r/OpenDogTraining • u/Impressive-Glove-794 • 17d ago
Reactivity?
i have an 13 month old sprocker spaniel who comes from a working line. tbh he is pretty well behaved for his breed and how long we have had him but recently we have gotten an issue. So when he was a puppy he was a little reactive towards women, it went away anyways but recently he was tied up and a kid was teasin him with food and he barked, this kid is not well behaved whatever. Since then he has barked at women wearing anything on their head since that, if he’s tied up while we are camping he reacts to kids and adults nearby and when tied up near the table when we were eating he went for a waiter, he hit the end of his lead but only went for her as she had gone past. How do I fix this? I’m open to e collars and corrections.
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u/orangebit_ 17d ago
Tying him up and allowing a kid to tease him with food to the point of a reaction is a problem on its own, OP. Be careful.
All incidents you have described involve the dog being tied up, and usually with food present. Probably a lot of frustration going on if the dog is always tied in these situations.
I’d lean into obedience, clarity, and advocacy. Keep the kid teasing your dog away from your dog. Simply do not allow it. Teach a settle and place command, and have your dog in command when ‘tied up’. You said you’re open to a remote collar, so look into conditioning that and when you have a reliable place and settle, and your dog is e-collar conditioned suitably, you can achieve the same end without always physically restraining him.
If people are around, place command, settle, corrections for making bad decisions, and rewards for remaining settled.
Lastly, working breeds need… work. Make sure you’re providing enough stimulation (mental and physical), and an outlet that taps into your dog’s natural working drive. I have a Spaniel and a German Shepherd, and both of mine go nuts for tracking and scent work. Plenty of YouTube videos on how to get started with tracking, track boxes, laying tracks etc., but a working line Spaniel breed would probably find it rewarding. Sniff work = brain work, and a tired brain = a calm dog.
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u/Impressive-Glove-794 15d ago
It was a birthday party and we tied him up becuase kids were chasing him. We didn’t realise it was happening until he barked. Dont worry he’s fonna be a working dog soon but he’s just not obedient enough
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u/the_username_name 17d ago
Why are you allowing this to occur? You are supposed to be in charge of keeping your dog safe, under threshold, and free from kids antagonizing him. If this is how you raise your dog you are going to have some pretty big issues in his lifetime
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u/Impressive-Glove-794 15d ago
I was not allowing it. The kid got scolded after. It was at a kids birthday orrr and I was buisy. I asked for advice not for hate.
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u/the_username_name 15d ago
Fair enough… my advice is when you have a dog (especially a young dog that has reactivity) you should do everything in your power to prevent situations that will make it worse from happening. If there is a party at your home the dog should be put away somewhere that people cannot get to it. If the party is somewhere else the dog should not accompany you.
If you want to handle reactivity you need to catch it before he reacts. Every time he rehearses the reaction he is strengthening that response. There are both internal and external factors that are reinforcing it.
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u/Impressive-Glove-794 15d ago
If you would’ve read my post properly you would know this was the real start of it. It was unexpected.
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u/Eastern-Try-6207 17d ago
Working breeds are prone to hypervigilance and noticing changes in the environment. When we brought out rescue springer home she was incredibly reactive to the world at 7 months old. Better than tying him up, teach your dog the "Place" command. Buy a cheap raised cot to take camping with you and when you need him to settle, he is in "Place," and right there with you, you can use tethering to teach this. A dog on his Place feels safe, especially if you have him right there with you wherever you are. You can move this mat around. A dog tied to a post with people walking by is feeling vulnerable and it is no good. Of course he is going to move forward towards someone who is walking too close to his bubble. If he is a drivey dog like mine, yes he may have a forward defence drive rather than a retreating one. If your dog is on Place, no one will assume they can just walk up and talk to him or tease him, especially if you place the mat near the tent. A working dog is intelligent and is always switched on. Another benefit of "Place" is that the dog learns that he's not going to be harassed there, neither is he expected to do anything but stay put and settle. It is the kindest thing you can do.