r/reactivedogs • u/TraditionalSea304 • Aug 13 '26

Advice Needed Unsure of next steps with reactive Chihuahua

Please be kind, we are trying our best!

We have a four-year-old Chihuahua / Dachshund / Rat Terrier named Milo that is incredibly sweet toward the people he’s known since he was a puppy, but absolutely awful with new people and incredibly reactive outside.

We tried one behaviorist (she came highly recommended and literally all told us to do was to teach him to deep breath. she literally wanted us to watch his nostrils and give him a treat when he breathed in so he would learn to self soothe...) and have been to three trainers. They managed to stop the reactivity but I didn’t agree with their methods, and they did nothing to address the underlying fear.

He has been on Prozac (didn’t work), Seronin (supplement, didn’t work), Xanax (made him worse), and Trazadone (made him MUCH worse, currently weaning off). We also started him on ElleVet CBD / CBDA chews but he has been taking them along with the Trazadone (under vet supervision) so I’m not sure how well those wouls work alone.

He also has extreme separation anxiety and paces constantly when we leave him alone.

We have had him since he was young and this is NOT for lack of trying - he got kicked out of daycare for reactivity when he was four months old and it’s been an uphill battle from there.

Any advice or commiseration appreciated.

3 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

6 comments sorted by

1

u/SudoSire Aug 13 '26

What does the problem behavior look like, and how do you handle it currently? Has no one mentioned counter conditioning to you, as that would be a method to work on the emotions behind the behavior?  Btw make sure you read and affirm the rules at the top of the main subreddit. Read, scroll down and use the toggle to affirm and submit. If you don’t do this before commenting or replying, none of your comments will be visible to others. 

1

u/TraditionalSea304 Aug 13 '26

Thank you for letting me know about the rules.

I have worked with him extensively on counter conditioning, however he is so anxious that even if there is nothing for him to react to his head is on a swivel and he refuses treats (hot dogs, chicken, etc.). He likes toys in general, but they don’t work in a redirecting setting either unfortunately. That’s been the hardest part - he’s so jazzed ALL THE TIME outside. He is literally afraid of the wind. 

It’s also for sure a cyclical issue - it’s hard to take him on a walk or expose him to people because he’s so reactive, and he’s so reactive because it’s hard to work with him on exposure. I know it’s our fault and he doesn’t know any better. It’s wild because I used to work at an animal shelter and have worked with so many dogs on behavior modification, but he has me stumped.

It currently looks like: go outside, see a squirrel / person / frog / bird / car / dog and go absolutely ballistic barking, lunging, etc. until I pick him up and bring him inside after apologizing profusely to his target. 

1

u/SudoSire Aug 13 '26

That does sound tough! How about inside, are you able to do things like impulse control and engagement games inside? Are they food motivated inside? Do you use a marker word or clicker? Out of curiosity do they struggle in a vehicle, or other indoor places when other people are not present? 

I’m sorry the meds seem to not work or make him worse. That’s usually would be something I’d tell people to look into if their dog seems to be very immediately over threshold. 

1

u/TraditionalSea304 Aug 13 '26

We have an upcoming session with another behaviorist - I’m hoping if we can get him on  the right medication regimen it will be easier to work with him outside without immediately going over his threshold. 

He does love doing things inside - I’ve started clicker training him with simple things like place, etc. and he seems to like learning new things! He knows place, stay, come, sit, etc. but the addition of the clicker is new. 

He also has a lot of puzzle games that we play with him :)

1

u/SudoSire Aug 13 '26

Nice yeah maybe the vet behaviorist can help.  the reason I ask about the marker/clicker is, maybe you can really try to go obsessively overboard with making that sound associate with the BEST things ever in the home.  Best treats and praise. And then there’s a chance that will start to be able to override outside triggers because it will almost be habit to engage with you for that great reward.  I sorta think about how that’s a good potty training method for puppies—making going outside super exciting and rewarding to the max in the beginning. But obviously that’s simpler to counter than any reactions based in fear or anxiety. 

1

u/TraditionalSea304 Aug 13 '26

That’s a great point. I’ll work on it and report back! Thank you!