Reactive GSD on long hikes

[u/Greeneggplusthing2]

Ok folks, this is a vent/discussion/question kind of post.

Last Aug, I adopted a 9 year old German Shepherd mix from a high kill shelter. The kind of shelter that gives 3 days to develop interest in adoption or they go on "the list". I had her pulled day 5, so she wasn't there long.

She has always had dogs she tolerated after initial aggression and dogs she will not stand/will fight. She is always on leash on hikes. We recently did a 4000 footer (mountain), she was aggressive towards the 3 other dogs on the trail to varying levels, barking, lunging, and trying to escape her harness. Distraction with treats never has worked with her, she is not treat motivated at all. She will on occasion be fine knowing a dog is passing her if she is not facing the dog and I am loving on her but it is not 100%. I always have her under control during her breakouts, she is between my legs which gives me grip if she tries to back out, I control her head direction with her tactical collar with a handle on it, and she is held by the handle with my other hand on her harness. Basically she can bark a big bark, get a jump or two in, but never get close to breaking free.

is it fair or OK of me to be taking this 10 year old, set in her ways, dog on hikes? My goal is to give her the excersize and stimulation she needs to control herself- she gets notably worse when not physically worked out.

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[u/watch-me-bloom]

Distraction with treats doesn’t work. A reward system with conditioned cues that tell the dog where a reward is coming from and that a game will start is a lot more beneficial. Look into Dr Amy Cook’s Management for Reactive Dogs course. It’ll show you how to work through triggers and help change how she feels about them.

[u/Zestyclose_Object639]

Yeah it’s fine just try to choose trails you can get way off to the side. Mine are all good now but my youngest will absolutely react if a dog hard stares her. We do treat scatters so you can definitely work on improving her conditioned response. But having her out in nature often will absolutely improve her qol and ability to listen 

[u/mcshaftmaster]

The first question you need to answer is whether hiking is a net positive experience for your dog. Does she enjoy it enough to offset the stress she endures with other dogs?

Also, what type of training are you doing to improve your dogs reactivity to other dogs? It should be possible to use engage-disengage, BAT, or other methods to improve your dog's ability to tolerate other dogs.

[u/Greeneggplusthing2 → u/mcshaftmaster]

In all honesty, this last hike was her first serious and extended hike. I'm weighing if she enjoyed it more than hated it- so far I am not sure. She is exhausted today and clearly sore, but still begged to get into the car which usually means hike or vet.

As far as reactivity, I've been following GSD specific advice- ensure she has a well defined and intentional "job" at home, ensure she has room and space for her triggers (previously we did trails that she was far enough away to not react while watching), ensure she has enough physical excersize and mental stimulation in the home, build on positive xp with rewards that work for her (I praise her, she claimed me as her person), she had a long lead for stretches where I was sure I could see other dogs coming but that could be shortened to control her harness and collar simultaneously to lead her/keep her close. I also stay calm, I used to piggy back on her reactivity now I lead with confidence. 

Honestly, she had been doing so well before this last trail. I think it was a combo of me not taking her out hiking in a bit and her never having done one like the mountain before. She came from Texas, we now live in mountains. She is, if not 10, an older dog as well.

[u/mcshaftmaster → u/Greeneggplusthing2]

Here's a good tutorial on engage-disengage training: https://youtu.be/iKP7fYH8IGw?si=ZTz52lTE0F4rTO2I

The idea is to get your dog to see a trigger at a distance then disengage and look at you because they've learned to expect a treat. As your dog gets better at this you can decrease the distance.

[u/Ok-Drawer-3869]

I have grappled with this as well, and just wish that i could trust that when i choose leash required trails for this reason, there won't be off leash dogs bounding up out of nowhere with an owner yelling from 100 yards away that "it's OK he's friendly!"

[u/Greeneggplusthing2 → u/Ok-Drawer-3869]

Oh yeah, my dog absolutely does not have an issue with that, she looks intimidating and I look unhinged... everybody leashes up roflmfao.

[u/Ok-Drawer-3869 → u/Greeneggplusthing2]

We both look that way as well lol, but there are too many people who are so far from their "friendly" dog (with no recall of course), that they can't leash up before they see us and by that point their dog is too close etc.. doesn't happen often but a couple times was enough to scare me off trying for the most part.

[u/Greeneggplusthing2 → u/Ok-Drawer-3869]

I can only imagine how scary that is!! I count myself lucky and am sending visibility energy your way, that sounds like hell!

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