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Reddit mentions of Feisty Fido: Help for the Leash-Reactive Dog

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Reddit mentions: 22

We found 22 Reddit mentions of Feisty Fido: Help for the Leash-Reactive Dog. Here are the top ones.

Feisty Fido: Help for the Leash-Reactive Dog
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Found 22 comments on Feisty Fido: Help for the Leash-Reactive Dog:

u/gingeredbiscuit · 27 pointsr/Dogtraining

> Ignore bad behaviour.

(Just clarifying for the OP, because I imagine that /u/livmaj already knows what follows:) "Ignoring the bad" isn't referring to allowing the bad behaviour to happen and then just not doing anything to stop it when it happens. Actually, I much prefer how Kathy Sdao talks about this in her book Plenty In Life is Free: Reward the behaviours you want, prevent access to reinforcement for the behaviours you don't. A lot of "bad dog" behaviours are in themselves rewarding to the dog (think of all the yummy things that are in the trash!), so it's important to set up the environment in a way that prevents the dog from doing it in the first place. Put trash cans in cupboards or behind closed doors where he can't reach them, keep your shoes in a closed closet, etc.

And if the dog is in the middle of destroying your shoe, you don't just let him keep destroying it - but don't scold or punish for it either. Identify how he got the shoe, and work to rectify that gap in your management. I also found it helpful to play trading games and teach my puppy a "Can I see it cue?" so that rather than me taking things away from her, she happily carries them over them and gives them to me in exchange for a treat. Sometimes she has something that's totally fine for her to have, so I give it back to her and this is really important so that the dog learns that it won't always be taken away when they "share" with you. I also prefer this method because, once the trade behaviour is solid, it prevents the dog from either turning it into a game of keep-away or from dropping it at a distance and picking it up again unlike teaching a straight "drop it" (which was more difficult for me to train and proof than a trade anyway).

Ye ask and ye shall receive. Here are some good resources to learn more about leash/barrier reactivity:

Books

u/alithia · 18 pointsr/dogs

One, she's probably going through a teen phase of seeing how far she can push, mine did at around that age. Two, it doesn't sound like you've been consistent enough - my GSD and I didn't 'walk' during her pulling phase. We basically moved two meters, she'd pull, I'd u-turn and we'd start again. We moved all of oh, 2-10m from my door for days. What tools are you using to make this easier for yourself? Easy walk harness? Gentle leader? Are you clicking and treating for check-ins? I frustrated the utter crap out of myself teaching it, but it worked. How often are you training? Are you letting your GSD work for food?

You also sound like your GSD has leash reactivity, which the breed seems to lean towards a little. Have you read into the CARE Protocol and worked on thresholds?

Focus wise, you have to train it. Work on focus by rewarding check ins throughout the day. Also work on focus as a training endeavour like this, and this.

Impulse control - it's yer choice and crate games, and of course impulse control games with tug/toys.

Other resources: Control Unleashed by Leslie McDevitt, Fired Up, Frantic, and Freaked Out by Laura VanArendonk Baugh, Fiesty Fiedo by Patricia B. McConnell, and Fenzi Classes.

TL;DR: This is pretty normal GSD behaviour, and may be part of a teen phase. Keep chugging.

u/devonclaire · 16 pointsr/Dogtraining

If you live in an area where a lot of people keep their dogs off leash, you have to take precautions with your dog, and you need to forget feeling embarrassed about it right now. You have to do what is necessary to keep your dog safe and other dogs safe, and you also can't sacrifice your dog's exercise.

Here's a way to let people know your dog isn't dog-friendly without even having to say it: Amazon: "NERVOUS" yellow warning leash. You can also get leashes that say "NO DOGS" or "CAUTION."

Use a front-clip harness on your dog and be polite and friendly with people. Carry a crap ton of treats with you so you can distract your dog whenever an off-leash dog approaches.

I highly recommend you read a (very short) book called Feisty Fido by Patricia B. McConnell.

u/CountingSatellites · 11 pointsr/Dogtraining

Come on over and join us at r/reactivedogs.

First off, it’s important to set some realistic expectations. You almost certainly can get this dog to a point where you can walk her around the neighborhood without her reacting to everyone and everything, but she’s probably never going to be the type of dog that is friendly and outgoing to other people or dogs she doesn’t know, or one that you can take to the dog park, crowded public places, etc. Many dogs are just not like that, and that’s okay. That would be like expecting your introverted shy anxious friend to morph into being a social butterfly and life of the party after getting her anxiety under control.

Medication can really help a lot of anxious dogs, but it is important to realize that it is not a cure- just a tool to help bring your dog to a level where training can be productive. It sounds like you are pretty committed to working with this dog, so I would certainly encourage you to talk to your vet about trying something like Prozac (which is a great one to start out with because many dogs respond well to it, and it’s very inexpensive.)

Here’s a list of resources that I’ve been compiling (pardon the copy and paste) that I’ve found very helpful with my own dog (a GSD/pit/husky mix). We’ve also been working with trainers well versed in reactivity, so I’ve included some of the skills we’ve been working on.

————

About Leash Reactivity and how to deal with it:

Dealing with Leash Reactivity: Best Friends Animal Society

The Reactive Dog: Your Dogs Friend Workshop (Video) It’s long, but seriously, watch it. Lots of good info.

Feisty Fido: Help for the Leash Reactive Dog - A short booklet by well-renowned behaviorist Patricia McConnell who has lots of experience dealing with reactivity.

From Crazy to Calm: A Training Plan for Leash Reactivity

——————-

The Goal: Changing Perceptions with Counterconditioning and Desensitization

Introduction to Desensitization and Counterconditioning

Helping Your Shy Dog Gain Confidence

—————

Foundation Skills

When dealing with reactivity, being able to get your dog’s attention or employ a distraction at the right moment is really critical. These are foundation skills for dealing with reactivity.

Name game (a clicker is not essential- you can use your praise word instead.) Goal: focus.

Look at Me. Goal: Focus

It’s Your Choice. Goal: Impulse control

Leave It (Make sure you are giving a different treat, not the one they’re supposed to leave.) Goal: Impulse control

Emergency U-turn. Goal: Management- being able to get out of a situation that will cause the dog to go over threshold.

Find It Goal: Distraction/diffusion

Engage/Disengage. Goal: counterconditioning and desensitization.

Start by working on these skills in a quiet area indoors, gradually increasing distractions. Then start practicing outdoors in an area with few distractions, again gradually increasing distractions. This is the key to getting a distracted dog to pay attention to you outside. If your dog can’t focus, you need to take a step back (quite literally, in some cases). Set your dog up to succeed- try not to put them in situations where they will fail.

u/helleraine · 9 pointsr/Dogtraining

There is not short fix for this. Unfortunately. You'll need to understand thresholds and your dog really well to make your life immensely less stressful. Further resources below.

Resources:

u/librarychick77 · 9 pointsr/Dogtraining

You cannot safely have them out together until they are assessed by a trained behaviorist. Ideally a vet behaviorist (a person who has basically double credentials - not some tool who calls themselves a 'dog whisperer' after a year of 'working with dogs'. Someone who went to school to be a vet and also study animal behavior.), but a professional force free trainer who is experienced in aggression would work.

Remind you girlfriend of the vet bill you've already paid and ask her how many more just like that she wants to experience. Also, the blood and stress of more fights. If you try to just put them back together that will happen again. Guaranteed. Even if they seem fine when separated, if you won't know how to see the warning signs (and the bark/snap your lab did was probably the 10th or so signal...) and how to deescalate the situation (6 minute fight, water hose, human bitten, huge gashes...) then you should absolutely 100% not try to put them together at all.

Ok, done with scolding. Here's some constructive help.

Taking them to the vet was the right thing to do. Your catahoula x limping is likely because of bruising, and the vet couldn't have done anything about that. Treat her like you would if you got a bad leg bruise - rest, ice (if she'll let you), light exercise the next few days, and if the vet gave you any pain meds for her go ahead and use those as recommended. (NEVER use aspirin or tylenol, or any other OTC human medication on a dog unless your vet has specifically cleared it for the dog you are considering dosing right then.)

Ok, why this happened. Some people have mentioned possible dog aggression, IMO that's not likely. When I have seen cases like this (which I unfortunately have, and not uncommonly) it's often same sex dogs, although not always, and the younger dog is at or nearly a year old.

This happens because your older girl has been playing queen of the house and being a bit bossy. The pup has been a bit rude, but has gotten a 'puppy license' (aka - toddlers don't have to follow the same rules as adults). Now, her puppy license has run out and the older dog is saying "No. Stop that. You're an adult, you know the rules and this is MINE."

That doesn't make either girl right. In fact, they're both a bit wrong, IMO. Your younger girl was probably being a real PITA for a while before she got a serious warning, but your lab escalated things too far.

To have any chance of fixing things a few concrete steps need to be taken.

u/Skysha · 7 pointsr/Dogtraining

You are 100% correct that this is a horrible approach for your dog's particular issues. At absolute best, the behavior will be suppressed but your dog's fear/anxiety will worsen and is essentially a ticking time bomb that could explode and bite someone at any time. Put your foot down and refuse to see this trainer again - it's your dog, not your in-laws. I can assure them that no certified behaviorist would condone this type of training. The best approach is gradual counter-conditioning - teaching him that the things that make him react fearfully/aggressively are actually safe and good things to be around. Check out the book Feisty Fido - it's a fantastic (and relatively short) read geared toward this issue.

u/timetobehappy · 6 pointsr/reactivedogs

We have very similar dogs (mine's a chihmutt too, possibly chihminipin). We've had her for 7 months, and she's basically plateauing after the initial training we were able to give her for the reactivity. She also does really well at doggie daycare and adores/trusts all the attendants there. They say she's blossomed and come out of her shell and is more sociable with the other dogs too. She was found on the street, probably dumped with her leash and harness still on. She's also on clomicalm and previously dog prozac. Both of which have worked a little but nothing dramatically different.

Not sure what specific training you got, but here are the big things that made the most impact for us.

  • on walks, lots of counter conditioning along with 'look at me' (basically lots of high value treat dropping when seeing dogs and strangers). Her threshold used to be ~50 yards before going nuts but now she's a good 8-10 feet. It's so hard to see the progress you've made because the impact of their negative behavior can be so stressful. I feel you!
  • managed introductions: so not just letting new people come in the house without meeting them outside first (with high value treat dropping as soon as we meet strangers). She normally barks a little but as soon as doggy meatballs or people food drop she starts eating them. People are always instructed to ignore, ignore and ignore. We walk for a few minutes around the block and then when we get in the house she's much more calm. Still NO petting or staring/attention from friends in the house. Basically, she's treated like a cat, with attention only on her terms. While they're in the house, lots and lots of treats dropping every 30 seconds (nobody hand feeds either, just dropping snacks to the ground). She hates it when people put hands out for sniffing for whatever reason, so people don't do it either. It's really the most helpful for people to completely ignore her until she decides she wants to sniff or ask for attention. After ~20-30 min, she's usually begging for attention (they can't pick her up, but she finally asks for some scratches). This method has been absolutely, positively fantastic. We've had several couples over and a dinner party of 6 people. I'm guessing your dog never got to meet strangers either :(

    ​

    Books/podcasts/websites that I recommend:

  • On Talking Terms With Dogs: Calming Signals. I felt like this book opened my eyes to how dogs talk to each other. Now I can look at her, identify her body language and intent AND see what other dogs are thinking/feeling based on their body language. It's a simple, yet super helpful book.
  • Feisty Fido. Not sure why your trainer suggested a stroller, but that seems really strange. This book was excellent for managing our walks a bit better as well.
  • Youtube Channel: Kaelin Munkelwitz Trainer. She films her client visits so you can see what she's doing with the dog in real time.
  • Youtube Channel: Sophia Yin. (rip). She's well known in the training world and is so amazing with the dogs she trains on her channel.

    We struggle with her every day, just like you and I know exactly how you feel. There's no going back with her.

    At least your dog can be crated while you're gone. Ours has separation/isolation anxiety and is overly attached to my husband as well. So even when I'm here, she doesn't care so much because he's not. We've barely left our house because we haven't been able to find evening sitters :( We're almost $500/ month on doggie daycare so we can go do things during the day when I'm off of work. It's been a slow, uphill climb.

    Hang in there, you're an amazing dog parent and he's so lucky to have both of you!
u/AZSouthsideGirl · 4 pointsr/reactivedogs

Oh, how we feel your pain! This sub will be your lifesaver--it's been mine. Here's a great place to start: http://careforreactivedogs.com/

Also, check out YouTube videos by Dr. Sophia Yin and Patricia McConnell. McConnell has a great booklet on reactive dogs, and you can get it pretty cheap used. https://www.amazon.com/Feisty-Fido-Help-Leash-Reactive-Dog/dp/1891767070/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1527001182&sr=8-5&keywords=patricia+mcconnell

We've also had good success with Feisty Fido and Reactive Rover classes, which were pretty inexpensive through our Animal Welfare League and Humane Society. My girl is making slow but real progress. She still reacts but she calms down much faster, and my hope is that reaction/calming time will shorten and eventually the reactions will fade away.

The people on this sub are awesome and full of support and ideas. Good luck on your journey!

u/Jourdin · 3 pointsr/Dogtraining
  1. If you want her to look at you, you click for that. If a person walks by and she does not bark at them, by all means click and reward that! But I would try to ask her to "look" as soon as you see her warning signals, before she goes over threshold, so that she is still able to hear your cue, process, and respond.


  2. Definitely don't punish her for it, but I think you already know that. Do not click/treat for lunging and barking. You're right that it was good that she refocused on you, but try taking that opportunity to ask for another behavior (sit, hand target, whatever she knows well) and click/treat for that. Give her an opportunity for success and to take her mind off what just happened.


    Good move on the desensitization method. Just really try to get your own timing right, and work hard on her "look" behavior, strengthening it by first working on it in a low- to no-distraction environment, and then increasing distractions/things she's reactive to. If you have some people you trust to help you out, ask them to be your guinea pigs so you can work with her in a controlled environment while she's on a leash as they walk by or ride a bike by. That way you can predict what they're going to do (because you asked them what and what not to do), so it will cause less stress for you while desensitizing her.


    Here are some relevant resources that may help you:

    Across a Threshold Whole Dog Journal, April 2013

    Click to Calm, a Karen Pryor clicker book

    Feisty Fido: Help for the Leash-Reactive Dog by Patricia McConnell

    Behavior Adjustment Training by Grisha Stewart

    Clicker Training 'Look At That' LAT Game, a youtube video
u/HoWheelsWork · 3 pointsr/Dogtraining

I'm working on the same problem with our min pin. I picked up Fiesty Fido which came highly recommended. The techniques in the book definitely help, however it's still a work-in-progress for me (been working on it for about 4 months now). Basically as long as I spot other dog more than a block away, I can employ some of the strategies with my dog, and get her to be calm. However, if the dog pops up around the corner, she gets wayyyyyy too excited and the only course of action is the "U-Turn" and running the opposite direction.

u/sydbobyd · 3 pointsr/Dogtraining

> if I'm not particularly doing this 'exercise' but going for regular walks, how should I react to the triggers?

Any walk can turn into a training exercise for us if triggers appear. Not ideal, but that's the dog I have. Runners are trickier because they're moving faster and by the time you see them, the dog's likely over threshold already. Ideally, you'd avoid runners while you work on controlled training exercises, but a dog's gotta walk, and a few people can devote all their time to training. Do the best you can, and understand setbacks happen. When in doubt, I think creating distance is best. Sometimes for me that means doing a 180 and literally running in the other direction with my dog to move as fast as I can away from the trigger.

Learn to be clear with kids about not approaching your dog. I've found they often listen better than most adults :/

> she started barking I tried to divert her attention to a treat and moving a bit away from the trigger, but to no avail

Thresholds are an important concepts for reactivity. I think one of the biggest issues with people first starting out in training is that they often attempt to work when their dog is already over threshold. Working under threshold is key to progress. This is some good reading.

> I know I should avoid giving the treat AFTER she barks at all costs, because then I'm basically telling her I love it when she barks at the triggers

Not necessarily, I don't think. You could also be rewarding for stopping barking and focusing back on you. For example, if my dog starts barking at another dog, I might first create distance between us and the other dog, then when I get her attention back on me, reward. Take a few steps closer to other dog with her attention still on me, reward, and continue to work with her under threshold.

Keep in mind that you'd also (and preferably) want to be rewarding when there's a trigger when your dog is calm and before she actually reacts. Ideally, you'd never put your dog in a position where she'd react and never need to reward for attention back on you, but that's impossible to achieve with a reactive dog in the real world.

> I'm very interested in dog psychology to be honest.

I highly recommend Patricia McConnell's books and blog for people just getting into it. She has a book for reactivity training, but The Other End of the Leash is great for a more general read.

Also check out r/reactivedogs and the resources on their wiki as well as those on the reactive dog support group here.

u/Works_For_Treats · 3 pointsr/puppy101

>Even with a prong collar

Aversives never help a reactivity situation. They put more stress on the dog, which is what he already feels while on leash. He most likely has learned to associate other dogs and being on leash with not being a safe situation and so is reacting the only way he knows how.

This is a great primer to get you on your way to having him be calm. It will take time; these kinds of problems build very quickly and need consistent and extended work to fix. Also reactivity is a problem that will come back over time if you cease working on it and do not do regular upkeep and maintenance.

There's also genetic components as well. GSDs are knows to have lower thresholds for things than say the average lab.

u/Devlik · 3 pointsr/Dogtraining

Dog rescue worker and owner of 2 highly dog reactive dogs. It can take a very long time even with professional help to get a dog that highly reactive to other dogs to be calm. One book worth reading is http://www.amazon.com/Feisty-Fido-Help-Leash-Reactive-Dog/dp/1891767070. Also I would check to see if there any classes for dog on dog aggression in your area I know the one we took helped out a lot with our American Bulldog but our mastiff hated other dogs pretty much no matter what we did.

u/contentsigh · 2 pointsr/Dogtraining

She is probably lunging to preemptively scare other dogs away, because they scare her and she just wants to get them to leave her alone. She tried lunging and it worked, so she keeps doing it. I would recommend this book, I have used it in the past with great results. Essentially you want her to look at you when you see another dog, instead of focusing on the dog.

u/icarusgirl · 2 pointsr/LifeProTips

I think there are probably a few dogs who can't recover, but there is a lot you can do for leash reactivity. I had a leash-reactive foster dog with me for a few months earlier in the year, and he made amazing progress in just a few weeks.

This is a good starting point. And this is a book that offers more detail.

I'll try to summarize how I thought about this with the dog I was training; a lot of it involves getting the timing right. You first have to figure out the 'flight distance' for your dog in relation to other dogs--how close can she get to them without freaking out? Once you figure that out, make sure you redirect her each time you're approaching that distance from another dog--whether it's with a treat, a command to do a behavior, turning to walk in a different direction, whatever. A lot of people do clicker training in working with leash reactivity; I didn't need to do that with this particular dog, but it's worth considering so that you 'mark' the desired behavior of breaking her attention away from the other dog.

You want her to learn that 1) you're not going to make her get closer to another dog than she's comfortable with, and 2) when she sees another dog, her reaction should be to focus on you rather than the other dog.

Over time, as she learns to redirect her attention to you when she sees another dog, her flight distance should shorten more and more.

u/spidermilk666 · 2 pointsr/dogs

First, it sounds like your dog is frightened by other dogs, at least in certain situations. For this reason, I would avoid the dog park. Maybe he is fine sometimes, but other times (when he nips at other dogs) he clearly feels threatened. Forcing him to have these scary interactions will just make him more frightened of some dogs. Further, when a dog acts aggressively like that it can spur an aggressive response from the other dog. This is never a good thing but can be extremely dangerous for a very small dog. A large breed dog could kill a small dog in seconds, do not expect other people to not bring dog-aggressive dogs to a dog park when you yourself are bringing a dog that acts aggressively to other dogs.

Now that that is out of the way: Generally the way your dog acts on leash is called leash-reactivity and it is pretty common. Dogs might be fine with other dogs off leash but when they are on leash they can act crazy or aggressively. Some dogs are just really excited by other dogs, other dogs feel trapped by the leash and are scared so they try to scare off the other dogs first (or warn the other dogs to stay away).

My first advice is to not let him get close enough to actually touch other dogs. In fact, I would try to keep him far enough away so that he is under control. The distance can be comically far- like you have to cross to the other side of the street or make a huge arc around another dog because your dog is acting crazy. I know it seems like your dog really wants to get close to the other dog- but in reality a) letting him drag you to the dog is rewarding bad behavior and b) more importantly, being too close to the dog is what is setting him off in the first place and getting closer will make it worse.

Practice sits, practice stays, practice downs, make sure doggie gets lots of exercise, all of this will improve his self control (which means he will be calmer in general).

Second, teach him that other dogs are a GOOD thing by rewarding him when they are around. Ideally when they are extremely far away and he is being calm (but even if he is barking at them but stops to take a treat it is okay to reward- he is focused on you and not barking for 1 second while taking the treat and that is rewardable behavior).

Third, desensitize him to other dogs by repeating step two as often as possible in a controlled situation. As your dog improves and stops reacting so harshly you can very slowly decrease the distance between him and other dogs. It is a slow process (I mean it will take months and months).

My dog has had the same problems in the past, he never nipped at other dogs but barks/lunges/pulls towards them and at the dog park he would alpha-roll other dogs (this is more of a bark and a look thing, he didn't actually touch these dogs). We stopped dog parking, started obedience classing, and now he can ignore 90% of dogs (but other reactive dogs still cause him to react). There are a lot of resources about this if you are interested:

http://www.amazon.com/Feisty-Fido-Help-Leash-Reactive-Dog/dp/1891767070

http://empoweredanimals.com/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdraNF2hcgA

http://www.amazon.com/Click-Calm-Healing-Aggressive-Clicker/dp/1890948209

u/bw1870 · 1 pointr/WiggleButts

My dog has been getting steadily worse with on-leash aggression. She's perfectly fine at doggie daycare or with the neighbor's dog. I don't have any suggestions yet, but I did pick up Feisty Fido:Help for Leash Reactive Dogs by Patricia B. McConnell. Looks promising so far and it's a cheap, quick read.

u/jldavidson321 · 1 pointr/dogs

I strongly recommend a reactive dog class, but this book will give you some ideas on how to deal with it. It is going to take patience time and effort, but it can be fixed. http://www.amazon.com/Feisty-Fido-Help-Leash-Reactive-Dog/dp/1891767070
I agree with a basket muzzle. You can search youtube for how to properly introduce your dog to it. Baskerville is one of the brands of basket muzzles that I would recommend.

u/fckdup · 1 pointr/Dogtraining

Patricia McConnell does good short books about dog training. Feisty Fido addresses your issue (she's great)

u/bonniemuffin · 1 pointr/Dogtraining

For the dog aggression, we're seeing improvement with this method: https://www.amazon.com/Feisty-Fido-Help-Leash-Reactive-Dog/dp/1891767070