# Leash reactivity, intolerance for intact males



## the_real_george_forman (Jan 3, 2020)

Hi there,
*disclaimer - I have been in contact with a couple recommended trainers. I know that we need help! 

I'm becoming stressed out with our pup, George. He's 3 years old and a few months ago started becoming increasingly reactive (barking, short growls) at other dogs on leash. At first it was large German Shephards and large intact males, but it has increased. Obviously he senses my anxiety so I hope the trainer can help me stop that transfer of tension...
Last winter he was mounted/pinned a couple of times by larger intact males and after that the incidents were still extremely few and far between, limited to giant breed intact males. But now even in the dog park he won't tolerate any unneutered males once they hit puberty (there are a lot of Covid puppies hitting puberty) so we're stopping that entirely. 
We live in downtown Chicago though, so that coupled with his on-leash issues mean that exercise will have to get creative. This happens more often with me and with large dogs, but it happens occasionally with my husband and we've seen him bark and pull towards smaller dogs a few times on the leash.

All this to say...he was always so relaxed and great with all other dogs, even after he got neutered (which was Jan 2020). We waited until 20 months to neuter, he specifically humped the fluffy dogs (oh, doodles) but with most dogs he was submissive. When he did hump it was following several play attempts where they ignored him - impolite for sure but I would say more play or attention-seeking. 

I've been furloughed and home during Covid, and he did start sleeping on the bed, generally he is a lot more attached to us than when we were both out of the house working. To my (very untrained) eye it seems like he is either getting more protective of us, or more dominant with other dogs. (Note: he is wonderful with people, not protective at all. He'd go home with anybody HA). 

If anybody has dealt with these behavior changes in young adulthood, especially in a city environment - I'd love some support or suggestions as we get hooked up and going with a trainer. And if you live in Chicago and can specifically recommend anybody - all the better! I've spoken to two trainers and their availability has been booked so we haven't actually met them yet. Thank you all!


----------



## SRW (Dec 21, 2018)

the_real_george_forman said:


> But now even in the dog park


You need to teach your dog obedience and quit going to the dog park.


----------



## Emmdenn (Jun 5, 2018)

Your dog is an adult, not a puppy anymore and probably is losing his desire to interact and play with unknown adolescents.


----------



## the_real_george_forman (Jan 3, 2020)

SRW said:


> You need to teach your dog obedience and quit going to the dog park.


Yes, I agree - thanks.


----------



## holycarp (Jan 3, 2021)

Dog parks are a bad place to try and teach your dog proper manners and interactions with others. Set up playdates with dogs you know and friends who are willing to be patient and help you train. Also, if you're not sure how to correctly train obedience from here on, it would definitely be helpful to get classes. For obedience you're likely fine signing up for group classes.


----------



## the_real_george_forman (Jan 3, 2020)

I have decided to keep him out of the dog park so in total agreement with you there. 2/3 of the trainers I've contacted are booked solid for several weeks so classes might be the only option! I'm hoping that I'll be working starting Sept 1 which means a lot of night and weekend classes are out, but I'll be on the hunt. Playdates are a great idea, thanks for your reply!


----------



## the_real_george_forman (Jan 3, 2020)

Emmdenn said:


> Your dog is an adult, not a puppy anymore and probably is losing his desire to interact and play with unknown adolescents.


Thanks for the reply. The owners at his day care said he's always been fine with other dogs but nowadays just wants to cuddle with the humans there, so I think you're right about losing interest in interacting with dogs.


----------



## pawsnpaca (Nov 11, 2014)

There is a program called "Control Unleashed" which is specifically aimed at dogs with reactivity issues. These classes are based on a book by the same name. I bought the book when I had a reactive dog of my own, but I admit to finding the book hard to read and follow. I think there is more than one book out there now, as well as some DVDs, so they may be worth checking out. But ideally, an in person class, or a trainer familiar with the protocol may be your best bet. Our local SPCA also offers a "grumpy growlies" class geared specifically toward dogs with reactivity issues. If your local shelter has training classes you may want to start there... even if they aren't offering the class they may be able to refer you to someone who is.

A quick Google turned up this possibility if you haven't found it already: Dog Training


----------



## DevWind (Nov 7, 2016)

No dog park or day care. They do not need to play with other dogs. Try just teaching him some obedience. What they really need when it comes to socialization is how to behave around strange dogs and people, not necessarily interact with them. I think using the word "socialization" tends to be misleading.


----------



## DblTrblGolden2 (Aug 22, 2018)

I agree with everyone else... No dog park, no day care. Do a ton of leash work and basic obedience. Learn to remain calm yourself. Use yourself as a barrier when out in public. Always put the dog on the opposite side of you as the approaching person or dog. I would make him sit and focus on me until they pass by. If possible step off the sidewalk a few feet and give him some room. If you need to you can step on the leash as an extra bit of reinforcement while teaching him to sit nicely and focus on you. To help train take really high value treats and have him sit and slowly treat him until the person or dog passes by. You need to do enough obedience work that you are confident that he will focus on and listen to you over everything else. Dogs feed off of our energy, so you need to be calm and confident. It will come with training.


----------



## the_real_george_forman (Jan 3, 2020)

DblTrblGolden2 said:


> I agree with everyone else... No dog park, no day care. Do a ton of leash work and basic obedience. Learn to remain calm yourself. Use yourself as a barrier when out in public. Always put the dog on the opposite side of you as the approaching person or dog. I would make him sit and focus on me until they pass by. If possible step off the sidewalk a few feet and give him some room. If you need to you can step on the leash as an extra bit of reinforcement while teaching him to sit nicely and focus on you. To help train take really high value treats and have him sit and slowly treat him until the person or dog passes by. You need to do enough obedience work that you are confident that he will focus on and listen to you over everything else. Dogs feed off of our energy, so you need to be calm and confident. It will come with training.


Thank you - I have no doubt that my anxiety is escalating this issue! I'm excited to work with a trainer for myself, too.


----------



## Emmdenn (Jun 5, 2018)

I will add, we went through something similar with our male. We didn’t ever do dog parks or daycare, but we did notice his tolerance for young dogs without manners was getting lower. He then got attacked by a GSD while we were walking on leash and that made him leash reactive if a dog approached him while on leash. We worked with a trainer and her shepherds, to focus on obedience and engagement while on leash to focus on me and not dogs around. Just in the past two weeks we’ve experienced dogs that weren’t great manners-wise on leash around our boy and practiced what we had trained with success. I’d recommend finding a trainer to figure out how to mitigate behaviors or how to train different behaviors in situations around other dogs.


----------



## Ffcmm (May 4, 2016)

one thing I realise helps a lot is to keep moving if you don't already. When things are static, tension builds and your boy gets a chance to start thinking and reacting. you might find yourself pausing/ slowing down when you encounter another dog, and even if its very subtle this sends signals to him that he picks up on. your hesitation etc. I have an intact male and I do not let him do meet and greets on leash or 'say hello' to every dog when I am out walking. sometimes I can see large intact males on my route and my boy hesitates and is hyper focused, so I just keep things moving and knock him out of that focus to prevent tension from building up. working with the trainer will be very beneficial.


----------



## PeytonsMommy (Jun 2, 2010)

Hi there. My younger golden has frustration reactivity (she wants to greet other dogs so badly she gets frustrated on lead), so I have learned a few things over the years! Something to also keep in mind is that the _type_ of training you pursue is very important. Punitive/alpha based training will only make reactivity worse in the long run, so please be sure whoever you choose uses positive reinforcement methods only. Reactivity is not something that will be "fixed" with a few training sessions, it will be a work in progress...but once you have the knowledge you need to set your pup up for success, it becomes a lot easier. There will be bumps along the way (they'll have a great walk one day then a not-so-great walk the next)...but please don't be discouraged, because it is SO rewarding when you start to see progress. A suggestion I can give you right off the bat, is to create distance. That is the golden rule in reactivity, though I know doing so may be tough to negotiate in a city setting, it really is key. If you have somewhere safe you can do this, another idea is to play, "Where's the doggy?" Basically, you and your pup sit somewhere at a safe distance from other dogs, but every time you see a dog, you say, "Where's the doggy?" When your pup looks at the other dog, reward with a treat. Do this enough and eventually they will see a dog, and look to you for a treat (instead of reacting) even without being prompted. Another thing you can try when crossing paths with another dog is treat scattering. I have been taught a few different tactics, but find this one to be the most successful with my dog...basically when crossing paths with another pup, you scatter some treats in the grass/ground so they have to search them out. Carry "high level" treats (meat, cheese, moist treats) with you on walks if your pup does not respond to the "lower level" treats (like kibble/etc.) when seeing other dogs...but do use the lower level treats if they are responsive to them because you want to the save the higher level treats for when you really need them. I hope this helps a bit, good luck to you & George.


----------



## the_real_george_forman (Jan 3, 2020)

PeytonsMommy said:


> Hi there. My younger golden has frustration reactivity (she wants to greet other dogs so badly she gets frustrated on lead), so I have learned a few things over the years! Something to also keep in mind is that the _type_ of training you pursue is very important. Punitive/alpha based training will only make reactivity worse in the long run, so please be sure whoever you choose uses positive reinforcement methods only. Reactivity is not something that will be "fixed" with a few training sessions, it will be a work in progress...but once you have the knowledge you need to set your pup up for success, it becomes a lot easier. There will be bumps along the way (they'll have a great walk one day then a not-so-great walk the next)...but please don't be discouraged, because it is SO rewarding when you start to see progress. A suggestion I can give you right off the bat, is to create distance. That is the golden rule in reactivity, though I know doing so may be tough to negotiate in a city setting, it really is key. If you have somewhere safe you can do this, another idea is to play, "Where's the doggy?" Basically, you and your pup sit somewhere at a safe distance from other dogs, but every time you see a dog, you say, "Where's the doggy?" When your pup looks at the other dog, reward with a treat. Do this enough and eventually they will see a dog, and look to you for a treat (instead of reacting) even without being prompted. Another thing you can try when crossing paths with another dog is treat scattering. I have been taught a few different tactics, but find this one to be the most successful with my dog...basically when crossing paths with another pup, you scatter some treats in the grass/ground so they have to search them out. Carry "high level" treats (meat, cheese, moist treats) with you on walks if your pup does not respond to the "lower level" treats (like kibble/etc.) when seeing other dogs...but do use the lower level treats if they are responsive to them because you want to the save the higher level treats for when you really need them. I hope this helps a bit, good luck to you & George.


Thank you so much for the thoughtful reply! We're setting up lessons now with a positive-reinforcement trainer so hopefully that will help. Over the phone he suggested the treat scattering but these are great suggestions! Without trying to hyper analyze it, especially after being home in the city for a couple weeks now (we spent the summer in rural location), his big trigger is intact larger males. SO many people got Covid puppies and the vets here are slammed on surgeries so there are a lot of teenagers walking around and almost no way to create distance on the sidewalks, but I love that game idea! I'm excited to learn how _I_ am the problem and how I can stop transmitting anxious vibes. Thanks again for your reply, it is super helpful.


----------

