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That said, I don't appreciate the "don't worry, he's friendly!" crowd when their unleashed good boy or girl comes barrelling at us on a trail. Too many on-leash dogs have been attacked around here by these friendly off-leash dogs.
Neither do I appreciate it when ill-mannered children mistake him for a plushie and run straight at him screaming "doggie! doggie!" while the parents look on with doting expressions. I seem to recall teaching my child not to behave in such a fashion and that strange dogs were not to be approached. I have had parents get angry at me for telling their bundles of joy not to touch my dog and say that I shouldn't have him if "he's not safe around kids!!!" But that's not the point. He is "safe around kids." I just don't believe that my dog should function as a toy for strange children.
People have a right to have their reactive dogs on-leash in appropriate places; that's part of training them. By appropriate places, I don't mean dog parks; I mean public spaces where all dogs are required to be on leash.
I think in most states there are leash laws, so technically all dogs are supposed to be leashed when in public.
And don’t even get me started on parents and their bundles of joy running up to and pawing at dogs with a sense of entitlement. Fortunately, because my dog is so large, most people are afraid of him, so parents and kids are often very respectful if approaching.
If a parent ever told me that I shouldn’t have a dog because it isn’t x, y or z, I would remind them that my dog is better behaved than their children and that perhaps they shouldn’t have children if they can’t teach them how to be respectful of dogs (;
You still don’t get it, Andy. It isn’t a matter of training. Your post illustrates that you continue to think that reactive dogs are untrained because your dogs are not reactive. This is precisely the OP’s point. You are lecturing people with reactive dogs without having a clue as to what having a reactive dog entails.
Reactive dogs are trained. But the training can’t undo the reactivity, it just manages it.
My 5th hunting dog was a reactive dog.
He was trained. Trained as far as he wanted to be trained.
Incredible hunting dog.
He was better behaved hunting than as a house dog. Total failure as a house dog.
Paid attention to my commands hunting without fail. In later years, he was giving me commands as we were hunting.
Bit my wife four times, ok three times it was HER fault, but the fourth was his and that really is unacceptable in a dog. I spent the 10 years with him closely following his moods and interactions.
Except when hunting, then was he a joy to be in the field.
My wife actually asked me why I did not just put him down, and my answer was you should see him hunt in the field.
He died of bone cancer at the age of 10. A short life. His last day on earth was a joy, all the things he could not do, he did with all the treats that were rationed. But that personality and pain medications meant he was the first dog I had to put down.
When the vet showed up at the house at the end of the day to end his life. He KNEW. He was not pleased.
The next hunting dog.
Well, she thinks EVERY human she meets is her best friend forever on the human scale. Dogs are the most wonderful playthings and the one she just met is the BEST.
I worried that the previous dog was due to ME.
But it was just him. Just as the current hunting dog is just her.
But it is much better worrying about a dog that will lick a stranger to death, than one that will bite him.
Exactly what does that really mean?
If a dog is unsocial or has very bad behaviors am I or us supposed to accept this and go on like it’s nothing?
Should we go out of our way to socialize with it?
Maybe let our dogs or kids play with it.
Do we just do our best to avoid it at the dog park?
If a person has an aggressive or a mean dog even only every now and then it should not be allowed around other dogs or people.
Period.
Your post is a perfect example of someone who doesn't understand what a reactive dog actually is. I got my 12 yr old Westie when he was 8. Since I've had him he has been knocked down, and bitten by 6 dogs five of which were loose. I do my best to keep my head on a swivel when out walking him so we can avoid other dogs by crossing the street because he considers all large dogs a threat, and tells them so. Also he is always on a leash, always. And I carry pepper gel for the loose aggressive dogs. Homie don't play that.
However he LOVES dogs his own size or smaller, and is very gentle with them. He loves people too, but not wild about small children so we avoid them too. No dog parks, groomers or anything else where I can't manage his interactions. He is NOT a bad dog. He is wonderful, and has his own fan club but is terrified by larger dogs so I protect him. He is a good boy, and it is my job to see that he is safe to live out his last years as stress free as I can make it for him. Benjamin is his name, son of my old age. And I love him dearly. So does my cat. She will miss him when he is gone. You could compare this with ptsd. He has been traumatized. The last dog bit him on the nose a couple weeks ago. He is no longer our friend.
While I was out walking I met a large standard poodle who was terrified by little dogs because she had been attacked by loose Yorkies who bit her on her legs. By being kind I feel it is meant to have some compassion, and don't say unkind things when you don't understand the problem.
My dog is reactive and he is well behaved indoors. Outside if he sees another dog or a cat or a human he goes nuts. I can't train it out of him. He was like that when he came to me at 1.5 years old.
He IS trained as much as he can be. He goes potty on a mat indoors when it's bad weather outside, he doesn't jump on the furniture, he comes when called, he does lie down and sit and when he's outdoors he's beautiful on a leash. He used to pull hard but I trained that out of him.
He has some neighbors that he adores and they love him too. They invite him in for treats and hugs. But if I'm walking him along the road and he sees a stranger or another dog, he goes crazy and I have to steady him and hold the leash really close. I call it doggie mental illness, and it probably is something like PTSD. He was abused before I ever got him. Just please understand it is hard for the owners of dogs like this but we do our best.
I call it doggie mental illness, and it probably is something like PTSD. He was abused before I ever got him. Just please understand it is hard for the owners of dogs like this but we do our best.
Exactly. And the worst part is that, instead of acknowledging that we selfishly care for dogs that were not only abused but, also, that no one else will care for, my dog and I have to deal with people who, at best, don’t understand, or, at worse, are actually hostile towards us.
I have sacrificed so much to care for my shelter dog. Because of his reactivity, our world is so small—there are so many things we cannot do because of his reactivity, it really is a disability. And yet instead of being treated with kindness and understanding by the majority of the people around us, his reactivity is treated as a crime and he and I are often treated like criminals.
I'm surprised that someone w/ a dog like the op's doesn't understand the problem. The dog is being aggressive and becoming a nuisance, it's not really OK for it to act out. I totally understand why people are getting po'd, it's exhibiting aggressive behavior. If it's a rescue dog or not doesn't matter, we're talking about it's present behavior. Where it came from is beside the point and not relevant to what it's doing now.
The dog could wear a muzzle when you go for walks, or the op could buy one of those ultrasonic anti bark devices.They don't hurt the dog, they just stop barking when it's used. Walmart has tons of them online from $20 to $100, and they have reviews posted as to how effective they are. Most are effective 25-50 feet away.
The building I live in has about 9 dogs in it and at least half of them are doing what the op's dog is doing. Our building manager put up notices on every door a few days ago that said the dogs are disturbing the peace, and after 2 or 3 infractions the tenant will be evicted. I'm all for that. Sometimes these dogs get barking at each other late at night when their companions take them out for a walk. All day long I see very aggressive dogs when I ride my bike. Some are on a tether, some chase me down the road. It gets old, you know? It's not OK, it's a legitimate, real problem. I'm sure that the city/state has laws on this.
Last edited by stephenMM; 09-30-2023 at 10:02 PM..
I'm surprised that someone w/ a dog like the op's doesn't understand the problem. The dog is being aggressive and becoming a nuisance, it's not really OK for it to act out. I totally understand why people are getting po'd, it's exhibiting aggressive behavior. If it's a rescue dog or not doesn't matter, we're talking about it's present behavior. Where it came from is beside the point and not relevant to what it's doing now.
The dog could wear a muzzle when you go for walks, or the op could buy one of those ultrasonic anti bark devices.They don't hurt the dog, they just stop barking when it's used. Walmart has tons of them online from $20 to $100, and they have reviews posted as to how effective they are. Most are effective 25-50 feet away.
The building I live in has about 9 dogs in it and at least half of them are doing what the op's dog is doing. Our building manager put up notices on every door a few days ago that said the dogs are disturbing the peace, and after 2 or 3 infractions the tenant will be evicted. I'm all for that. Sometimes these dogs get barking at each other late at night when their companions take them out for a walk. All day long I see very aggressive dogs when I ride my bike. Some are on a tether, some chase me down the road. It gets old, you know? It's not OK, it's a legitimate, real problem. I'm sure that the city/state has laws on this.
Firstly, the OP is asking for some compassion and understanding regarding their reactive dog and for people to remember that not all dogs are not reactive; the OP is not asking that their reactive dog be allowed to be a nuisance. In fact, it is other, unleashed non-reactive dogs that are a nuisance to a reactive dog.
Secondly, I am not going to muzzle my leashed reactive dog because someone else is violating a leash law because their dog isn’t reactive.
Thirdly, there are leash laws in most (if not all) states. No dog should be chasing you down the street. If you haven’t noticed, those of us with reactive dogs are careful to keep our dogs leashed to avoid such incidences.
Lastly, if the dogs are such a “problem” in your building, then why do you live in an apartment building that allows pets? The number of buildings that don’t allow pets is far greater than the number that allow pets and you could move if it were bothering you that much. Instead, these owners may get evicted and their dogs will possibly end up in shelters, thereby continuing and, even, worsening the trauma that these dogs have already suffered.
Firstly, the OP is asking for some compassion and understanding regarding their reactive dog and for people to remember that not all dogs are not reactive; the OP is not asking that their reactive dog be allowed to be a nuisance. In fact, it is other, unleashed non-reactive dogs that are a nuisance to a reactive dog.
Secondly, I am not going to muzzle my leashed reactive dog because someone else is violating a leash law because their dog isn’t reactive.
Thirdly, there are leash laws in most (if not all) states. No dog should be chasing you down the street. If you haven’t noticed, those of us with reactive dogs are careful to keep our dogs leashed to avoid such incidences.
Lastly, if the dogs are such a “problem” in your building, then why do you live in an apartment building that allows pets? The number of buildings that don’t allow pets is far greater than the number that allow pets and you could move if it were bothering you that much. Instead, these owners may get evicted and their dogs will possibly end up in shelters, thereby continuing and, even, worsening the trauma that these dogs have already suffered.
I support everything you say except the muzzle issue. You know that you dog is reactive, so if there is a danger of loose dogs around, why take a chance? I don't understand this reasoning.
I support everything you say except the muzzle issue. You know that you dog is reactive, so if there is a danger of loose dogs around, why take a chance? I don't understand this reasoning.
Because I'm not breaking the law. I am not legally responsible if an unleashed dog runs up to us because the owner of the unleashed dog is breaking the law by not having their dog under control. This is the law where I live. My dog is perfectly within his right to protect me and/or himself if a steange, unleashed dog runs up to us. And he can't do that if he is wearing a muzzle, which leaves us both vulnerable.
Leash laws exist to keep everyone safe.
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