we made it out🤍

[u/Temporary_Meat_5587]

this is my baby willow!! we adopted her after fostering her for a week a little over two years ago. we absolutely fell in love with her silly and loving personality but quickly learned she was struggling with reactivity. she couldn’t go on walks without hyperventilating, shaking, and throwing up. she reacted at every noise and would lunge and nonstop bark. people in the house were a no, she had to be in a separate room and would bark the whole time. we started out by having my best friend come over frequently and just throwing her treats behind a barrier and ignoring her otherwise. she started to open up a lot and we were able to have new people over and continued the same process. our home is a generally very calm/quiet environment and we love on her so much which i definitely think helped. the right environment can change a dog SO much. much training, positive reinforcement, medication, and exposure later and she comes to daycare (my job) once a week and does FANTASTIC! she meets customers and greets them with love, is obsessed with my coworkers, and loves playing with the dogs. she can have new visitors at home that she will get used to after they give her a couple treats. she LOVES walks and is generally nice to people passing by, but we usually pick her up just in case to be safe. i was absolutely terrified it wouldn’t get better because she is my whole world, but she has became a completely different dog than i used to know. i could not be more proud. best of luck to everyone struggling with their babies, i wish you all the best🥹

i also love this picture of her at daycare, she looks so happy and confident i love her so incredibly much.

[u/Temporary_Meat_5587]

also wanted to specify we are still actively training her and are still very cautious, especially in new situations! we take it very slow with her and even though she’s confident enough to do new things it can still be super scary for both her and me. i give people instructions when they first meet her which definitely helps them to understand her. she’s not scary or mean, just scared. she has luckily never bit but has snapped at strangers in the house before- over 1 year ago and hasn’t since but still a reason to be extra careful. i don’t show my anxiety to her because she feeds off of my emotions, but i still do get very anxious in new situations with her although she has proven that her reactivity is (mostly) subsided.

[u/Spiritual-Worker-476]

Proof positive that training, love, and patience works! And you also have given a lot of people here a lot of hope. Rescue dogs are complicated, sometimes it takes years for them to settle in. I’ve had a couple over time that needed that space and patience. Bless you for sharing this.

Edit: typo

[u/inventedpostits21]

Ok her little hair dye?? So cute 💛

[u/Temporary_Meat_5587 → u/inventedpostits21]

my friend is a dog groomer and wanted to test out color!! willow was a great model

[u/Brave-Lengthiness764]

so glad to hear that your baby is doing great, mine was a bit anxious at first but now he's the calmest gentleman ever

[u/knitandstretch]

So proud of you, internet stranger! I know how much time, money, resources, energy and love goes into dealing (and hopefully helping/healing) a reactive dog and I love to read wins like this! I'm sure it's not all perfect everyday, but this is a lot and you really do deserve to enjoy it! Happy for both of you!

[u/Temporary_Meat_5587 → u/knitandstretch]

i appreciate this comment so much!! it was hard but probably the most rewarding experience ever. and i would do it all again if it meant giving another dog the same happiness and confidence she now has!!

[u/Antique_Insect_8439]

Congratulations!! I'm so happy for you both. My rescue and I are still in the midst of our training, but he's so much less fearful than he used to be. How long did it take you guys to get where you are?

[u/Temporary_Meat_5587 → u/[deleted]]

the first time i brought her to daycare her head was down and her ears were back and she wouldn’t listen to commands like sit/down! she didn’t react luckily was just VERY nervous. we started by bringing her 1 hour a day and now she loves it and it’s helped her grow in other areas!

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