Owners of reactive dogs

My first dog was leash reactive and after he was pretty stable with sit/stay while other dogs passed I then moved into distract/reward when he was able to walk by them without a sit/stay and without a reation.

You've accomplished getting him to be calm and composed on a leash but you have to make the transition to walking by them without interuption sooner or later. I know a lot of times the sit/stay is crucial to gain their attention before they reacct BUT now I would start setting a example of HOW you want him to behave by not showing a reaction to passing dogs.

Basically (if you think he's ready) you can move onto to the concept that passing dogs are not something to pause and take note of. If you see he is pulling to the side in anticipation of a sit when he see's another dog that is a sign he is ready to progress.

I know its nerve racking to walk by another dog without anxious anticpation but the key is to not tighten or tense on the lease when a approaching dog is coming near, however this is not to be confused with keeping a shorter leash.. Instead give a wide berth so you can reacct if neccessary. If your dog dosnt know heel, work on that prior to moving onto this step so in anticipation of the nearing dog you can give the "heel" command instead of veering of the path to sit/stay.

Chin up, shoulders back and walk like YOU are on a mission. Reward and praise like crazy once you've passed the other dog with no incident. If there is a incidnet revert back to the sit/stay and he'll get the hint.

If you ever felt like replying to those comments, you can always say "We're training to deal with these issues." and leave it at that.  Nobody's business to ask you HOW you are training, etc.

Largely, I've found that looking like you are "all business" tends to deflect those sort of inquisitive/disdainful remarks or looks.  It's hard.  Even having a beautifully behaved dog, I get comments of all kinds.  You can't win for losing, but in all honesty, I don't give a care what someone thinks of my reactive dog unless they think they should vote in laws to ban my breed, etc.

Me too  {{raises hand}}

 Heidi is leash reactive towards other dogs.  She is great with people, no problem at all...but we have issues with dogs (or miniature horses...funny looking dogs).

I've recently read  Patricia McConnell's Feisty Feido; and I'm currently reading Scaredy Dog by Ali Brown.  If you haven't read them...you should.  Great resources; and easy reads.

I used to try to put her in a sit or a down while walkers with dogs passed by.  Simply didn't work for us.  And, yeah...the people would look at me with pity.  LOL  Can't say I blame them though...I was not in control of my reactive dog.  Plus I walk 2 dogs.  Buddy 115 pounds; and Heidi 60 pounds.  LOL

Gotta take it with a grain of salt...the idiotic things people say...they have no clue what is going on in your life, they have no idea what you are trying to achieve with your reactive dog.  Ignorant (clueless) people say some harsh things.

I've started another tactic with Heidi which is working better and better.  We are really working hard on "look at me" when we approach a walker with a dog or even pass barking dogs behind fences.  And, I am using her highest valued ball to help keep her attention on me when we are in a situation which will cause outbursts.  We just keep on walking and I keep her focus on me.  Its working well so far...not perfection, but definate improvement.

Just yesterday morning we were passing by a neighbor with her dog.  I brought out the ball, kept her focus on me/ball and as we were walking by...my neighbor was trying to strike up a conversation.  I felt badly, but I just couldn't stop.  Her dog is a Pug, and has never been socialized with other dogs, so there's no point in getting them to meet...tried that.  Anyway, I had to keep on walking keeping Heidi focused on me and I had to say to the neighbor..." I am so sorry, I'm not trying to be rude by not stopping to chat...Heidi is in training for her reactiveness."  

She didn't really get it, I don't think.

Sierra's leash reactive.  She's improved by leaps & bounds in the last few months, much to my delight!

I do what you do: the moment I see a dog approaching, I put her into a sit. She will sit, but that doesn't usually stop her from voicing her frustration. So she starts whining/barking/howling, all while sitting. The only way i've found to curb this is to keep her focused on me, throwing commands at her constantly. Sit, hi-five, touch (my finger). Or i'll take a step back and tell her to come and sit by me again. Sometimes I end up 10 steps back from where I was originally, and Sierra has to follow with each step - come, sit. come, sit. come, sit.

Thankfully, I haven't gotten any dirty looks. What I have gotten is happy people, who seem to be glad that they can assist me in training my dog. Sometimes I hear them saying to their own dog, "you can't meet that one, she's training!"

Here's what I do, which I think helps:

1) Short leash. It's 1.5 feet long, black with a comfortable, almost springy handle. People seem to understand that I have this short leash for a reason; it gives the impression that this is not a leisurely walk, it's training. I've also found that it helps because I no longer feel the need to "reel her in" when I see another dog. Which means no more tension on the leash, and less reactivity from Sierra.

2) Harness.  Not sure what it is, someone's actually asked if Sierra's a guide dog, when they saw her in her harness. You may want to consider doing this, if you don't have one already. I think it helps to show that the dog is in training.

I've managed to turn my dog from a monster that would react to a dog thats 1/2 km away.. to a dog that can sit and focus, when there's a dog only 3 meters away. Yes, she has issues, and I'm not afraid to admit that to people who walk their dogs on the same route I do. But we're working on it (and almost there, i might add!)

Another comment, my Mom actually got while walking Apollo, was from a women with her well-behaved Lab...she said, "That's why you should've socialized him while he we still a puppy". I got Apollo a year and a half ago, and he's 5-8 years old. I never had him as a puppy. My Mom lets comments roll off better than me most of the time, she just kept on walking w/out saying a word.

BlackLabbie

Another comment, my Mom actually got while walking Apollo, was from a women with her well-behaved Lab...she said, "That's why you should've socialized him while he we still a puppy".

Wow - that's just rude!! We got Sassy when she was about 2ish and so we didn't have the pleasure of socializing her early. She's not super leash reactive, but there are times when I've just sensed that it'd be best if we just pull to the side and sit while another dog passes by. I've also had people do the same for us, and I appreciate it and assume they know what they're doing.

Sassy is an interesting dog to walk. Somewhere along the line, she decided she'd walk directly beside you and very politely as long as you allow her to hold the leash in her mouth. The minute you put her leash on, she grabs a piece about foot or so from her collar and just gently holds it thru the entire walk. She's done that since we had her and since she walks so well, we never tried to deter her from it. It does have a downside though and that's if I need to reel her in, she drops it out of her mouth and then she's not such a great walker - strange, huh?

I have these "dog in training" badges. You can do the weirdest things while your dog is wearing them and no one says a thing. Highly recommend them.

Found this, and I'm really considering getting it:

http://www.pawsitivedog.com/Products/index.html

Max is leash reactive sometimes ... not all the time ... so I never know exactly what to expect.  If I have a long, straight view down the bikepath I take him off onto the grass when I see another dog coming.  Sometimes if we're on a section that bends or curves I don't see what's coming until it's there, so I just quickly rein him in with a really short leash.  I do the "click, treat, good boy" when he's walking nicely but he just hasn't made the connection yet that lunging at another dog isn't what's going to get him the treat.

Joyce

BlackLabbie

was from a women with her well-behaved Lab...she said, "That's why you should've socialized him while he we still a puppy".

See... this is what some of us well-meaning owners here need to remember when we think we should offer "advice" to someone else.  If you feel it's important to get involved for the sake of the dog... then start a dialogue first.  As I've often thought in response to stuff here - If you think it's questionable, then ASK QUESTIONS!!

Kaiser is reactive when other dogs are. It's amazing how many reactive dogs are in my neighborhood! Since Kaiser is big, and i guess i could see him as imposing...people are scared and cross the street when he starts getting hyped.

like they feel bad for me because I have to do that, or a look like "what is she doing???".

That's so weird.  I had a dog with severe issues  She went from going bonkers at dogs 100s of feet away to being able to ignore a dog standing right over her, giving off aggressive vibes to her.

People were fairly impressed with our little routine, I found.  Maybe if you yourself tried to think of it as a way for your dog to show off the training you've worked so hard at, rather than something you "have to do" when someone goes by.  

I'd far rather walk by an aggressive dog that demonstrates excellent training, than someone's goober 100 pound retriever that they are allowing to greet all and sundry.  I've got a medical condition that makes my hip/stomach area very tender and it's excruciating to have a dog jump up and paw me there.  I'd seriously rather be barked at and nipped! And I love to see a dog walk nicely on a leash, paying attention to his owner instead of looking for the first chance to amuse themselves, straining at the leash so hard they choke. 

So I appreciate anyone who's taken the time to train.

BlackLabbie

When we first began training, and I was too close to a dog and Apollo would have a outburst and I would just walk away in the opposite direction without yelling at him or yanking his collar people would look at me like I wasn't in control of him, some people actually said, "Don't let him get away with that" or "You have to show him who's boss". It's difficult enough owning a reactive dog, it just gets to me sometimes how the general public, with no knowledge of your dog, thinks they can butt in. Do any other owners of reactive dogs feel like that?

If I got the comments you state above, I would probably feel the same.  But if someone came by and suggested that instead of walking away in the opposite direction, you go to the spot of least or no reaction and wait there until calm behavior is achieve and then you walk away.  If they further explain that what you did was reinforce the reactivity and further the distance of the reactivity line.  For reactive dogs, it is very important not to forget or give up the least distance reactivity line.  I would respond thank you for that suggestion.

 Teddi is leash reactive, somewhat, only with dogs though and we even socialized him as a puppy. Around 6 months he was bad, really bad. We've been working on him ever since, and we would put him in a sit while another dog was passing, and yes we'd get looks but I didn't pay people any mind. The best was I took the dogs in Petsmart the one day, an Teddi was sitting nicely next to me while I was looking at bandanas (mind you we were making nice strides with his reactiveness), and a lady comes up to Teddi and pretty much shoves her boxer in his face. Of course he starts barking. I was fuming mad!!!! Then she decides to make a comment about "are you raising him to be mean?" I told her she better keep on moving, and DH was in shock he didn't know what to say. I left the store without buying anything, and DH commented on how he was surprised how I held my temper. Thinking back on it I wish I had said a few more words to her about where she can stick her comments.

Teddi does well now. Sometimes he will become barky or growly with dogs, and other dogs he will pass without making a peep. On walks around the neighborhood, he will bark once at his arch nemesis across the street, a husky. No reason, they will sometimes stare at each other from inside their fences and I think its funny. It's a big accomplishment considering he used to bark at every dog around here that was out on walks, and trust me, there are a ton. When we are at the park, if he's running alongside us while rollerblading he's fine. It's just now when he' walking that he will sometimes go to bark, but only sometimes.