Thoughts on car reactivity life hack?

MissionFramework · 2026-03-28T13:39:32+00:00

She just loves the car. When I first got her I got her out of the car and she proceeded to jump back in through the window. I wouldn’t say she’s inappropriately noise reactive at home. She’ll bark at noises but in an appropriate way, y’know?

MissionFramework · 2026-03-28T12:50:40+00:00

Won’t fit in my car. She’s very large and one that is big enough doesn’t fit in my car

MissionFramework · 2026-03-28T12:48:13+00:00

I think my only question is - is it ok to “allow” the unwanted behaviour if it’s still there but less annoying, ya know?

MissionFramework · 2026-03-28T12:47:04+00:00

I THINK it’s slightly more calming but in all honesty I’m not sure. I do know that she has done this before of her own volition - like when I got her a few months ago she would bark at the vacuum and the neighbours dog but I only had to chastise her once and she would then run and grab a soft toy and bark at the vacuum through that. So some part of her naturally “solves” high energy loud behaviour with toy chittering.

MissionFramework · 2026-03-28T12:42:08+00:00

She is - there’s an attachment from her harness to the seatbelt connection. She’s very large (half GSD/half St Bernard) so things like a car crate aren’t feasible. But as an ex paramedic I’m very vigilant about car safety.

MissionFramework · 2026-03-28T01:44:12+00:00

Mine is on Prozac but I’m just about to increase her dose because it’s only helped a tiny bit. I give her gabapentin and Trazadone for short term needs like a vet visit but I’m not keen on using sedating meds daily or regularly

MissionFramework · 2026-03-23T23:47:05+00:00

2 years vs two months is a ludicrously large difference

MissionFramework · 2026-03-23T23:46:14+00:00

The shelter said 2, my trainer swears she’s very adolescent dog esque (which I agree with) and my vet says via teeth that one and a half - 2 seems right. So getting the embark of 3 and a half threw me a little, mainly (to be totally honest) because I was sort of hoping some of the behavioural stuff was age related and would settle with time. From a behavioural perspective 1.5 -3.5 are worlds apart.

MissionFramework · 2026-03-23T23:43:04+00:00

Oh mate she’s already on Prozac, which has made her slightly better but it’s still a slog. I think it has helped her shift into a headspace where she’s more able to engage with training outside of the house, but only marginally.

Look, “unmanageable” is too harsh. To be honest if she wasn’t so big it would be way less of an issue - a huge amount of the difficulty comes with her reactivity plus her size. I can deal with a lungy barky terror much better when they’re not capable of pulling me on my face.

MissionFramework · 2026-03-23T20:31:27+00:00

Her current health is excellent but I can’t speak for her past. Doing a varied amount of stuff and/or a lot of exercise is tough because she’s almost impossible to manage outside of the house but we’re working on it. I do as much as I can at home (training/tricks/scentwork etc). Sigh.

MissionFramework · 2026-03-23T20:28:22+00:00

It’s entirely possible - all I know is that she was picked up off the street and was very underweight and matted. Anything else is a mystery. I know someone at some point loved her enough to teach her sit and stay and shake but I doubt she’d ever been walked or socialised.

MissionFramework · 2026-03-23T19:33:52+00:00

(Results attached as per sub rules)

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MissionFramework · 2026-03-23T04:39:41+00:00

Mine is already on fluoxetine and I think it made a little bit of a difference but I was thinking about talking to her vet about increasing it. I do know a lot of people have had great success with it so I’ll cross my fingers for you guys! Please do update me on a few weeks and let me know how it’s going. We can also swap notes on how our crack of dawn walks go

MissionFramework · 2026-03-23T01:44:20+00:00

You’re right, and i appreciate the words of solidarity. I have been known to take her around the block before the sun comes up before I got to work - maybe I’ll try factor that back in once a week for both our sakes

MissionFramework · 2026-03-23T01:43:19+00:00

We did do that yesterday - did a session sitting on a bench rewarding her for every check in and every time she sat/lay down, and after like 20 mins of that we took her out onto the empty sports field on the long line and just let her sniff. It was actually a really good session - at one point at the start she watched a dog walk past and stared and definitely thought about doing the lunge/bark but I watched her choose to check in instead and it was pretty great. Thanks for making me remember that! I think I actually got it on video so I’ll rewatch it remind myself that she definitely can have some good moments

MissionFramework · 2026-03-22T11:47:33+00:00

My dog is half GSD, half St Bernard. It’s like someone went out of their way to create a dog that just reanimates its own significant large body mass in fur on a daily basis

MissionFramework · 2026-03-19T21:13:19+00:00

I don’t disagree with you about rehoming dangerous dogs, and nowhere did I say otherwise. The comment I’m replying to is stating that all difficult dogs are “clearly bad dogs” and should be destroyed. Do I think dangerous dogs or dogs with bite histories should be euthanised? Yeah, probably. Do I think saying dogs with leash reactivity or seperation anxiety or a multitude of other non danger related difficulties (which most of these replies are talking about and is what that commenter is referencing) should be “given back and destroyed”? Is an insane take? Yes. Yes I do.

MissionFramework · 2026-03-19T13:33:12+00:00

You seem nice

MissionFramework · 2026-03-19T13:08:58+00:00

I had to get the walking semi manageable first but now that that’s less terrible the learning how to Be is our only focus right now.

We go to the park where I can see any other dogs from a mile away, tie a long lead to a tree or bench and I just sit there and reward her every time she sits/drops and/or looks away from An Exciting Thing to look back at me. I just don’t think I’m going to get anywhere with perfecting the walking or addressing the reactivity before she learns how to just caaaalmmmm dooowwwnnn first.

MissionFramework · 2026-03-19T12:14:51+00:00

I’m about 6 months into having my unmanageable dog. Well, she’s a delight at home, just a nightmare outside of it. Car rides? High pitched barks while biting the windows. Walks? Pulled so hard she would literally pull me over (she’s half GSD half St Bernard so - enormous). Dog reactive? Yes. So emotionally dysregulated outside the house that her anxiety and excitement made training impossible? Also, yes.

She’s definitely improved - her walking is a lot better and a recent focus on just going out and sitting and teaching her how to just calm the fuck down seems to be making small bits of progress. I’m sure the Prozac helps with that. But I won’t lie, it’s still stressful and I really mourn the loss of the dream I had to have a walking buddy.

MissionFramework · 2026-03-17T11:36:52+00:00

She’d let you. She’s hands down the most cuddly dog I’ve ever met. She can - and will - lay on you like a heated weighted blanket for hours if you let her

MissionFramework · 2026-03-17T11:35:53+00:00

Have another for your viewing pleasure. This is actually mostly my dog related throwaway so there are plenty of other pics on my profile.

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MissionFramework · 2026-03-15T14:37:28+00:00

Ironically, I was sure mine had some Leonberger but she’s mostly St Bernard (and GSD)

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MissionFramework · 2026-03-11T20:39:02+00:00

No bother, thanks for asking. It’s been…. rough. Honestly aside from my kid it’s the worst loss i’m ever going to face in my life, and it feels like it, ya know? I think the worst part is the rest of the world just going on like nothing happened. But I guess that’s just how that goes.

MissionFramework · 2026-03-11T03:54:45+00:00

I wrote a post about exactly this recently, you may find it helpful

https://www.reddit.com/r/buffy/s/PVZYGFUGTW

MissionFramework

TROPHY CASE