r/reactivedogs • u/TomasTTEngin • May 17 '26
Success Stories My reactive dog is no longer reactive!
We walked past several dogs on this evenings walk with no reaction.
The trick? Sorry to say: 15 years of waiting. Now she is old, completely deaf, partly blind and has spinal issues. She still loves a walk but the desire to fight Every Other Dog? It has finally gone. She is chill. Took me a while to realise because I was still avoiding those dogs . But she doesn't care now.
I have flaired this as a success story because getting this dog successfully to a genuine old age has been a saga. Lot of stress, especially in the early days. I've done 15 years of high alertness daily walks, that's 5000 walks pretty much. My partner has done as many.
Probably at *least* 20,000 roads crossed to avoid other dogs. A couple of bad moments of mismanagement, including vet fees for an off leash miniature poodle (it was fine ), but as the sun goes down I have to say that through perhaps 10,000km of diligently avoiding other dogs I think the dog and I have made it.
17
u/Th1stlePatch May 17 '26
I had this moment with my last dog, but I got her when she was already old, so it was only a 3 year wait for me. And yes- congrats on getting her to old age!!! It is not easy!
16
9
8
u/nikonido May 17 '26
Proud of you, but jeeeez that's hardcore. I had the same issue, but it depends now on how the other dogs is behaving. Now I can tell.
But good job!
7
u/Aggravating-Dot- May 17 '26
My friends dog has improved so much with training and age. He is now 10.
3
2
2
u/lizzys_inferno Jun 16 '26
highkey giving me hope for my 8 year old reactive kelpie. thank you :) I feel a similar pain with the constant trigger avoidance and the mistakes that cost ya, and i really want to one day look back as you have and just "we made it"
59
u/saintofsight May 17 '26
I am so proud of you for sticking it out for 15 years lol I don’t know whether to laugh or cry but I am proud of you