You will never understand what it’s like to have a reactive dog until you have one yourself.
My dog has such a limited life because of his reactivity. We don’t go to dog parks or regular parks or pet stores or anywhere really. Walks are a rare experience because they are so stressful for him. (We try a little bit farther each time we go.)
Yes, I know my dog barking is annoying, but I need to take him outside to be trained. He loves being outdoors and we do our best to stay in isolated places in the woods and we always stay out of people’s way. Comments about training my dog are unnecessary. I understand that your dog is perfect in every single way. Mine is not. He’s my heart dog and I love him more than anything else, but he is difficult.
Just be kind when you see someone struggling or a dog that looks like they’re having a difficult time. Listen to the owner and stop offering unsolicited advice. Trust me, we’ve heard it all before and we’re doing the best we can. My dog is doing the best he can too.
I liked taking a somewhat reactive dog out into the fields. Yes, he would chase butterflies, but there was no harm in that. He was happy. He could be on a long leash there, and then he did not really pull.
That’s such a shame for you and your dog. I feel exactly the same when a child is screaming in a supermarket or the street, as the child could be autistic so no need to offer the parents advice.
@maryvivo and @Smiley you are so right, people should not judge or give unsolicited advice. They don’t know the full story.
We sat for one dog that had spent most of his life shut in a caravan without being walked or socialised. No wonder he was reactive. He had been fostered then adopted by his new family and adapted really well to living in a family house with a cat, and going on walks. However he was unlikely to ever fully overcome his reactivity.
I was walking my reactive dog in a leash-only area when two unleashed dogs ran up to us. My dog (and I both) reacted. The owners of the other two dogs suggested I look into Cesar Millan and train my dog, and when I said no thank you they walked away saying loudly to each other how “it’s so sad that dog can’t play” as if I were depriving my dog of every kind of joy.
A couple thoughts:
Leash your #@$* dog in a leash-only area.
Cesar Millan has really negatively impacted general knowledge about dog behavioral training by spreading his outdated dominance and aggressive methods. What an awful thing to put one’s dog through and what a terrible thing it would be to teach my dog helplessness.
Not every dog wants to play with other dogs, just like not every person wants to interact with other people. My dog is very happy, thank you.
You have no idea how much work I’ve put into my dog since I adopted her. You have no idea just how much she’s improved. It’s incredible that this animal, who used to go ballistic on sight, can now calmly sit and watch another rambunctious and barking dog bounce on by from just a few feet way.
Leash your &^%# dog.
This happened years ago and I’m still mad about it!
I hear you. If you live in the USA you may want to check into the app called Sniffspot. It’s great because you can “rent” people backyards/ranches that are fully fenced in but give your dog a whole new environment to run around, sniff and explore in while being safe and protected from other animals.
Thanks @Karen_E! If someone has never posted before and their first post includes an offsite link, it’s often spam. There might be a setting in Discord to prevent first time posters from including links, which would stop it from happening, I’m not sure though.