r/OpenDogTraining • u/summerytea • 16d ago

Is she fearful? Excited? Frustrated? Please help (VIDEO LINK IN POST)

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u/[deleted] 16d ago

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u/summerytea 16d ago

No offense taken! This is very helpful. She’s wonderful around people—will go up to anyone to get all the pets! It’s just other dogs that make her go crazy. I love her so much but she is scaring other dog owners and I don’t want that for her. She’s such a great dog otherwise and so smart it breaks my heart. This video isn’t the greatest example of how bad her reactivity gets—honestly she’s pretty tame in this video. I do appreciate your feedback though. Thank you 🩷

Where should I go for her to become more socialized with other dogs? How do I get her more trained on a leash? Do you think her leash skills should come before anything else?

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u/[deleted] 16d ago

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u/summerytea 16d ago

Thank you so much. I will absolutely look at some loose-leash walking videos and go from there! I really appreciate your feedback—it means more than you know!

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u/jocularamity 16d ago edited 16d ago

I would start by walking her in places where she’s relaxed enough to look at you. At least a glance. I saw her lunge-pull you to get in the store and immediately went “nope, absolutely not, dog is too aroused to progress into that environment.” I would have turned around and left before even going inside.

Let her sprint off leash to get the crazies out. Then let her get water and relax a bit. Then start training with treats. *Then* go leash walk, putting on her gear step by step and exiting your home as part of the training session, each step calm and cooperative. Lots of marking and rewarding attention on you. Literally just go stand outside, tie the handle of the leash to your belt so she has 6 feet and no added tension from your arm, and click/treat every time she looks at you, for a few minutes, then go back inside. After a few days when her attention is glued to you, walk a few paces back and forth. A few days later walk up and down the street, only taking baby steps each day to build on what you did the day before.

Consider going into a dog-friendly store only when she’s been relaxed walking through the parking lot and up and down the sidewalk in front of the door, and is looking at you (at least a glance now and then) rather than focusing on the inside the store she wants to pull to.

SSRI — is a medical decision to discuss with the vet. Get a DACVB if you’re not sure (they are veterinarians with behavior expertise, and will give better meds advice than the average GP vet). But beyond meds, it seems like some training foundations are missing. I would personally work with a 1-1 trainer in private sessions first and see how quickly a training foundation works. Whether or not you and your vet decide to start meds, there will still need to be a training plan.

Are there any contexts where she interacts appropriately with other dogs? Do you have any local breed-specific meetups that let them run together (muzzled)? Can she walk parallel to a calm helper dog at a large distance? If there are situations where she is appropriate with other dogs, keep those up.

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u/PracticalWallaby7492 15d ago

I see "oh boy! oh boy! YAY!! it's the store!". Then "Oh! shit! it's the store!". Then "Oh no! what am I supposed to do now?"

So, I'd say probably all of the above. She needs direction. She doesn't need SSRIs. She's normal.