I have a beautiful chocolate lab, Lily, who will be 3 in April. She is so lovely and gentle at home, not a bit of bother at all, has never chewed or destroyed anything whatsoever and has never shown food or toy aggression ever. Just loves to be with myself, my husband and my 2 daughters. However, she is a reative dog in some cases. She's a little timid of strangers but we continue to work on this each day by using 'look at me' and her confidence has improved so much she'll happily stand whilst I talk to people we meet on walks. My biggest concern is her behaviour with other dogs - no 2 days are the same. Some dogs she'll walk straight past with a quick glance at them, some she wants to get to them to have a sniff but others she'll start barking and pulling at the lead. I can't even pinpoint this reaction to being certain size dogs or breeds etc. It just happens. She was well socialised from being a pup, attending puppy socialisation classes every week. She attended dog training classes from 12 weeks old where she passed each one with flying colours. Shes brilliant off lead (if no dogs around) and doesn't wander, always keeping me in sight. Recall good (again when no dogs around). Now when we do come across a dog I will put her back on lead as I fear what her reaction will be. She can be extremely hyperactive with other dogs which I fear some dogs will dislike and go for her. I really think she wants to play but she runs up to them at 100 miles an hour which obviously other dogs will not like! She will play lovely once the initial meeting has happened and she will come straight to me when called and is happy for us to go on our way. Sadly she was attacked at 5 months old by another dog who bit on the ear and had her pinned down by the neck. Lily was actually on her lead and this dog appeared from nowhere and attacked her. A few months later she was diagnosed with a rare and not pleasant auto immune condition which the vet thinks could have started from this attack. I believe she missed out on a lot of her puppyhood as she was extremely poorly for about 9 months and had no interest whatsoever in dogs or walks or anything and I think is this why she hasn't calmed down yet? I'm so confused in how to deal with her behaviour with other dogs as like I say I can't pinpoint what sets her off! I can feel myself getting so anxious when I see a dog coming and I know she will be able to sense my anxiety. Any advice would be greatly appreciated thank you.
I don't really have any answers, as you seem to be doing the obvious things already, like 'look at me' and getting her to stand and wait while you talk to people. Wispa (now 6) sounds very like Lily. No two days are ever the same when we are out for walks, yet she was very well socialised as a puppy right from birth, when the litter was in a busy household with lots of visitors and other dogs around too. As a puppy, I took her to puppy parties at the vets and to puppy training classes - and we also already had two older, steady dogs at home. She's much better off her lead when meeting other dogs, but it's not always sensible to leave her off lead, depending on the reactions of the other dogs/people. However, yesterday she barked at a snowman that she found in a clearing in the woods and looked very anxious, with her hackles up too, whereas Tuppence was just wandering around ignoring it! Wispa, like Lily, is often happy to stand and wait calmly while I'm talking to someone I know with a dog, but her initial reaction is to lunge and bark before I speak to the owner. Vets at two different practices (one in Scotland and one at home) have told me that she's being protective when she lunges/barks at people when she's on her lead. Oddly enough, though, she doesn't go into protective mode at home, allowing other dogs to come into the house and play in the garden. My local vet offers desensitisation sessions with the nurses to make visits to the practice easier, so I'm currently taking her to those. She has become progressively worse at the surgery (which we don't normally visit that often!), barking at the staff and at other dogs and their owners, so I'm hoping that working on this will also help her to relax elsewhere. It might be worth asking whether your surgery does something similar. I'm sure that our anxiety about their possible reactions transmits to the dogs too, but it's sometimes difficult to stay relaxed!
Thank you so much for your reply. It's comforting to hear other people have similar issues. Sometimes I get myself upset when I see other people out there with their wonderfully behaved labs and wonder where ive gone wrong! Good idea about vets - I'm due there this week for her check up with regard to her condition so I think I'll ask. I know I must learn not to get anxious but like you say that's so much easier said than done . Thank you again.
Unfortunately your anxiety will transmit down the lead. If you become anxious you are probably unknowingly tightening the lead, which then alerts our dogs that there is something to worry about . I spend lots of time chatting to my girl as we walk which may help you to reduce anxiety. If you see another dog person use a bright happy voice - you might get some funny looks but who cares. It's all about you and your girl. On lead meetings are much harder for dogs as their body language can be distorted by being on lead, so preference us always for off lead where possible. As you struggle to identify done if the triggers on your walks it may be worth finding a behaviourist to walk with you and help identify the triggers so that an action plan can be put in place to help.
Totally take on board everything you have said. I find myself taking deep breaths to calm myself when I see a dog approaching and tell her to leave it. I give positive reinforcement by way of chunks of cheese if she reacts well but I just wish i knew the triggers. For example she met a spaniel yesterday and totally ignored it, met the same spaniel today and she barked like mad! Is it over excitement, frustration because she wants to see it, I just don't know. Also could her condition be an issue - some days she's quite subdued and other days she' s very excitable on her walks.
Yes, so do I! Wispa is the most challenging dog I’ve ever had, although she’s so good in many ways too. Another thing the vet suggested was getting an ‘anxious dog’ flash for Wispa’s lead, which I have done. It helps to discourage people from approaching too close, as it seems to be eye contact particularly that Wispa dislikes (from other people, but not family or friends). In fact, the snowman yesterday had big eyes!
