Wow!

[jordyquint]

I'm back! I've been so busy with school I haven't be able to get on the internet much... although that doesn't mean I stopped working with the dogs.

Rucker is getting better each day with strangers! We just need to work on his reactivity to dogs more -- We haven't been around a lot lately and we need to change that!

I absolutely love the new look to the site! It's awesome.

 

[tigerlily46514]

AWESOME!!
Is Rucker a shy dog? (ducks away from unknown ppl, prefers to avoid unknown ppl, etc)

 

[jordyquint]

Tigerlily, he doesn't tend to avoid new people --- he's reactive toward people too. As he's getting better daily with new people (well, I guess every time he meets someone new), he has become submissive.

My dad and I took him to a kennel last weekend and he didn't even peep. Didn't bark, nothing... He let them handle him. He was just a good boy! <3

 

[tigerlily46514]

AH, then------IF Rucker is NOT a shy dog--------- you probably WILL have marvelous success getting Rucker to love almost all, if not all, unknown humans then, since he is not a shy dog-----especially if you do actually invest time into desensitization excercises, try calmng signals, rewarding calm behavior, etc, be actively working on it.
( a shy dog can react to ppl, so the fact Rucker IS reacting to ppl, does not necessarily remove him from being a shy dog, there's levels of shyness, as well. Often, a shy dog can be seen to exhibit a wish to avoid unknown humans touching him, besides just being reactive, it can be hard to sort out a shy dog who is reactive to humans as actually being a shy dog. Especially via email, lol)

It's a rare dog with BOTH targets of aggression,
who can't be rehabbed out of one of them....
either his dog aggression
or his ppl aggression.
One target can be removed, entirely, in most dogs who actually do have both targets.
He'll keep one form,
but not both. But, most ppl lump it all together as "same thing"....but, it's not.


SO I BET YOU WILL HAVE GREAT SUCCESS reducing his aggression to other dogs,
and since he is NOT a shy dog,
and i betcha that you can slowly, carefully, remove his aggression to humans entirely, overtime, IF you actually invest time, effort and excercises towards this goal. i bet you an entire pack of bullystick dog treats!!
WHOOOOT! good luck! this is all very encouraging!!

how old is Rucker now? how old was Rucker when he first reacted to unknown dogs?
HOw old was Rucker when he first reacted to unknown humans?

 

[jordyquint]

I have been using the clicker and lots of yummy treats to desensitize him to people, but with the dogs, we don't have any near our neighborhood, although when we see one on a walk, I'll do the same. He just hasn't had a lot of dog contact in his life and it's hard now when your parents work until five and you can't drive yourself. haha

I mean, once he gets use to the dog, he'll be fine with it. It's when he sees them that he becomes reactive. Surprisingly though... which I loved seeing, when we were at the kennel the other weekend, at least three dogs and their owners came in after us and Rucker didn't react. He noticed them, but didn't do anything. He was SO calm. We haven't ran into a dog since, but I'm hoping to do soon.

I can't remember when he first started showing reactivity. I do know that I started training him at one year and six months. He wasn't socialized to other dogs and people (besides my family) just because my step mom feared he would get hurt, so he didn't get out with us often. *rolls eyes*

Now I try and take him every where I go, well... besides school. haha

Rucker is three now.

 

[tigerlily46514]

//"I have been using the clicker and lots of yummy treats to desensitize him to people"//

Take care to notice exactly what you are clicking.
You want to be sure you are not accidentally clicking any sign of nervousness, excitement, anxiety, etc. It is okay to just give treats(no click) when Rucker looks at ppl, to help Rucker develop a new association in his mind about the sight of unknown ppl.

I find it very hard to use a clicker for desensitization. I only click if i can capture open mouthed, smiling, obviously relaxed behavior.
Otherwise, i just give him treats for looking, and huge prizes for calmly looking.

Take care you never ever force Rucker to accept unwanted contact with an unknown person or an unknown dog. (not that you are, i'm just sayin)
It'd be like,
if you were deathly afraid of spiders, and someone threw a buncha spiders onto you to "cure" you. It would not help you, and it'd probably make you worse, and less trustful of the person who allowed that to happen.
However,
if every time you saw a spider, a $20 bill fell outa the sky,
that might help you develop a new association to the sight of spiders.

When you say Rucker "reacts" what does Rucker do? Is it just barking?

 

[tigerlily46514]

//"I mean, once he gets use to the dog, he'll be fine with it"//

this is true of my dog-aggressive dog, as well, and of many other DA dogs whose owners are actively working to desensitize their dog. We CAN desensitize even DA dogs to an a particular unknown dog, one dog at a time.
It is the unknown dog that sets off a DA dog, and it's not *all* unknown dogs.
My da dog will love some unknown dogs on sight. But *most* he wants to argue with, if allowed, Buddy would lunge, growl, snarl, and eventually bite and fight if he could. (but he's not allowed, lol).


//"which I loved seeing, when we were at the kennel the other weekend, at least three dogs and their owners came in after us and Rucker didn't react. He noticed them, but didn't do anything."//

YAY! This is amazing!! I LOVE moments like this, too!! I have a handful of moments, where Buddy has stunned me. ONce i walked Buddy down a Very narrow hallway(is a trigger for Buddy)
and crowded with german shepherds (Buddy loathes all GSDs),
and buddy calmly walked down this hallway, actually brushing sides with GSDs, one after the other!!!.
My heart was pounding, my hands were shaking, i was literally sweating bullets
so much for "if the owner is anxious, the dog will react"
cuz i was nervous wreck til we got outa that hall!!! so this isn't true in all situations.
(my dog has also reacted when i was so calm, that i wasn't even paying att'n, etc, lolz)
I almost fainted from shock.
(obviously, this was NOT a planned event, we got trapped by a buncha ppl who have zero concerns that DA dogs do exist and just came down that narrow hallway that we were in)

I HOPE YOU GET MORE AND MORE OF THESE MOMENTS! It sounds like you are doing a great job with Rucker!!!

Has Rucker ever done anything besides bark and maybe leap up/pull on his leash
when he sees unknown ppl and unknown dogs?? If that is all Rucker does, it might be he is not truly a dog-aggressive dog, it might be simply excitement, especially if he has led an isolated life til now.

 

[jordyquint]

I'm doing exactly as you said, actually.

When he reacts, he mostly barks, sometimes lunges, and pulls on the leash.

 

[tigerlily46514]

//"When he reacts, he mostly barks, sometimes lunges, and pulls on the leash. "//

this is great, no growling, no snarling, no air-snapping, no attempts to bite, no teeth baring, no aggressive posturing, etc? awesome!
I know many "normal" dogs, who love everyone, and do that, out of sheer excitement + unspent energy, when they see another dog, lol, dragging their owners all the way across the street.

it *may* be, your dog is not even aggressive, simply excited to see such creatures, (unknown humans and unknonw dogs)
and has had little practice with that, having been isolated so long.

I feel even more hopeful for your continued success!!!!!!!