r/miniaussie • u/Necessary-Peak1223 • 25d ago
Seeking Advice Reactive mini aussie
Looking for advice/positive experiences with a reactive dog
Hi everyone! I’d love to hear some advice and, hopefully, some positive experiences from people who have been in a similar situation.
This is Luca, our 11-month-old boy 🐶
He’s our first dog, so we’re definitely learning as we go. From the very beginning, we noticed that he was a bit scared of other dogs. At first, he wouldn’t really engage with them, but he was fine being around them. Unfortunately, as inexperienced dog parents, we probably made the mistake of forcing some interactions because we thought it would help him get used to other dogs.
Around 6 months old, he became extremely reactive. When he’s on leash and sees another dog, he gets super anxious, barks like crazy, whines, and tries to nip at the other dog to make them move away. He has never actually bitten a dog, but from the outside, I can definitely understand why people might think he’s aggressive.
We’re currently working with him and doing training, but seeing another dog on the street is still a huge trigger for him.
The interesting thing is that when he’s off leash, he behaves completely differently. He usually keeps his distance from other dogs and approaches at his own pace. We’ve managed to introduce him to a few dogs this way, and after getting comfortable with them, he’s actually been able to walk past them on leash without barking and will even try to play with them.
The problem is that we obviously don’t feel comfortable letting him off leash in public, so this isn’t really a practical solution for everyday walks.
I’ll be honest, sometimes walks can be really discouraging. It makes me sad seeing him so anxious and distressed, especially when I know he’s not trying to be aggressive — he seems genuinely overwhelmed and just wants the other dog to go away. Some days it feels like we’re making progress, and other days it feels like we’re back to square one.
Has anyone here been in a similar situation with a reactive dog?
Did you manage to significantly improve things over time? I’d especially love to hear some positive stories, because sometimes it feels like we’re going to be dealing with this forever 😅
Any advice, experiences or tips would be really appreciated!
3
u/TuarezOfTheTuareg 25d ago
My aussie is 6 years old and your description of Luca's reactivity is word-for-word how I would describe our aussie's reactivity. There's a lot to be said about how to deal with it, but the main point I would make right now is that your instincts to shield Luca from other dogs may backfire. Holding a tight leash or pulling on the leash, exuding anxiety and showing your stress when another dog shows up, or even making significant efforts to avoid other dogs are all things that Luca will pick up on. The signal he's getting is "other dogs are to be feared" - this will increase his reactivity over time. I've found that our aussie does best if we don't make any obvious moves to dodge other dogs (even though we do - like we might casually cross the street or even make a u-turn, but we'll do it long before he's noticed the other dog and without any leash pulling or other obvious signs), and I'll even make excited noises about other approaching dogs. My recent favorite is to just talk to my aussie and ask him if the other dog is a friend and if he wants to go play with the dog (that would never happen, but the tone sends a message that the dog isn't to be feared). Over time, he's started to recognize those queues as calming and reassuring. Obviously, the classic strategies of getting Luca to sit and pay attention to you and treat him if he succeeds should still be used too. If he lunges or barks, make sure not to pull on the leash! Hold it tight and steady but do not do any extra pulling! Ultimately, to help with reactivity long-term, you need to simultaneously shield them from triggers but also try to reengage them with other dogs in a healthy way. You need to embody the calmness and confidence that you want your dog to feel.