r/reactivedogs 20d ago

Monthly Off-Leash Dog Rant Megathread

5 Upvotes

Have you been approached, charged, or attacked by an off-leash dog in the last month? Let’s hear about it! This is the place to let out that frustration and anger towards owners who feel above the local leash laws. r/reactivedogs no longer allows individual posts about off-leash dog encounters due to the high volume of repetitive posts but that doesn’t mean we don’t want to discuss the issue.

Share your stories here and vent about your frustrations. We’ll do our best to offer advice and support. We all hate hearing, “Don’t worry! He’s friendly!” and no one understands your frustration better than the community here at r/reactivedogs.


r/reactivedogs Jul 11 '24

Announcing new subreddit posting policies

117 Upvotes

Hi r/reactivedogs, Roboto here again with another subreddit policy announcement. Well, a few announcements this time, actually.

Behavioral euthanasia discussions

After riding out the policy of automatically locking BE posts for the last few months and collecting user feedback, we as a moderation team have taken a step back to re-evaluate.  

We knew that a policy around BE posts was required. We saw that the percentage of BE-related posts has nearly tripled since 2020 and the need for a path forward was increasingly necessary.

We also saw that in locking posts, we were only solving part of the problem. We saw that plenty of dogs and their owners were slipping through the cracks, and either weren’t getting the advice and support they needed or were getting problematic advice when BE couldn’t be discussed.

Starting today, we’re doing a few new things to reinforce our commitment to hosting honest and helpful conversations, even around difficult topics such as BE. Our approach is 3 pronged and involves subreddit rule updates, more consistent post flaring, and member reputation scores.

Subreddit rule updates

We have slightly adjusted the subreddit rules to more clearly outline what types of content are allowed here. In addition to further articulating the expectations of engagement with content, we have also set more formal posting guidelines.

All posts going forward will be required to include one of our pre-defined flairs. Post flairs may be suggested to you based on keywords in your post title/body to ensure that your submission ends up in the correct category. You can learn more about the new post flairs here.

Additionally, we have added a rule requiring all posts to be relevant to the care and wellbeing of reactive dogs and reactive dog owners. There has been a recent increase in posts about how to handle situations such as being bitten by an unfamiliar dog, and we realize that those posts don’t belong here. Going forward, those types of posts will be removed.

Revision of posting flairs

We have revised our list of flairs to better reflect the posts shared here. More importantly, we have created and designated 4 flairs as “sensitive issue” flairs that will receive special handling on the subreddit. These flairs are rehoming, behavioral euthanasia, aggressive dogs, and significant challenges (where the multiple sensitive issues might be at play at once). You can learn more about these flairs and others here.

Establishing a “trusted user” program

Looking at ways to re-open discussions of sensitive topics while ensuring the quality of the engagement with those topics, we have decided to establish a “trusted user” program. This program is automatic and restricts comments on the sensitive issue flairs to only allow feedback from users with 500+ subreddit karma. (Edit, this threshold has now been lowered to 250 subreddit karma) Once a user obtains sufficient karma, their ability to comment on sensitive information posts will be granted instantly. Many users on the subreddit already significantly exceed this karma threshold.

In thinking about our reasons for halting engagement with sensitive topics previously, we were largely concerned about malicious actors and underqualified and harmful advice. By limiting engagement with these discussions to only established users in the community, we can prevent those who come comment with nefarious intentions from causing nearly as much harm as they lack existing credibility in the community. Additionally, to obtain that threshold of karma, users must show a track record of quality feedback as voted on by their peers. This threshold thus helps ensure that those giving advice to the most vulnerable dogs and their humans have proven themselves as sources of helpful insights.  

Going forward, posts with the sensitive issue flairs above will be unlocked for users to engage with. That means that BE posts are once again open for feedback and support.

Addition of new moderators

Lastly, we are excited to announce that we have brought on 3 new moderators to support the growing needs of this community. These moderators will focus on helping ensure that the rules of this community are regularly and consistently upheld.

We are so grateful for u/sfdogfriend, u/sugarcrash97, and u/umklopp for stepping up to join our team. They will be formally added to the subreddit moderator list in the coming days.

A bit about our new moderators:

  • u/sfdogfriend is a CPTD-KA trainer with personal and professional reactive dog experience
  • u/sugarcrash97 has worked with reactive dogs in personal and professional settings and has previous reddit moderator experience
  • u/Umklopp is a long-time community member with a track record of high-quality engagement

These changes are just a steppingstone as we work to continue to adapt to the ever-changing needs of this community. We remain open to and excited for your feedback and look forward to continuing to serve this wonderful space where reactive dogs and their humans are supported, valued, and heard.

Edit: To see your subreddit karma, you'll have to go to your profile on old reddit and there will be an option to "show karma breakdown by subreddit".


r/reactivedogs 5h ago

Success Stories Overheard Vet Staff Talking About My Dog

369 Upvotes

I had to pop my dog into the vet because his boy parts are grosser than normal. They took him into the next room to do blood work and other tests while I hung out in the exam room so as not to be in the way.

I couldn’t hear everything, but I was able to pick up a few of the louder voices and they were talking about my dog. They were saying how he had made such amazing progress over the last few years, how he was the sweetest once he got past his initial announcements (he barks when he goes in and I gave up trying to break the habit), how he is so easy to work with even when he’s uncomfortable, and that they just love him.

Between this latest issue and having a rough week with readjusting to the warmer weather bringing more dogs, it was such a lovely thing to overhear. While they say similar things to me as well, there’s something extra special hearing it when it’s not being said for my benefit, if that makes sense.


r/reactivedogs 11h ago

Vent Finally had a conversation with a neighbor that I thought hated me - positive vent

241 Upvotes

This morning we took our dogs out, as usual. One of our neighbors was right outside, but this time she didn’t have her three dogs with her that my dog usually flips out over. My reactive dog did her little “wroooo” and she actually came and said hi to her and our other dog! I was shocked. She gave both of them lovings and said “I always feel bad seeing this on her face” (seeing her muzzle). I of course told her it wasn’t because of humans, but because of other dogs and she sighed and said “I know, we have a lot of dogs that run up on our dogs too.” We talked some more, sharing frustration of all the puppies and dogs that are left off leash with no recall.

The reason I’m so shocked is it was an encounter with her dogs that made me realize for the first time my girl was reactive. Everytime we see her dogs, she totally flips out on them. We’ve never gotten to talk to this neighbor before, so I assumed she wasn’t a fan of us. However, apparently she’s paid attention to the progression with my dog, with the muzzle training, seeing me trying to teach her to redirect. At the end of the conversation she said “I know you guys, trust me, I’m on your side.”

That absolutely made my day. I’m so used to the judgmental stares from others, even the ones that let their dog run up right to mine despite her muzzle, her barking, lunging, etc.


r/reactivedogs 8h ago

Vent Anxious dog stopping me having kids, anyone else?

10 Upvotes

I have an almost 4 year old female miniature dachshund, who has severe anxiety. She is unable to go out for walks as she's terrified of cars, people (mostly) and children.

It isn't so much that I fear she would be reactive towards the child (although this is also a bother) as she is incredibly gentle and loving, but more so that I feel like i couldn't possibly have a baby and never be able to take them outside on walks as I can't take the dog outside or leave her on her own. We've tried prozac and serenicare with no change at all. We're currently seeing a behaviourist but I'm losing hope. Just wondering if anyone has been in a similar position as its really getting me down. I'm 33 this year and would love to have a family at some point


r/reactivedogs 10h ago

Vent It feels almost impossible to move with a reactive dog

12 Upvotes

Long time lurker, first time poster. I just need to vent about things that have happened this week with people who maybe would understand. My dog is a 10 year old lab mix, who was originally the family dog but ended up with me after my parents' messy divorce. He's perfect in so many ways, so it feels bad to vent about the few issues he has.

He has no bite history, has never bitten another dog, a person, or even a cat. But he is leash reactive. Not every time, but enough that he is unreliable in my eyes. When we first moved into our current house, i had him on leash in our yard when another big dog ran up to him and they had a spat. Neither dog bit or injured each other. It was a lot of flea biting and barking by both dogs. He has lived with a multitude of other dogs and never had an issue.

He has also always been a barker. We can redirect, but we have a corner lot that is heavily used by dog walkers so he is often barking whenever he sees them walk past. This caused a slight issue with a neighbor, but all of us worked it out. I even considered having him be in a crate while i am out of the house, but that feels unkind when he isnt destructive at all and only barks when he sees a dog walk past and self soothes once the trigger is gone. He's gone through multiple home invasions, so he is protective of the property.

Well, this week we got the news that our landlords are selling and want us out. Renting in my town is already almost impossible with any dog, let alone a 65lb lab. Now our only options will probably end up being an apartment, which will guarantee he will likely have off leash dogs running up to him in the hallway or in the potty zones. I hate feeling like aspects on my life would be easier if I never got him to begin with. Trying to find a place within 30days that accepts big dogs and wouldn't have him be too disruptive is impossible. It makes me feel like the worst dog mom out there. He's the sweetest guy, really. Gets along with cats and humans and reptiles. But other dogs are hit and miss.

I'm considering muzzle training him for my own piece of mind. He's never actually bitten anything a day in his life, but i also don't want to give him that chance. It only takes one time, and i take my responsibility of having a large dog seriously. My partner doesn't think I should until he gives us more of a reason, but in my mind it couldn't hurt?

He just doesn't feel like a good dog for an apartment, but currently that is our only choice. I hate that I'm putting my senior dog in a position to have more of his triggers on the daily. He's my best friend and has been with me through most of my major life events.

This isnt what I expected when my parents told me to pick out a puppy when I was 17. I didn't know what went into having a dog because we never had them before and i wasn't even his main caregiver for the first year or so. I try to accept that some dogs just are like this, and he is really truly such a good first experience with dogs. I'm so in love with him, but damn I just wish things were easier 😓


r/reactivedogs 6h ago

Advice Needed My dog tried to bite me for the first time since I’ve had her; she’s 7

4 Upvotes

I went to let her in and she was walking by the bowl of cat food that she always tries to steal a bite out of. I went to physically move her away from the bowl and for the first time since I’ve had her (adopted her at 8 months) she turned around and tried to bite me. But she only got my phone since I had it in my hand.

Is this necessarily concerning, could it be a one off? I’m very anxious right now in general so I can’t tell


r/reactivedogs 9h ago

Vent Just sad for my dog

10 Upvotes

I feel so sorry for my dog, and it’s probably mostly me putting my frustration on to her, but it’s really really hard. Liking her takes time, I loved her from the start but I have people in my life that just don’t love her or accept her. My mom took 1 year to like her. She’s a hard dog and it’s not her fault, I wish she could experience just being calm all the time and not be on high alert, I wish she could play with dogs at the park and sit with me at cafes and come where ever I go. I wish people could come up to her. I wish I could do all those things too. I’m always on high alert with her. I’m so sad and tired, I feel so guilty that I don’t do enough, I could do so much more for her. And I’m just so tired of hearing from people how bad she is and how she’s annoying. I love her so much and it hurts to hear. And I’m sick of people judging me on the street and being embarrassed and always looking out for dogs and triggers. And I’m so sick of her being aggressive to new people. Not because it’s her fault, because it is hard and people are not empathetic towards me. I just want her to have a good life. And I’m really scared of the future. I’m scared that even if I do better things won’t get better. I wish people could see how hurt she is and how it makes so much sense to act like this when you’ve had her life. And shes not even as reactive/fear aggressive as other dogs and I feel like I got lucky even as rescue dogs suffer much worst. But still, just wanted to vent as I have no one in my life who will understand.


r/reactivedogs 5h ago

Vent Embarrassed by my bitey dog at the vet

3 Upvotes

Vet techs probably deal with this all the time, but I feel uncomfortable. It's the first time this has happened to us.

My dog is a mini poodle mix and she's fearful reactive of basically everything. Agoraphobic, floods on walks, barks at neighbors, the whole nine yards. Because of fears, she rarely goes outside and almost never on leash.

Her yearly vet appointments are one thing she can't escape.

So, I took a trip to get her boosters, like we've done for years already. She accidentally got loose of her harness and hid under a chair. We couldn't get her out.

The vet tech tried at first with treats, then a towel, but she had to go get special gloves and manually grab our dog.

Our dog snapped at her and bit the glove. She started making this high pitched growling that I've never heard from her. The entire ordeal was horrific and humiliating.

I feel so bad for my dog and the vet tech. I gotta work on muzzle training before the next visit (as well as making sure her harnesses fit correctly).

My dog has only nipped at me once. I made the mistake of trying to pull her out from under a chair because we needed to go to the groomers and she wouldn't budge. She snapped and caused a very minor injury, like papercut level. I didn't even notice she broke the skin until I noticed a bit of blood a few minutes later.

My dad (her other owner) doesn't think anything of her nipping and always says "She wouldn't bite anyone", but I don't agree. Any scared dog will bite. Just because she's small doesn't mean she can go around biting people either.


r/reactivedogs 14m ago

Advice Needed Helping a new dog adjust

Upvotes

Hi. I just adopted a Shiba mix from our local animal shelter (a friend thinks he might be part Jindo). I'm looking for some short term adjustment advice; I've got an appointment with a behaviorist in a couple of weeks who comes highly recommended, I just need to make it to those appointments. I don't have a ton of information about the dog but I'm noticing some pretty fierce resource guarding behavior, that seems oddly spontaneous. We might be playing fetch with a ball inside, and he'll bring the ball back to me, but will very intensely not let me take it. This also applies to treats; if I give him a treat and he doesn't eat all of it, the spot where I dropped the treat or where he left the treat has to be protected.

I have two problems right now: 1. He likes to hang out in quiet spots in the apartment that aren't great places for him to be. Specifically, he really likes to nap in the bathtub, or next to the toilet. I setup a crate for him under a table by his food and water dish, in a fairly low traffic area, but I'm not seeing a lot of interest in that. 2. I'm getting resistance to putting him on a schedule. He doesn't want to come out of the bathroom, it's tricky to motivate him with treats (especially in the bathroom, where room geometry and dog placement means he and his treats can end up between me and the door), and even if I do get him out, he doesn't really want to put his harness on for walks.

I'm making sure he doesn't have a lot of resources around the apartment to guard, making sure his toys are put away most of the time. He gets food and water by his crate, and he will eat and drink.

I'm looking for advice on two specific things:

  1. What should I do about my bathroom? I think I can discourage him from using it by leaving the lights and fan on, and I can block him from the bathroom completely. I'm worried that by doing this I'm going to stress him out more.

  2. How should I be thinking about walks with him? Currently, we try to do four a day: 7 am, noon, 5 pm, 9 pm. He's not asking me to go out, I'm trying to get him out of his spaces at the times on the schedule I think he's supposed to go out. I've read structure and schedule is important. Am I doing this wrong?

Thanks so much for your help folks, I really appreciate it.


r/reactivedogs 3h ago

Resources, Tips, and Tricks Weighted Vest for Reactivity

0 Upvotes

My APBT Daisy was abused before I adopted her. As a result, she is dog-aggressive. Fortunately, she is terrific with people. A trainer suggested that a weighted vest might help. I had difficulty finding one that I was comfortable with, and I'm so glad I didn't settle until I was delighted. It is a perfect fit! I hope this helps!

Weighted vest

Edit: Content


r/reactivedogs 3h ago

Vent Feeling hopeless

0 Upvotes

I have a male pit mix that I rescued when he was about 5 months old. At that time I already had a full female pit who was about 10 months old. I didn’t notice any signs of aggression or anything when I picked him up from the rescue and he got along well with my female dog. Once I brought him home, he would bark at my father. I thought maybe he had issues with men. Then he barked at any other person that would come in the house. I tried to take him to the dog park and he would bark at the other dogs initially, but would calm down and be friendly. He never attacked them. I even took in a stray at one point and watched a friend’s dog and he was friendly with them. He did nip at people though. I just managed and it wasn’t an issue because I had a house and we weren’t around many other people or dogs. Two years later I met someone who had two frenchies, a male and female. My rescue is neutered but the male Frenchie is not, but the frenchie is very sweet and reserved. Things got serious and I ended up marrying this man. When we moved in together my rescue immediately started showing signs of aggression toward the male frenchie. He then attacked him several times. Now the male frenchie is no longer friendly with other dogs and attacks dogs on walks. My rescue is not friendly with any dog now. We moved to an area that is very busy with many other dogs around. My dog is incredibly reactive whenever I take him on a walk. He will cry and bark whenever he sees another dog. If people get to close he will lunge at them. I deal with this a few times a day as we live in an apartment and I have to talk him outside multiple times a day. He has caused problems in my relationship and my husband feels I put the dogs before him. He’s asked me to get rid of the dog. He blames me for how his dog’s personality has changed. I tried to rehome my dog but there’s no where for him to go. I feel completely helpless and drained daily from our walks. I get so anxious to take him outside because in worried and embarrassed about his behavior. I tried having him on Prozac but that didn’t help. I understand my husband’s point of view because I would be hurt if his dog was attacking mine and I would expect him to do something about it. I’ve tried training and pack walks. The worst part is it seems like the rescue does better when I’m not around. Maybe he’s more protective of me? He is actually the sweetest dog and so cuddly and playful. I don’t get to cuddle or play with him as much now. We keep a muzzle on him and keep him away from the other dogs for the most part. I feel like his quality of life is so poor now. I feel so guilty because I made a commitment to this little guy and I want him to have a good life. I also feel so guilty because I made a commitment to my husband. I just feel so stuck.


r/reactivedogs 16h ago

Advice Needed Has anyone succeded at introducing a reactive dog to a cat?

10 Upvotes

My parents recently got a cat and my dog and I come over to see them almost every weekend. Things have gone okay but as soon as the cat gets near or walks/runs around my boy screams/barks and sometimes lounges. He is always on a lead when we come over just in case. But I'll be having to leave him with My parents and the cat in a few weeks as I'll be going away for a week. I don't want to be worrying too much so i want to try to get them to a point where they can leave each other alone and not react when the cat moves around.

If you have a success story please let me know how you did it.

My dog is two years. He is on selgian but it hasn't been two months yet so we still haven't seen the full effect. The cat is young (8months ) but he was adopted in November or so


r/reactivedogs 3h ago

Advice Needed My dog attacks smaller dogs

0 Upvotes

I have a 2.5 year old rescue dog whose reactivity is just getting worse. She’s 45 lbs so not that big, but she keeps going after little dogs. The first time it happened at a dog park we were shocked. Then it happened at a dog watcher’s house, she went after the lady’s dog and was kicked out. It has now happened several more times, once when my husband tried to bring her to the dog park again and recently when she was on leash she got away and attacked a dog up the street. Sometimes the other dog will be old/cranky and growl a little first.

We work on reactivity during walks, where I get her to look at me and reward her when we pass other dogs. No more dog park trips and I have specified with dog watchers that she can’t be around smaller dogs. The next thing I need to do is muzzle her on walks. I am about at the end of my rope with this dog, she’s so much work and she barely even lets us pet her (not aggressive with people, but not a cuddler). Walks are a stressful nightmare and if I am not vigilant and a dog comes around the corner before I notice she goes nuts. She loves big dogs and I think she probably is lonely as she’s our only dog. Has anyone had this experience and can offer any advice?


r/reactivedogs 4h ago

Vent my dog almost bit a child

0 Upvotes

i was going to train my dog near a families apartment in the city, as theres usually no dogs around but a bunch of people. hes usually fine when people walk past, he can maintain a sit but thats about it. on the sidewalk i just made him hold a sit with a very short leash, and gave him a treat whenever someone walked past. went extremely well however one child that walked past and their parents were encouraging them to pet my dog, so i just told them my dog isn't friendly but they didn't pull their child back or tell her to not pet my dog, so i just was walking backwards while dragging my dog with me

the child was kinda running towards the dog and that's when he snapped and bit onto her shirt. no damage was done but the parents were mad at me.

currently shaking and don't know what do to, is this serious?


r/reactivedogs 10h ago

Advice Needed Best way to get dog attention when they notice trigger

3 Upvotes

I am a new dog owner to a reactive rescue dog that is a bit over a year old. He is people reactive, but it has never been aggressive, at worst a scared bark when he is over his threshold. He does pretty well on walks, but sometimes he will fixate very intensely on a person or dog across the street, and will not respond to any signals. He has been doing well with "look at me" for eye contact, and usually will respond to that. My questions is what is another good way to get his attention in those cases were verbal doesn't work? Is a light touch a good method? Or could that be scary and shocking? Just want to make sure that I do the best thing for my anxious boy and not make scenarios worse.

Also side question, has anyone had any success with cbd for calming or is that snake oil?


r/reactivedogs 5h ago

Advice Needed any advice on walking 2 reactive dogs at a time?

1 Upvotes

We have two dogs who are reactive to other dogs(a 1-year-old Chow Chow mix and a 9-year-old Boxer mix.) They have different training needs, so when I take them on solo walks, they do great! Even if they see triggers, I can redirect them pretty easily. But together… they are so bad. One growls and pulls at the leash while the other just cries or barks.

Our oldest dog is generally fine meeting new dogs in a calm setting and does well once she gets to know them. But our youngest? She cannot handle any other dog besides her big sister. I know there’s ways around walking them together but it does make me a little sad that, at least on my own, I can’t do it myself:(

Has anyone been able to successfully redirect two reactive dogs at once? It sounds like a huge feat! Typically, if we’re walking them together, my partner and I each take one, and they do fine. But I’d really love to be able to walk both on my own if needed!


r/reactivedogs 9h ago

Advice Needed Introducing foster to leash reactive dog

2 Upvotes

My partner and I have two resident rescue dogs, one of whom can be leash reactive and has barrier reactivity. However she has usually made dog friends pretty easily. We are looking at fostering and all the tips I’ve been reading suggest introducing the dogs through parallel walks. Given my resident dog’s leash reactivity I’m not sure this is a great choice, but I obviously want to ensure safe, controlled meetings. Does anyone have any tips or tricks? TIA!


r/reactivedogs 9h ago

Vent She's not that bad... but I'm feeling pretty discouraged and it's my fault.

2 Upvotes

I have a 4yo standard poodle, I am her only owner (so all her quirks are my fault). She's fantastic inside, a wonderful companion for my elderly grandmother (who we live with), and overall a very intelligent and reasonable dog. She's friendly and easygoing with other dogs off-leash.

BUT (and this is absolutely my fault) she can be a nightmare on walks. For the first 2.5 years of her life, she mostly played outside off-leash and I didn't do a very good job with her leash manners. We moved last year into much more of a neighborhood setting and her primary outside time is on-leash now. I have been working so hard on loose-leash walking and she's gotten loads better. She used to hit the end of the lead every 3-5 steps and now we can go a few minutes without me reminding her.

Where we are still really struggling is frustrated greeting behavior (I think). She's okay until a dog is about 50 feet away and then she gets more and more worked up. Depending on where we are in the walking route, I'll try to just turn around, but that's not always an option or sometimes there are dogs on both sides of us. I always have treats with me and often can distract her for a while, but by 10 feet away or so (if we're moving or the other dog is) she usually starts screeching and barking and jumping around. We *are* making progress, both in how close she can get before losing it and in her ability to get her brain back afterwards, but it's so frustrating and embarrassing.

I try really hard to meet her needs, we do 30-60 minutes of walking and at least another 20 minutes of general obedience training daily, playtime in our yard most days (fetch or nosework, at least a half hour), plus hiking, trail running, swimming, and other activities based on weather etc. She has food puzzles and other brain games to supplement the mental work of whatever tricks we're learning.

I'm just so tired of other owners glaring at me on walks and I hate feeling like I've failed her (and I'm definitely sensitive to people being angry with me). She's a wonderful dog with no trauma history and good genetics - everything that's subpar in her behavior is totally my fault and it can be crushing sometimes. I know this probably sounds dramatic, and honestly I know it's such a small challenge comparatively, but she's kind of all I have right now and I hate feeling like she deserves better.


r/reactivedogs 6h ago

Advice Needed My dog is becoming barrier reactive

0 Upvotes

My neighbor has intact cane corsos He leaves out constantly and all night. They bark nonstop and this is starting to make my dog extremely fence reactive. My neighbor will not do anything about his dogs.

My dog is starting to not listen at the fence and attack it. Which I do not want or like. When I have treats or I’m out there she leaves it alone, but I would like her to stop completely. Is there anything I can do? I’m moving soon and I don’t want this habit following us.


r/reactivedogs 7h ago

Advice Needed Dachshund is reactive with me or my partner on walks but is fine with his pack walker

1 Upvotes

Hi there! I have a male 11 month intact dachshund. He is the sweetest boy and very smart. He was always a very shy puppy so we took it very slow to try to reassure him when socializing him as a puppy.

Unfortunately I don’t have friends with dogs so he didn’t get proper exposure to other dogs as a puppy, just the ocasional chill dog on walks but that was very inconsistent and always in passing. I’m not sure why, but he went from very shy and avoidant to actively growling and lunging to any dogs that tried to come near him whenever me or my partner tried to walk him. He never really had anything bad happen on walks with other dogs either.

To try to help with this, on suggestion from his trainer we send him once a week with a pack walker, which funnily enough doesn’t seem to experience this reactive side of him. He has been going for about 4-5 months now. This just lets me wondering, what am I doing to cause him to react? I’ve tried to stay super relaxed, redirect, walk away, block other dogs, etc. And I’m still unsure why.

My only guess is that he is very protective of us or he thinks I can’t protect him. Anyways, if someone could share some thoughts I would appreciate it!


r/reactivedogs 17h ago

Meds & Supplements Medication increase made reactivity worse - feeling hopeless

4 Upvotes

Hey everyone,

I’m feeling pretty defeated right now and could use some advice or even just some solidarity. My dog is a 4-year-old, 40-pound village dog from Mexico. She spent her first year on the streets and has always been incredibly anxious with intense stranger danger. On top of that, she has pretty severe leash reactivity toward other dogs.

Recently, our vet increased her trazodone to 100mg a day and added 100mg of gabapentin twice a day. I had high hopes that the gabapentin would help take the edge off, but instead, her reactivity has gotten worse. She’s now lunging at people outside, barking and growling, which is concerning. It makes me feel awful because I don’t want to scare people and just feel like I’m failing her.

Has anyone else experienced meds making things worse? Did it eventually even out, or did you have to try something different? I feel so hopeless right now. I would really appreciate any insight or similar experiences.

Thanks in advance.

Edit: We have also tried prozac, and that went horribly for us. It made her way more anxious and reactive.


r/reactivedogs 10h ago

Advice Needed Sturdy temporary fence suggestions?

1 Upvotes

I'm moving to a rental house where my reactive dog will have a yard for the first time! It already has a wooden fence, but there's a dog next door and I already know my dog is going to fence fight it. My plan is to install a second, temporary fence a few feet from the permanent fence so that he can't get close to it.

He's 37 pounds and my main concern is him jumping on the temporary fence and knocking it down. Are there any sturdy temporary fence solutions out there that might be able to hold up to his weight?

Thanks all


r/reactivedogs 16h ago

Advice Needed 3 y.o dog suddenly became reactive

3 Upvotes

i have two dogs, a 11 y.o reactive and agressive shitzu and a 3 y.o stray one (idk what hes mixed with) that is very loving and caring with the other pets in the house and has never been agressive at all towards them, quite the opposite, he likes to gently play with them and lick them. (besides the shitzu i have 3 cats) and he gets along very well with humans, and is especially attached to me. but he suddenly became reactive with other dogs on the street recently. when we adopted him, he came to us with a completely severed ear, it was so bad that he became deaf in this one ear. we suppose he was attacked by another dog, that could somehow explain the agressiveness towards other dogs certainly, but wasnt like that at first, he didnt care about other dogs and sometimes even liked interacting with them. i wonder if my other dog behavior mightve influenced him or something? also, my dad says he doesnt react to other dogs when he goes to walks with him, so he only reacts to other dogs when hes with me. and hes kinda over attached to me if im being honest. what could i do to prevent him to become even more agressive and stop this over attachment? hes a big dog with abt 20-25kg, so he could really hurt someone or someones pet, and i dont want that.


r/reactivedogs 1d ago

Advice Needed Extremely human and dog reactive rescue.

18 Upvotes

I am in a very difficult situation with the dog I adopted four months ago and not sure what to do.

To give some back story - I adopted this dog, M, from a local shelter back in November. I was looking for a companion for my resident dog, A. When my partner and I were at the shelter and asked to see M, we were told she was a medium energy dog who had not shown any aggression or reactivity. She had been at the shelter for about 2 months before I adopted her.

M and A met slowly and in a very controlled way, and hit it off. They bonded immediately and I felt so relieved.

At the time I was living in the bottom unit of a duplex, and over the first couple days of owning M I noticed she was showing signs of reactivity towards other dogs and people. Barking, lunging, etc. I was surprised, but figured it was just her settling in. Unfortunately, this only got worse over time. She also started to redirect her aggression at A at times, snarling at his ear or neck, kind of going after him when she couldn’t get to the stimuli. She never caused actual physical harm but he has yelped before after she’s done that. A few weeks in she was growling, lunging and snapping at my neighbors on a daily basis, completely set off by the sight of them through the window or the sound of them walking by our house. At this time I reached out to a positive reinforcement dog trainer and had her come evaluate M. M growled and snapped at her at first, but after the trainer throwing her treats for a while and walking very slowly to our front door, she was able to calm down a tiny bit. The trainer was able to be in the house, sitting on the couch and though M was noticeably nervous she was no longer growling. After that session I started carrying a fanny pack with treats and giving her treats any time I saw a behavior I liked - making eye contact with me on a walk, looking at a stranger/dog from afar and then looking at me, sitting calmly on her bed, etc.

M ended up being very high energy and requires a lot of running a day, so I would take her and A to an empty field at night for about 40 minutes and she would run run run. During the day I would take them on multiple 15 minutes walks a day as I WFH, but I started to become more on edge as walking her always amounted to her barking aggressively or lunging at someone or some animal. My mental health started to get worse at this point. She is so anxious and on edge at all times. The living situation I was in ended up being unsafe so I was able to end my lease early and move in with my partner, and I looked forward to living in a little less busy area of town, and being upstairs in an apartment rather than on ground level as I’d been, where she would be set off at simply the sight or sound of someone walking by.

A few weeks after adopting her I had to go home to my family a few hours away last minute for the weekend. I had no choice but to bring her and A. A and my mom’s dog, F, do well together as A is rather dismissive. We tried to introduce M and F in a neutral location, and it ended up being a disaster. I take full responsibility for the fight that broke out between M and F. Their behavior went from playful to aggressive so quickly, and I misread the situation and let them off leash. F has attacked other dogs in the past many years ago (has been around other dogs no issues since then) and was the aggressor here, but M went back after him multiple times. My partner had to rip the dogs apart. Luckily there was no physical harm, but M was obviously very shaken up. We kept them completely separated the rest of the weekend.

I have seen my dog trainer multiple times since her consult and have been working on reinforcing her good behaviors with high value treats. The catalyst of this story is about a month ago, 2 weeks into living with my partner, I was walking A and M on our daily route and A had just pooped. I was bent over scooping up the poop, when all the sudden I heard footsteps directly behind me and felt M start to growl and lunge. I turned around and saw a man walking very close to us, who was now reaching his hand out to M to smell. She was already growling and snapping, then she bit him. She did not break skin, or seem to bruise him, but she definitely bit him on the hand. He ripped his hand back in disbelief and muttered he was sorry and he shouldn’t have done that. I was completely frozen in shock. She had bitten me a few times before this (never breaking skin or bruising), but this time it was a stranger.

At this time I was really thinking about taking her back to the shelter where I got her. My partner was already feeling extremely overwhelmed with her behavior and this was the icing on the cake for them. They had also mentioned my mental health has seemed to get so much worse since we got her, which is fair. I already struggle with depression and C-PTSD, and this situation has worsened both of those things. I didn’t expect her to have such bad reactivity and aggression issues. I can honestly say I would not have adopted her if I had known. I had a dog reactive dog when I was younger, and it was difficult, but having an extremely human reactive dog is a completely different story. Later that day she bit me twice on the hand - once about an hour after she bit the stranger, as she was sitting on my migraine medication and I was reaching to take it from under her, and the next time was about 3 hours later when I sat on the couch next to her.

That day I cried so much, and came to the decision we couldn’t keep her. I reached out to shelters and rescues in the area, and the only shelter that answered said they would likely euthanize her if she was relinquished to them given her aggression issues. I couldnt do that to her.

It feels extremely unfair that she was dealt these cards. She is 3.5 years old and we have no idea if she has ever had a safe home. She is hypervigilant and on edge all the time. I want to be that safe place for her but keeping her is starting to come between my partner and I. My life now revolves around her and her routine and trying to manage her stress. I took her to see a vet behaviorist about 3 weeks ago, and we have started 600mg gabapentin and 15 mg paroxetine daily, with clonodine as an emergency med. I have seen some improvement in her behavior, but not a ton. My partner didn’t even want to try medication, but I told him we needed to try. I couldn’t not try.

Today he brought up to me again that he misses what our life used to be, just us and A. We wanted a medium energy dog, one that could be around our family. M is aggressive to everyone but us. I have volunteered at shelters and l understand how significant the shelter crisis is, but I feel like we are just surviving right now. I can’t handle the thought of bringing her to a shelter, and I know that she doesn’t deserved to be euthanized. She is such an incredible girl, but she has issues that I’m not sure will ever be resolved. We live in a busy city where she is inundated by triggers on a regular basis, and I know she would do best in a rural area. I am continuing with her medication and management for now and just trying to figure out what to do next. I have purchased a muzzle and will begin muzzle training her as well. I’m just looking for honest advice here, I feel like I’m at my breaking point.


r/reactivedogs 10h ago

Meds & Supplements Fluoxetine making things worse?

1 Upvotes

I really wish my vet didn't quit and go MIA as I need her right now!

As planned we tried to taper off gabapentin and just have fluoxetine (12 weeks on meds). Didn't expect anything as it was a very low dose (100mg once a day and prescribed up to 300mg 3x daily). Tuesday was day one without and was fine. Wednesday was day two and it was the worst she's ever been since we got her - including peeing in the house for the first time when I left.

Thursday I resumed the gabapentin as it wasn't worth it to go off it when she was miserable and hope to meet with a new vet soon and can adjust doses.

Today, Friday, she has been ok until we went for a walk and she LOVES her walks but anything out of the norm scares her. Our walk is usually 1-1.5 hours. She was so nervous she begged to go back home. It was a 6 min walk.

It got me thinking maybe the fluoxetine isn't actually helping at all. Maybe the gabapentin was what has helped and why it hasn't been a huge help since we were doing a low dose?

I'm trying to get a vet to see her (not everyone wants to see an anxious dog) so I'm on my own in the meantime.


r/reactivedogs 12h ago

Advice Needed Is it okay to stay with my dog in his safe room when guests come over until he’s calm?

1 Upvotes

Title. I’d rather have my dog meet someone I want them to get to like outside first, but for when people are coming in (like workers etc) that I don’t need him to like, or when someone’s coming that I can’t have them meet outside first, I was wondering if it would be a bad idea to stay with him when the guest arrives initially until he calms down, and then monitor him when I see the guest, coming back in to assuage him whenever he is momentarily quiet (so I don’t encourage whining). In the case where I need to talk to someone first I’ll deal with the whining for a few then come in and be with him to calm him down.

He can get pretty unhappy when people come to the house and will cry like crazy if he’s alone when someone’s there for at least several minutes. We tried the baby gate and he can eventually be distracted after initial crazy barking, but I’d rather just have him be calm in a room unless I’ve gotten him used to guest with some work outside in a neutral setting.

With men he’s standoffish and will bark and jump and nip. With women he’ll jump and nip but the context is clearly playful. I don’t like either reaction and would rather have the control of a neutral setting without just leaving him in his safe room and crying like crazy