u/worcestershire_pie

hi all! i’ve had my first dog (APBT x herding breed supermutt, intact M, 8 mo.) since he was ~2.5 months old. so, unfortunately, i adopted him post-first fear period. he’s always been more timid, struggled with dog reactivity (training has helped tremendously), and some anxiety issues. right now we are working with trainers and he goes to day training everyday (while i work) which has helped him learn how to settle, and provided decent dog exposure.

i now think he’s entering his second major fear period; he is suddenly now more scared of strangers than he was (cowering, growling, boofing) and i’m really working with him towards more neutral behaviors in his environment. i take him to parks and stores, and we people watch, don’t let everyone come up to pet him, and reward for correct behaviors.

and, something i’ve noticed with him, is that i feel like he feels better in a heel position; a lot of people say to extend the leash to let the dog be able to distance themselves from the trigger if they feel uncomfortable, but he is totally fine when he’s in a heel. when he has all the leash to move around, i think he feels like he’s more “on his own” and doesn’t know what to do/feels vulnerable, so he’s MORE reactive when he has more room to move. basically, he needs direction when he is conflicted and doesn’t know how to handle his big feelings. however, i also don’t want him to become dependent on me to handle his conflict, so how can i help my teenager learn how to handle his emotions in this formative period?

hi all! i have a pretty vocal dog (8 mo. intact M, APBT x Cattle dog supermutt) and i was curious; does anyone correct their dog for being generally vocal? my kiddo tends to whine, boof, and growl (playfully) quite a bit, and sometimes it’s inappropriate (when i ask him for a command, when he doesn’t want to be in his crate, when he sees another dog, etc.). i know cattle dogs and pit bulls tend to be more vocal, it’s just how dogs communicate and i don’t necessarily want to suppress his desire/ability to communicate with those around him.

it’s one thing for a husky or a hound-type breed (within reason), but i know my dog’s brother, and he isn’t vocal at all. like, it’s rare for him to make any noises. i know that dogs can have their individual personalities, too, so i’m also not saying my dog is bad because he’s not like his brother. i just hear some people saying to let your dog be vocal (again, within reason) because that’s how they communicate, but then other people saying it’s inappropriate if not under correct circumstances. how do you guys do it? thanks!

hey all! i was just wanting to ask the community: how often does everyone take their dog out for counterconditioning/desensitization? i know with reactive dogs, even your routine, 20 minute neighborhood walk can be a training opportunity for those things, but i’m talking like, taking them out to a busy park/public area, exposing them to triggers on purpose, and making it longer exposure time, instead of more random or sparse. do you guys do it everyday? couple times a week? i know it can be different and very case-by-case for each dog and where they’re at in their reactivity status, as well.

i ask because i currently have a 6 mo. old (intact male) puppy and i don’t want to overdo it with him, but i also don’t want to underdo it by not doing it enough! at this point, i take him out a couple times per week. his reactivity can be very random; he won’t react to a strange GSD 20 feet away, but then he’ll lose his mind over a dog lying down in its own yard that we’ve seen 100 times. we have a training session scheduled in september, but i don’t want to fail him up until that point.

hi everyone, i have a ~6 month old puppy (APBT x herding breeds x Pyr) and he’s exhibiting some inappropriate behavior that i don’t know how to fix; when he is physically moved, whether it is gently pushing his butt or his body away from a door/food/whatever he shouldn’t be around, instead of avoidance behavior, he tries to bite whoever moved him. he only made contact once (the most recent time) and it did leave a welt, and we’re honestly surprised it didn’t break skin because of how hard he bit. he didn’t latch on, it was very much a “i don’t like what you’re doing” bite, but still inappropriate. i don’t know how to approach this issue; the people i live with are all for the “smack his face and yell NO” when he does something wrong, which i don’t agree with ESPECIALLY in this case.

he has always been a more insecure puppy. i taught him a “stand” and “back up” command to help try to manage this, but i know that those commands won’t be enough to keep him from biting somebody when he’s older and being touched in a way he’s not comfortable with (i.e. the vet). i also know his primary breeds exhibit more mouthy behavior when communicating, but i’d just like some advice when dealing with this type of behavior. thanks!

hi all! i have a ~5 month old intact male supermutt (primarily APBT x Herding x Pyr) who is naturally more timid and fearful when faced with new experiences, but quickly gets over the initial fear with my help. he’s been more fearful/reactive towards big dogs as long as i’ve known him. i‘ve had him since he was about 2 and a half months, so i don’t know much about his history before then (found as a stray). he likes other dogs after a slow introduction, but he reacts so badly to barking, sometimes. he’s gotten a lot better about not barking the instant he sees another dog, but if another dog (especially a big dog) starts barking, he has to bark back. sometimes he will fixate, but not always.

my training with him is very R+ based with a clicker; i reward him as soon as he looks at the other dog/a dog in the distance barks, and i reward when he makes the choice to look at me or ignore the dog. my goal is to create a mindset of “i see a dog, it isn’t scary, and the right choice is to walk away”. when he does bark and tries to resist walking (he’ll never pull towards the dog, but he will try to stay in one place) i will use his slip lead to pull him along and encourage him to keep walking. when he makes the choice to stop barking and follow me, is when i reward him.

i know he’s only 5 months, but he learns things SO FAST. i hope i’m not confusing him in the way that i’m training him. he seems to be doing okay with it, but he is my first personal dog (first puppy too 🫩). i know he’s also figuring out his feelings, i don’t expect complete neutrality from him and he’s just communicating, but i just don’t want this behavior to escalate too bad in his rapidly approaching-teenage months. any advice, constructive feedback, or just some anecdotal wisdom?? thanks!