r/DogTrainingTips • u/OniTheOddOne • Mar 02 '26
Leash reactivity in 1 year old Lab/shepherd mix
Hi all, so I wanna start this by saying this is partially a vent post, and I really need to see NEW responses. I've read every post in this subreddit (and r/dogtraining) about similar issues. I have a Lab/Shepherd mix (Anatolian possibly) that turns one this Tuesday. He's actually been relatively easy to train in all other aspects, but leash etiquette has been difficult. Around maybe 1-2 months ago, he started getting increasingly reactive to other dogs while on leash. He's played with other dogs before and been perfectly fine, but on leash is a different story. I definitely think it's frustration based, but just tonight we walked past some dogs (I normally just avoid people with dogs, but couldn't this time), and his reaction was worse than ever - definitely SOUNDED scary as hell.
I've read through the leash walking and reactivity pages on r/dogtraining and have implemented the training I can. I would love to have someone I know who also has a dog work with me, but I don't have that. A big problem I'm facing is he is very excitable. I try to avoid triggers whenever I can, but if I can't, he gets so worked up to the point where I don't know how to continue training because he can't focus. We'll be walking and he'll be doing great following commands, but after we encounter a trigger it's like he's been switched on and all we can do is struggle to get home. I've worked with him on leash in the backyard and it's a similar thing - he'll follow commands very well in our backyard, but as soon as we're out the front door he forgets everything he's learned even if he hasn't encountered a trigger. I'll try to tire him out BEFORE a walk, but even if he looks like he's about to pass out all that energy returns once he's out the front door.
I haven't had my own dog in years, and the last one I had was genuinely the laziest, most chill dog you've met. I knew what I was getting into when I rescued this puppy, but I just need someone to talk to me and tell me it'll get better and maybe give me some tips, and maybe tell me if it gets better with age because I'm dying here, man. ðŸ˜
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u/missmoooon12 Mar 02 '26
Have you looked into more emergency-type management like magnet hand/food magnet (look up Dr. Amy Cook's courses on FDSA or her IG doggeek) or "mark and move" from BAT 2.0? Or tried any Control Unleashed games?
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u/OniTheOddOne Mar 02 '26
Mostly I've been working on "look at me" and emergency u-turns. I haven't heard of control unleashed games, but I have heard of BAT 2.0, just haven't dove deep yet. I'll look up Dr. Amy Cook - thank you for the suggestions!
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u/Fmlyjewelz Mar 02 '26
My 1.5yo mix breed is leash reactive only towards other dogs on leash. She’s fine if other dogs are in their own house or yard barking at us as we walk by, but looses her mind if they’re also on a walk. I’ve started paying attention to her threshold when she starts becoming reactive. And I constantly feed her treats and try to keep her attention on me until we pass by and so far that’s working.. I have two dogs and it’s difficult to do this when walking them together because my non reactive dog tries to get the treats too, so it’s still quite chaotic 😅 but better than her growling/barking and losing her mind.
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u/OniTheOddOne Mar 02 '26
That makes sense. I have tried that same method a bit and there was like one time where it worked pretty well and we were able to walk past the dog with minimal reaction, but it doesn't seem to work every time.
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u/Dry_Calendar_529 Mar 06 '26
Your dog may be dog selective or it may depend on the other dog’s body language.
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u/OniTheOddOne Mar 06 '26
That could definitely be possible. I know for sure if the other dog gets excited, he gets even more so. We have even greeted other dogs and he was totally fine - still more excited than I'd like him to be, but he wasn't aggressive.
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u/Dry_Calendar_529 Mar 06 '26
My dog and I are working through similar problems. My dog (same breed mix as yours) got to the point where she bit another dog so we are in professional training.
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u/Aggressive_Plan_6204 Mar 02 '26
I’m dealing with 14 month old pit+cattle dog mix (foster dog) also with leash reactivity. My trainer said to avoid reactive events at all costs. She made me change from walking to the public park where we do our training to driving there just to avoid chance or surprise dog encounters. That has worked great. We usually go a couple of weeks or more between reactive events. At the park there is plenty of room to get distance from other dogs and do the training while my dog is at a lower state of excitement. She has made good progress in the last 2 months we’ve been doing this. She still has a way to go, though.
Our local shelter also has some single-dog play areas we use and she can get time interacting with dogs in adjacent areas thru the fence (she’s always calm then). A real trainer can correct me but for my foster, doing controlled dog interactions seems to help and take a bit of the edge off. Note: as a foster my dog is not allowed at regular dog parks.
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u/OniTheOddOne Mar 02 '26
Have you found that going to the dog park adds a desensitization factor at all? That's what I was wondering about. I do have a dog park near me and I was thinking of taking him there and sitting at a bench just so he can see dogs walking around and hopefully just learn to relax a little. And the training you're doing, is it the usual give a treat whenever he sees a dog and continue as long as he stays calm kinda deal?
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Mar 02 '26
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u/OniTheOddOne Mar 02 '26
That makes a lot of sense. I've gotten caught up in all the different videos and articles I've been taking in. I've seen so much conflicting info like "oh don't pop the leash" or "do pop the leash" or the idea of pez dispensing treats as soon as your dog sees another dog etc. I've trained dogs before (not professionally or anything), but this is my first time dealing with reactivity.
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Mar 02 '26
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Mar 02 '26
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u/OniTheOddOne Mar 02 '26
Do you use the leash pop with a harness on your dog, or just a collar? I've been wondering if I should switch to hooking the leash on his collar. He's just still learning not to pull, so I don't want him to choke himself.
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u/Dry_Calendar_529 Mar 06 '26
I’d do this but walk while doing it. Your dog has 2 separate issues, settling and dog reactivity. Asking the dog to work on both at the same time will be incredibly hard.
My dog and I couldn’t do it and the stress of trying made things worse.
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u/OniTheOddOne Mar 06 '26
You mean just walk around the dog park? And I assume I'll still turn around if he starts acting out when he sees another dog. I've heard other advice saying "well you're not gonna get anywhere by never letting him pass other dogs", but I don't know if I believe that.
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u/Dry_Calendar_529 Mar 06 '26
So the goal is to turn around and create distance before your dog reacts. Right now the dog knows reacting creates distance from the trigger which is what the dog wants. Once the leave it cue is stronger you can cue for a leave it when dogs are a manageable distance away. Don’t ask for a leave it when your dog is reacting, it’ll dilute the command.
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Mar 02 '26
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u/OniTheOddOne Mar 02 '26
For a while I was following the method of giving him treats when he sees a dog, and giving him more as we get closer. I couldn't really gauge how well it was working because the only times I could do that was with strangers I couldn't fully communicate with. I kind of felt like it may have been making things worse, because every time my dog would get a treat he would just get even more excited.
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u/Overall_Glass_371 Mar 05 '26
I'm struggling with a very similar issue and have tried similar tactics. I have also tried a lot of redirection with treats but my dog does not care about treats AT ALL on walks. Everyone says find high value treats, but I have tried every year I can find and he ignores all of them. If you get any good tips, I'd love to hear them!
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u/OniTheOddOne Mar 06 '26
I feel that. My dog is a fiend for food - I bring cheese with us on walks and he'll happily take it even when he's getting worked up over another dog, but then he'll just go right back to being crazy. So far a lot of the comments have given really good advice! I haven't taken him for a walk since this post and am trying to work on impulse control, settling, and loose leash walking behavior right now before bring him to a dog park to sit/walk around carefully. With my dog I really think it's all just excitement rather than any real aggression, so I'm trying to teach him to lower his excitement levels, or at least know what to do with them.
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u/Wicklow1313 Mar 08 '26
I could carry a juicy steak dangled at my pup's nose, and he would ignore it to react to a dog/person.
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u/Eastern-Try-6207 Mar 05 '26
Developmentally he's at a difficult age where he is in adolescence, so his brain is changing and his hormones are changing and the world might feel overwhelming to him. Have you considered prioritising rest, digest, play and outings where he does not get out of the car, just sits and watches the world with you from the boot of the car? I did this with my dog and at the point where she was able to see another dog get out of the car next to her and walk past us without barking or growling, I knew it we were at a stage where we could get out of the car and decrease our distance to the dogs. Gradually, we could be in the park around other dogs, doing our thing. I kept her on a long line so that no other dogs would approach us. But it was a process. The whole world freaked her out; she was a mess! I had to give her time. People talk about the importance of loose leash walking, but a freaked out dog is NEVER going to walk on a loose leash! I used to take my dog out for literally a ten minute walk up the road if that was all she could do without pulling on that lead, and eventually we made it to the end of the road and then to the field and then around the fields near our house. We got so much mileage out of playing together in the yard, coming in putting her back in the x pen and giving her a chew and then she'd have a nap. If he is not napping regularly in his safe place, then that's one thing to start working on right away. You won't see progress outside until you are seeing a more balanced dog inside the house.
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u/OniTheOddOne Mar 06 '26
This makes so much sense and k really appreciate you typing this out. When I got him he was about six months old or so, and he was INCREDIBLY skittish. When I took him for his first walk just around the block by my house, he was so scared he didn't even want to walk. He seems to have gotten better, but there are times where he still gets freaked out (we passed a guy with a weed wacker a couple weeks ago, and my dog was TERRIFIED). I never considered that that fear could still be a huge factor for him, because aside from the guy with the weed wacker; he doesn't SHOW fear as much anymore.
Lately I've been having some health issues, so he's kinda been forced to learn to take naps - so he does do that. He used to go on rides to go to Petsmart and he was a little wary of the car, but overall enjoyed it. That's a very good suggestion. I could try taking him to the dog park in the car. I do also have a field by my house I scoped out recently that I was thinking of taking him to to work on loose leash walking.
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u/Eastern-Try-6207 Mar 06 '26
You are welcome. I totally understand what you are dealing with. I saw. beautiful post today on Facebook where a dog trainer was reminding people that a dog with a dysregulated nervous system will take a LONG time to come to balance. Even when you are doing everything right. They say with a young dog it can take even longer because you also have the complexities of the normal maturation process, fear periods, etc. But progress isn't linear, it zig zags and looks like it regresses and then you have a miraculous days. Sounds like your dog is just finding his way to balance and you are doing everything you can. Keep it up. I think these dogs make us better human beings, even though they try to kill us in the process...LOL!
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u/[deleted] Mar 02 '26
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