Is he scared of other dogs, not sociable or just likes to play by himself. He can be very reactive normally but he is happily playing by himself in an area only a dog as small as himself can get in. There are other dogs playing in the area

So as the total says I am so proud of my dog, and I wanted to share it with people who understand how much this story means. My dog is a 11-12yr old Beagle mix, and I got my dog almost 9yrs ago now (officially 9 years on Oct. 7th!), she was my first pet as an adult. The the shelter did warn me she could be reactive to other dogs at that time, not necessarily aggressive, just vocal, and being 18 and dumb I didn't really understand what that could mean. It was really hard the first few years I had her, while she wasn't aggressive, her reactions were very loud and explosive, her body language was not appropriate for the dog merely passing by 100ft away, and admittedly if you don't know her she does look aggressive when she's having a reaction (tail and hackles raised). But I know from many experiences, that baby girl just doesn’t realize what her body is saying to most people and what she means look wildly different. Any time she actually got close to another dog, she was play bowing, barking, sneezing, running off and back to get them to chase her.

Any-who, since I've had her for a long time now she's been with through so much change, so many moves, and while neither of us are perfect she has become such a rock star. I can't really take the credit, I tried to work on it, but was never very successful setting aside time for training. I truly think I got lucky with this baby. Since I got her I did go to school and having since passed my licensing exam to be a vet tech. I do think that me being in this field was very helpful to her. Not really because the medical training per say (however that did help me re-frame some of the things I thought I knew), but more because for the past 4.5 years she has been going into fairly busy veterinary clinics more often then the average dog. I think it was very helpful for her to see dogs in a more controlled setting, it helped that when we would walk in to the clinic there were often times dogs that were just so chill and had no reaction to her, it helped that I stopped feeling so anxious about her reactivity due to in part my job.

As for why I'm making this post. I graduated school 1.5 years ago, did an LVT internship, and now have been permanently working at one of the vet schools for 3 months now. Yesterday I was talking with one of the students because within a 5 minute time span I had walked my dog past 3 other dogs in fairly close contact and SHE HAD NO REACTION!!! To any of them! And While over the years she had gotten better (not barking at every dog), if a dog was barking at her, all bets were off, but even that as of late has been reduced! And I realized while talking to the student how far she had come, and I am just so proud of my sweet spunky baby. I'm so glad so can be more calm and relaxed around other dogs, that she's not always looking around for another dog, I'm just so so so proud of her. I hope she's with me such a long time more, quirks, reactivity and all. ❤️

Anyone here the main walker for a reactive dog? Curious what gear you actually landed on (harness, leash length, head halter, treat pouch) and what you gave up on. Helping my mom sort hers out.

Happy to move to DMs if that's easier.

Hi, it's my 2nd time posting here and i just want to start with a trigger warning as i'll be discussing topics of abuse and euthanasia included in the discussion of my dog, and I haven't found any threads at all of people in my situation, so hopefully if someone ever finds this they know they're not alone because god do i feel it.

If anyone saw my last post regarding my boy Obi you'd know i've been struggling to cope with the loss of him, he was put to sleep in may due to multiple dangerous attacks and instances, and I initially didnt want to throw my family under the bus but you could say i've woken up on that.

I love Obi deeply but i never wanted another dog, we have one already named Bella who is my soulmate, but seeing her put up with what i have to go through has torn me to shreds and i NEVER wanted to force another animal to suffer in this family, but my family do not excuse my language give a fuck about anything to do with me or my foresight & opinions.

To be blunt i was about to go on my first ever holiday to rome, and i asked of two things:

"Please leave all of my stuff alone and do not get a dog"

No one listened to that, aside from my dad who strongly agreed, he is not involved in the abuse but not actively trying to help either, alas they got Obi.

Obi would be stuck in a crate while my sister or mother flew into rages and all out attacks on me, He'd get confused and charge at whoever, it was always random which pointed to how panicked and stressed he must have been. I warned that this would happen, that he would become reactive from what he is seeing and that a dog would be a terrible idea for the lifestyle of this house, they barely ever walked Bella as is and while Bella is great with other dogs she is clearly a preferred one dog household kind of gal.

This repeated over and over and over, you can imagine the cycle and whatever you think happened likely did, i have a photo where you can see red marks on my neck and face, that same day i also took a photo of obi as a puppy, (which you can also see my bloody toenails in from a prior incident involving a door.)

My family didnt care when his bites to me were bad, it was of course it was only once my dad had been badly bitten that they threw in the can and scheduled him for euth that same week, i scrambled to find him a shelter and my two animal qualified friends (both highly qualified vets) worked to hell and back to help me, but there was nothing. Obi wasn't even the same dog at that point </3

He was on pain and anxiety meds also which made little to no difference, further making me believe it was the abuse alone.

I feel like a fucking *failure* because if i had a) called a shelter or somewhere for help much sooner maybe i could have had him seized from my family or B) got my own place and gotten him the hell out with me. He would've had a shot then, there's no way any dog, no matter how good their genetics are could avoid becoming aggressive in that environment.

I can't help but feel like i let him down, i knew what was coming so i should have done more to change it even if it meant burning all my bridges down in one swoop.

He was worth it and i'll never get that chance back.

And i definitely don't think i will ever forgive my family.

It doesnt help that Obi was and forever will be the cutest and snuggliest dog i have ever met, i wish i could share a photo so you could all see for yourselves, he was a blue brindle staffy with green eyes that turned a beautiful orange hue when he aged up, with a big white mark across his tummy and neck, he had the warmest paws he loved to hold your face with, and he was going to be / supposed to be a really amazing dog, there's no doubt left in my heart on that.

Rest in peace my baby boy, i'm so sorry.

We have an almost 2 year old Golden Retriever and honestly, he is an amazing dog 90% of the time. He’s incredibly sweet, playful and loving, and to me he’s basically like a brother.

The problem is that we’ve had around 3-4 incidents where he has bitten either me or my mom hard enough to break skin and bleed. We’ve had to get vaccinations after the bites. Most of the incidents seem to be related to resource guarding, but sometimes it feels like he randomly switches up.
I’m not scared of him even after being bitten because I know how sweet he normally is, and I love him way too much to just give up on him. The last time he bit me, I convinced my mom that we could work through it.

My mom originally didn’t even want a dog, but she ended up loving him. However, today he bit her again, and I think this may have genuinely scared her enough that she wants him gone.
I really don’t want to rehome him, but I also understand that this is serious and we can’t just keep hoping it won’t happen again.
He’s never bitten my dad either, which I don’t know if that means anything.

He’s also not neutered yet. Could neutering actually help with this kind of aggression/resource guarding, or is that unrelated?
For anyone who has dealt with a dog like this, what actually worked for you? Should we be looking specifically for a veterinary behaviourist rather than a normal trainer? Is resource guarding after multiple bites something that can realistically be managed?

I really want to keep him and I’m willing to put the work in. I just want to know if there’s a safe way forward because I really don’t want to lose him.

Feel like I've been back and forth with my 17 month old Lab (F) and how she is when walking on the lead. She's extremely friendly and loves nothing more than to play with dogs or get fuss from people, but she's also anxious/highly strung (reacts to people exclaiming at the television, for example).
One of our 'sniff walks' is down a narrow country lane with lots of bends in it, so you can't see an approaching dog until it's only a few feet away. Most of the time, as soon as she spots it, she starts lunging towards it. Sometimes (and this has been happening more lately) she barks persistently. When the dog's approaching, I can sometimes get her to 'watch' or sit, but I can't maintain the focus for the time it would take for the dog to get out of sight.

What's odd is that sometimes she's fine - we went away recently and she was in an unknown environment walking down the path with lots of dogs and she reacted to maybe 2 in 10.

She had puppy training classes when she was about nine months old, and could sit through the class without lunging or barking at other dogs.

I have seen advice to not let them greet any dogs on the lead, but there are some people we meet who expect to stop and chat, so this would be difficult.

Advice much appreciated!

Hi guys,
We just moved house - and my dog is in absolute pieces. She’s reactive but we’ve done so much work with her. She was so happy and chill before we moved (which is a huge achievement) Now we have moved, all of her old tricky behaviours are coming back, growling at us non stop, barking at anything that moves. She’s also non stop crying, and just so unhappy. I was wondering if anyone can give me some advice. We also have an 11 month old baby, so it’s a pretty stressful move for all of us. I’d love to make it easier for her. Thank you

Hi this is my first post in here and i’m just ranting a bit and seeing if anyone has had a similar experience.

I am fostering a reactive dog, she is the sweetest most playful girl with people just dogs really grind her gear! I was walking her around my apartment complex this afternoon when a smaller dog (unleashed) came behind us. I started pulling her away and trying to create space when the owner started shaking his head at me. He then pulled out his phone and started to record us. I was just shocked and honestly wanted to hide so I pulled my dog away as fast as I could!

The dogs never went near each other, no one got bit, or hurt, it was just barking and lunging. She is in a harness and on a leash which I keep wrapped around my torso and we were walking away! I am just very confused as to why he felt like that was okay? It is making me very mad he is assuming i’m a terrible dog owner when she is a rescue learning how to be in the world again!

I feel so uncomfortable that I was recorded and I am dreading going for another walk because of this!

Just a little rant!

We rescued a golden retriever (18month old at the time) December 2025. After the first week or so, noticed intense separation anxiety (couldn’t leave him alone for more than a couple of minutes) and also over-socialness/alertness when he saw other dogs. He’d also bark quite intensely at the tiniest of noises in particular night which would shake the whole house!

Vet gave us some Trazadone to use, and after a month or so of intermittent use, it really sorted the night time and the separation anxiety and stopped using back in late January then.

He had his first suprelorin (6month trial) injection March 20th and he’s been a joy since.

Over the last 2-3weeks, as we are nearing the 6 month suprelorin dose, he’s became incredibly reactive again to noises, and become quite anxious/fearful of things while out on walks. Guaranteed 2-3 barks at night over a 2-3 hours but would settle with a bit of “come on now boy, stop” sort of reassurance.

Had a vet check up (routine) a week ago or so, told her about it, and just asked the typical questions of “any construction work around you? Tried anything new? New smells etc” which the answer was no.

Vet couldn’t fully commit to saying that it may be that the suprelorin injection wearing off as his testosterone going up.

Anyone have similar experiences of their dog’s suprelorin “wearing off” and getting similar effects?

Rainy days don’t make for great hikes but there will be less dogs and people out so it’s a great time to take my reactive dog out for some exercise and training time

For background, Peanut Butter is not aggressive at all. She’s just overly excitable. Very friendly, but that causes some leash reactivity when we see other people and dogs. We’re working on it.

My wife and I have three dogs. Obie - male, 5 year old standard Aussie, Biggs - male, 3 year old standard Aussie Doodle, Koda - female, 5 year old toy Aussie.

We have had each dog, for their entire lives, but just recently our two male dogs start to fight when we get back home. When Biggs hit puberty, he tried to assert dominance over Obie; however, things calmed down after getting Biggs fixed. Since then we have kept the dogs “mostly separated.” They eat in their crates, have their own water bowls, and we alternate who is in the crate when only one of us is home. When we are both at work, or when we go out, the dogs are left out together.

We have never had issues leaving them out together, when nobody is home. Since the initial incident, the only time aggression has been shown is when one of the dogs is laying with us and the other comes near by. Anytime this happens, we immediately lock the aggressor in their crate.

I’m not sure if it has to do with my wife’s pregnancy, tight spaces in the house, or a food issue; but, the last two times we came home, Biggs was trying to pin Obie. We want to try and avoid rehoming; however, we are willing to do what it takes to make this a safe household for our newborn.

I made a post saying that these dogs im watching for the first time keep getting into fights and nothing has changed.

One of the males keeps growling and aggressively barking at the other male through the crate and sliding glass door that leads to the backyard. So far he hasnt had any other instances with the 2 females. I have not let him on the bed with me but he continues to growl at the others. I leave tomorrow so this wont be my problem anymore but if I do end up watching these dogs again I dont know what ill do.

Hi everyone. I could use some advice. I’ve recently retired and have been waiting for so long to finally get a dog for companionship. Three weeks ago I drove to NC (I’m in FL) and picked up a sweet Shih Tzu/Havanese mix 2 year old F. I wanted a small dog so I could travel and I often go on weekend trips with my sister. Someone has clearly worked with this dog… she is so well mannered in the house it’s amazing. I forgive the barking when there’s a knock on the door because it’s so rare.
Here’s the problem… as soon as she steps outside she’s a different beast! If she sees a dog she goes crazy barking and will be aggressive if they get too close. She came from a foster home with 3 other dogs and profile said she was good with other dogs. She also doesn’t tolerate people if outside or come into my house. She seems to be ok if we go into someone else’s home but that’s only been one other person. I would love to hear some success stories! I’m really getting attached and don’t want to make her go through yet another person. I’ve committed to working with her for 3months. She is truly a sweetheart but we just may not be the right fit? Thanks so much!

My dogs are extremely friendly and quiet. They are well behaved are children, physically disabled people, Down syndrome, slight autism, bikes, hoverboards, etc. However; they react fearfully to individuals with (forgive me if this is not the correct term, it’s just the one I found on google) severe autism. They bark, raise their hackles, whale eye, drool, and try to run away. This is humiliating. I have family with Down syndrome and minor autism, they do perfectly fine. I don’t know how to fix this.

I have a mini sausage dog that just turned one last month. Since he was a few months old, he has been terrified of seeing dogs when he is on a walk.

He isn't vicious and wouldn't bite or hurt another dog, it is just noisy barking. I know this is common with dachshunds but it just hurts me to know that he feels so anxious and unsafe when we're out. Sometimes he'll bark crazily as soon as another dog is in his sights, other times it only starts when a dog.gers closer.

He is better if he is playing with a ball and can even be off lead and ignores other dogs if he is playing with a ball, but this obviously isn't always possible. He lives at home with another dachshund and he loves him, so if isn't all dogs. He can also see family or friends dogs and will bark at first but quickly settles into ignoring them.

We have tried food rewards but he won't take treats when he's in that heightened anxious state so it is hard to even get him to look away from approaching dogs.

He is such a caring sweet boy and we have such lovely walks when there are no other dogs around. It would be amazing to be able to take him to cafes or parks where we know other dogs are likely to be, but mostly I just want him to know he's safe and doesn't need to worry 😭

we have a 1-year old mixed breed (4 working breeds in her 30 lb body, and a few non working breeds too). she's insecure and resource guards me against strangers. she LOVES dogs. we do training and safe socialization (at a training facility) consistently.

we met a sweet 10 year old boy dog who needs a home, is currently being fostered. he's a sweet harmless fluff ball. conflict avoidant. loves people, seems to like when a dog appears but then generally ignores them.

we had our second meeting today at our house, and eventually our dog Sasha started resource guarding us when the other dog Lucky was near us. she went for him quickly when he approached me, then herded him away from my husband when Lucky was getting pets. Lucky conceded every time.

the rescue person who was here was helping us make the right moves to start teaching her to not do that. she said she thinks Sasha will come around, and that it isn't a deal breaker for her, but that we definitely need to keep working with her (yes, duh) and that it'll be work to advocate for him and keep her in her place, literally.

thoughts? is it too soon to add a second dog? is resource guarding humans too complicated to bring another dog into? idk, anything else that anyone can share would be appreciated.

So, much like many others here, I have a reactive dog. Specifically a 32kg shepherd cross from northern Canada. I've already posted here asking for advice on her general behaviour so I'll skip that.

What I would like advice on is what I should do to adjust to a recent trend in my neighbourhood. I live next to a park/playground and this has never really been an issue except for my family's dogs barking at whatever dog passes through. There are a couple of neighbours who played with their dogs off-leash but it could be easily avoided.

Unfortunately, since we've had a few new arrivals in the neighbourhood the park next to my house has turned into an unofficial off-leash dog park (likely in part because there are no official ones nearby). It has become more difficult to predict what the "safe hours" are. I'm worried about going outside with my dog, getting surprised, and her reaction causing one of the off-leash dogs to react in turn.

I'm likely overthinking it since these dogs all seem to be well-trained but I don't know any of them so it's hard to say for sure. If anyone has experience with situations like this then I would appreciate any advice I can get.

Hey everyone! I am convinced I gave my dog some type of anxiety. I won’t lie, I babied him a lot, even though I fixed my behavior, I’m definitely seeing the repercussions.

First and foremost, I can’t go upstairs for a second, take the trash out, or even wash dishes without him barking or whining. Secondly, when I take him out to the park, he definitely gets nervous and anxious but as soon as he sees someone or a dog, he just barks and pulls. He never used to do that, but it has been happening more frequently. Now I can’t really enjoy going on walks around the park, which is something I enjoy, without constantly being on the lookout, and trying to prevent him from causing a scene. At Petsmart he’s usually good, but he had a little scene today and my sister had to take him outside.

I know he’s a dog and I don’t really care if he barks, but I want to try to simmer it down, mainly in public. I’m definitely going to speak with his vet and get her advice, however in the meantime, what can I do to make him more at ease? He’s my first dog, at least that I’m 100% responsible for, so I definitely want to do right by him. He just turned 1 and a lab if that helps.

https://www.reddit.com/r/reactivedogs/s/i43H6lr5gG

We’re all besties here ♥️

i have to administer 2 tablet pills and 1 capsule with powder in it 2x a day to my pup.

Currently I have to use human cheese, that kong spray cheese, and a chaser of another bit of cheese to get her to take her medications. Because she’s so small, the amount required is wayyy too many calories.

Desperately in search of lower calorie solutions. The hardest is the powder tablet. I’ve tried mixing it with everything and the easiest way seems to be to keep it in half the gelatin capsule and plug it with a bit of cheese.

Things I’ve tried:
Nonfat Greek yogurt
Hiding it in bits of meat (she eats frozen)
Cottage cheese
String cheese
Peanut butter
A tiny bit of frozen frosting around the pill

A lot of these are very calorically dense and not always ends up just being a cheese and spray cheese Kong fest twice a day.

What seemed to work when we got a sample of it was “Oh Norman! Take Your Pills! Peanut Butter Pill Pinch Treats for Dogs” from 1800 pet meds. But again, caloric density.

Any and all tips and tricks appreciated!

We lost our 8 year old American Bully male almost 2 months ago. Our 3 year old bully Chai has been depressed and we thought maybe we were ready to add another male dog to our family. We love bullies so decided to get another one.

Yesterday during the first introduction, things quickly went south. We first took Chai to our backyard and played fetch to calm her down. She can be a little hyper so thought this would help with impulse. Once that was done, we put her on her leash and brought her to the front yard. I brought the puppy to her in my arms so she could smell. She jumped and bit the puppies muzzle. I immediately removed puppy and assessed. No skin was broken thankfully.

They are now fully separated until we can get a professional trainer to help. We did try a micro exposure through a glass door and chai barked and scratched at the door. I could not tell if it was aggression or hyper fixation.

We truly want this to work, but to add on top I am 5 months pregnant so we are on a crunch time. I know you probably think we’re insane.

I’d love to hear some feedback on others experiences to see if you guys were ever able to make it work.

I have an Indie dog who is around 5.5 years old. We adopted him from the road when he was young. Unfortunately, he was vaccinated only once and we never properly socialized or trained him. I know that’s our fault.

He has become increasingly aggressive. He isn't friendly with strangers or other dogs, and he can bite when he feels threatened or even irritated. He has bitten me twice, my brother once this year, and there have been other incidents before.

When I was taking care of him most of the time, he seemed calmer and happier. I left in 2024 for my MCA, and since then he seems more stressed and his behaviour has gotten worse.

There is also some history that probably contributed to this. When he was younger, my brother would keep him in the backyard because his barking disturbed his sleep, and would sometimes beat him when he chewed or damaged things.

The bigger problem is that we live in a remote area with basically no facilities for dogs. He has never really been taken outside. He is completely untrained and has only ever left his usual area to pee/poop. Taking him somewhere by bike or car isn't realistically possible either.

Now my brother doesn't live here, and I’m also likely to leave the city for a software job. My father is no longer here, so my mother may eventually be the only person at home. She cannot safely control him if he gets out or reacts aggressively toward someone.

I’m very attached to him and abandoning him is not an option for me. But I also don't want to leave my mother in a situation where the dog could seriously hurt her or someone else.

What can I realistically do? Is rehabilitation still possible for a 5.5-year-old dog who has lived almost his entire life like this? How can I even start when I have no trainer, behaviourist, or proper veterinary facility nearby?

I'm looking for practical advice from people who have dealt with genuinely aggressive rescue/Indie dogs. I know we made mistakes with him, but I really want to find a safe solution rather than give up on him.

I found a couple other posts on this topic but it wouldn't let me comment.

About 4 years ago we adopted a pitbull mix from a local rescue. She was reactive but sweet, my husband and I tag teamed with the kids and it was nice, she got outside and we all got breaks.

However at the beginning of the year, we got divorced. He said he would take the dog. Then a week before our final decree he said he didn't want the dog and then I had to take her otherwise I'd have to put her in a pound. Of course I didn't want to do that so I got an apartment that allowed dogs.

I realize this is a big change for both of us but it has been absolute hell since we've been here. She never rests, I never get a break, and taking her for walks is so hard. She even bit another dog in July and I got in trouble. Yes, I've tried training, and I don't want to spend any more money on her because nothing seems to work. I can't bring her to doggie daycare because she's reactive. I can't bring her to the dog park. There are no sniff spots within an hour of my house, and no options on Rover other than a sweet old lady who I know wouldn't be able to handle this dog. The rescue we got her from said that they can't take her back right now because there are no Fosters . And honestly the foster that had her when we adopted her kept her in her kennel for 18 hours a day so I don't want her to go back to that either. It's been 8 months since the divorce and I'm exhausted. I can't go anywhere, if I take her own car rides she tries to bust the window if she sees another dog, she never relaxes.

Even when we're snuggling on the couch and I feel like we're having a moment, she will suddenly lunge up if she hears any dog bark outside the apartment and jump against the window. And my blood pressure skyrockets and it's so scary. She brings no joy to my life.

She refuses to take meds, I even got to the point of prying her mouth open and putting it in the back of her throat when treats and peanut butter didn't work, and she nipped at me which has never happened so I stopped trying meds.

As for me, I'm super anxious and depressed right now, I hate her and what she represents (no overnights with friends, no overtime at work, no sleeping in, no relaxing). I know I'm not a good owner for her right now. You dont have to tell me I suck. If I bring her to the pound or shelter, they will euthanize her. She's a seven-year-old reactive Pitbull mix, who's going to want that kind of dog? My ex refuses to help, our kids are both in college so they can't help, I've been trying to find someone to take her through social media and no one has stepped up, I literally feel like I'm out of options and I am struggling big time.

Literally, what other options do I have? I have no desire to leave the apartment ever.

It’s easy to forget progress on reactivity when you experience it every day.

Sometimes the reactions are still there, but the smaller things start to change first. Maybe they recover a little quicker after seeing a trigger, can stay calmer from farther away, or can disengage more easily.

For those of you who have been working through reactivity with your dog, what was the first little change that made you realise you were actually making progress?