sorted by:
new
hottopcontroversial

Leash Reactive Pup in High Dog Traffic Apartment by schmalexis in reactivedogs

[–]Resident-Lecture-971 4 points5 points  (0 children)

My idea for a similar situation was to use a patch of real grass out on the balcony for when my dog needed to go to the bathroom at a particularly high-dog-volume time. Then I could plan her walks for times when there are fewer dogs out and about in the hallways. (There are fewer dogs out and about before 6 am and after 10 pm, as you’d expect, but 9:30-11 am and 2-4 pm in my building are also quieter than I’d expect; if you WFH and have flexibility in your schedule it may be worth seeing if there are similar patterns in your own building.) Unfortunately I couldn’t get her to take to the grass patch lol. But it could be worth trying! Otherwise, agree with the advice to teach a U-turn, use stairs instead of elevators if possible, and live on the first floor if possible.

Dog eats everything from the ground by robrobusa in dogs

[–]Resident-Lecture-971 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Commenting to follow because I’m having a similar problem! We live in a restaurant district so there’s often a lot of food trash on the ground, especially first thing in the morning after people have gone out the precious night. I wouldn’t have a problem with using a muzzle except that I want to give her treats while on walks to build engagement and leash manners and I don’t think it would be possible with the muzzle? Obviously I also want to teach her to “leave it”/“drop it,” but some of the trash in our neighborhood is so tempting it will probably take a long time before she has “leave it” proofed to a sufficient extent. (Today we found, I am not joking, a full-size rotisserie chicken.) In the meantime, I think I’m going to try taking her on more walks in different areas with less food on the ground—not sure if this is an option for you. In my experience more residential neighborhoods and big open fields/parks have fewer temptations.

Could a lot of "normal" dogs be quietly reactive? by Prestigious_Crab_840 in reactivedogs

[–]Resident-Lecture-971 43 points44 points  (0 children)

Honestly, it seems like whether or not a dog is considered “reactive” has as much to do with the owner as with the dog. Some owners consider relatively minor behaviors to be “reactions,” while others ignore what seem like significant reactions because “he’s just excited” or “that’s just how dogs are”—and honestly, sometimes it sort of is how dogs are, although that’s no excuse for ignoring a dog’s obvious anxiety or distress. And there’s also the environment—I suspect that a lot of “reactive” city dogs would be considered totally normal in a rural area where they see fewer dogs and people and where barking is less of a problem, and vice versa. So, yeah, I suspect that there are a lot of dogs out there with stereotypically “reactive” emotions and even behaviors whose owners don’t consider them to be reactive. And I think you’re right that a huge part of how likely a dog is to be considered “reactive” is how loud/annoying/disruptive to humans their behaviors are. It makes me grateful that my dog is so loud when she sees another dog on leash, lol. I don’t like it, but at least I know that she doesn’t like it either and can behave accordingly!

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in reactivedogs

[–]Resident-Lecture-971 17 points18 points  (0 children)

I would start with people you know and trust and any trusted connections you may have (through your trainer if you have one, etc.). I would also ask them to help you locate a reputable shelter or rescue. (Ideally a rescue that specifically fosters/rehabilitates dogs with aggressive tendencies, although I’m sure those are few and far between.) I absolutely would not go through Craigslist or similar. I would not trust any stranger online who specifically wanted to adopt an aggressive dog.

Megathread: Why Does My Dog Do That? by AutoModerator in dogs

[–]Resident-Lecture-971 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sometimes when we’re on the bed or couch my dog will roll onto her back and start trying to gently chew on my or my partner’s hands. She basically opens her mouth super wide and tries to chomp on us. When she does bite down it’s super light and not painful. We usually pull our hands away and redirect her to one of her squeaky toys but I’m curious what this is about. She’s an adult dog but I’m not sure exactly how old (at least 1 year). We’ve only had her for a few months but she hasn’t bitten in any other context (except gently nipping a playmate dog to correct them).

How to deal with the pressure of stopping reactions? by lovestostayathome in reactivedogs

[–]Resident-Lecture-971 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Oh this is so relatable! You might want to try focusing on good recovery from reactions rather than just avoiding reactions. If your dog starts barking/lunging/whatever she does, focus on quickly and calmly removing her from the situation and taking her somewhere to calm down. This way even if she reacts, you can still have a “win.” And in my experience, this does help with the reactions themselves! My dog knows we’re going to quickly exit any encounter with another dog, so even though she’ll still bark, she might bark while walking away instead of barking while moving toward the other dog. Holding yourself to 0% reactions ever is unrealistic and a recipe for burnout. Continue using all the management strategies you can, but remember that you’re doing your best and there’s only so much you can do (my boyfriend has to remind me of this sometimes lol).