Responding to reactive dogs

[AmandaP]

Join our free community today.

Connect with other like-minded dog lovers!

Login or Register

Hi, I feel this is a stupid question but I do tend to overthink and worry! We have a 2 year old doodle. He did suffer with a little bit of fear reactivity as a puppy which was to bigger dogs on leash (the ones that stand and stare and give off spooky vibes) I’ve handled this with lots of sausage when we walk past dogs and it’s worked a treat. He now looks at me when a dog approaches and waits for his treat!

my questions is if we approach a very reactive dog unexpectedly (and I usually avoid dogs we don’t know like the plague) and that dog goes nuts my dog will bark back (not normally as crazy though) There’s dogs we have got to know that are reactive and my dog doesn’t react back at those through (guess because he knows them)

Part of me feels that it’s normal for a dog to bark back at another behaving in a threatening way (although I won’t encourage this and avoid these dogs when I can) He’s very poodle like and just interested in his ball and just likes to run with other dogs (he’s really stopped bothering with other dogs since he became 2, which is great)

Do any of your dogs bark back at reactive dogs?
Thank you

 

[JudyN]

My dog would certainly have barked back when he was younger. Usually now, he and I will just look at each other, say 'That dog's a bit silly', roll our eyes and walk away - though depending on the other dog, if he's off lead he might decide to put it in its place, with a good telling-off rather than aggression as such.

It sounds like you're doing a great job - of course a young dog who has been nervous of others in the past is likely to react to ones that shout at him, just as we would react to someone yelling at us for no apparent reason. Keep up the treats, and calmly lead him away from the other dog to a distance where he's comfortable. Don't be surprised if he seems to get worse over the next few months because as his brain matures and he becomes more confident he might want to prove his a 'proper man' (OK, I anthropomorphise but this is how it seemed with my dog). But it may not, and if you keep reinforcing the 'That's a silly dog' attitude he should come to ignore them more in time.

Mine is 10 and still asks for a treat when we pass another dog but I don't mind because it paid off!

 

[JoanneF]

When your dog reacted to other dogs when he was younger, there would have been three factors influencing his behaviour.

The three Ds - distance (too close for comfort), duration (10 seconds is tolerable but 15 isn't) and distraction (a calm dog is fine but a bouncy one isn't). And of course elements of all three overlap each other.

So you have worked on these and now he is pretty good with other dogs but it sounds like there is still some reactivity to the distraction factor. Which is quite understandable, he probably hasn't seen so much of that sort of behaviour to build up his tolerance. So, as Judy says, just head off the other way while rewarding him for being calm.

 

[Finsky]

Do any of your dogs bark back at reactive dogs?
Thank you

Yes mine can do...though usually they are far too busy finding opportunity to hunt/chase something so often they pass on the opportunity for the vocal cords 'training' But when they are on their own patch and they can hear other dogs barking, unless it is a dog they know doing it...oh yes, that loud mouth has to be answered/told to who is who..
Yep...we are working on that thing but it is normal dog behaviour and as mine are still young (just like yours is), I hope it will for some extend calm down with age as well.
The main thing is, don't stress about it as dogs are canny of picking those sort of vibes off from us and that can make their reaction worse. I tend to laugh it off, and give them 'silly you' response....that usually works well as when I don't get 'drawn in', they read it as 'nothing to bother with' message.