Does Anyone Have A Dog Reactive Doodle?

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

Those in the training group know that Murph is very dog reactive.  It's something that we've been working on for over a year.  Today we were talking to our trainer about what may have caused this initially and he mentioned that he's now working with quite a few Doodles and none of them have the same type of reactiveness that we see in Murphy.  He said they are usually excitable and "react" when they see another dog because they just want to get to that dog to play.  There is nothing dominant of aggressive in this....they are just pulling or lunging out of pure excitement. With training he said this is very easy to correct.  Murphy's reaction is completely different....he is fearful of the other dog and so he has been reacting negatively and even with aggression.  He has no interest in getting to the other dog to "play"....there is no wagging tail. Over the past few weeks he's been able to walk by other dogs without a reaction but it is so apparent that he is very afraid.  He tries to get as close to me as he possible can....which I can't allow because that won't help his confidence at all in the long run.  He is great in Daycare which is a whole different context for him.  Most importantly I am not there, and there are lots of dogs so he can't fixate on any one.  We've been trying to determine what happened to Murph to cause this, and maybe there was nothing....it could just be "hard wired".  We'll probably never know.  I'm just wondering if anyone else has a Doodle with this problem.  I'm putting the discussion here versus in the training group just to try to get a broader audience.  After our discussion today with the trainer I started to think that I've never heard of another Doodle here on DK with the same problem as Murphy. 

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

I recently had the opportunity to attend a class called "Pack to Basics," which was all about dog reactive dogs. We opted not to go this time and wondered if you had ever heard of this class. The trainer evaluates the dogs as they come in and not all dogs make the cut to attend. It was a two day, all day class. Frankly, the waiver form made me think twice.

Vern is in a Saturday class and we have two dogs in the class that are very dog reactive. There is a very dog reactive Pit Bull, that is unpredictable. Vern was just sitting there and the dog reacted one day. I asked that lady if he was a rescue and she has had him since he was a 8 week old puppy. No one can go near the dog with another dog. Our trainer said the dog is very fearful. We also have a Black Russian terrier with the same problem.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

I just looked at this class online, and it does sound good...but it is training based.  I feel really good about the training approach and trainer we have now, and we are seeing some really positive outcomes recently.  My greatest concern is that he is still so fearful...he's just controlling the way he's reacting.  That's why I'm thinking that an actual Behaviorist with a medical background might be the answer.  I want to try to address the fear itself.

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Jane, I think you are on the right track, definitely. Your current trainer is awesome and I feel you have Murphy's best interest ALWAYS at heart. Good luck. Murphy is so lucky to have you :)

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Dog aggressiveness is hardwired in Pitbulls and BRTs; in their case, it's definitely breed-related.

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

I agree. I had never even heard of BRTs before and low and behold, we had one in a puppy/slightly older class and the dog was very weird with other dogs. Now, I am in a new class with Vern and there is another BRT and it is a little scary with both dogs and humans. It was referred to this class by another trainer (who I love) that got bit by the dog. Based on the two that I have seen, I would never own one, although the dog is beautiful. He looks like a big, cuddly dog and I am sure they get approached because of that, but he is big and unpredictable to me. Once again, you have to make sure you research the type of dog you are getting and not get one based on what appeals to you looks wise.

[Kaytlin and Cooper]

My friend had 2 pitbulls. One was an old rescue who was a love bug. The other she got as a puppy and he is dog reactive, out of fear (to the point hes scared of the couch is she moves it to a new position). She has worked really hard with him, but he will always have issues.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I think BRTs are one of the cutest dogs in existence, and it's only because I already knew their temperaments and breeding history that I did not rush over to the first one I saw out in public.

It's an important point to research and learn about various dog breeds, even if you are not thinking of getting a particular breed. Just to learn about dogs in general. There are some very "teddy-bearish", cute shaggy dogs, both large and small, who are known to not be good with strangers. Briards come to mind, along with many of the European sheepdogs, even the small ones. There's a Polish sheepdog who walks regularly in my neighborhood and almost looks like a black and white parti mini-doodle. She cannot be approached by anyone, dog or human.

Appearance has very little to do with the nature of a breed, in many cases, or even a specific dog. That's why people have to stop choosing a dog the way they would a sofa, by size, color, and upholstery. My favorite story about this is the way Adina ended up with a huge red male when she wanted a smaller cream colored female.

Temperament is everything.

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

I agree wholeheartedly :)

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

"Clink" to temperament!

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

Clink Clink. 

[Amy, Cubbie & Ollie]

Jane, I will be watching these replies because I just discovered that we have a similar issue with Ollie.  We were at the vet the other night and I had Cubbie while DH had Ollie.  A boxer mix came out of the grooming area and the owner didn't have control over the dog and let her charge right over to where we were standing.  I saw them coming and body blocked Cubbie to make sure he stayed put, but DH either didn't see them coming or doesn't know my rules about on leash greetings and Ollie went towards the other dog and actually grabbed on to her face.  Ollie had been in a sit by my DH's side but in a second it was 2 dogs growling at each other with Ollie on her face.  Luckily she wasn't hurt (no blood or wounds at least) and they quickly left.  I explained to DH that Ollie is NOT allowed to great other dogs while on leash and that DH must get between him and another dog to prevent anything from happening.  Ollie is just like Murphy in the sense that he is an angel at daycare and loves to play with the other dogs.  Ollie is afraid of a lot of things (it has gotten better in the 8 months since we adopted him) and he gets stressed about going to the vet, so I don't know if that had anything to do with it, but either way it was not a reaction that I wanted to see.  Looks like I have a new training project to work on once the weather gets nice.

Please keep me posted on any updates or suggestions from your trainer.

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

Wow Amy, that must have been so scary for you!  Thank goodness neither dog was actually hurt.  Does he exhibit this behavior when you pass another dog on a walk?  How does he respond if another dog visits your home?