Dog owners feel overwhelmed by reactivity issues in their dogs

“Our doodle is 8 years old. He was a happy and friendly boy but as a puppy. Our Shih Tzu jumped on him and that’s when the reactivity began. The Shih Tzu passed away 6 years ago. He has been bonded with our Havanese who is little yet the alpha. She is close to passing away. We know he senses her being sick and will sniff her and then lay down. We know that he will be anxious without her yet with his reactivity, we don’t know whether to get another dog as his companion. Have any of you experienced”

“Sorry if this is the wrong flair. Feeling very hopeless about our ACD mix that we rescued when he was 4.5 months old (in the shelter for 2.5 months). Looking for any encouragement or similar stories. He is 14mo old now (65lbs) and in the house with my husband and me is the best dog ever. No food aggression/resource guarding whatsoever. On walks, he listens very well, watch dogs go by, walk past them, and mostly ignore them (he will turn his head; we're working on this!), great loose leash wa”

“I’m booking a vet appointment, but I’m feeling really down and would appreciate any advice or hope from people who’ve experienced something similar. My 18-month-old Malshi x Poodle barks at strangers and dogs. We’ve made some progress outside and around the home with training, treats, and gradual exposure, but visitors are still difficult, especially children - it's not sustainable to have them over at all. Even when he settles, sudden movements can trigger him all over again and I have to c”

“I walk a five year old female Airedale. Her owner requires a gentle lead but this dog is extremely reactive. Any other dog seen sends her into a spiral of dolphining, biting at the lead and biting at the handler/owner. I have tried to break her focus when dogs are in their own yard and attempted to acclimate her to having other dogs around, but not close. I would say I have succeeded in calming her and refocusing her about 25% of the time. Is there anything else that can be done? She vibrates af”

“I don't even know if this technically falls under reactivity since it's diagnosed anxiety, but this is the closest place I could find for support. Background: About two years ago, my dog (staffy mix, two at the time) developed what we thought was severe separation anxiety. After medications and a vet behaviorist, we made progress and he was basically cured once we realize that he wasn't actually experiencing separation anxiety but a fear of a noise the security cameras we armed when”

“I’m looking for experiences from parents who’ve navigated a similar situation, particularly those who’ve managed to make things work. We have a 5.5-year-old female rescue dog whom we love dearly. She’s always been somewhat nervous and reactive in certain situations, but she’s also incredibly affectionate with us and very much part of our family. We recently welcomed our first baby, now 5 weeks old, and I’m increasingly worried about how things will work as he grows and becomes mobile. A bit of b”

“I have a malamute shepherd mix and recently moved back in with my dad who wants to walk him every day, and he has been letting him off leash while having no recall over him at the park despite me asking him not to. We got into a big argument today and I feel pretty bad, and I wanted to get a training leash for him to use at the park, but its disgusting on the ground and wet and muddy in my city. My dog is a smart boy and not insane like he used to be, a sweet old man that gets polite zoomies and”

“Hello, I'm not sure if this is the best place to ask this, but any advice/other people who've gone through something similar would be appreciated. My grandparents are very old-school when it comes to animals (living outside, never inside, can live with a few blankets/dog igloo), and in the past year, they adopted a pit-bull/mutt mix who was allegedly going to be 'put down' (it came from them + I take everything they say with a grain of salt) by the shelter because of overcrowding”

“Hello, we have an almost 2 year old dog-she’s a Pitt with a little German Shepard and she’s a great dog and wouldn’t hurt a fly but she has a hard time leash walking, letting people touch her, and reacting to other animals. She also isn’t super treat motivated. She isn’t mean but she barks and tries to scare people if they come try to pet her, we were broken into while she was home and she scared them away and that didn’t help. We love her. We also just recently found a puppy wandering the stree”

“Hello, we have an almost 2 year old dog-she’s a Pitt with a little German Shepard and she’s a great dog and wouldn’t hurt a fly but she has a hard time leash walking, letting people touch her, and reacting to other animals. She also isn’t super treat motivated. She isn’t mean but she barks and tries to scare people if they come try to pet her, we were broken into while she was home and she scared them away and that didn’t help. We love her. We also just recently found a puppy wandering the stree”

“After 5 months of consistent counter conditioning for his on leash dog reactivity, my dog can now pass most dogs when out and about and remain pretty chill. I still have to get him to disengage if I notice things might escalate, but he disengaged quickly when I do a clicking sound and offer him a treat. We can go often on long walks with zero reactions now, running into several dogs. Even in the occasional reaction, he is easy to disengage and will chill immediately after you redirect his attent”

“I’d love to hear from people with firsthand experience training Dobermans, particularly those with reactive, anxious or highly alert dogs. I have a just-over-one-year-old male Doberman with sound sensitivity, reactivity around children and unfamiliar people, and discomfort with close proximity, particularly in confined or territorial spaces. He recently snapped at someone’s trousers, thankfully without causing any injury, and we want to address his behaviour properly before it escalates. Before”

“I’d love to hear from people with firsthand experience training Dobermans, particularly those with reactive, anxious or highly alert dogs. I have a just-over-one-year-old male Doberman with sound sensitivity, reactivity around children and unfamiliar people, and discomfort with close proximity, particularly in confined or territorial spaces. He recently snapped at someone’s trousers, thankfully without causing any injury, and we want to address his behaviour properly before it escalates. Before”

“Hi, I'm sorry, I'm using a translator because English isn't my first language. I'm also sorry this is so long, but I really need some help or advice. I've had a dog for four years, and he'll turn five in December. He's a medium-to-large dog. He used to belong to my grandmother before she passed away, and he stayed with my brother for a while (until he was around six months old). He never had the chance to learn proper behavior from his mother because we took him in wh”

“11 year old female Cavapoo I inherited my Moms beloved dog when she passed away in February. My parents had her since 8 weeks old, and she’s never acted like this. Both my parents have passed so I don’t know if that is the issue…. But she has suddenly become startled at EVERYTHING since we have had her. It’s got to be exhausting for her because it’s wearing me out If she lays next to me at the dinner table and I move my foot she’s scrambling to get away If I’m going through the door with the oth”

“Our beloved senior boy has always been reactive to strangers but a loving guy to good friends of ours that he has gotten to know. The usual type of dog that barks when people enter but would settle once people entered the house, got some treats from them etc. now in his older age he barks non-stop when anyone but me and my partner are in the house. Not necessarily barking at anyone or anything specifically. It seems like some sort of excitement mixed with stress? He’s a border collie lab mix, so”

“I am currently 17 and plan on moving out from my moms when I am 18, but I don't know what to do about my dog, I'm worried enough about finding a place I can afford. My pup is just over a year and very scared/reactive towards people, he is an English Shepherd which were bred as general farm dogs, livestock guarding, herding, ect, and the breed is naturally wary of people. I knew this when getting him so maybe its my fault. I am working with a trainer and he is doing better, although a nei”

“Ever since I got my 2 year old Dachshund fudge (giant dog on the left) I’ve put a lot of effort into making sure he wasn’t reactive to other dogs. For the first year of his life, all was good. That is until my neighbors Cane Corso chased after us from across the street and I had to lift him up above my head to prevent him from being bitten until the dog could be recalled 15 minutes later. Though he wasn’t injured, fudge remains terrified of larger dogs (even though he lived with 2 in the past).”

“Hello! I have a 7 year old miniature goldendoodle that I got from a family member a few years ago. He has always been a very sweet dog, but has never had any interest in playing, other dogs, or...doing much at all. He's a big cuddlebug, but he does enjoy walks (mostly just sniffing stuff, which is fine with me). I found out recently though that he isn't just a low-energy dog, he's a dog with hypothyroidism, and his low energy levels weren't normal! So, I started him on a medicati”

“I have a rescue Great Dane. Deaf. Large male. Around 3 years old, owned for 1 year. (Are those calming aromatherapy plugs just snake oil?) The dog is very highly wired and is forever on edge. Running around outside at speed and barking. He has nipped a delivery driver's coat when the guy leant over the fence while the dog was going mental. He will lunge through the bars of the gate at anyone. I don't think he'd properly bite but I'm not totally sure so I keep him away. We initial”

“I have an older rescue dog with PTSD and behavioral issues that I have been working on with his veterinarian for years. We have made a lot of progress, but one thing I’m still struggling with is his reaction to unfamiliar people, especially when they enter our yard. He is generally fine with people and children he knows. With unfamiliar people, however, he can become uncomfortable if they approach him, reach for him, or lean over him to pet him. He will usually try to stay away or growl first. I”

“Hey all! I have a deaf 2 1/2 YO dog named Georgia, we adopted her a little over a year ago. When we got her, we were told she was great with other dogs. But over time, on our hikes and walks she has gotten worse and worse when seeing other dogs. She goes into stalking/ head down mode if we continue to walk towards them (so I tend to pull her off to the side somewhere and let them pass if I have to) and her hair goes up, and if dogs are within twenty feet of us she barks and lunges aggressively.”

“My dog is a 80lb ~6 year old rescue old english sheepdog/great pyr/lab mix, who was suspected to have been stray for her first 10 months of life. She has severe leash reactivity, separation anxiety, noise phobia, and a very strong prey drive. Ironically, prey drive has been at the bottom of our training list because I viewed it as the least problematic day to day, but after ending up in the hospital after a rabbit ran out from a bush directly next to us while I was walking her with a leash with”

“I have a 1 year old female corgi, I’ve had her for roughly 4.5 months. She’s sweet, loves to play, cuddle, and is now bonded to me. In the last 4.5 months we (my boyfriend and I) have noticed immediately that she’s very fearful. When we first brought her home she’d run under the bed and stay there unless we coached her out, when taking her for walks she anxiously pulls to get home and run under the bed. For nearly a 6-8 weeks she didn’t have much of a relationship with my boyfriend. She’d hide m”

“My Belgium Sheppard cross Black Labrador is now a few months off being 14 years old. In the last few months, his vision has definitely started to leave him, to the point he doesnt recognise his own shadow and barks at it. Old puppy habits that he grew out of such as barking at dogs through the fence have returned to him. Today he spent all day in the kennel we bought for him as a puppy. He hasnt so much as acknowledged its existence in maybe 5 years. My mum thinks he is curling up in his kennel”

“I have a working line golden retriver who I'm training to be a service dog for me. He is 13 months now and we recently had a house move where he went a bit crazy (running out the front door, bringing things into the garden to get us to chase him ect). He also completely lost his recall for a few months, but I'm working on it all with his trainer. I feel like part of me keeps thinking that he will just suddenly turn into the perfect dog once he matures, but is anything close to that even”

“I have a dog reactive 13 month old German Shepherd. For a long time (~6 months), I tried working on his reactivity using obedience around other dogs, play around other dogs, and very rarely a correction if needed. However, despite him doing his obedience or playing happily or responding the correction well, nothing ever changed his emotions. If we a see a dog when he’s not actively playing, or actively training, his nervous system goes haywire. His hackles immediately all go up, he starts pantin”

“Hi! I adopted my Akita mix in June of 2022. We have been working for years and he has shown improvement. He is around 5 years old. He has a history of abuse and missing his right front leg. He is the BEST boy to me and my family. However, he has always been dog reactive to certain dogs + people. Recently he has attempted to what looks like, want to chase and potentially attack our neighbors in the hall. We have lived in this apartment for two years. His initial adjustment period went well, espec”

“Hi all. I have a 2 year old female who is deaf. She is close to me and follows me everywhere. When we first got her, my husband disciplined her improperly and she bit him. Last week, we let her go loose on the beach and she didn't want to be caught. Unfortunately, my husband got close to her and grabbed her collar. He got thrown to the ground and was bitten and scratched. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks. submitted by /u/BrendaIrene1956 [link] [comments]”

“Hi all, I have a 6 month old dog who has been displaying some dog specific leash reactivity. We have been training diligently on it, and he has made major strides outdoors and rarely reacts now and can disengage much easier than before. 95% of the time when he does 'react' now, he pulls slightly towards the other dog if it's really close (like passing on the sidewalk) or he let's out one or two barks. However, we live on the 12th floor and elevators are extremely challenging and”

“My husband and I want to start trying for a child in 1-2 years and I want to know realistically what life will look like with our new dog if we keep her. I would say she is on the mild side of reactive and she's making great progress, but I'm worried about what having a toddler around will look like until they have some impulse control at age 4+. My husband is VERY adamant that with more time she will be a peach around future kids and is very clear that he does not want to rehome her. Re”

“Hi! So, I met my partner around 7 years ago and her fur girl was around 7 years old at that time, and so now in November she will be 14. She is a senior Pit Bull and is such a sweet baby. She’s always been particular. She’s never bitten anyone, but her reactivity has gotten worse as she’s gotten older, we attribute it to her getting attacked by a GS when she was young on a walk where she was leashed and the GS was not. Anyway, what makes her react are very specific. Let’s say we bring her into s”

“My 2 year old golden is coming along in his training nicely, he loose leash walks with my very well until we are within 25 feet of another dog or a human stops to try and touch him (always without asking first, ugh.) I take all of these interactions as a training opportunity and never try to avoid them. However, I live in a very small town so these training opportunities are infrequent. He is a very confident dog and loves everyone and everything to a fault, definitely not anxiety or aggressive”

“Does anyone have experience with doggy dementia in an already incredibly reactive dog? 12 year old schnauzer. Bite history. Fear aggressive. Reactive. Hates other humans and dogs. Invested thousands and thousands in trainers. We have a home vet who sees the worst of the worst cases, and even he has said he's never seen anything like it. And yet... I've loved him anyway for 11 years. Adapted my routines and life to keep him calm and happy and remove triggers. Made him a backyard oasis wit”

“I'm running out of ideas and am hoping someone can help me. My wife and I recently rescued an abused female golden retriever who is probably 1.5-2 years old. Every time my wife leaves the room or the house she will start barking. Every time I leave the house she does not care. My wife will let her out and about 30 min later she will go pee on the carpet as soon as my wife leaves the room. My wife cannot leave her alone without her peeing the carpet or the crate. I can come and go and she wil”

“Here's my doggy I’m looking for some advice on training my 4-year-old male dog. I’ve been told he is a Belgian Malinois/Rhodesian Ridgeback mix. He is a really sweet dog and he learns quickly, but he also has some behaviors that I’m struggling to manage, especially because he is very strong and high-energy. His previous owners allowed him to jump up on people. They were tall, but I’m very short, as is most of my family, so when he jumps up he is basically as tall as I am. He has improved, bu”

“I have a 7 month goldendoodle that is reactive towards other dogs. He gets frustrated he can’t play with every dog he sees, not aggressive. On walks, he does okay if we cross the street. When he sees a dog that’s too close, he losses his mind and can’t be redirected. The rest of the walk, he’ll bark and lunge at people, wildlife, etc. He has private training and they suggested the plug in adaptil and progility calming supplement daily. Has anyone tried this? submitted by /u/This_Writ”

“hello all! i have a 1yo poodle mix who was a sdit but is currently out of public access due to this issue. he performs beautifully in most settings, is nearly off leash trained, and knows many tasks, but recently he’s started to be excitedly reactive. he’s never been aggressive or even snipped at another dog, but when we pass dogs on trails he’s grown extremely barky and growly, even pulling on the leash to lunge. if he ever gets to the dogs he’s not even aggressive, he instantly play pounces🤦‍”

“So, for background my dog is a 32 kg shepherd cross rescued as a puppy from a rural community in northern Manitoba. She also has hip dysplasia. I've posted previously asking how to address her reactivity since she's more motivated by her environment than food or toys and received some great suggestions such as addressing possible pain from her hip issue. Addressing her pain is still a work in progress since she unfortunately fell quite ill with a stomach bug and only recently recovered s”

“We’ve made a lot of progress with my dog Ella’s many forms of reactivity over the years, but we never really tackled her window reactivity. We’ve always just managed it using window film and white noise. I avoided working on it because I’m usually not standing there when a trigger appears, and by the time I notice the trigger she’s already reacting so I miss the opportunity. For years I've wanted to build something that could do it for me. Detect her triggers and begin delivering treats befo”

“Hello! My 1.5 year old pup has recently started showing reactivity at the front door when other dogs come to visit. She has known these dogs her entire life, and sees them on a regular basis at their houses without any issue. When the dog enters the front door she meets them with hackles up, growling, and most recently nipped at one of our sister’s dogs who is her best dog friend and has never had a bite issue with. After a couple moments of sniffing she settles and plays with them without issue”

“Hey, My dog is about 18 months, male, intact, mixed breed, 60lbs, and very diligently trained and socialized since getting him at ten weeks old. We have done puppy classes, socialization classes, and we do a ton of training each day. Up until about a couple months ago he has never had a problem with any dogs, and to this day still gets along with over 98% of all dogs he meets or sees. But as mentioned a couple months ago I noticed he started growling, barking, and going after other dogs when we”

“We have a three year-old female pit of some sort (from a reputable rescue) who is also deaf. We've had her for two years, and she is generally a sweet and loving dog. She's is great with kids (we have an eight year-old), and also great with the other pets in our household: an eight year-old female pit (from the same rescue), and two cats, ages 13 and one year-old. I would say she's medium energy; loves walks and playing in the yard, but also spends a fair amount of time on the couch.”

“I’m helping out a family member and looking after a very anxious and reactive Frenchie for 2 weeks while he is travelling for work. I have a 13.5 year old Sheltie, he is deaf and blind in one eye, very timid and non-reactive. Frenchie has been here for 3 days, we’ve kept things very calm, he spent first day hiding in his crate, I’ve been very careful to give him lots of space and not force anything. I haven’t been able to get his harness on so we haven’t gone for a walk - he bites when I try to”

“I have 1.5 year old aussie who is overall an angel. At some point around 1 year he started wanting to say hi to every dogs he meets during a walk. He was still friendly and would let go easily. But recently he started acting very strange. I believe it started when he had his first reaction to a female dog in heat. At home he acted like he is posessed - staring at walls, trying to leave the house, he escaped out of the garden a few times which never happened before. Overall just anxious. We gave”

“I’m a 23 and still living at home. We have 3 dogs. 2 very small chihuahuas and one is a 13 pound pug/terrier rescue. The rescue was rescued at 8 weeks old and is almost 10 months old now. She’s a great dog when she’s with my me or my dad but my mom has complained multiple times about her being aggressive. My mom and I are the main caretakers of all the dogs and today she said she’s afraid the dog is going to severely injure her. She’s not reactive toward the other dogs or people in the house. my”

“Koda is my exactly one year old Labrador Retriever, working line. He literally is the sunshine of my life but lately adolescence has been coming strong at us. A few weeks ago he entered what I would say is a fear period. Unknown or also previously know things suddenly scared him so that he would start barking and fiddling around said thing. This got slightly better by now but also progressed into an intense excitement towards other dogs. He doesn't show any aggression but extreme excitement”

“Looking for some success stories and advice because I’m feeling defeated this morning. I have two rescues three and four years old. Both have had individual training with dog trainers for basic manners and mild dog reactivity. I typically do training walks with them separately still to work on threshold. I have a small 14 pound mix (7 weeks on Prozac) who is much more reactive than my 25 pound mix. Walking them separately is successful 99% of the time. When my husband and I walk them we give the”

“Just venting because I’m honestly feeling really burnt out. I have two 10-year-old dogs, Shadow and Storm, who are brother and sister. Shadow is the sweetest girl and isn’t really reactive, although she doesn’t like other dogs getting too close to her. Storm, on the other hand, is extremely dog-reactive. He’s such a loving dog with my husband and me and has never bitten anyone, but walking him can be exhausting. We live in a building with tons of dogs, and since they get three walks a day, I fee”

“I’d like to hear from people who have had a similar problem with their dog. Our dog is about one and a half years old and has been living with us since the age of seven months. At that time, he had very little basic training, so we essentially had to build our cooperation and obedience from the ground up. He has made tremendous progress since then. His basic obedience is good, he walks nicely on a leash, and when there is no wildlife around, his recall is very reliable . When he is off leash, ru”

“It’s easy to forget progress on reactivity when you experience it every day. Sometimes the reactions are still there, but the smaller things start to change first. Maybe they recover a little quicker after seeing a trigger, can stay calmer from farther away, or can disengage more easily. For those of you who have been working through reactivity with your dog, what was the first little change that made you realise you were actually making progress? submitted by /u/Massive-Row-3229 [li”

“I have a 6 year old Vizsla who I got as a puppy during covid. I immediately noticed her reactive behavior and separation anxiety (I tried my hardest to socialize her during the pandemic). She has come a long way from flipping her crate on its side to escape out of the bottom, ripping up the bathroom floor, and fighting with other dogs. We live on a farm and she's usually a very good dog now, running free with us to check on livestock and always staying by our side (velcro dog). Although she”

“Hello, I have a Golden Retriever who is a little over a year old. Recently, we’ve been going on more hikes, including longer ones, and I typically have him off leash because he has great recall and listens really well. However, we want to start going on more popular trails where we’ll encounter a lot of other people and dogs. Because of that, I think it would be helpful to teach him more of a casual heel that he can maintain for longer periods of time. When I say casual heel I don’t mean a tradi”

“Hi all, I recently moved to live with my parents, who own a senior male GSD. He’s a great dog, but has spent a majority of his life in a kennel outside. He’s pretty anxious (surprise, surprise), hates strangers and cars, but is the sweetest dog when you build a relationship with him. I’ve spent about the past month doing just that and I’m starting simple things with him now (recall, heel, etc). I do not expect him to do all the things at this age, but I would LOVE to be able to take him on some”

“First off, I just need to vent, but I’m also looking for some solidarity, success stories, or advice from anyone who has dealt with a dog whose threshold is just... massive. My boy is about 15 months old (~12kg, so a small medium dog) and has been severely reactive since he was 6 months old. His main trigger is other dogs. Honestly, sometimes he can't even see another dog from 100 to 150 feet away without locking on and freaking out. To give some background: we’ve had him since he was 12 wee”

“He'll be 9 in December, 110 pounds, mixed breed, neutered, no major health issues or allergies. He's dog reactive so he hasn't had contact with other dogs since we lost our other senior girl last year. He's on a high quality food, 50/50 mix of wet and dry. I have him on nordic naturals omega3, dasuquin, and zesty paws pro-biotics. This issue began when our neighbors re-did our shared fence. The entire fence line was fully covered in Boston Ivy on their side which had began to han”

“I have a 7 year old male labrador retriever, and he’s typically a very sweet dog. He’s very healthy and playful, but still laid back. last night my step father, whom my dog adores, hurt his leg and came home in a leg brace and crutches. for some reason my dog started to bark and growl at him and raise his hackles. This wouldn’t be such a strange thing if it weren’t for the fact that my mother broke her foot about a year or so ago, and was in a boot and used crutches. He was perfectly fine around”

“I’ve been thinking a lot about desensitization and all the things we wish we had worked on with our pup (15m Golden) sooner. For those of you with older dogs: what is something you really wish you had desensitized your dog to when they were younger? It could be anything: grooming, nail trimming, the vet, being handled, noises, strangers, car rides, being alone, wearing a muzzle, having things taken away, etc. Or even random things, like fireworks, shopping bag noises, car engine, etc. And for th”

“I’m at the point where I genuinely don’t know what else to try, so I’m hoping someone here has been through something similar. I have an 8-year-old miniature Goldendoodle who has been diagnosed with allergies to mites — both dust mites and flour/storage mites . His main symptoms are: Constantly chewing/licking his paws Scratching his ears More recently, what looks like cracking/irritation around his bum, which he is now licking as well I feel like I’ve tried just about everything: We did allerge”