#leash reactivity

[zooophagous]

Tuunbaq let not one but two little toddlers give him a hug yesterday and happily sat licking their faces the whole time but then also snarl-roared at a yorkie for existing too close to him. Win some lose some.

[mod2amaryllis]

really so fulfilling to service reactive dogs. checked in a patient that was nonstop barking and lunging while i calmly shout-asked for history from the clearly exhausted owner. she says the e.r. vet wouldn't touch him and made her feel horrible, like he's a bad dog and she's a bad owner (not making a read on that vet, she was just feeling judged), and i just really really love being able to offer reassurance now that I'm at a place where reactive dogs don't scare me. i KNOW this dude is your baby at home ma'am, i will treat him as such. love seeing owners stop being embarrassed and start feeling relief.

[a-hiking-fish]

Absolutely beautiful hike with Fish today

[rileys-battlecats]

PSA, keep your dog on a leash when you're in a public, unfenced area. dedicated to the lady that just tried to reassure me, "no she's nice! put your dog down! she's nice!" babe i believe you when you say your dog is nice. what you have not considered is that the dog I am holding is NOT nice and WILL attempt to attack your dog if I put him down. also we are RIGHT next to a busy road and there is Nothing stopping your dog from running into traffic. pls put her on a leash im literally begging you it is SO dangerous for her to not be on a leash here

[sidetongue]

look at hims dancy legs

[theadventurek9]

So I'm getting married in a few weeks and we're taking both pups with us. I've been trying to get a hold of dog daycares for them so we could just have one day in the national parks nearby. Apparently no one feels comfortable with, or able to accommodate an intact dog. They are not willing to do separate play groups. Which I already feel =/ about. Like I don't really want them in playgroups anyways. Just somewhere to hang out, move around and potty while we are gone for a few hours. I've looked into every single (there are not a lot) person in the area and they all say no intact. Guess we won't hike and will just see the sights from the parking lots.

[ignisgayentia]

An update on new yard for miss jellybean.... SHE LOVES IT 😭 she gets to sniff, run, and play in her private space without having to worry about mean reactive dogs from our old apartment 🥺 It's sooo nice to just sit outside while vibing and playing with her 😭

[olivesjaw]

[zooophagous]

I have never really liked French bulldogs in general. They just never appealed to me. But me and Egon met a really friendly and absolutely beautiful and well built frenchie on our walk today and I gotta say after seeing one up close I understand the appeal now. I still don't want one, but I understand.

[highlifeboat]

So in one of your old posts you said Mia wears a child leash d

Mia running off while alcina pulls back on it basically closelinning Mia popped into my head

Mia makes a run for it while Alcina is talking to Miranda and it's just

YANKED

[jewishbuckley]

what people don't talk about is how truly difficult it is to have a dog that you genuinely do love with every fiber of your being but who is not the dog you *wanted* and anyway give it up for everyone who got a dog with behavioral issues in their 20s that they weren't ready to handle 🤪🎉

[werewulf-dyke]

I'm not allowed to believe anything about my life after 9pm I'm NOT

[fruitless-vain]

I thought we were rid of my nemesis but alas

Here they are

[hammerfell]

Smthn in the air at work this morning….. Also had to carry an 85 pound dog covered in water to grooming.

[mandana-the-service-pup]

Vet Appointment: Librela #3

Today is a bad health day. I had to skip this weeks Methotrexate injection for various reasons and I’m really feeling it. I’m in pain and so exhausted I went to the vet appointment in pajamas and Mandana did a medical alert as soon as I walked in. Shortly after that a reactive yellow lab slipped his collar in the lobby and accosted Mandana. We’ve been through this many times before and nearly 100% of the time I’m able to manage the situation so that I’m dealing with the dog and not Mandana but that wasn’t in the cards today.

I was so exhausted and already shaking before I even went inside. I had been hanging out in the parking lot for a bit so I saw the lab had excitement/reactivity. As soon as I walked in I put Mandana up on a bench for her safety until we could check in and the tech was literally coming to take us to a private room when the dog slipped it’s collar and charged us.

It happened in a split second. I knew the vet tech was right next to me and the owner was immediately aware of the dog getting loose so I focused on controlling Mandana’s head and pivoting myself between them. It wasn’t enough to keep them physically apart in the initial moment and for a few seconds before we pivoted Mandana had her head and paw on the dogs shoulder. I feel bad for making Mandana feel like she had no control/safety over her own body as I physically controlled her head in that moment and turned us away. It’s not usually how I would handle that kind of situation but I had very little energy to utilize and no idea if that lab would escalate things especially if I tried to intervene directly.

In Mandana’s defense she handled it really well. She didn’t growl, have her hackles up or anything like that. The only way it could have been better is if her body language was looser and she didn’t try to assert herself over the other dog but considering he charged her she had every right to create space & safety for herself. She literally recovered in 2 seconds and was immediately responsive to cues with a happy loose wag while the dog was still pulling and barking towards her. As soon as the lab was back on leash we walked to our exam room and I took this video bc I was impressed with her recovery from such an intense situation. (It’s a tight pant but the interaction JUST happened. She’s got a nice tail wag & body movement off camera and this is her expression for “excited but focused and ready to train/work”)

She immediately started to use her chin rest to volunteer for injections even with a new vet tech and in a room she’s never been in before. The vet tech was great and besides following Fear Free protocols it was clear she was also fluent in positive reinforcement training. We used the rest of the appointment to work on Mandana’s leash pulling from separation anxiety and despite the rough start to the visit we made a lot of progress. I stopped by Taco Bell on the way home and got her a cheese roll as a special reward for her awesome behavior. She’s a lot of dog but her personality makes it work 🫶

[pathologising]

trying to befriend the neighbors angry pitbull through my window he is NOT happy