out your click to calm work:

http://forum.dog.com/asp/tm.asp?m=340591
http://forum.dog.com/asp/tm.asp?m=335091

Best to you []

Random update: We aren't walking for a few days to a week to destress, but, I did decide to let her sit by the window when the sun was going down, because people walk by a lot--I sat next to her with the clicker and some treats. SUCCESS! Or, PROGRESS!!! Because, she would begin to growl a bit and begin to bark and I (per _Click to Calm_) clicked when I saw that she was looking straight at a walker, and she would turn to look at me, immediately sit, and make eye contact. !! Very exciting! After about five minutes of this, she finally saw another walker, and instead of my having to click first or call her name, she turned to look at me first, before doing any barking! YAY!
 
In addition ... my dad brought a friend over for dinner. I hadn't expected a guest so Dweezil was out and roaming...and I went and picked her up to bring her downstairs to gate her in the basement because she immediately ran over to jump and bark and go for hands. But my dad said, "no, she'll be fine" (apparently his friend had a huuuuge dog...and I can't remember the breed right now), and his friend said, "yeah, no problem, even if she bites, it's ok!" Of course, it wouldn't be OK if she bit him, but, I realized it wasn't going to frighten him, so ... guinea pig time. And it worked. Dweezil actually responded and came running back to me when she would start barking after him ... I upped the ante with the treats, and used some cheese this time instead of normal treats. I would say, "Dweezil, come" -- and she would immediately turn and come running, sit, make eye contact, *click*, treat, and she would oftentimes sit there even as he walked around the kitchen. After ten minutes, she was walking around calmly. When I finally got tired, and she had been calm for quite awhile (completely ignoring him, or walking by and watching but not barking), I went downstairs to watch some tv... she was wooonderful for about 30 minutes then went on a barking spree (more barking though, less jumping for hands, etc.), and I called her downstairs, and she came running right away.
 
I think this is all good stuff, guys...

Also, thanks for the thread links Ixas_girl!

ORIGINAL: bichinpanda

I'll be honest--I saw the GL online and it made me a little nervous thinking about putting it on Dweezil...

I got a halti for my border collie. IT DID NOTHING. She still pulled, and she learned to stiffen her neck so it can't pull her back. I got her a normal harness and it worked wonders, mostly because dogs aren't used to that pressure point-it's a new sensation.

Dweezil uses a normal harness and still pulls, but the only reason I prefer it to a normal collar is because she doesn't choke herself to death with it...