Hello everybody,

This is my first post here, mostly just to introduce myself and Lily and to vent a little.

To be honest, I don't know where to start... the past three weeks have been a mess. It's been incredibly stressful for me, my wife, and Lily.

I had two dogs in the past; they were sweet and a bit reactive, but it was no big deal. Four years after they passed away, my wife and I decided we were ready for a new dog. We contacted a shelter about a couple of dogs they had available, but they suggested Lily instead. They said she’s a Greyhound mix, though she looks more like a black Ibizan Hound with her Anubis-like features.

Lily is 1 year and 2 months old. Knowing she had a rough past, we wanted to give her a chance. She’s already been rehomed three times and had issues with a dog, a cat, and a child in her previous homes. I guess because of her past (and her genetics), she is now very reactive. I can't take her to public places because she barks randomly at people, reacts when she sees dogs or cats, and don't even get me started on rabbits; that high prey drive is going to be tough to manage.

When we met her before adopting, the shelter warned us, but her foster moms lived out in the countryside in a low-distraction environment. We had no idea she would react like this in our setting.

Since we brought her home, my life has completely changed, and not for the better. We hired a trainer who told us to stick to a strict routine at first. That means limiting her to one 1-hour walk, only going out for potty trips, and doing nosework and food enrichment games at home. The trainer said it's a sort of decompression so she doesn't stack up too many triggers during the day. I prefer taking her out early in the morning by the lake when it's quiet, but there are still off-leash dogs and runners, so it’s rarely a calm walk.

By the evening, she’s impossible, barking for attention, humping pillows, and getting crazy zoomies. I know she’s high-energy and needs an outlet, but it’s stressing me out so much. I know it’s not her fault, but sometimes I just want to return her. I won't actually do that, as I refuse to give up on her, but the thought crosses my mind.

It’s so hard to stay calm, avoid getting frustrated, and do the right thing for her. We live in an apartment building surrounded by people and dogs, so every quick potty trip feels like Russian roulette. You never know what's going to happen.

Sometimes I wish I could go back in time and tell the shelter, "No, we just want a calm puppy." Instead, I feel like I ruined my own life just to give her one. Anyone could have adopted an easy puppy, but hardly anyone would take a chance on a reactive dog.

Anyway, that’s my story... sorry for the vent, but seeing this sub makes me realize I'm not alone. I just need some hope that things can get better, that I’ll eventually be able to enjoy a peaceful walk with my dog, and that I'll get my life back.

I'm so glad I found this community. You'll definitely be hearing more from me soon, and hopefully, my next post will be about a milestone, no matter how small.

Thanks for reading, and thanks for being such a great sub!

I’m looking for some outside perspectives because my husband and I are facing an incredibly difficult decision about our young male dog.
He is just over a year old and is a small breed. We also have an older female dog (same breed), who we have had for 10 years without any behavioral or aggression issues at all, so we are not first-time dog owners.

Our younger dog can be sweet, affectionate and playful. He loves being petted and playing with us and our children (2 and 6 years old), and the vast majority of the time he is a lovely family dog. Our 6-year-old daughter in particular absolutely adores him and is extremely attached to him.

Unfortunately, we have also had a growing number of concerning incidents. He has issues with urinating (marking his territory) every time a new object is placed in the house, or objects are moved to new placed. Happens a couple of times each week and is very frustrating in itself.

His biggest issue however seems to be resource guarding, particularly around food. He has had countless conflicts with our older female dog over food, always initiated by him. Most of the time they get along and will even play together from time to time, including with toys, but food will completely change the situation.
He has also occasionally growled/snapped when he has stolen something and hidden underneath the sofa with it.
Some time ago, he bit our 6-year-old daughter in a situation involving food. I wasn't present when it happened, but she apparently tried to move/push him away from her plate of food (he tried to jump on the table to grab her food) and he bit her hard enough to break the skin.

He has also bitten my husband once when my husband was trying to move him into another room, and there has been numerous incidents where he bit our older dog during conflict.

Today something happened that has really shaken me. He was lying underneath our dining table while. My 2-year-old crawled over to him and gently petted him. After about a minute, our dog suddenly gave a loud, angry bark and snapped at him. One tooth scraped his arm and caused a very small superficial abrasion.
At first I was terrified because it seemed like he had suddenly bitten a toddler simply for petting him while he was resting. Afterwards, however, I realized that the dining table is already a known problem area. This is also where he frequently gets angry with our other dog when food is present. So I now wonder whether today's incident was another case of resource guarding rather than aggression related to being touched while resting.
He has never otherwise shown aggression when being petted, woken up or disturbed while resting. He actively enjoys affection from both adults and children. He has never shown aggression towards visitors or strangers, and he doesn't lunge at people on walks. He can be reactive towards other male dogs.

We haven't ignored these issues. We have attended dog training, spoken to our vet repeatedly and followed the advice we have been given. We have also had him chemically castrated, partly because of other behavioral issues, and have tried the different management/training strategies recommended to us. Despite this, we are now at a point where I am genuinely worried about having him around two small children.

Obviously, from now on he will never be allowed underneath the dining table when food is present, and he will not have access to the children without active adult supervision. But I also know that management is never 100% perfect. A 2-year-old will drop food, crawl somewhere they shouldn't, pick something up from the floor, etc. I don't want our children's safety to depend on us never making a mistake.

At the same time, the thought of euthanizing him is devastating. He is so young, and outside these specific situations he is a happy, loving dog. Our daughter considers him her best friend and would be absolutely heartbroken.
So we are also considering rehoming him. I wonder whether he might actually do very well in an experienced, child-free home, preferably as the only dog, where many of his main triggers simply wouldn't occur. Of course, any potential new owner would be told his complete bite and resource-guarding history. I would never want to simply pass a dangerous situation on to someone else.
We are planning to seek professional behavioral advice before making a final decision.
I would especially appreciate hearing from people with experience of resource guarding or dogs who have bitten family members:
Would you consider keeping and managing a dog like this in a home with a 2- and 6-year-old?
Does this sound like a dog who could reasonably and ethically be rehomed to an experienced, child-free, single-dog household?
Or do you think the fact that he has now used his teeth against children means behavioral euthanasia needs to be seriously considered?
I'm struggling enormously with separating my love for this dog — and my daughter's love for him — from what is actually the responsible decision for both our children and the dog.

I was a single mom & my husband had his then 5yo husky mix before we met. A year after moving in together, she bit my 5yo son at the time while we were in the same room. She was asleep, making weird noises & my son crawled over to check on her. He had to get stitches on his lip. It was a very emotional time & we made a BE appointment but I backed out because husband promised to work with her to make sure everyone is safe. Husband was a wreck & I had no idea what to do, I just knew I’d never see this dog the same. My son begged to keep her around too. Well.. months later I had to remind him to sign her up for training. Muzzles were ordered but never used. We kept them separated but the more I learned about dogs, the more I realized she has some serious behavior problems for her age. She can’t be left alone even in a room or she’ll either destroy something or pee/poop. We’ve had to get an expensive kennel because she breaks out of the traditional ones. Even with the maximum security kennels she is covered in her own drool from trying to get out, & barks the entire time. She’s chasing the cats to the point they’re defending themselves. She jumps on people that come over & once calm she’s at it again. She essentially knows no boundaries.

A year & some change later, we have a 2 month old. My tolerance for the dog is 0 after pregnancy & now postpartum. I’m worried about when he starts walking & how the mental load of keeping everyone safe will be even higher. He did do the training but almost nothing is being enforced consistently. I never had dogs so I’m very ignorant to dogs and pet ownership in general but everything I’ve read confirms that none of this is normal like I’ve been trying to convince myself it is. I read about reactivity & internalized that my son startled her in sleep which I’ve learned 2 big no-nos are disturbing a dog while it’s sleeping or eating so it wasn’t an aggressive bite but at the same time I’ve been around other dogs that don’t act like this. I’m at a loss.

My 4-year-old reactive dog was recently diagnosed with heart failure, and I feel awful admitting that part of me is relieved. She has had serious behavioral issues for years, and there have been moments where I honestly didn’t know how we could keep going. It's nice to have the decision taken out of my hands. I'm dreaming of the day where I'm not anxious in my own home and revolving my life around her triggers.

Now I feel guilty for feeling relieved… but I’m also scared she’s going to be one of the cases where the meds work really well and she has years left. I love her, but I’m exhausted, and I hate that I’m having these feelings.

My dog started Prozac about 6mo ago and I have not noticed any change in his fear and barking towards new people. I have noticed that he seems less interested in play and he seems to have lost a little of his spark- about 4 mo in. While I do find that he calms down more quickly when people enter our home- I don't see enough of a difference to justify keeping him on prozac. Our vet reccomend increasing the prozac and it has only been 4 days- but he has lost interest in almost all play. I am hoping he will level out but as much as this has affected his personality it has not changed with response to strangers even with him being this low. (I know the adjustment period is longer than this but I am worried). The weird thing is- even off meds he is great at his training and keeping attention to me. I have not noticed that the meds help him keep focus as he already has great focus. He also gets plenty of excersize and stimulation- which does help to some degree. The question is do I try another anxiety medication or is this reactivity- which I believe is him attempting to alert and protect his home- too primal and cannot be treated with anxiety medications. His training is great and he won't approach anyone if I don't let him. But he gets so upset and overwhelmed when people come in. I don't want to give up on the anxiety medication journey, but I also don't want to take away his personality, especially when I feel like the meds have not helped with the one area he actually needs help with. I aslo have worked with dog trainers to address his anxiety and while he will stay in his bed or next to me- his genuine level of fear had not improved and he has been in this type of training for over a year- with advise from several trainers. I also try not to invite many people over to avoid these stressors for him-unless I can trust people to work with his training and respect the boundaries I set in place for his safety. Looking for anyone who has been in a similar situation and if changing the medication helped or had no affect. *Sidenote trazodone also does not stop him from barking and growling either...

Has anyone noticed any differences when splitting the total dosage of fluoxetine between morning and evening?

My dog, 65 pound GSD mix was on 20mg twice a day. The vet recently recommended switching to 3x20mg once a day. My dog has a pretty sensitive stomach, and I have to force the pills down into her throat. Since she’s also on gabapentin twice a day, and some heart meds, I’d rather to not have to give her all of the fluoxetine pills at the same time. But we can do it, if it works better that way. Just wanted to make sure it was worth the extra stress on both of us.

My wife and I moved in with a family member back in December and she has her own dog and we have 3 dogs. One of our dogs and his dog were super best friends, being together all the time and playing. More recently in the last few weeks one of our older dogs (9 female) has been growling at the family member’s dog and for some reason it has led to him taking it out on our dog that is normally his friend. This has happened more and more. Recently there were two times in which we couldn’t separate them in time. My family member’s dog (8 male) and is with him upstairs while our dog (3 male) is with us downstairs and there is a gate separating them. There is only one way to the yard and recently they’ve been growling and trying to fight on sight. Our family member’s dog had also had an issue with his previous family where something’s similar hap with a dog he had been raised with. Our dog just went to the vet and had a clean bill of health and my family member is taking his dog to the vet. Is there any way they can reconcile? Or would we have to keep them separated?

advice needed.

So we got our dog the beginning 2019. I was 15 at the time. He was around 5 months old. He is a pit lab. He was a stray who just showed up one day and we kept him because he was clearly house trained and no one came to claim him.

His behavioral issues didn’t start until two years ago. My cousin would get dropped off at our house after school and my dog did not like him whatsoever. I still don’t know why. One day my cousin who was 8 at the time was eating a slice of pizza at the table in which the dog jumped up and snatched it from him and then jumped and bit his face. There was no blood. My mom was more upset at her brothers reaction than to my cousin being hurt.

A few weeks later it happened to me when I walked into the kitchen. I didn’t even have food. But now this is an ongoing thing. If my mom is in the kitchen cooking my dog is sitting next to her and if I try to grab something or put my hands down, he will nip at me. He also growls when you tell him to go. This has caused me to just stay out of the kitchen entirely. After I was bit, she called someone to see if he could be rehomed but dogs like this don’t really have a chance. And they just told her to get him fixed if he wasn’t.

My grandma died over a year ago and since then he’s started getting into the trash can and tearing everything he can find up and also using the bathroom in the house when left alone. The only way to stop him from doing this is to keep him in my room with me when my mom or sister are gone to work.

I don’t have a job so I’m home a lot and I’ve made it clear that before they leave, he needs to be put in my room or I’m not cleaning up after him. Even after making this clear my mom doesn’t do it. I was in my room asleep when she came back from taking my sister to work and in the 20 minutes she was gone, he got into trash all over the house and pooped. In which she just came home and went back to bed not even bothering to clean it up. There’s only so much I can given I have no resources.

My dog also has displayed aggression towards my cat but it’s only when there’s food which isn’t even his and the few times he’s chased the cat away my mom doesn’t discipline him and just gives him food after. Even after saying this isn’t okay she always dismisses it.

I’m at a point where I’d rather not have the dog. We have never not had a dog but this type of situation has never occurred and I feel like a huge part of it is because of my mom. She says we need to stop leaving our trash out but it’s her who is leaving garbage out. And she feeds him off her plate and so even when she’s eating he will just eat the food. idk how to actually make her understand that the dog is a problem and unless she puts in the effort to fix it we can’t keep him anymore.

I’m so sad about my dogs reactivity. We adopted a Cavapoo from a reputable breeder with many years of breeding and highly positive reviews from many people. We seem to have gotten the one pup that just has the most fearful temperament ever, and it’s so disappointing :(

As a young puppy he was so fearful but he would just hide. We took him to puppy training classes and introduced him to lots of family and a couple friend dogs. None of that seemed to help him, as his fear has turned into reactivity as he’s gotten older (he’s 1 year now).

Now he can’t even look at a stranger without going absolutely wild and same with any dog. He barks and lunges, not due to aggression but due to fear. I’m so sad that his fear turned into this behaviour.

We are working with a behaviouralist and he’s been on 10mg of fluoxetine for about 3 weeks which has helped his separation anxiety but definitely nothing for his reactivity yet. I’m really really hoping the fluoxetine will help him to be able to develop coping skills with our training. We can’t have anyone over to our house and it’s so sad. We give him treats when he observes other dogs but don’t see any progress yet. He can’t be approached by ANY other human.

Just looking for people who can relate. Has anyone seen success with fluoxetine? I know it takes a while to kick in so I’m just really hoping it will kick in eventually.

We love him so so much, and he’s an amazing dog at home. He loves to cuddle with us and he’s very happy at home. We just wish he could be a bit more calm in public environments so we could include him in our lives a bit more.

We’ve had a 21 week old female malamute for about 2 ½ months now. One of the biggest issues we’ve been having is socialization. If a dog walks past our house most of the time she’ll start barking similar to in the video. I’ll try to give her treats and praise before she starts barking to create a positive association. It works sometimes and she won’t bark at all but other times I can’t do anything to stop her.

https://imgur.com/gallery/puppy-barking-8PtooZg

In the video she was outside on the porch with my dad. A friend of his and his dog stopped to talk to him and she started throwing a barking fit. He picked up his little 6lb dog and started walking closer. She started barking more and more and eventually ran up the stairs. My dad let her in the house and she ran to the window and continued to bark. I’m not sure what she’s trying to convey with the bark because it doesn’t sound really aggressive or anything like that.

When going on walks she seems to be very anxious throughout most of the walk but nonetheless walks pretty well. After getting past a certain point she won’t take treats anymore probably from being so nervous. Should we continue to walk with her even though she’s anxious or try to build her confidence up? Whenever a dog starts barking at her whether they’re inside or across the street she’ll poop on the ground and lose her mind trying to get away. We’ll just walk in the other direction to get her out of the situation.

One thing we did notice is that she’ll want to go after people or dogs whenever they’re back is facing us. Not in an aggressive way but more so playful. But as soon as they turn towards us she’ll run away. We noticed this happened most during our petsmart training classes. Whenever the other dog was laying with its back turned towards her she’d go up and sniff but as soon as he turned around she’d run away and back. She’s definitely curious of other people and dogs but just gets frightened easily. Any feedback/advice would be greatly appreciated!

Hi everybody! I have a reactive Rat Terrier mix who is about three years old and hasn’t been spayed yet. Around the time I first got her, I simply didn’t have the money for the procedure and the appropriate medications. Unfortunately, I’ve continued putting it off because as she’s gotten older, she’s also become very reactive, and I’ve been at a loss for how to safely get the procedure done.
I recently received a violation notice from the city for having her intact, which I honestly didn’t even know could happen. It’s really forced me to face the fact that I can’t put this off any longer.
My biggest concern is her reactivity. I’m not sure what options are available for dogs like her or whether most veterinary offices are accustomed to handling reactive dogs, especially when they need surgery. I live in Miami, Florida, and I was wondering if anyone has experience with this or knows whether the Humane Society or another low-cost clinic in the area can accommodate a reactive dog.
I really want to get her spayed and make sure it’s done as safely and with as little stress for her as possible. Any advice or recommendations would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

I have a 4 year old chihuahua/possible corgi mix who was adopted about 4 months ago. The rescue my family got him from didn't give us much information about his background other than he came from a hoarding house and had extremely limited to no contact with the outside world, other dogs, and people aside from his owner. Everything seems to set him off - animals, people, bikes, e-scooters, delivery vans, even the sound of another dog's leash clinking from outside - so walks can be stressful for both of us.

He's friendly + very sweet with family and a few neighbors but still barks loudly and aggressively at strangers, seemingly at random. (We were told that he really doesn't like men but he seems to be totally random with who he growls/barks at) We've met with a trainer to learn some tactics to reinforce good behavior and distract him from other dogs on walks, and our vet recommended trying medication for at least 3 months. He's been on prozac for 2 months and we haven't noticed any difference but we want to give it the full 3 months just to give the meds a fair chance. Come 3 months and no change and we'll work with the vet to safely taper him off.

I think what will help him most is consistent training, reinforcing good behavior and gently correcting negative behavior, and daily exposure to the outside world/exercise/mental stimulation, but with how explosive he can be this has been really tricky. We don't want him on meds forever if they aren't doing much and I've been curious about CBD for dogs. I've used it for sleep and anxiety in the past with little to no effect, which could have just been my own experience and/or bunk products I bought.

What has everyone's experience with CBD been like? I know it's a piece of the bigger puzzle of training, socializing (if possible), attention, exercise, stimulation, etc. and CBD alone won't "fix" him, but I've been curious because I've heard really mixed results from other neighbors with dogs - it's either a wonder elixir that corrected behavior overnight, an expensive bottle of snake oil that did nothing at all, or an expensive bottle of snake oil that made their dog dizzy and gave them diarrhea. Before we give him anything new we will be contacting his vet to make sure it's safe. Any tips or suggestions are appreciated!! TY!!

Edit: looks like someone commented something similar but it was deleted + I didn't explain well in the original: we don't want him on meds or CBD longterm unless it's deemed absolutely necessary. For the shortterm it may help him calm down with his new environment and all of the stimuli/freakout triggers outside. We want him to feel comfortable in his environment and we're not treating meds like a cure-all without considering all the other factors that go into him feeling happy and safe. His behavior when we met with a trainer to discuss barking/aggression was what prompted us to seek meds, as per their advice, and the vet agreed with their assessment. If it was occasional barking or only when he was really overwhelmed we wouldn't consider meds; because it's so constant and he seems so riled up (scared/nervous/territorial/all 3?) we were told medication could help him through the early rough adjustment period and wouldn't be needed longterm. We're going with what the vet recommended (minimum 3 months on prozac before making a decision to continue taking or taper off) and not adding anything without consulting them first.

The main priority is helping him be more calm around other dogs and people, which will take a very long time and a lot of repetition, reassurance, and love, because given what little we know of his early life it wasn't good. We want to give him the best chance possible and have also accepted he may never be fully calm around other dogs and take a while to warm up to strangers, but I think it's possible he can improve with time and care.

Last week I was on a hike when a woman with a large dog pulling at the end of her leash came around the corner towards me. I snuck off the trail to give her room and she ran after me yelling “wait wait! I’m so sorry, I need help!”
Turns out poor thing was super lost. She’d been wandering around the park for about an hour. Her dog was very adamant about meeting mine, and Punk - my dog - was also pulling towards her but I held her back and asked her to sit. And she did! No barking, now growling, no lunging, just sitting and wiggling with excitement. I was able to direct the other owner back where she needed to be and we went off on our merry way

Today, I ran into them again! Same trail. She stopped to thank me, and again our dogs were very frenetic about each other for the first few seconds, but after we got them settled so we could talk, they were fine. Punk kept kind of rapid cycling through her displacement behaviors: sniffing, peeing, looking at me like she can will me to move with her imaginary mind powers, and rolling around in the grass like a goober. But no barking. No negative reaction whatsoever. The other owner and I talked for a few minutes and then off we went in our separate directions.

Anyway just wanted to share a proud moment - picture of my goofy girl rolling in the grass for tax

i feel so guilty when i say this and i feel like a monster admitting it. i hate my dog (please do note that i’ve never once abused him or had any thoughts like that like i hate him but im not that shitty of a person)

my parents got the dog in around december 2024, didn’t tell me and i didn’t get a say in it. i know im not the one “looking” after him but i feel like i should still get a say in that? or is that selfish.

i don’t know whether it’s because i miss my previous dog who died around ten months and it’s kind of just guilt from that put into him but i hate him so much and i want him gone

my previous dog was a staffie and now my current dog is a greater swiss mountain dog (massive compared to the staffie)

i feel like i can’t do anything without him barking me or “biting” he’s not biting as in like a he thinks there danger but he still bites me and i’ve got scars on my arm and stomach from him. i can’t leave my room without barking, i can’t walk past him without him barking fuck i can’t even go near my own parents without him getting defensive and immediately barking and my parents get mad atme if i go to the toilet through the night and he starts barking because i wake everyone up. i’m scared to walk over him because that’s normally when he bites or starts barking. i can’t go to the bathroom sometimes because i don’t wanna walk over him and get shouted at.

i’ve cried so many times to my parents and they just tell me to suck it up but it’s easy for them. they don’t get barked at for whatever you do. even if he hears my door open and he’s fast asleep he immediately runs up, i can’t even give my own mother a hug or sit on her bed. i can’t stand next to my dad or even go down the stairs without him chasing me and barking.

i hate him so much why can’t he just leave me alone

Hi Redditors
I’ve been reading posts and have seen how helpful and supportive this community seems to be
I am faced with a really shitty decision and I know that the decision is mine but I would really appreciate some advice and feedback from people that understand
I have a large (85lb) mixed breed dog and he is so sweet all the time to his family -I’m the owner I got him 8.5 yr ago when I was single. He’s loved boyfriends and friends and my parents and sister and aunt and uncle , etc.
He has strong protective instincts and has had some bites - the first was probably at around 1.5 yr old - it was initially explainable and he had a few random ones sporadically in following years. Always men and while nobody did anything aggressive towards me or him, I could excuse it or make sense of it and got more and more careful with him
Fast forward. The pattern has worsened with age and probably as a result of some moves/ changes and he just had the worst bite. Probably #10 if I’m being completely honest.
My aunt who he has met a few times came to visit and he attacked her to the point she needed stitches (level 4 bite)
He bit my partner’s Dad last month and our friend in February
It’s 100% my fault for allowing him to even access people and i know i messed up repeatedly
He is unpredictable and is nice to most strangers but I’ve taken too many risks
After this last, worst bite I am faced with the reality that I’ve given us too many chances and may need to euthanize
We live in a condo building with neighbors and there is a zero tolerance rule regarding bites
I’m afraid to jeopardize relationships if I don’t act on my responsibility, but I am very scared to make this decision.
I should add i have done obedience training and also 1-1 training after some incidences and have used a halti head collar and these all help and the alternative is of course crating and boarding but at what point am I an irresponsible owner if I don’t act

I just bought this muzzle for my dog. It’s from the Muzzle Movement size Tolly*

Hi everyone, I’m writing this exhausted and hoping for some insight.

Our girl Penny started daycare once a week a while back, but unfortunately developed leash reactivity to other dogs (barking and staring). We hired a trainer, and after just two sessions, we've seen tiny improvements using her tools.

On Saturday, we walked through an area packed with dogs, and she was incredible, ignoring some of dogs without a command or ignoring them while on heel!! It was a glimpse of what she could become, and I almost cried. We even sat at an outdoor cafe afterward, and she successfully settled next to a barking dog after some redirection.

However, toward the end of Saturday's great walk, an off-leash dog came charging straight at us and tried to bite Penny. Penny was focused on me in a heel and wasn't prepared, so she bolted toward some bushes. I had to physically stand between them and hold the other dog back while the owners yelled, "She won't hurt!" (even though she was much bigger than Penny). It was terrifying, and I've been beating myself up wishing I'd handled it differently.

This happened 3/5th into the walk and after the incident she was doing great and showing the improvement we saw earlier in the walk.

Since then, things have been a super roller-coaster. On the very next walk, she was still doing great at ignoring dogs, but her leash skills were a complete nightmare involving pulling, jumping, and sitting or laying down. Today, her leash walking was perfect, but her reactivity spiked right back up. She started barking at dogs again, and redirecting took massive effort. She now will sometimes even bark at the dog and while being redirected continue barking at us in a sit position. She is just a lot more vocal all around.

My trainer is on holiday this week, so I'm left wondering: is she traumatized from the off-leash “attack”, causing her to regress and am I doomed? Or is this typical 6-month-old teenage regression (she turns 6 months in a week and a half)? Most importantly, are these massive ups and downs normal, and does it actually get better? Any consolation or advice would mean the world right now.

hi there! I have a 7 year old great pyrenees mix who is reactive on leash when he sees german shepherds. We lived in apartments and went on multiple walks a day for the first 3 1/2 years of his life. He was known to react when seeing (some) german shepards. this included pulling, barking, lunging. we used a leash with two points of connection, one to his martingale collar and the other to a gentle lead head harness. For the last 3 1/2 years we have lived rural and he’s had plenty of fenced in property to run around in! He also became fence reactive during that time. We are moving back to town, and he will likely go on walks every day.

I need some advice on what/brands of harness, collar, gentle lead etc to buy for his walks. At the time, gentle lead was the only thing we could get to redirect him but I have since seen critique of them. He’s between 110-120 pounds!

In my short time on this sub, I have seen many people say that their pets are on medication (typically SSRIs) and are still very reactive. I’m curious what the upsides are in those situations and the reasoning behind keeping the pet on medication if the reactivity is continuing (provided that the pet was put on the medication due to their behavioral issues)

My dog is a border collie-pit mix (basically; he's ~ 70% border collie, 10% dogue de bordeaux, 10% staffy, 10% mcnab) who I got at 10 weeks old. He was an absolute angel for the first 4 months, besides obviously being easily frightened and startled, and then he snapped at a kid and actually bit her, breaking the skin, when he was around 6 months old. I had him neutered around one year.

Luckily that kiddo was not seriously hurt, but my dog's fear of children and aggression towards them has not gotten better. He knows a bunch of commands, so when we're hiking and pass kids on trails I say "let's get out of the way," we go off the trail before they pass us, I tell him "sit" and "wait" and hold him tightly, and when they've passed I praise him. Still, seemingly "random" other things trigger him too, and he is genuinely scary when he barks and snaps suddenly. It's like seeing sudden onset psychosis or PTSD or something. He is normally SO sweet, friendly, butt-wiggling, and super attentive and responsive.

This reactivity has gotten in the way of my life and routines multiple times now though, and I'm worried he is unsafe. He will go months without something triggering him, but once I had a friend visit who he freaked out at, and the entirety of her stay was super tense and difficult for me to manage. I kept him either crated or in the other room when I wasn't walking him, and it sucked for all of us. My boyfriend has a friend that my dog always barks and lunges at, and now he's suddenly flipped out at two of my roommates' friends, so I feel like I have to keep him in my room whenever we have people over just in case. These were people he was previously friendly with.

I just genuinely don't know what to do. I've read so much online, but I don't want to pour hundreds or thousands of dollars into specialized training. I honestly believe he would be a happier, healthier dog in a different context, maybe something like a ranch or farm where he can potentially be a helpful guard dog or stock dog, but I have no idea if that kind of rehoming is even realistic or possible. I'm more and more nervous to plan trips or consider moving somewhere less rural (I live in Wyoming) and that sucks. I just want to move through my life without worrying or feeling so stressed by my sweet doggo. I also don't think it's fair to him.

Thoughts?

I knew he is reactive to new people and dogs. I always take precautions when introducing him, either putting him in a kennel or on a leash til he can calm down and realize the new thing isn't a threat.

Today my mom had a friend he didn't know come over for coffee. I knew he was coming but I was in the bathroom when he got here. My mom knew the dog was reactive, but thought that since he never bit anyone before she could just let him out to greet the new person. It obviously didn't go well. The guy needed 12 stitches in his arm.

I love my dog. He's my best friend, and I know he really is just trying to protect me. Now I'm scared he'll be taken away just for doing what he thought was right.

Hi everyone,
 
I apologise in advance for how long this post will be, but I am hoping someone else has been in this situation and may have some advice for how to proceed.
 
I have an 8 month old female corgi (spayed). I have had her since she was 9 weeks old.
 
She has never been a people-dog, and I put a lot of effort into socialising her early (taking her to cafes prior to getting her full vaccines etc) thinking that was the right thing to do, and I put a lot of her earlier introvertedness/nerves down to just being a shyer dog, thinking it could be improved on with exposure.
 
By 4-5 months, it had become apparent to me that she was moving beyond just being a shy/introverted dog and was genuinely fearful of other people. She only shows love/affection for me and my mum. I engaged a behaviourist and behaviour vet around this age, and she was prescribed Prozac, which she has been on since.
 
She has always LOVED other dogs. At 4 months, I put her in dog daycare two days per week, and she is thriving there. She has come a long way with her carers – to start, she wouldn’t engage with them at all. She now approaches them happily/excitedly, and displays clear favouritism towards a few of them (but is tolerant of all in that environment).
 
In public, I find she is generally fine with people so long as they do not attempt to engage with her. As soon as someone looks at her and attempts to speak with her, she loses her mind. She becomes heightened, stiffens up, barks relentlessly at them, hackles up etc. If we are somewhere like the dog park – where people are focused on their own dogs and not her – she is generally fine and you wouldn’t look at her and think there was anything off about her.
 
But where I am really struggling is within the home. I live on my own and in a 1 bed apartment, so I don’t have many visitors, but when I do, she loses her mind. The same hackles up, barking, stiffened stance – and she is completely relentless. She puffs and sneezes at them, stalks back and forth, won’t let me anywhere near her etc. Because of the living space, there aren’t many options for where I can put her that she can disengage without it feeling like a punishment to her. There is no clear spot where I can put her so she can see what’s going on but is separated.
 
It’s getting to the point where I do not feel I can have anyone over. I don’t have a huge number of friends here, as I only moved to this city in April, so it’s not like I can get friends just to come over and sit in the space for 30+ minutes to partake in training, but that is what the advice online largely involves.
 
Does anyone have any advice on how to approach this? I feel like we have made a lot of progress outside, but I am feeling increasingly discouraged by, and anxious over, her clear territorialism/increasing reactivity in the home.
 
Thank you in advance!

I have a fear reactive 3 year old dog who is terrified of the neighbors dog. Whenever my pup goes out to potty, there is 1 exit out of my apartment building. The neighbor dog hears her walking and growls/ barks at her aggressively from the balcony. This causes my dog to scream and pull home. It’s awful, it’s loud, and I struggle to calm her down in those moments. We are working with a trainer + vet behaviorist before anyone suggests that - it’s just that the trainers suggestions haven’t helped us. Unfortunately this dog also charged us off-leash a few days ago, so everything with my pup feels heightened.

I have tried so hard to get my dog to potty on my own balcony. I even built her a tent so no one can see her, however, she is scared of being on it even with a ton of coaxing. I’ve tried to place grass patches inside of my apartment but she won’t use them to potty.

Things I’ve tried:
1) carrying my dog outside and back - she still screams out of fear the dog will come, which causes the other dog to come out

2) feeding her high value treats the whole time - she is muzzled so my delivery probably isn’t perfect but she gets so over threshold, she just wants to pull home

3) asking my neighbor to not allow their dog to bark from the balcony - dog has a doggy door and my neighbor isn’t home a lot of the time, so she feels she can’t do anything about it

4) working on acclimating her to noises - i put dog barking on at low volumes but it is very hard for her to take treats during it

I am absolutely desperate so hoping someone has advice 🙏

This Is not exactly an instance of my dog being reactive but my dog is reactive and this instance did trigger another dog putting another owner in a difficult situation.

My dog doesn't howl very often, he only howls at sirens and only they are close enough, so It never was a big deal.

Today I was coming home from a very good walk so I was in a very good mood when an ambulance passed and my dog stopped to howl, honestly this Is where I might be in the wrong because I started howling with him to encourage him because since he looks quite similar to a coyote I find It fascinating when he howls.

After the ambulance had passed he was completly fine, walking normally next to me, but then I noticed a dog on the other side of the road (that the ambulance and other cars had hidden previously) and that dog was in full reaction mode, barking and lunging towards the road.

Since I was in a safer place and we were far enough that my dog was interested but not fixated I basically ran behind a parked car to break the dogs line of sight and disappeared in an alley, and It somewhat worked because I stopped hearing barks.

Honestly I feel quite bad about it, I didn't know the owner nor the dog but still, she was definetly in a less safe spot than me (I was on the side of the park while she was on the other side of the road on a sidewalk and didn't have much room for "error") and the dog was definetly both very powerful and having very big emotions, and she was probabbly very afraid.

I don't know for sure if It was the howling, the ambulance, my dog just being there or a mix of all three that made the other dog react, but I do feel like I did something wrong and put that owner in a bad place.

We adopted Rocky (male, probably about 6 years old) from the shelter two weeks ago. He had been staying with us for about 3 weeks before that to try out everything on a sleepover. So about 5 weeks with us total. He is super reactive with other dogs. We have been working with a trainer on that and it's going pretty well.

What we've noticed the last few days is that when my husband goes to pet him at nighttime, Rocky yelps/barks. This is already when Rocky is cuddled up with me on the couch, so it's not like Rocky wants attention. He regularly hangs out cuddling my husband during the daytime, and gets and asked to be pet all day long from him. This is only in the last few days it is happening.

What we know about Rocky's history is that his first family had him get into a scuffle with another dog, and a human got bit when taking them apart. He had 11 teeth missing and had to get 7 or 8 more pulled for chipped/loose. He seemed to have had a skull or jaw fracture at some time because his snout is crooked. He was in fosters on and off for the last two and a half years. Vet checked him out and said he's looking mostly good for all that going on. He seems to be blind or losing sight in one of his eyes.

I try to show lots of affection to my husband and also to my dog, and Rocky doesn't seem to mind it at all. No resource guarding, no barking for attention, nothing. Outside of his barking at other dogs, this is the first thing that seemed strange to us.

What should we do? Is there any way I can encourage him with my husband? Husband was always nervous around dogs so he agreed to Rocky because he got so well and was very low energy all the time.

Anyway. Want to make sure we're doing all we can for him. Thanks.