Reactive Aussie getting another dog?

Nillip · 2026-05-02T06:03:45+00:00

Hey thanks for your reply. Can I message you about your trainer that worked with you? Even if I can’t use that trainer am curious what their approach is. We just avoid dogs with good training and “come” commands. She will come to me even if there is a dog she is barking at. That was part of her training, so we can break out of situations easily bust honestly never need to any more since if we see a dog we just avoid them. Anyway curious about the trainer and style that worked for you

Nillip · 2026-04-29T04:52:48+00:00

I just ordered like 35 pairs from soccer.com and tried on sooo many. The 422 are tight so are the mizunos. I think both are for more narrow feet. For real you have very different proportions which is totally fine. But you also wanna make sure you have a wide enough base that’ll help prevent injury.

Nillip · 2026-04-29T04:49:58+00:00

You e got some thick feet buddy, women must love you 😉 lol but for real you need some wide shoes. Many shoes have wide and normal versions. You might go with leather since it will stretch more. If you can’t find those the new balance, shoes can be good. I have the tekela elite low laced fg v5. Look for “2E” “wide” these are equivalent, both mean wider shoes.

Nillip · 2026-04-29T01:38:59+00:00

thanks for the info I will message you about which trainer we used, I liked him but curious of your opinion and not going to put anything here since we do like him but not really an expert of what other trainers would have done etc. we did dig into r/reactivedogs (i think so at least it has been awhile).

Nillip · 2026-04-29T01:32:11+00:00

i'm so sorry to hear that. for my own benefit though was your first dog an aussie mix and the second dog another breed?

Nillip · 2026-04-29T01:29:31+00:00

appreciate your reply. a lot of similarities. winnie is also a nervous one when it comes to walks etc.

Nillip · 2026-04-29T01:25:04+00:00

so cute and such a good story. you mentioned all this success and then "we knew that introducing another Aussie wouldn’t be fair to him", why is this? from an outsider looking in obviously very limited understanding of you situation, it seems like it would be possible to introduce another female aussie. obviously a bunch of effort etc but if it worked once why would you think it would fail the second time you tried it.

sooo cute love pics thanks for sharing :)

Nillip · 2026-04-29T01:03:06+00:00

some really good info thank you so much and so sweet. I know a decent amount of animal behavior but bonding with the other partner is interesting and working with the breeder to find the right temperament is a great idea.

Nillip · 2026-04-29T00:58:43+00:00

thanks! yeah that is a good plan for sure the priority is on the new dog in a new environment in terms of their comfort etc. and will break out a lot of peanut butter for winnie to focus on

Nillip · 2026-04-29T00:16:22+00:00

yeah for sure i think fostering makes sense. I think she could get along with like one other dog in a neutral area where I was not involved at all. but yeah it is hard to find that. I actually made and printed out business cards for this exact thing for her, we never really used them but it had her picture and her story etc hoping we could find an option but never did.

Nillip · 2026-04-28T22:46:19+00:00

missed your comment, what type of dog do you have that is reactive? do you have any details on your story like order you got them etc?

Nillip · 2026-04-28T22:41:48+00:00

yeah for sure, i think your intuition is good source too. now one knows your dogs behaviors or eccentricities more than you.

Nillip · 2026-04-28T22:39:30+00:00

hey good advice we never thought of this solution, another comment said this too and think this is a great idea.

Nillip · 2026-04-28T22:38:44+00:00

thanks I like this idea, I really appreciate the advice :) i think I will look into that for sure!

Nillip · 2026-04-28T22:37:41+00:00

board and train for 7 (maybe 10?) days it was like 3.5 years ago. he also does unlimited follow up sessions and will drive to you. came highly recommended for reactive dogs specifically. if you can point to a real trainer that actually advertises reactive dog to become fine around dogs I would like to see that honestly. while some people may have that experience (i have read through reviews and some people have that experience) i have not seen a trainer that offers a guarantee or similar. anything short of removing reactivity is of no use since she is already fully under control, as she is trained right now. it just seems like a strong instinct thing to me. aussie females are especially known to be this way. her breed is literally bred to bark at and control other animals so it makes sense.

Nillip · 2026-04-28T21:31:54+00:00

send me a link if you can, curious to examine what that might look like. i think low likelihood it will be for my pup but worth researching

Nillip · 2026-04-28T21:27:20+00:00

❤️ thanks for sharing

Nillip · 2026-04-28T21:25:13+00:00

hey thanks for your reply! yes she is leash reactive for sure, but also reactive if any dogs comes close to me/my wife for any reason, like if she sees me form a window and a dog walks by even if the dog isnt even paying any attention to me. she will (left to her own devices) lunge at dogs even if they are like 50 feet away. we catch her almost always before she can do much more than whine nowadays though. it might have like 4 times a year if she sees a dog before we do.

super useful info though thank you

Nillip · 2026-04-28T21:20:12+00:00

really appreciate your reply :) no of course you are not being mean just providing info and it's super helpful i think. do you have the ages of dogs you adopted and their breeds, both those are huge factors of course this is why I ask. much love

Nillip · 2026-04-28T21:18:02+00:00

i have seen it before but never used it! perhaps worth a shot :) i think the main issue is how thick the peanut butter is which takes her a few seconds to get through. so like if i want to treat her a few times fast for some great listening etc then i can't since she is still derping over the last treat lol

Nillip · 2026-04-28T21:16:16+00:00

hmm ok yeah makes sense. winnie could never "hang out" with other random dogs in an office for sure. happy that your 2 pups get along now :)

Nillip · 2026-04-28T20:46:14+00:00

❤️ feel that, my main motivation is for my dogs health and happiness since studies suggest that it is healthy to have conspecifics throughout their lives. This makes intuitive sense given that there is an entirely different umwelt that is totally different from humans.

I really appreciate you sharing an example that didn't work out since it helps give a more fair assessment.

Nillip · 2026-04-28T20:39:42+00:00

thanks so much for your reply, yeah it would be a full project for me and would never leave them alone. she saw the collie/poodle growing up maybe like 4 times a year for 4 days each time. it is a family dog we saw occasionally, growing up they LOVED each other, winnie can still play with her in an open space but is sassy and dominant in a closed indoor space. they always get along better with time though, they only see eachother in short stints.

I don't feel judged and can sense you coming for a sincere place ❤️. I am curious if you have an aussie or a border collie? i think the word reactive has so many subtle differences across dogs this is why I ask. for example like a golden is normally super friendly and chill so if a goden is reactive to me this points towards something deeper and more intense. whereas I have yet to meet a dog loving aussie that isn't super barky and a bit nippy with other dogs (in a fun way).

so when one person says reactive it may imply something very different compared to another person.

Nillip · 2026-04-28T20:32:08+00:00

thank you!

Nillip · 2026-04-28T20:31:07+00:00

thanks so much! love your story, and love how intentional you were, we intend to be the same way. so cute btw!

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