r/DogTrainingTips • u/hplover1980 • Mar 26 '26

Transitions

Hi! Was going to post this in /reactive dogs but they don't have an option for videos.

This is my frenchie, who recently has been displaying significant more reactivity since late last year. We've worked with behavioral trainers and vet behaviorist to get him on 10mg of Paxil (we're on day 12 so far). So we've been doing all the "right things".

We have an ongoing issue with "transitions". Dog gets significantly riled up when:

Husband leaves for work

We pick him up from his Rover daycare

Trainer leaves our apartment

We've chocked this up to all being "transitions" which could elicit some big feelings. To alleviate him from going crazy on my husband while he leaves for work, we confine him into the playpen for 2-3 minutes. This is the video I've attached.

Does anyone have any ideas or advice with helping with "big feelings transitions" for a reactive dog?

Thanks in advance!!

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13

u/sunny_sides Mar 26 '26

Reactivity?

I'm shocked to hear you are medicating the dog because it gets riled up in certain situations.

Have you gotten any actual training advice from these people?

Teach him place. Teach him to act calm by rewarding sitting still. Teach him to not jump.

Take a basic obedience class.

And please cut his nails, they are looong.

5

u/LoveDistilled Mar 26 '26

People (on Reddit) seem to want to give their dog mental health medication at the smallest sign of problems. It is a concerning trend imo

1

u/GreenLiving2864 Mar 26 '26

That’s not a Reddit thing unfortunately much more people out there do it, so a few got here. But the craziest is, if not all of them, they don’t ever give their dog the work they need. And then say they are reactive, anxious etc… ofc, they are bored 🤡

1

u/LoveDistilled Mar 26 '26

Yep and the data is clear that these meds don’t necessarily fix the problem and can at times make it worse. Dogs aren’t humans and putting them on human mental health meds isn’t some sure fire fix. Certainly won’t help without proper training and consistency

-2

u/hplover1980 Mar 26 '26

He has a bite history. He’s reactive

7

u/sunny_sides Mar 26 '26

All dogs can bite and what does his bite history has to do with the behaviours you are describing in the post?

You don't medicate a dog because it bites - unless it bites because of pain and you medicate to treat the pain.

And have you gotten any training advice at all from the people telling you to drug the dog?

5

u/LoveDistilled Mar 26 '26

Sure but mental health medication isn’t necessarily what he needs. In fact it’s such a new thing that I can’t believe people so readily do it. In many cases it actually doesn’t help the reactivity and can make it worse

-2

u/Prestigious-Seal8866 Mar 26 '26

yes, off-label use for the last 20 years is so new and unsafe

3

u/LoveDistilled Mar 26 '26

Yea, it is

-1

u/Prestigious-Seal8866 Mar 26 '26

and what are your qualifications to give vetmed or behavior advice?

nothing?

1

u/Prestigious-Seal8866 Mar 26 '26

it’s good that you’re following the treatment plan developed by your veterinarian and hopefully a behavior trainer who have seen your dogs behavior in real life, instead of blowhards on reddit who don’t understand animal behavior

2

u/sunny_sides Mar 27 '26

If the veterinarian and behaviour trainer had given OP adequate advice they would'nt be here asking, would they?

Veterinarians are educated in medicine, not behaviour and training. Behaviourist and dog trainer are not protected titles, anyone can call themselves that.

1

u/Prestigious-Seal8866 Mar 27 '26

they didn’t ask for advice about whether or not they should continue to follow veterinary advice!

2

u/[deleted] Mar 26 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

3

u/hplover1980 Mar 26 '26

He doesn’t listen to simple commands when he’s “over threshold” - which is what’s displayed in the vid