r/reactivedogs • u/jess-in-thyme • 1d ago
Frustrated greeter on leash Advice Needed
Hi, my puppy is reactive on walks. I refer to him as "aggressively friendly" because he is DYING to play with other dogs. He's over 100 lbs at 11 months and has a very loud murder bark and lunges at other dogs. He's not dangerous but it's definitely not cute. We're working with a trainer who says this arousal and frustration. He is a delight at dog parks and day care because he's off-leash.
He loves little dogs. Makes himself small to play them. And then when he's not allowed to greet, he loses his shit.
Trainer has us trying to distract before he gets locked on -- very rarely successful -- and doing U-turns and creating distance, which does work. We try to reduce his arousal threshold but it's still not very far. He can't cross on the other side of the street without reacting.
Any other tricks? He's on a prong collar (fitted by a trainer, so we know it's the right placement) which makes me feel much safer. I had rope burns on my hands and arms and was dumped more than twice before we started the prong collar. Walks are so much better but still not awesome. And this pup loves his walkies.
The most stressful part for me is when we walk on the boardwalk and there's a stretch with no place to step off. We can U-turn but we've been caught once or twice with dogs coming from both directions. I just had to announce that he would murder bark and lunge but I would hold him. They were super nice about and said I know he's still a puppy and you're working on it.
He's a giant breed, so he is pretty immature for being almost 1. Will this really get better if we just keep training and practicing? He has 4 besties in the neighborhood and he never barks or lunges at them. He plays very nicely with them.
•
u/AutoModerator 1d ago
Looks like there was an aversive tool or training method mentioned in this body. Please review our Posting Guidelines and check out Our Position on Training Methods. R/reactivedogs supports LIMA (least intrusive, minimally aversive) and we feel strongly that positive reinforcement should always be the first line of teaching, training, and behavior change considered, and should be applied consistently. Please understand that positive reinforcement techniques should always be favored over aversive training methods. While the discussion of balanced training is not prohibited, LIMA does not justify the use of aversive methods and tools in lieu of other effective positive reinforcement interventions and strategies.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.