# Bernie's Fear Reactivity



## Zuca's mom (Aug 14, 2012)

Have you checked this website out? Fearfuldogs.com
I've seen some very helpful tips here.


----------



## coaraujo (Nov 2, 2012)

This is something I wrote after our first new training class - that was not a good night :

Bernie and I had our first Family Dog/Intro to Agility class last wednesday. Its basically a Level II obedience class that focuses on commands/equipment important for agility. It went horribly. Bernie entered the building and classroom extremely reactive. I just held his collar to my hip and walked him straight to the farthest and quietest corner of the classroom. I got him settled and besides the occasional nervous growl I was getting him to calm down and relax. Then Bernie and the dog across from him locked eyes and they both got reactive. The trainer moved me and Bernie and put up an X-Pen around us with sheets covering the X-Pen. Bernie and I worked in there for the rest of class. We had very little space and the confined area made Bernie even more nervous. It was clear that he was viewed as a problem dog and aggressive. I’m not sure if this class/instructor is a good fit for us. In our last Level II obedience class the instructor seemed to really get Bernie. He just needs time to get used to the new dogs, time to realize they’re not going to hurt/attack him. Keeping him tucked away and not able to see the other dogs just made him more nervous about the other dogs in class. Every time he got a glimpse of another dog around the X-Pen he started growling and tensing up. In our last class he could easily work directly next to the other dogs because he was given time to get used to them. We also need space. He needs to be able to be withdrawn from whatever’s making him uncomfortable – not cornered. It was embarrassing, frustrating, and somewhat heartbreaking. I left the class in tears. I hate that people look at Bernie like he’s a monster – it breaks my heart. He’s the sweetest dog, loves people and has quite a few doggy friends. He’s just so terribly afraid and untrusting. I’m just going to really focus on building value for me, playing attention games, and doing IYC and CG. Since this first class I have decided to switch out of this class and into a similar class with our old instructor. I can't work with Bernie when I feel the rest of the world is looking at him like he's a monster dog. I personally emotionally fall apart and I need to be able to stay strong for Bernie since he's already nervous around other dogs. We start the new class on Monday. I am very excited to be back with his old trainer. Even if Bernie reacts at least she knows he's a sweet boy. There's something comforting about that for me.


----------



## Charliethree (Jul 18, 2010)

Bless you for hanging in there with Bernie. I have 'walked a mile' in your shoes and know it can be a very lonely and tough place to be. Have run the gamut of emotions, the sadness, the heartache and the frustration, the joy of small success, the realization that it is a long, long road but the journey is worth the time and effort. It is not easy, and sometimes not much fun, but hang in there, keep your eye on the horizon, you will get there.


----------



## inge (Sep 20, 2009)

Liza still loves your boys...no seriously, Bernie is not a monster dog. And he is lucky to have you.


----------



## quilter (Sep 12, 2011)

Please consider not being so quick to give up on the class, if it's because of what the other people are thinking. I've taken more than one class where there was a reactive dog across the room behind a barrier. I'm not over on the other side thinking what a terrible dog it is. With the barrier in place, you can move it when you like to give your dog more exposure. Also, I'm generally too busy working with my own dog to stress much about the other dogs.

Casper and I started a new class with 10 dogs a couple of weeks ago. We had *all* the dogs behind x-pens the first night. It was just so distracting! By the third week, we had all the xpens down and the dogs were practicing walking by each other.


----------



## azzure (Dec 10, 2011)

You could substitute my dog's name for Bernie's and I have the same story. I'm looking forward to learning about what steps you take and what progress you and Bernie make.


----------



## coaraujo (Nov 2, 2012)

Last night we started up class with our old instructor again. It went much, much better than the other class. This trainer just seems to understand how Bernie works (much better than I do that's for sure :no. Bernie was pretty reactive while we waited for class to start. We waited outside away from the rest of the dogs while the class before us finished up. As dogs walked in and out Bernie would tense up and growl and sometimes lash out. He was much better with the little dogs. I tried to keep him far away, give him treats, and distract him. I don't think I did very well. My number one priority was just to hold onto him and not let him near any other dogs. When it was time for class I waited for all of the dogs to enter and then pulled our trainer to the side and asked her where best to put Bernie. All the dogs were sitting on the left and right side of the classroom. She had us sit right in the front. That seemed to work well for Bernie. I think he liked being able to see all of the other dogs. It was weird - I was expecting this crazy outburst from him as we walked in (that's usually what happens), but he didn't react at all . He was a bit over excited, but not reactive. Just staring and checking things out. He reacted maybe twice during class when he locked gazes with another dog. We were able to work just fine all class, he was even off leash a bit for some of the training. Completely focused on me. I'm not sure if this trainer is magical : or if its just the comfort I get from working in her classroom. I know dogs are really sensitive to our emotions so I'm sure I make Bernie feel worse a lot of the time. I try to be strong and confident, but I'm sure I'm a mess on the inside and Bernie can tell. 

At one point the class split up and we did some "choose to heel" exercises where the dog runs loose while the rest of the class stands behind some gates. The owner just walks around ignoring the dog and lets the dog choose to come up and walk with them. Bernie did really well with this. He wanted to go sniff all of the other dogs/people's belongings at first, but pretty quickly he started walking with me. He was pretty cute - at one point he went and grabbed a toy and brought it to me and walked around with me with the toy in his mouth. I was impressed with how well he did. He only tried to go sniff the dogs behind the little X-Pen once and he didn't react. Just was curious. He's much more relaxed off leash. 

There's another dog in the class that has similar issues to Bernie. We were in another classroom waiting for the rest of the dogs to do the "Choose to Heel" training and these two kept setting each other off. Bernie sounds so vicious its crazy. I just tried to distract him, told him he was fine - that no one was going to hurt him. The other owner was really nice and we chatted a little about having reactive dogs. She said "I bet he's a sweetheart at home isn't he" That kind of made me feel better. She completely understood, so I didn't feel so alone. I wish I was better at controlling Bernie's outbursts though. He had quite a few in that waiting room. Our trainer is so good at handling them. At one point she walked in to check on us and Bernie and the other dog were reacting. She just walked over to Bernie and said "enough of this sillyness Bernie, sit" He sat, and she just threw treats in a direction away from the other dog and Bernie seemed to forget the other dog was there. When I try to deal with him reactivity half the time he won't take treats from me. I hope some point soon I can get as good as she is with dealing with his outbursts. 

Its interesting how situational his reactivity is. He tends to be fine with smaller dogs and puppies.With other reactive dogs or other large dogs he gets that fear reactive - lunge/bark/growl/foot stomping. He's especially bad with dark dogs and poofy dogs. At the end of class there was just Bernie and a 6 month old Golden together in the waiting room. Bernie was absolutely fine. We did some heeling work, figure eights, and casual loose leash walking. He couldn't have cared less that the other dog was in the room with us. Maybe he's a Golden snob just like me . 

It was a good training session and I'm excited to keep up with this class. I think we'll continually take it for a few sessions. It sure was exhausting though. Both Bernie and I zonked out when we got home.


----------



## coaraujo (Nov 2, 2012)

quilter said:


> Please consider not being so quick to give up on the class, if it's because of what the other people are thinking. I've taken more than one class where there was a reactive dog across the room behind a barrier. I'm not over on the other side thinking what a terrible dog it is. With the barrier in place, you can move it when you like to give your dog more exposure. Also, I'm generally too busy working with my own dog to stress much about the other dogs.
> 
> Casper and I started a new class with 10 dogs a couple of weeks ago. We had *all* the dogs behind x-pens the first night. It was just so distracting! By the third week, we had all the xpens down and the dogs were practicing walking by each other.


Thank you for your post. It makes me feel better knowing that others aren't necessarily thinking I have a monster dog. I do feel like this specific class just wasn't the right fit for us. I think we'll be ready for it in the near future, but I need to be better at handling Bernie's reactivity first. I also think the instructor wasn't a good fit (yet). The new teacher is agility based and teaches the competition agility classes. Whereas our old instructor focuses a lot of family dog manners and management. She's used to puppies/dogs acting out and having bad manners.


----------



## Charliethree (Jul 18, 2010)

Though it is best to try not to put your dog in situations where he is likely to react, there a couple of things you can try that may help to prevent or manage the reactive behavior if you end up in such a situation. Use a variety of super high value treats that he only gets when working with his reactivity. (Ask your trainer what she is using if he is responding better to hers). Keep as much space as you can between him and the 'trigger'. Spread some treats on the floor/ground and let him eat them ('sniffing'/eating can help a dog relax). 'Anchor' him, stand firmly on the leash about half way, this prevents you from involuntarily putting tension on the leash, and can help to calm him. Then get his focus on you, hold a treat right in front of his nose if need be, get a 'sit' (sitting is calming for a dog), lure it if you need to, rapidly feed the treats once his attention is on you to help keep it there - if he is looking at you, he is not focusing on the trigger - the longer he looks at the trigger the more 'anxious' he is going to get. If he is already over 'threshold', try dropping or tossing the treats in front of him on the floor, the movement will help to catch his attention, and eating them will help him start to calm. 
At home practice and reward name attention (he makes eye contact when he hears his name) and 'offered attention' (he makes eye contact without you cueing it) - the goal is to help him make a 'habit' out of 'checking in' with you frequently, which long run, will make it easier for him to move his focus from the trigger to you.


----------



## coaraujo (Nov 2, 2012)

Charliethree said:


> Use a variety of super high value treats that he only gets when working with his reactivity. (Ask your trainer what she is using if he is responding better to hers).


Too funny that you say this because this is actually exactly what I had to do. My treats never quite compared to what the trainer had so now we bring meatballs and liverwurst to class. 



> Keep as much space as you can between him and the 'trigger'. Spread some treats on the floor/ground and let him eat them ('sniffing'/eating can help a dog relax). 'Anchor' him, stand firmly on the leash about half way, this prevents you from involuntarily putting tension on the leash, and can help to calm him. Then get his focus on you, hold a treat right in front of his nose if need be, get a 'sit' (sitting is calming for a dog), lure it if you need to, rapidly feed the treats once his attention is on you to help keep it there - if he is looking at you, he is not focusing on the trigger - the longer he looks at the trigger the more 'anxious' he is going to get. If he is already over 'threshold', try dropping or tossing the treats in front of him on the floor, the movement will help to catch his attention, and eating them will help him start to calm.


Thank you I will make sure to practice this. I feel like I'm constantly treating during class. Is it normal to go through a whole fresh bag of treats (or more) during class? Depending on the situation we're in (whether or not he's especially reactive) I lose him if I'm not continuously delivering treats in his mouth/tossing them within close proximity.



> At home practice and reward name attention (he makes eye contact when he hears his name) and 'offered attention' (he makes eye contact without you cueing it) - the goal is to help him make a 'habit' out of 'checking in' with you frequently, which long run, will make it easier for him to move his focus from the trigger to you.


I definitely need to practice this more, but I've seen how helpful this can be. Right now he does occasionally offer eye contact, but not as often as he does once he realizes we're playing the game. When I lose him what I'll do is put treats in both hands and hold them on either side of his face and it's as if he's like "Oh, I know this game!" and we play treat for eye contact. He's very good once he realizes we're playing the game. I'm going to start working on teaching him Look at That. Maybe that will help with getting eye contact more often.

Thank you for your post!


----------



## coaraujo (Nov 2, 2012)

We had a little episode tonight. I was taking the boys out (one at a time) for a night stroll to do their business and get some of their energy out. As we were walking towards our usual sidewalk path Bernie got really reactive. He was growling and barking and doing his little back feet kicking thing. I looked around, but there weren't any people or dogs. I thought maybe he was fear-reacting to a sign or shadow in the distance. I talked to him in a soothing voice and fed him some treats while walking closer and closer to whatever he was fixated on. He got a little better but once we got to the sidewalk he went a bit crazy again. I couldn't figure out what he was going off about. He was staring into the woods like there was a wild beast in there or something. I looked around and didn't see anything. I ran out of treats and couldn't get him to relax so we just walked back to my apartment - did a little playing right outside where he was relaxed and then went inside. He gets like this a lot at night. He's so wary of everything. Usually I can find whatever it is that's making him reactive and show him it's okay and safe - nothing to be scared about and then he's fine. But this time I wasn't sure. I actually got a little freaked out because I was nervous there actually was something in the woods. Thats when I knew we should head inside. No point in making him more nervous because I was getting nervous too. 

Whats the best course of actions in situations like this? To just leave right away and head back inside? Treat and try to show him that there's nothing to be afraid of?

It's moments like these that I wish other people could see - the people who think Bernie's an aggressive monster. It just proves that he's clearly frightened and trying to appear like a tough-guy as a defense mechanism. I wish I could make him feel safe.


----------



## Charliethree (Jul 18, 2010)

It is normal and to be 'expected' to go through a 'ton' of treats - especially in the early stages of training - you are in essence teaching and rewarding 'new behaviors' that are very difficult for him to perform -so you want to highly reward him for doing it.

In situations where you can not determine what is upsetting him, it is best to calmly make a U-turn and walk away - reward him as you go. Key is 'calmly' and 'walk'. Keep in mind that dogs don't see that well in the dark, and they smell and hear a lot better than we do, so he may have heard or smelled something 'out there' that upset him. Retreat (calmly) is never a bad idea in those situations.
If you know what it is that worries him and can help change how he feels about it, ie: lure and reward, or make a trail for him to follow and give him the choice to follow it, then by all means follow through. Every success, no matter how small is a confidence builder.


----------



## coaraujo (Nov 2, 2012)

Well...about a month ago my car broke down and is toast. So we had to stop all training classes and the boys are staying with their dad (my BF). I don't feel comfortable having them at my place without a car in case something bad were to happen and we needed to get to the vet. Its stalled our reactivity work completley which is pretty disappointing. 

Some good news though! The other day our neighbors dog got under the fence and into our yard. (This isn't the first time, we keep filling in holes and putting up boards to keep him in his yard). Anyways - Oliver, Bernie, and Logan had a wonderful time playing with each other until Logan's owner came and got him. It was so nice to see Bernie have some positive dog-dog interaction. He really loves Logan (and all puppies for that matter). It gave me hope.

Here are some pictures


----------



## coaraujo (Nov 2, 2012)

Here is a video where you can see a bit of Bernie's reactivity. At about .43 seconds he jumps into the pool (lands near Charlie) and goes off on Charlie. You can see in other parts of the video that Bernie does fine with all the dogs, and even Charlie, otherwise. Charlie's the only one he'd growl at. The other two dogs are puppies (besides Oliver the other GR - bernie's brother from another mother ). 

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10200741885324675&l=1096840550258235909

Here is another video where Bernie growls at Charlie (.10 seconds in).
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10200741935605932&l=7104242017736356293

I'm not sure if the link will work, please let me know if it doesn't.


I don't understand why he's so selective with his reactivity. Does he feel threatened by Charlie?


----------



## readmeli (Apr 10, 2013)

I've only just caught this thread now but want to thank you for starting it, you are not the only one out there and it is comforting to read about others having issues, don't feel as alone! Keep up the good work, have you considered medication? We just started our pup on Prozac, if it helps, should help her calm down and be able to learn alternate behaviors quicker.


----------



## Charliethree (Jul 18, 2010)

Sometimes an insecure dog will 'target' another dog who is 'passive' or equally insecure and unlikely to defend itself. 

In the video, where Charlie was swimming and Bernie 'snarked' at him, there is a lot going on, Bernie was likely over excited and over threshold and perhaps feeling a little anxious about what was happening. When dogs are playing they can get over stimulated and if they are not 'self regulating' and 'calming' themselves by taking short breaks, they can get over aroused and react negatively to one another.


----------



## Colie CVT (Sep 15, 2013)

Based on the video, I watched the first one with the pool, it looks like Bernie is targeting Charlie for a simple reason to me. He can. Charlie is the older male dog of the group yes? Regardless of whether he has nuggets or not (I saw that Bernie still does), he is the older male. And he also doesn't react back. So Bernie can run after him and push at him without consequence. To make himself feel like the bigger man for lack of another way of putting it. Charlie is doing everything that he can to ignore it and is showing appropriate avoidance behaviors. He is waiting for either someone to intervene (which the sooner the better) or for Bernie to lose interest. 

There's a total of 7 dogs who live in my house. 3 of which are intact. Varying ages. We have situations like that a lot where one dog is picking on another dog, simply because they can get away with it because the other dog either turns away or doesn't stand up for themselves. He is picking like that because he knows who he can get away with it with. If the dog was to turn and fight back, I don't know if he'd be so keen to do that again.

What you show in that video really has no fear component. His posture is very much that of a confident dog. I can't speak to what it is like in those classes. My sister's little chi had 2 boxers rush her and now when she meets new dogs she goes a distance away, barking at them and kicking her little back legs. But more importantly, she will not look the other dog in the eye! She turns her head sideways and skitters away if they try to come closer. Leashes leave a dog feeling trapped, but I'm kind of wondering if it isn't less fear based in truth. But like I said, I can't see your dog, but maybe it is just another idea to think of?

He's an adolescent dog after all lol. Some of them are kind of pushy, others aren't as much. Our hiking group has a hound mix in it that is one of the more aggressive dogs I've seen about food (even water) and he tends to single out a dog that he constantly picks on. Baying and pushing at them, even if they try to tell him to back off. When we are out on trails, we have a command for our dogs to get them off of the road when bikers come. We use treats as a reward/distraction for the aussie, who is aggressive toward bikers. The hound came rushing over and even though my roommate closed his treat bag and attempted to get out of the way, if he attempted to get the collar of the aussie to keep him from going back toward the trail, the hound was leaping at his hand thinking there was food. Alternatively he started to redirect toward the closest dogs. While the aussie is judicious and only warns back, my roommate's lab turned and grabbed him by the side. Needless to say, the dog was much more subdued the rest of the time.

When our dogs act like that, being bullies, we remove them from the situation. They either end up on leash if we are in the midst of a hike, or placed away from the situation while the other dogs still get to have fun. Dogs will be dogs, and we try not to bug much into their business, but there's a certain level of pushy that isn't okay. If Charlie turns and fights back, it may take some of the wind out of Bernie's sails but it might also be a bad thing in the end too. :/

I do wish you guys luck in your adventures. My two dogs are generally easy with other dogs, however my shepherd female picks on my roommate's female shepherd, and my golden tends to be the one who gets picked on by most every dog we own (minus my female shepherd). Myles is fearful of strangers, terrified of kids. I get the question of whether he was a rescue or they are convinced something happened. Honest answer is that I don't know. He hit that second fear stage and that was it. It's been years of working and thankfully with full maturity, he has seemed to gain a certain calmness and confidence he didn't have before. But confidence is a big thing that helps a dog along.  Confidence in themselves, and in the team you make. The more you work with them, or fun thing that you do with them (like agility), the better the bond. Also helps with that focus on me thing lol. 

Good luck to you guys. And kudos to you for wanting to help him through all of this! Many people would simply call it quits.


----------



## OutWest (Oct 6, 2011)

Just saw this thread--wish I'd seen it before. I think it's a great idea to have one dedicated to fear-reactive dogs. Now that I have one I can recognize the signs and I believe there are quite a few out in the world. Your Bernie is a interesting case in that it sounds as if his fear is innate. In my Bella's case and Charliethree's Joseph, the fear was more likely caused by bad handling on the part of humans. I suspect it doesn't change the work that needs to be done a bit either way. 

I worked with a wonderful trainer and I got a lot of great input from experienced people on GRF. It's helped me a lot. Bella was kept in a backyard for her first year of life and her fear is caused by lack of socialization (we think). I've been doing much of what you describe.

Why do you walk your two separately? I'm wondering if the other dog might not be a calming influence on Bernie when he's out. I don't walk mine much--bad knee--but I have a dog walker who walks them together for an hour and they go very wel together. He was walking them separately and we recently switched to joint. 

Again, thanks for posting your thoughts here. I've found it very interesting. Having an unpredictable dog is very challenging!


----------



## OutWest (Oct 6, 2011)

Here are a few of my threads on Bella if you're interested. You may have already seen them...

http://www.goldenretrieverforum.com...26626-almost-really-really-bad-situation.html

http://www.goldenretrieverforum.com...on/199306-worried-about-bella-little-bit.html

http://www.goldenretrieverforum.com...n-discussion/194466-update-bella-general.html

http://www.goldenretrieverforum.com...sues/177178-sweet-bellas-progress-report.html

http://www.goldenretrieverforum.com...oblems-issues/175938-bellas-lesson-today.html

http://www.goldenretrieverforum.com...oral-problems-issues/169418-bella-update.html

http://www.goldenretrieverforum.com...es/124441-barking-dogs-peoples-faces-why.html

Wow...just looked through the many threads I've written about Bella. I didn't realize how many times I had posted...


----------



## Charliethree (Jul 18, 2010)

A couple of concerns when walking a reactive dog with another dog. One that I would be most concerned about is the other dog 'joining in'. Should an event occur and the reactive dog goes over threshold, the other dog could react as well (even if it is out of character for that dog) - you could end up with two reacting dogs. So there is a safety factor happening here.

Another is that when/if your dog goes over threshold, you want to have your focus and attention on him, a reacting dog is both incredibly strong and 'out of control' emotionally and needs you to redirect his attention and/or move him away from the trigger, so that he can calm down and begin to think.


----------



## coaraujo (Nov 2, 2012)

Charliethree said:


> Sometimes an insecure dog will 'target' another dog who is 'passive' or equally insecure and unlikely to defend itself.
> 
> In the video, where Charlie was swimming and Bernie 'snarked' at him, there is a lot going on, Bernie was likely over excited and over threshold and perhaps feeling a little anxious about what was happening. When dogs are playing they can get over stimulated and if they are not 'self regulating' and 'calming' themselves by taking short breaks, they can get over aroused and react negatively to one another.


I think that this might be what Bernie's doing here. Or at least its what I was thinking. I feel like he's always so insecure and always feels threatened that when he's finally around another dog that he can feel "tough" around he needs to overcompensate? Idk if that makes sense. Its weird because he does seem to be taking advantage of the fact that Charlie is more passive and won't react, but he doesn't do the same thing with puppies. He doesn't try to bully puppies, maybe he's not threatened by them like he is with older dogs?


----------



## coaraujo (Nov 2, 2012)

readmeli said:


> I've only just caught this thread now but want to thank you for starting it, you are not the only one out there and it is comforting to read about others having issues, don't feel as alone! Keep up the good work, have you considered medication? We just started our pup on Prozac, if it helps, should help her calm down and be able to learn alternate behaviors quicker.


We have not considered medication. How exactly do you use it? Is it something you only give when you know you'll be in an environment where the dog is likely to be reactive, or is it a daily thing?


----------



## coaraujo (Nov 2, 2012)

> Why do you walk your two separately? I'm wondering if the other dog might not be a calming influence on Bernie when he's out. I don't walk mine much--bad knee--but I have a dog walker who walks them together for an hour and they go very wel together. He was walking them separately and we recently switched to joint.


This is exactly why I can't walk them together (besides the fact that they're not loose leash trained well enough yet )



Charliethree said:


> A couple of concerns when walking a reactive dog with another dog. One that I would be most concerned about is the other dog 'joining in'. Should an event occur and the reactive dog goes over threshold, the other dog could react as well (even if it is out of character for that dog) - you could end up with two reacting dogs. So there is a safety factor happening here.
> 
> Another is that when/if your dog goes over threshold, you want to have your focus and attention on him, a reacting dog is both incredibly strong and 'out of control' emotionally and needs you to redirect his attention and/or move him away from the trigger, so that he can calm down and begin to think.


When Bernie goes over threshold, Oliver reacts as well. He's always ready to back up his brother.


----------



## OutWest (Oct 6, 2011)

coaraujo said:


> We have not considered medication. How exactly do you use it? Is it something you only give when you know you'll be in an environment where the dog is likely to be reactive, or is it a daily thing?


I have Bella on Prozac daily. I think it's helped her but it's hard to know. I have also done intensive training with her. And recently I switched her to a low protein diet based on some research I heard about from Charliethree. Too soon to know about the effects of that but I think it's helping. I'm literally doing everything that I think might help. I got the Prozac prescription from my vet and had it filled at target.


----------



## Jennifer1 (Mar 31, 2012)

I have a leash aggressive dog and have been working with him based on BAT training.
Official Behavior Adjustment Training (BAT) site: humane help for aggression, frustration, and fear in dogs, horses, and other animals.

The gist if it is to always keep the dog under threshold when working with them. You are trying to get the dog to use polite cut-off cues rather than the barking/lunging/growling. You stay well below threshold and reward the cut-off cues that other dogs understand as "I'm not comfortable, give me space", such as sniffing the ground, licking lips, turning head away from dog, etc. you click and walk away from the dog (that is the reward, space between them and the dog). The dog learns that using the cut off cues gets the space he wants and doesn't need to go ballistic.
Since other dogs understand the cut-off cues, you will actually begin to get closer to other dogs and still have your dog stay under threshold since he will learn he can control his environment without going crazy
It has worked well for me.


----------



## readmeli (Apr 10, 2013)

As far as medication, it can vary depending on the dog. Most I have researched are dosed daily with something like Prozac. You need to discuss it with your vet.


----------



## coaraujo (Nov 2, 2012)

I'll have to talk to my vet about the Prozac, I'm also looking into one of those calming pheromone plug-in things. I may start there. I get nervous about the thoughts of using medication long-term. 

Today I took both boys for a walk (separately) because they're in desperate need of loose-leash practice. We had one reactivity outburst. We were walking by a house that has a lot of lawn statues. They really scared Bernie so he started barking and growling and got really low to the ground backing away. I tried using treats to get him to walk by, but he was way too skittish. There was a crossing guard nearby and she saw I was struggling so came over to help and start calling Bernie. We were able to scurry past the house to the crossing guard. Bernie was way over threshold at this point so he had no manners, (jumping - needing to be reminded to sit). I wish I had him on his front-clip harness, but I only had him on his flat collar so I was lacking control. We had been doing so well loose-leash walking I thought we'd be okay. But this was a completely new walking path that we took today. Not smart on my part. After we Bernie calmed down we finished our walk and he did really well. Occasional pulling, but no more outbursts. Luckily we didn't run into any other dogs. I think someone posted about the possibility that Bernie's outbursts aren't fear related. Its moments like these that make me certain his reactivity is fear based. He reaction towards inanimate objects that he's afraid of is exactly the same as his reaction to unfamiliar dogs. 

Today was a little disheartening, we have such a far ways to go. The crossing guard asked me "did you just get him?" kind of implying with training he'll get easier to handle. I was like "nope, had him for 1.5 years since he was a puppy". thinking to myself "and yes he's still a crazy goon". Love him though.

ETA: My course of action kind of sucked here. I probably should have just turned around and walked the way we had come from instead of forcing Bernie past the house. Or used soem BAT training looking for cut-off cues. I always think of these things too late


----------



## OutWest (Oct 6, 2011)

I agree you should probably have walked away, or just sat him down and waited for a few minutes and fed him a treat or two for calming. But don't beat yourself up. These dogs are challenging and we are only too human. I always have to remember when out with Bella to be extra alert for possible problems and also extra patient and understanding. For me, that's a lot to do all at once! LOL


----------



## coaraujo (Nov 2, 2012)

OutWest said:


> I agree you should probably have walked away, or just sat him down and waited for a few minutes and fed him a treat or two for calming. But don't beat yourself up. These dogs are challenging and we are only too human. I always have to remember when out with Bella to be extra alert for possible problems and also extra patient and understanding. For me, that's a lot to do all at once! LOL


It's definitely not easy. I feel like so much of the time I'm doing the wrong thing and setting us back. I have a hard enough time just trying to walk without pulling, let alone dealing with possible reactivity outbursts. It's a slow learning process for us all! I try to focus on the positives, and not dwell on the negatives and set backs because god knows there are a lot of set backs!


----------



## Charliethree (Jul 18, 2010)

Hang in there! We all make mistakes, try not to repeat them, and hopefully have a (better) plan in place for the 'next time' it happens. For some dogs recovery can take a long time, Joseph has been 'in training' for 2 1/2 years, he is not 'there' yet, but he is a lot better than he was when he first arrived. It is a slow process, but over time the 'set backs' are less frequent and you will begin to noticeably gain 'ground'. It can't be rushed, there is no time frame, the dog decides what he can and cannot cope with on any given day. 
It is a lot of work, 'set backs' are normal, 'mistakes' happen, it is a learning curve for both of you. Take some time to rehearse and reward the behaviors he knows, each success (regardless what it is) is a confidence builder for him, and a 'positive' for you. Also make sure you have some 'down' time and fun time, whether it is playing fetch in the backyard, hanging out, or teaching a fun trick, it can be great stress reliever.


----------



## coaraujo (Nov 2, 2012)

Thank you all for your support and words of encouragement . I just wanted to post with a few successes and positives to remind myself of how great a boy Bernie is - and some loose leash walking strategies that worked for us! 

The day before Thanksgiving my boyfriend and I took both our boys for a walk at his parents. They've never been walked there before so they were extremely excited in the new environment and the beginning of the walk was very slow. Lots of stopping like a tree, jogging backwards, and restarting. Luckily his parents live in a pretty quiet area so I decided to walk Bernie down the middle of the road. He was over threshold and nothing was getting him to settle. Too many new smells, birds, squirrels and sights. He did wonderfully! I think I've found our next step with loose leash walking. We have graduated to being able to walk nicely in new environments (as long as we're in the middle of the road). My plan is to move closer and closer to the side of the road slowly over time. This was all on his flat collar too because we had forgotten the front clip harness at home. I was very proud of him. Anytime he started to get distracted all I'd have to do is ask for a sit and he'd plop is butt down and look up at me. What a good boy. He did get frightened at one point when we walked by a house who's screen door wasn't latched. It was swinging in the wind, creaking. He was very nervous and wouldn't take his eyes off of it. I moved as far away from the home (to the other side of the street) and passed by. No barking or lunging, just skittish. I think that's good since he didn't get over threshold. 

On Thanksgiving day both boys were absolutely marvelous. No counter surfing, very minimal jumping while greeting (just once paws came off the ground - and that was for Grandma their favorite person EVER). They laid politely while we all ate Thanksgiving dinner, they didn't steal any food from my little sisters - despite how much teasing the girls did. Everyone in my family was very impressed with how well behaved they were - made me feel proud . My family isn't the most dog-friendly. I took Bernie for a walk after dinner - using the middle of the street strategy from the day before. He did soooo well. We only had pulling once when a group of birds took flight as we walked by. I was so impressed with him. If he went too far ahead all I had to say was heal and he'd scoot back to me. I tried to keep it interesting by weaving back and forth across the road (once again - a slow quiet road with a lot of stop signs). He had once reactivity outburst when we were walking from the house to the street. The neighbors house has a scarecrow lawn decoration next to the driveway. Bernie barked/growled and cowered backwards when we went by it. I just quickly went in the opposite direction and continued on our walk. It happened so fast I wasn't ready for it. I need to watch him more closely when walking so I can pick up on his avoidance cues. There are obviously a lot of things out on our walks that make him nervous and I need to be more observant. 

Today. My boyfriend and I took the boys for a walk at my apartment. The boys are used to walking here because its a daily activity. Bernie did beautifully. He was loving life, had so much pep in his step. That's my favorite thing about him. He lights up outside - he just LOVES being outside. 

We attempted taking some Christmas pictures, but had a little bit of trouble because Bernie was too scared to get close to the tree. He didn't want to put his back to it. Lots of treats and luring, but we got a few!


----------



## Charliethree (Jul 18, 2010)

Sounds like you all had a really great time! 
Your response to Bernie's fear of the scarecrow was perfect, there is no point in remaining in a situation that he is not comfortable with and potentially causing him to escalate. Suggest training and practicing an 'emergency U-turn' to help calmly move away from situations like this.

If you haven't read it: Scaredy Dog! by Ali Brown, is a good book to read.
Feisty Fido by Patricia B McConnell, is another one that can help.


----------



## OutWest (Oct 6, 2011)

Wow--it sounds to me like Bernie is doing great. My two, especially Bella, would not have done so well at Thanksgiving dinner with family! Congrats.


----------



## coaraujo (Nov 2, 2012)

OutWest said:


> Wow--it sounds to me like Bernie is doing great. My two, especially Bella, would not have done so well at Thanksgiving dinner with family! Congrats.


Thank you . Bernie does very well with people and social gatherings as long as other, strange dogs are absent. He's so well-behaved in the home that people are shocked and think I'm crazy when I tell him he has the fear issues that he has.


----------



## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

That seems like a really strong upward trend. You're finding lots of opportunities to catch him doing it right and to show him that the scary stuff isn't scary, since you're there and he can do something for you—like sit or heel—to help him feel confident (and to get a reward).


----------



## coaraujo (Nov 2, 2012)

Today we had an "encounter" with another dog on our walk. There was a dog about 100 yards away from us as we were walking back to my apartment. Bernie zoned in on the dog, I couldn't get him to look back at me much. A few times, when I said lets go and jogged in the opposite direction I could get his attention back on me for a few seconds. He was still responsive though. He walked in heel and sat when I asked, he just constantly stared at the other dog. When the other dog was out of sight he was back to his normal self. I decided to try some BAT training. I would walk Bernie to a place where he could see the other dog (about 50 yards) and then looked for avoidance signals and took off in the opposite direction. The only issue was...I never really saw any avoidance signals. No shakes, no lip licking, no ground sniffing. He'd just tense up and lock his gaze on the dog. When he locked up I'd say "lets go" and jog off in the opposite direction. He was always happy to jog off so I think that's good. He always needed a little tug though, he never turned with me on the verbal "lets go". A couple times the other dog and Bernie made eye contact. Bernie growled once and we quickly retreated. Another time I was able to retreat before he started to growl. I'm not sure if this was productive at all, but I thought it was worth giving a try. What do I do if he doesn't give any avoidance behaviors? Maybe next time I'll try to work on some training with a dog in the distance instead of approaching and retreating.


----------



## coaraujo (Nov 2, 2012)

On today's walk we ran into another dog again. Luckily I saw the dog before Bernie did so I quickly walked us off the path and into a side yard. I just let Bernie hang out and sniff the bushes. He didn't catch sight of the other dog until they were maybe 20 yards away. I quickly said "Lets go" and he came bounding towards me. I gave him a ton of string cheese and praise. We did this a couple of times. I got him to sit while watching the other dog walk away and just kept feeding him treats, telling him he was a good boy. We almost made it through the whole experience without a single outburst. He gave one low growly bark and a couple foot stomps, but I quickly jogged us in the opposite direction. He always came bounding along with me tail wagging so I think that is a good sign. 

The only thing I found interesting and somewhat confusing was after the dog was gone and out of sight Bernie never really calmed down. He was going crazy, wouldn't stop moving and seemed to have lost his brain. He was literally prancing circles around me. If I asked him to come to me he didn't just walk over, he leaped over to me. He was all bouncy and hyper. I dont know if it was because he went above threshold seeing the other dog? He never calmed down for the rest of our walk. He didn't pull or become reactive or anything he was just overly excited for the rest of the walk. I'm not sure if this was good or bad but he seemed to enjoy the walk. 

Oh this dog!
Bernie's new trick - He bows when I say "How do you do?"


----------



## OutWest (Oct 6, 2011)

I've heard that after an adrenalin rush experience, it can take a dog a full 48 hours to return to normal, so what you're describing makes sense. That's why it's a good practice to cut the reaction off before it starts. One of the biggest lessons I learned from my trainer was to really watch for other dogs and distractions so I could position Bella to watch them with me, as you did with Bernie. It sounds like you handled it all just right. (I love his bow!)


----------



## coaraujo (Nov 2, 2012)

Just recently Bernie has been really afraid of walking into my bedroom. There's a short hallway that leads to my bedroom. He won't even come into the hallway. I've been able to lure him into the bedroom if I get down to his level and give some encouragement. But tonight I couldn't get him to budge. He was giving that whale-eye and licking his lips. His tail was low and he was stiff - very nervous. I don't understand why all of a sudden he's afraid. I've lived here since May and he never had a problem. I'd say time for bed and he'd jog into the bedroom and jump up on the bed. The past few nights he'd reluctantly come into the room and then jump up on the bed and snuggle with me. Tonight I ended up dragging him/half carrying him . His tail was so far between his legs. I felt so bad, but I didn't know how else to get him into my room. Now he's happy as a clam snuggling with me in bed. It made me really really sad though. I tried so hard to get him to come into the room on his own, I had out treats and everything. He wouldn't budge. I got him somewhat close at one point, but then Oliver startled him and he backed off. He gets like this when we leave my apartment too. He really hates the front door - going in and out of it. He scurrys past really fast. I feel a bit deflated tonight. My poor boy, it must be such a scary world for him. I'm very sad for him  His face when he's scared - its just the saddest look in the world.


----------



## coaraujo (Nov 2, 2012)

Found this video informative and useful






ETA: Especially right around 11:50 when he talks about how forcing a dog to experience what they're afraid of is a bad idea. I know quite a few trainers who told me to just force the dog to go through with whatever it is that scares them and when they realize they won't die they won't be afraid of it anymore. smh.

Here is another one that has some good information about counter conditioning - the end summarizes everything pretty well (starting at 7 minutes).


----------



## Charliethree (Jul 18, 2010)

Forcing a dog of any age to 'face it's fears' by preventing escape/or forcing a dog towards it or past it can build the dogs anxiety about what it afraid of. Giving them 'control' and letting them decide what works for them, encourage but never 'push' - is a far better way to go.
It sounds like Bernie did really well in letting the other dog pass by without reacting to it. Though he did not 'physically' respond (in the usual way) it caused him some concern, as you saw, he was escalated throughout the rest of the walk, likely anticipating seeing more dogs. A couple of ways to manage this: one would be just to 'call it a day' and head home, he can't learn in this state, and it increases the likelihood that he will go over threshold on sight of another trigger. The other option would be to find a spot to stop, stand on the leash about half way, and wait for him to calm down. 
If you haven't taught him to 'settle' on cue, it is a good thing for him to learn. Start teaching him this at home, put him on leash, give him the 'settle' cue, and wait for him to lay down on his own. Ignore him completely wait for it to happen, (be prepared it could take a while the first few times) when he is totally relaxed, rolled over on one hip, calmly pet long strokes and talk to him, then give him the release cue. Gradually increase the time you asking him to 'hold' the settle. Once he understands and is reliable at home, practice in safe places when out on walks. This is not something you can expect him to do in the face of a 'trigger' or immediately after a reactive 'event' (it is just too much to ask and a vulnerable position for a dog) but when you sense he has escalated stopping, (standing on the leash half way if need be) and asking him to 'settle' (don't cue the down, wait for it to happen) can help lower his anxiety level and slow him down. 
In addition, on walks spend some time working at slowing him down, keeping a slower pace, make frequent stops, wait for the sit, sitting is calming for a dog, and vary the time you wait before moving on. It is okay if he looks around, and instinctive for him to want to do so, but for the most part try to keep his attention on you while he is holding the sit. 
It is important to have a good 'mental' picture of what your dog looks like when he is totally relaxed and 'at ease' on a walk. Speeding up (or slowing down) or exaggerated movements (prancing, head held high), tight lips, tension in the body, constantly 'scanning' the environment can be indicators of anxiety and he may need some help to calm down.


----------



## coaraujo (Nov 2, 2012)

Charliethree said:


> Forcing a dog of any age to 'face it's fears' by preventing escape/or forcing a dog towards it or past it can build the dogs anxiety about what it afraid of. Giving them 'control' and letting them decide what works for them, encourage but never 'push' - is a far better way to go.
> It sounds like Bernie did really well in letting the other dog pass by without reacting to it. Though he did not 'physically' respond (in the usual way) it caused him some concern, as you saw, he was escalated throughout the rest of the walk, likely anticipating seeing more dogs. A couple of ways to manage this: one would be just to 'call it a day' and head home, he can't learn in this state, and it increases the likelihood that he will go over threshold on sight of another trigger. The other option would be to find a spot to stop, stand on the leash about half way, and wait for him to calm down.
> If you haven't taught him to 'settle' on cue, it is a good thing for him to learn. Start teaching him this at home, put him on leash, give him the 'settle' cue, and wait for him to lay down on his own. Ignore him completely wait for it to happen, (be prepared it could take a while the first few times) when he is totally relaxed, rolled over on one hip, calmly pet long strokes and talk to him, then give him the release cue. Gradually increase the time you asking him to 'hold' the settle. Once he understands and is reliable at home, practice in safe places when out on walks. This is not something you can expect him to do in the face of a 'trigger' or immediately after a reactive 'event' (it is just too much to ask and a vulnerable position for a dog) but when you sense he has escalated stopping, (standing on the leash half way if need be) and asking him to 'settle' (don't cue the down, wait for it to happen) can help lower his anxiety level and slow him down.
> In addition, on walks spend some time working at slowing him down, keeping a slower pace, make frequent stops, wait for the sit, sitting is calming for a dog, and vary the time you wait before moving on. It is okay if he looks around, and instinctive for him to want to do so, but for the most part try to keep his attention on you while he is holding the sit.
> It is important to have a good 'mental' picture of what your dog looks like when he is totally relaxed and 'at ease' on a walk. Speeding up (or slowing down) or exaggerated movements (prancing, head held high), tight lips, tension in the body, constantly 'scanning' the environment can be indicators of anxiety and he may need some help to calm down.


Thank you, this post was really helpful. Especially the end when talking about having a mental picture of what Bernie looks like when he is totally relaxed on a walk. I'm wondering if some of the time when I think he's excited to be outside, he's actually nervous/anxious. He gets prancy sometimes and I thought it was just because he was excited to be outside, but today I noticed he does a lot of lip licking while prancing and looks around a lot. Maybe he's actually nervous. This was after seeing another dog off in the distance so I was watching his behavior more closely. I'm going to have to remember to observe his body language more so I get a good idea of what his relaxed state is. 

I really want to take a class on dog behavior so I can learn about what all his different body language means.


----------



## Susieq1962 (Dec 10, 2013)

I use a combination of BAT and nosework to work with reactive dogs and it works wonders...


----------



## coaraujo (Nov 2, 2012)

Life is very busy at the moment, but just a quick update. 

We visited the BF's parents last weekend and as we were getting the dogs out of the car a beautiful husky was being walked by its owner. Bernie and the dog locked eyes and Bernie let out a growl. I immediately said "Bernie, this way" and he trotted off with me in the opposite direction - (willingly, no pulling!). When we turned around the other dog was gone and he relaxed very quickly, walking politely on the leash. I was so caught off guard by how quickly he calmed down. Usually he gets so over threshold he's pulling like a maniac and completely loses his brain, still barking and foot stomping. None of that this time! Clearly we have a lot of work to do, but very happy with our progress.


----------



## FeatherRiverSam (Aug 7, 2009)

That's great...it sounds like you're making some good progress and probably helping a lot of other people in your process with your informative thread.


Pete & Woody


----------



## coaraujo (Nov 2, 2012)

It's been a while since I've posted here, but I wanted to give an update on Bernie. Due to the extreme cold and the fact that our training has been limited to in the home since I haven't had a car. We really haven't had any reactivity issues. I have been really happy with Bernie's behavior when other dogs are in the distance. For example, we went to a going away party for my sister (she just left for South Africa to join the Peace Corps). The neighbors dogs were going bonkers, barking up a storm. Bernie's ears perked up once, but other than that he completely ignored them. It didn't make him nervous or reactive, so that is definitely a good sign.

We did have our first interaction with other dogs this past weekend. Our local GRC had its annual health clinic and I wanted to take both boys in to get their eyes and heart done. We kept Bernie in the car and kind of shot him in and out of the vet clinic when it was his turn. He was very nervous. He was pretty reactive in the car, but settled quickly for me as I just talked to him in a soothing voice. I had to drop his eyes (for the eye exam) in the car while dogs were walking by. Bernie tried growling and barking but it only lasted about 10 seconds before I could calm him and he let me put the drops in. It was hard to really see how he was doing when I brought him in and out of the clinic because I was moving really fast and was kind of nervous. I asked all the owners to make space for him and the owners with dogs outside to move away from us. Everyone was very understanding. I just walked Bernie with my hand on his collar and held it tight to my side so I'd have the most control over him. He was very reactive every time we passed another dog, but seemed to be more concerned about going into the exam room once we were actually in the building. He stopped being reactive and became a dead weight and I had to drag/push him into the room. Once we were in the room he settled immediately, tail wagging and happy to see the vets and vet techs. 

Some interesting things I was able to notice:
- He was especially reactive to certain dogs. Most of the dogs there were goldens. Bernie lashed out the most towards a rottweiler and a bernese mountain dog. He had no problem with any of the small breed dogs and seemed indifferent to the goldens. 
- When leaving the exam room (both times, once for heart and once for eyes) we passed Oliver (his brother). They both touched noses and it seemed to settle Bernie down a lot. He seemed to kind of forget what was going on.
- After I left the vet clinic with Bernie my boyfriend said Oliver was shaking uncontrollably. I'm wondering if Bernie's fear scared Oliver or made him feel like something was wrong?

Well after that we had two exhausted and healthy pups. We start up training class in a few weeks. I'm sure I'll have a lot more updates then.


----------



## OutWest (Oct 6, 2011)

Thanks for the update. It's possible that Bernie's fear gets onto Ollie. I know when Bella is agitated it can get Tucker upset. 

We send PCVs to South Africa? Who knew? Tell her a returned PCV said "good job!" I hope her experience is as wonderful as mine was.


----------



## coaraujo (Nov 2, 2012)

My BF and his friends wanted to have a night out on the town, but one of the guys has a little pomeranian that can't be left alone for too long, so I offered to dog sit. Bernie doesn't have reactivity issues with little dogs so I thought a little doggy playdate would be fun. But now that its going on, I'm not so sure...

The more I see Bernie interact with other dogs the more I think he's just socially awkward. I don't think he's good at it. 

Some things I noticed:
Both Bernie and Oliver were glued to the Pomeranian (Melo) -sniffing and licking his butt and following him around, hovering over him. Never giving him a break. I had to restrain both of them outside just so the little guy could get away to have a pee break. Right now they're gated in separate rooms so they can have a break but they're all crying to get back together :doh:. 

When Bernie wasn't glued to Melo, he was always watching him. His ears were back in a nervous way, he had somewhat of a whale eye, and he was panting and drooling. I'm not sure if its because he didn't trust the new dog that was in his house? I had him come up on the couch and snuggle with me and that seemed to have him calm down, make him feel more secure I guess? 

Bernie's body language around Melo made me think he was trying to posture him, but he never tried to hump him once. He never growled. I thought I was beginning to understand what was going on and then Bernie laid down in front of Melo in a submissive way. So now I can't tell if Bernie's trying to dominate Melo or what ?

The one thing I do want to comment on is that Bernie was very good about listening to me when I told him to back off of Melo (even if it only lasted for a few minutes at a time). I could tell it took a lot of self-control so I'm proud of him for that. He seems to have a lot more trust in me now and feels safer with me, so that is a big step forward. 


Here are some pictures:
The ears back, his stance, how he's hovering, the low tail wag - all has me nervous.


----------



## coaraujo (Nov 2, 2012)

OutWest said:


> Thanks for the update. It's possible that Bernie's fear gets onto Ollie. I know when Bella is agitated it can get Tucker upset.
> 
> We send PCVs to South Africa? Who knew? Tell her a returned PCV said "good job!" I hope her experience is as wonderful as mine was.



I think that's exactly what happens. Oliver seems to be very receptive to Bernie's feelings. When Bernie reacts Oliver will react, when Bernie is very afraid, it looks like Oliver gets afraid as well. 

I told my sister that a fellow PCV said good job in the first letter I wrote her! Unfortunately when she got over there the South African Post Office was on strike so she just got her first mail today after being there for a month. We've had a bit of contact with her. The poverty there is unbelievable. Thank goodness the world has people like you guys!


----------



## coaraujo (Nov 2, 2012)

Well we had a bad day yesterday. We took the dogs to my college campus where there are huge fields. Both on long lines. Just let them run around and have fun. Its a really large area so we were able to find a place that was empty without children sledding and other dogs. On our way back to the car a dog that was off leash approached us while I was reeling in Bernie's line and getting ready to put him in the car. We were maybe 10 yards from the car and Bernie was on maybe 6 feet of leash. But since I was reeling him in I didn't have him under the best control. I didn't even see the dog until it was already a few feet from Bernie. I panicked. I tried to pull Bernie away, which probably made Bernie more nervous. Bernie attacked the dog and the dog ran away. I held on tight and Bernie tried to chase the dog, but I didn't let go so he wasn't able to go after the dog. He didn't bite the dog just lots of angry snarls and snapping. Scared the crap out of the dog. And all of those involved. The owners were maybe 100 yards away and the dog didn't respond to the owners calls. The woman and child seemed frightened. They asked if we were okay. Which we were, but Bernie was really scared for the next few hours. It all happened so fast I didn't know what to do. It makes me nervous about taking him anywhere 

Pictures from our day:


----------



## Charliethree (Jul 18, 2010)

We can only do 'so much' and life happens anyway, we sometimes get caught 'off guard'. Options are limited when encountering an off leash dog, and I am sure Bernie was as surprised as you were to have a loose dog come running up and get in his space. Sometimes all you can do is 'damage control' - keeping a firm grip on the leash, and try to move away. It is unnerving to say the least, and always a concern, but on the 'up side', Thankfully, no one was hurt!


----------



## coaraujo (Nov 2, 2012)

Charliethree said:


> It is unnerving to say the least, and always a concern, but on the 'up side', Thankfully, no one was hurt!


Yes, I am very thankful that no one was hurt, just shaken. Nothing that a cone of strawberry ice cream from my schools farm couldn't help  Bernie was feeling much better after that. We enjoyed that from the safety of the backseat of our car.

ETA: I just wanted to add for those who read this thread looking for similar experiences and takeaways.. The lesson I learned from this encounter is that I will always be switching to our 6 or 4 foot lead before we walk back to the car. Looking back now it was not the brightest move letting Bernie walk around an area that could have had other dogs while being on something where I didn't have much control over him. We've come very far, and I feel that if I had been able to intercept the approaching dog the whole incident could have been avoided. *When it comes to reactive dogs its all about good management.*


----------



## coaraujo (Nov 2, 2012)

Bernie had a great day at hunting class today. We just started up again last week. Bernie lives with my boyfriend during the week so he arrived with him (Oliver lives with me). Apparently he was growling a lot from the car, very nervous. But when I came out to the car to get him he seemed very happy to see me, and while excited he wasn't reactive so that was good. My boyfriend and I decided I would handle Bernie and he would handle Oliver (since they're usually extra excited to see the parent they haven't seen all week). 

I was able to walk Bernie into a classroom full of working dogs without one reaction. I couldn't believe how amazing he did! He's never done that before. We heeled to the door, then I held him by the collar, pressed flat against my leg and fed him liverwurst as I guidd him into the training center. I was expecting him to stiffen, growl, something. But nothing. I was a bit in shock. It was a big moment for us. 

From here I proceeded to get Bernie calmed down and focused enough that we could start having a productive training session. On top of being reactive Bernie is a very high drive dog. Like OFF THE WALL crazy drive dog. But he wants nothing more than to learn so as long as you keep his brain busy he's a gem. And thats what I did, all class - constant exercises. Inbetween learning new things we were sitting, downing, standing, high fiving, spinning, bowing, nose-touching, the works. We did heel work, front-back, 360 degree turns. Everything to get that brain thinking. Along with all the hunting drills this dog was so busy working that even with the other dogs running around him off leash doing drills he didn't react once! Hunting class is a CRAZY atmosphere, especially for a reactive dog. Dogs are off leash, all high drive, and highly aroused running after bumpers. Whistles are constantly blowing, handlers are yelling. Its a bit chaotic, but its fun. For a reactive dog it's not the best environment, but Bernie LOVES fieldwork more than anything and for some reason he does really well in the midst of this chaos. Its the minute the chaos stops that we have a problem.

Bernie even greeted another dog without getting reactive. Another forum member has a 1 year old golden girl who got introduced to Bernie while Bernie was in his crate waiting for his turn for a drill. I'm not sure if it was because he was crated or if it was this particular dog, but Bernie and DeeDee sniffed each other and Bernie didn't exhibit any of his usual nervous behaviors. Bernie actually tried to lay down in playful type way. It made me unbelievably happy to see him react this way. Especially after our incident this past weekend.

We had one small reactive moment when I was taking Bernie out of the crate. There were a couple of other dogs in crates resting and I let Bernie have too much leash. He went to sniff them and spooked them. They reacted, so Bernie went OFF. No surprise there. I just snatched him away and calmed him down. It was an oops moment but was over with quickly and repaired quickly. It's ironic that Bernie felt so threatened though...being the one outside of the crate while the other dogs are cornered in the crate with no where to go and no way to get to Bernie.


----------



## Shellbug (Nov 14, 2013)

I just read this thread. My thoughts are that maybe his fear moments with statues and other strange things he encounters in life are not the same as his reactions to other dogs. Maybe he isn't fearful of other dogs. Possibly he just doesn't like them and they are two totally different issues? Like you mentioned with the crated dogs. There was no fear in them as they were contained. Wouldn't the training be totally different if this were the case ? It seems y'all have come a long way and it's so exciting he found an activity he loves so well! How fun the class must have been. Especially with him being so good  I think y'all are doing great ! Keep up the good work 


Sent from Petguide.com Free App


----------



## coaraujo (Nov 2, 2012)

Shellbug said:


> I just read this thread. My thoughts are that maybe his fear moments with statues and other strange things he encounters in life are not the same as his reactions to other dogs. Maybe he isn't fearful of other dogs. Possibly he just doesn't like them and they are two totally different issues? Like you mentioned with the crated dogs. There was no fear in them as they were contained. Wouldn't the training be totally different if this were the case ? It seems y'all have come a long way and it's so exciting he found an activity he loves so well! How fun the class must have been. Especially with him being so good  I think y'all are doing great ! Keep up the good work
> 
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


It's definitely something to look into, I still have yet to take him to a behaviorist to evaluate his behavior. We have only been to training centers that work with purely positive methods. Just last night I was looking into CAAB trainers in our area. Thanks for your response


----------



## AmberSunrise (Apr 1, 2009)

Sounds like you are making tremendous strides with Bernie - well done :greenboun:greenboun:greenboun

Dee Dee is such a sweet heart  



coaraujo said:


> Bernie even greeted another dog without getting reactive. Another forum member has a 1 year old golden girl who got introduced to Bernie while Bernie was in his crate waiting for his turn for a drill. I'm not sure if it was because he was crated or if it was this particular dog, but Bernie and DeeDee sniffed each other and Bernie didn't exhibit any of his usual nervous behaviors. Bernie actually tried to lay down in playful type way. It made me unbelievably happy to see him react this way. Especially after our incident this past weekend.


----------

