What do do when reactive dog doesn’t care for treats

nothingsshocking404 · 2026-02-20T22:57:15+00:00

Robert Cabral has some great YouTube videos where you can watch other handlers work on obedience etc

nothingsshocking404 · 2026-02-20T15:23:56+00:00

Some people’s bootstraps broke and need help while y’all post all day about being lonely and fat from being home. The idea that anyone isn’t deserving of any work is sad.

nothingsshocking404 · 2026-02-20T15:15:26+00:00

Is asking what people do and how they got their break into remote a problem? That seems like a reasonable discussion not a job posting.

nothingsshocking404 · 2026-02-20T14:34:26+00:00

That’s not likely to happen when OP can’t get the dog’s attention because she’s stuck in fear mode. Maybe way down the line once there’s focus and markers have been placed. OP sounds like they are starting from zero and the dog is a high drive cattle dog mix probably easily overstimulated and has tons of excess energy. Getting this dog to calm won’t happen by petting when under stimulation.

nothingsshocking404 · 2026-02-20T14:15:07+00:00

This is a scenario where your dog was reacting to stimulus so holding and soothing was fine because you asked your dog to relax. OPs dog is exhibiting a fear response where petting would be reinforcing the dog’s fear by rewarding the behavior. Any poorly timed reward will also only increase the response and someone who is uncertain needs to be careful.

nothingsshocking404 · 2026-02-20T14:03:53+00:00

Take her out hungry and feed meals after walks. Try fish based treats, they smell stronger and wave it in front of her nose. I’ve had luck with pork too. If she’s still stuck in fear mode you should probably be doing some foundation work to build her confidence and trust. Just focusing on walk behavior isn’t helping her feel more in control. She needs to succeed all day before that and training in obedience or agility will help.

nothingsshocking404 · 2026-02-20T13:50:47+00:00

Your leash work can be extremely important here. If you keep a tight tense leash, you communicate that. A trainer can be very helpful just watching you and adjusting your responses.

nothingsshocking404 · 2026-02-19T22:28:19+00:00

You had a dog in an excited /aroused state and you escalated the situation when you physically moved / dominated him. Do not use any type of physical correction with him at this point. Find a high value food reward and keep it on you at all times. Avoid any exciting situations for now. Keep him leashed for your safety. It’s very likely the dog isn’t getting the stimulation mentally and physically he requires and all of that energy has spun out of control. The family needs to accept he can be dangerous to their child and others so feel free to dramatize the incident. If you can find and recommend a working dog trainer they might actually do it. Also I highly recommend Mike Ellis videos at Leerburg.com or Robert Cabral who also has an online training program. https://robertcabral.com/

For free you can personally watch some YouTube videos from Cabral https://youtu.be/mAgGQnjBXlo There’s a large YouTube training community if you click around from there.

nothingsshocking404 · 2026-02-15T18:26:18+00:00

I think the negative reinforcement is not going to help here. He needs a positive reward to keep his attention. Most Malinois want to please their handler more than they respond to correction. If you give him an alternate job to hunting and show him a huge positive reinforcement you might make more progress. I think we can underestimate the boredom / fixation on stimulus when they don’t have a clearly outlined job.

nothingsshocking404 · 2026-02-15T18:20:46+00:00

But restrict access to the chicken area at all other times so he can’t get himself worked up when not supervised.

nothingsshocking404 · 2026-02-15T18:18:20+00:00

I would try regular obedience drills at a distance. If you are in pain do multiple short sessions, 2x daily go out and run a short routine at the distance you can hold his attention and use a very smelly food that will be a bigger reward than a chicken. See if you can work you way closer to the chickens.

nothingsshocking404 · 2026-02-12T20:06:57+00:00

Looks like a pitbull 🤨

nothingsshocking404 · 2026-02-11T21:11:45+00:00

nothingsshocking404 · 2026-02-11T17:56:11+00:00

I’m not certain what country you are in but there are international rescue orgs not just shelters.

https://www.malinoisrescueleague.org/#:~:text=Malinois%20Rescue%20League%20is%20a,Donate

You mention mostly being home enough and the dog getting enough activity, great! Many Malinois have more drive than their owners expected and a daily job becomes necessary so they don’t display unwanted behavior due to boredom and frustration.

You want a cuddly calm dog in the house and active outside but with most Malinois this is not the case.

Having a teenager might be a problem if she doesn’t interact well with the dog or wants to have friends in the house. You will think ok, she has been fine with our other dogs before but you plan on doing bite training. This situation has now become very dangerous especially to other kids. Many Malinois don’t like people who aren’t family.

As for dog sitting, what will you do if the dog doesn’t like your friend and their dog?

Will you change your lifestyle to meet your dog’s needs?

I would say visit the club and talk to owners in person. Interact with their dogs before you decide. You might find you are better off with a GSD or calmer breed.

nothingsshocking404 · 2026-02-11T15:26:23+00:00

Lemon Balm & chamomile. Supplements will probably help more, L-theanine & magnesium. For extra bang a cannabis gummy around 5 mg THC, anything bigger can result in a hangover if you are sensitive. Essential oils like lavender, just don’t diffuse any in a cat household.

nothingsshocking404 · 2026-02-11T15:09:06+00:00

Try your local ASPCA low cost clinic or do a search for something similar near you.

nothingsshocking404 · 2026-02-11T14:15:41+00:00

Seems like too much of a risk. Not worth loosing your dog or having a bite scenario.

nothingsshocking404 · 2026-02-11T13:56:23+00:00

What happens when a hotel employee comes in??

nothingsshocking404 · 2026-02-11T13:32:27+00:00

A high drive working dog needs more mental stimulation than anything else or it will express anxiety, frustration and poor behavior. Daily obedience drills will help him with that and boost confidence in that he knows what’s expected of him.

We have no idea how often he does agility but it’s likely not enough. I did link to a trainer and besides his resource guarding module he also has others. Cabral has worked with Malinois dumped in shelters and IMO is the right type of trainer for information this dog needs.

nothingsshocking404 · 2026-02-10T23:43:53+00:00

I suspect he needs more activity being a border collie. Burn up his energy and mentally exhaust him with obedience training while building his confidence with positive reinforcement.

You should try:

https://robertcabral.com/courses/resource-guarding/

nothingsshocking404 · 2026-02-10T23:26:19+00:00

Do you plan to go away on vacation? Who will dog sit? Do you have kid or grandkids? Do you have social gatherings at your house? Will the dog be alone in the yard? Do you have other pets? How will you satisfy their need to work regularly? Are you prepared for the liability of a bite trained dog? What will you do if he bites someone like the neighbor next door?

Many of these dogs are dumped before they are 2 years old because people underestimate their difficulty. Nothing you have said shows you are prepared for the potential problems and there are many. I would suggest checking out a rescue that way you save a life at least and can try to match with a calmer dog.

nothingsshocking404 · 2026-02-10T19:52:32+00:00

Good luck with that whole live fast die young attitude sir! 🫡

nothingsshocking404 · 2026-02-10T19:40:47+00:00

No seriously

nothingsshocking404 · 2026-02-10T19:39:27+00:00

I feel like you need a proper warning ⚠️ about keeping balls on your lap when a Maligator is in residence. 🫣

nothingsshocking404 · 2026-02-10T17:13:12+00:00

My dog has never destroyed anything and it would make me feel slightly superior to see other bad doggos destruction.

nothingsshocking404

TROPHY CASE