Reactive Doodles

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Permalink Reply by Jenny Jackson on June 11, 2010 at 9:46pm

Hey Sarah!
Glad to hear you are making progress. It can be a frustrating problem to work out.

Tessa is a bit reserved with strangers, and sometimes when they approach she barks. It freaks some people out. I wish she was more civilized with intros! I tell them to let her come to them - don't look or talk to her. She needs to smell. This helps us. My fiance and I are fans of Cesar Millan "The Dog Whisperer." I know not all people are, but it's been fabulous techniques for us. Energy is huge with our dogs. If we're confident, they are.

This is a great discussion!
Lets continue :)

Permalink Reply by Sarah R on June 12, 2010 at 2:51am

Hi Jenny,

I also tell people to ignore him (no touch, no talk, no eye contact!)... but people are terrible at following directions! He has a big bark that can be scary but he really only barks at people that make sudden moves, are wearing weird things like hats or stare him in the eyes and freeze.

I like Cesar Millan too for the way he teaches people to be more confident around dogs and be good leaders. The only thing that I don't agree with is the dominance theory but pretty much every trainer you talk to has a different take on it!

For me the most valuable thing that I've done lately is not react at all when he has an episode. I think it makes him think twice about it and it retrains me to be calm. Then once he brings attention back to me I get him to do something fun. Seems to be working well!

:)
S

Permalink Reply by Joanne~Spud * on June 21, 2010 at 11:00pm

Love this discussion.

We are working with this issue also. One of my doodles hates most people. We are working on taking her to places that have dogs with their people~~ meaning a dog show or park. This way the people are more focused on their own animal and will not come up to her so quickly with hands out to pet and hug.

Father's Day we took her to a family picnic. At first it went alright, but it was too long a visit for her. Around the end of the second hour she got pretty stressed out. Yeah, I ignored her too, or redirected her to something pleasant. Sometimes I just pick her up and hold her real close. This feels snuggly to her and she becomes more secure.

The biggest issue we have are quests in our home. UGH. My sons come home to visit and last week she tried to bite one in the butt. Maybe she read my mind..... :)

But for the most part I think she has come a long long way and she tries really hard and so do we with her.

They do read your mind ... I must agree, so remaining calm and unresponsive helps in a lot of cases.

Permalink Reply by Karen & Jack on June 21, 2010 at 11:17pm

Jack is extremely reactive to strange dogs on-leash. Off-leash, he is 100% fine and has no interest no matter how many dogs (or anyone else) are around or what they do. On leash, he can go ballistic if another dog is being walked on the same block. Dogs barking at the fence in their yards are a problem, too.
I scan the horizon continously so that I see whatever is coming before he does. I switch sides of the street, whatever i have to do to keep him from getting too close to the other dog or vice versa. I know that once his breathing revs up, I'm too late; so I get his focus on me and keep it on me. First and most important thing is, I do not let him look at the other dog. I get him into a sit facing me, leash shortened so he is very close to me, and get his eyes on me, using my hand as a "blinder" at the side of his face if necessary. Most dogs will turn their face away from that side if you put your hand (fingers together and flat like a sheet of paper) at the side of their face like a blinder on a horse. As soon as he turns his eyes away from the other dog and is calm, we proceed. If he tries to look sideways at the other dog, or anywhere but straight ahead, the hand goes back to the side of his face. The whole time I am praising him.
We've been working on this for a long time, and most days he can now walk right past another dog without any reaction. Not always. If the other dog is turning it's head and staring him down, and the other owner is oblivious, I know I can expect more trouble than usual. Like everything else, it's a work in progress...but we are making great progress.

Permalink Reply by Joanne~Spud * on June 22, 2010 at 9:23am

So how do you all suggest this situations are handled. Praise, a firm NO, remove the dog, sit with the dog, leash the dog, etc???

Attacking house quests. We do place the dogs behind the kitchen gate. This way they can see the company, the company is instructed to sit and ignore the dogs, then they are brought out..... blah blah. Most of you know that routine.

It is after a few hours that my one doodle becomes stressed and behaves aggressive. It can handle the initial situation for the most part with one of us by its side. The dog knows \it is safe with us.... but overnight company, or company who stays for hours, does become a problem.

My sons for example may not get up off the couch or walk to the kitchen or may not stay longer than a few hours because the doodle becomes stressed and growls

We saw a trainer for a short time but we are done with that now and I learn more from my doodle friends most times anyway.

Permalink Reply by Jenny Jackson on June 23, 2010 at 11:58am

Hi all! Reactive doggies are upsetting, I know. Both our dogs used to make a fuss while on walks, when they saw other dogs or with Tessa, a squirrel! The best thing for us, (and they are a lot better now but we still practice it) is KEEP MOVING FORWARD! Be confident, pick up your pace and lead them onwards. I might also add that sometimes with Tessa and her squirrel obsession, we try and break her "prey drive" and make her sit when she starts lunging on the leash at one. We keep doing quick jerks on her halty to return her eyes to us, and stand tall, take a deep breath and move forward. If she is still pulling, we make her sit again.

As for guests entering the house, I have decided to put up a sign in our front hall on "dealing with our dogs" -- how to properly introduce yourself. Most people are receptive. I know too, when they were little, we kept them on a longish lead when people came to the door, made them sit or lay down and had the leash on to correct any unwanted behaviours. Being firm but calm is important. Shoulders back and stand tall.

Keep practising with your dogs. Don't give up on yourself or them :) We all know how smart they are, work with that and you will start to see changes.

Permalink Reply by Joanne~Spud * on June 23, 2010 at 2:45pm

I love the sign idea. Doodle knows the guests do not want to listen to us. I'll hang the sign on the OUTSIDE of the door.

I still do not know how to handle biting people in the butt. Sneaky Butt Bitting. :) Maybe I am posting this in the wrong section>?

Permalink Reply by Sarah R on July 27, 2010 at 4:30pm

If your doodle gets stressed after long periods of time w/ your son in the house I would give her(?) a safe place (room, crate etc) where your son doesn't go so she can get away and de-stress. If she won't go there voluntarily then put her in that place to force her to take a break.

You can also try rescue remedy to help her stay calm when you have visitors and possibly a body wrap. You can make one out of an ace bandage or get a product like Thundershirt. I think if you give her a place to relax as soon as you start reading her signs of getting to the point of 'butt nipping' then you can just avoid the situation together.