Consistency is something I can deliver. The attitude of anything less than 100% perfection being failure was not for me (or that pup). He was a tough case, but we eventually found a trainer who was a great fit for him.
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A good trainer is not only flexible, but also has a large toolbox (and as all experienced horsepeople know, there is no such thing as perfection 
)
Very glad you found someone who was effective and helpful!
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How is your pupper doing, OP?
I have a reactive dog in that she’s terrified of strangers and I don’t understand why. Was never abused but was taken from her mom early, due to mom’s aggression towards her puppies. She’s perfect with my husband and I but if company comes over the world ends. If people try to approach her in public, she panics. On the leash walking she’s afraid of people but interested in other dogs. It’s a real struggle because my former dog loved everything and everyone and was SO SO easy. I had him for 16 years and miss him every single day.
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I gotta say that week 3 is pretty much a mixed bag.
I am immensely grateful for y’all for giving me some clues on where to start. I have read the Feisty Fido book and I’ve wandered around the internet trying to find other videos and resources. We have a harness and a gentle leader. We’ve also been going through a lot of hotdogs practicing our new skills. We both have a lot of learning to do with timing and technique.
He has started to feel a bit more comfortable and he’s an incredibly sweet dog. We do have some ways of managing behaviors. I have a place where I can take him sometimes where he can run and where there are few or no dogs, so we can practice leash skills. I do know that he is not reliable with other dogs, which is a total bummer. Maybe in the future.
The hard part is knowing that this is going to be a long process. Managing a reactive dog is not an easy task. I’m doing a little bit of grieving. I hope to see progress, but it will take time. I also hope to get him settled and find a professional environment. I was hoping to get him in a class last week, but it was full, so maybe I can take the next one.
Thanks everyone for taking your own time to respond to my thread! My dog and I appreciate it.
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It WILL Get Better, believe me.
Consistency is really important.
I remember in the beginning of
Re-training my reactive GSD,
I kept a slow count of how many different dogs and breeds that she met but didn’t act like she wanted to kill them. It was slow going initially. But the more she
Got out in public the better she became.
Now she goes to all the dog parks but she still wants to boss around the other dogs or steal their balls but she is tolerably social. She is still wild in the car when she sees other dogs but in her defense, my adult son has always allowed that. Ugh. And he’s the one who takes her out and about.
So don’t lose hope, I know how you feel. It does get better…
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Hang in there. My reactive dog is totally worth it. He is perfect in so many ways… Just like people we have our strong suits and our “opportunities.” :). As you get to know this pup better consider what triggers reactivity. Is it the leash? Is it a barrier (window or fence)? Is it something else? I did a LOT of private lessons with a trainer who specialized in reactive dogs and had her own german shepherd that was reactive. She always cautioned me that training happens in the “yellow zone.” If you allow your dog to be flooded and they enter the “red zone” - which for mine means he’s going ballistic, barking, snarling, foaming, hackles up and tail completely erect - he cannot learn or hear anything. In fact, she said you can undo training if you try to interrupt the red zone. I caution my BF not to engage with my dog when his is ballistic at the Amazon truck - The point is, the dog could redirect that angst to a human. I know my dog has the best life living with me and about .5% of the week is spent in the red zone. I don’t cancel my Amazon orders but I try to schedule them so that they don’t come every single day.
My big win is my dog no longer “guards” my moving vehicle. When I first got him, he would lunge, and bark at every car going by, and heaven forbid we’d hit a red light. The person behind us was the target and he’d be up and at that back window like mad. Now, with lots of driving practice, he sits with his fanny on the seat and keeps soft eyes, loose ears, and a quiet body. Every once in a while, if we are stopped and someone exits a storefront, he will bark at that movement, but he is 98% better, and car rides are so much more enjoyable. He doesn’t go many places but good grief! He’s got to exist on the way to the vet at a minimum.
You will learn to read your dog and will develop some awesome skills for management. Just like when horses are fresh and we decide to longe them prior to hopping on - you will know when your dog needs to be redirected prior to getting full tilt.
Keep us posted. Having a reactive dog can be isolating, but there are a ton of us out here doing our best by our canines every day.
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Thank you! My dog is super sweet. I hope he adjusts for his sake.
Google “Cookie dog” - we have taken on a young BC who was not dog socialised properly as a puppy. No shade on his original owners - they were experienced BC owners but were in their early 80s and became ill in his youth.
He is dog reactive - I used the Fiesty Fido method (Patricia McConnell) and he definitely got a lot better with dogs we walked past on our daily walks. Then a retired dog trainer at our Dog club came out with a walk with me - every time we saw another dog “COOKIE DOG” and shove a specific treat in his mouth. It didnt take long and he was seeing the other dog and shoving his head in my hand for his “cookie”.
We are not over-whelming him - and I am fortunate to live rurally - so we restrict going to town to a short walk and his main walk is along our rural roads. But we have gone from 0kms to 4kms in town.
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