lovelaughfail t1_is6expj wrote on October 13, 2022 at 5:12 PM

Reply to comment by KirinoLover in Please don't walk reactive/aggressive dogs in public sidewalks by ResponsibleAd4479

I wish I could give you an award, it's so true. I don't know their neighbor but I know my dog was failed and attacked young and I've spent thousands of dollars and countless hours to still break down and sob in my home because my dog still reacts. I agree so much with the being kind because more often than not us with reactive dogs are trying to save their lives (excluding the sucky owners out there).

KirinoLover t1_is6hwi1 wrote on October 13, 2022 at 5:31 PM

I'm sure my comment is biased, because my boy is also leash reactive. He's a frustrated greeter, which means he's not aggressive, just... really wants to say hello. Several years and a ton of training, and he's good but still not great. Big public places and dogs too close overwhelm him, and there are some things he's never going to be able to do. It's just a fact of life.

have you checked out the reactive dogs sub? I've found a ton of great advice and help from there. My boy is also on prozac daily, and it's made a huge difference in his anxiety. With that reduced anxiety, he's been able to take to training a lot easier in stressful situations. I don't know you guys or your dogs situation, but it might be something to consider!

lovelaughfail t1_is6mhhc wrote on October 13, 2022 at 6:00 PM

I definitely get that.

I haven't! I'll go check it out thanks! I've recently started talking to the vet about getting him on medication he is mostly fed by anxiety as well, big dog big energy and all.

KirinoLover t1_is6nytc wrote on October 13, 2022 at 6:10 PM

I was so, so hesitant to put our boy on medication because I didn't want to somehow compromise who he was, which is... I know it sounds weird, but I had this imagine of a doped up dog or something. He's on a medium dose of prozac daily and has an as-needed higher dose of anxiety medication. We have seen incredible progress. It's not a magic pill or anything, but he's calmer, sleeps better, and his threshold is much higher. My only regret is that we didn't do it sooner.