I am mortified to even be writing this. Seriously, I am cringing with shame and embarrassment, but if I can’t talk to you guys about it…
Here goes: Lucas bit someone.
Or, at least, he tried to. He grazed the knee of her jeans but didn’t get her.
We were out for a Saturday afternoon walk around the park. Nothing out of the ordinary. There was a woman walking a pup a few blocks ahead of us, so I hung back because I always avoid other dogs when I’m out with Lucas because he’s reactive on leash to other dogs. Dogs. Never people.
We came around a bend, passing by an older woman. As soon as she was upon us, Lucas jumped up on her. He has NEVER jumped on a stranger before. As I pulled him back, he lunged and snapped.
The woman was pissed and upset, of course, but since there were no injuries (thankfully) she walked on after berating me. The whole time we were “talking” Lucas just stood there like nothing had happened.
I have no idea what got into him. None.
But I’m in a total panic. Is this a new problem behavior? Is he going to start reacting to strangers now? Are our walks going to turn into an even bigger gauntlet? Will this lady decide to call animal control and report the incident?
I’ve been obsessing for two days over this. I can think of a ton of excuses: Lucas, like Cooper, has become extremely protective of me since I got sick. He spent the last year stuck in the house, and we all know that if you don’t constantly work on problem behaviors, they can backslide. He’s always been a high-strung, reactive dog, and since he hasn’t gotten enough exercise, he’s clearly pent up. And so on.
But I don’t know.
The bottom line? I no longer trust my dog.
Can I walk him past strangers? What if it happens again? Chances are I’ll tense up, he’ll feel it through the leash, and that’ll cause him to react. But if I spend our walks avoiding people, like we’ve always done with dogs, there’s no way to work on it and it reinforces his idea that strangers are suspicious.
I’m completely mortified that this happened. And I’m really upset. As soon as we got back, I got online and enrolled him in a 5-week “reactive dog” class, but that doesn’t start until the end of March. I just felt like I had to do something, you know?
But what else? What else can I do?
I mean, other than panic and obsess, which is what I’m currently doing.
Sigh.
The good thing is, he didn’t actually bite. Did this woman get into “his” space to quickly? You know, the whole approach thing, cautious, hang back, slowly, bla bla bla. I had an incident with my Titan similar to this however he didn’t jump up. We were at work, my boss was playing with Titan, the Engineer walked into the room, despite me saying “No”, the Engineer pounced quickly into Titan’s “space” and Titan went not to bite, I don’t think, but he slobbered on the guys hand. I was so embarassed and when I pulled back on Titan’s leash, that’s when he barked. Simple mistake because some ppl just don’t know how to approach dogs properly.
BTW, being an older woman, did she have like a drumstick or something in her pocket that maybe Lucas smelled? I wouldn’t over-react however, I would continue to watch him. I’m no expert by far, I’ve just gotten to the point with my boy that, no one is to approach him unless I say it’s cool and I keep a safe distance between him and other ppl. Most the time, I tell them they can’t pet him when asked because, you just don’t know.
Hang in there! Smooches to Lucas!
Thanks so much for the kind words. I’ve replayed the situation in my head hundreds of times now, and I still just don’t know. But I’m going to follow your lead and just focus on keeping a safe distance from people and dogs from now on!!
Good luck Maggie. I wouldn’t be super paranoid but distance may be a good thing until you can figure out what triggered Lucas. Poor lil guy. Maybe he felt her fear or nervousness. Unfortunately, you’ll probably never know and it may never happen again. Chin up girlie!
We know Lucas can be a little over-reactive and VERY protective, especially this past year. I doubt this is something that will be a long-term problem. That lady may have been super tense walking past the two of you and Lucas just assumed it was because she was up to no good. Don’t worry, deep breaths, and look how cute he is….
Yeah, she could have provoked it in some doggy-language way. I’ve replayed the scenario over and over (and over and over) again, and I’m just not sure. I’d actually feel better about the situation if I felt she provoked it in some way instead of Lucas being unprovoked…
I’ve had issues with Delilah and other dogs on leash. How I handled it was keeping a watchful eye to approaching dogs, then I remove her from the situation and reward her for remaining calm.
To start with I would pull her far off the path (15 to 20 feet) stroke and speak in calm tones, telling her she was a good girl and rewarding with food treats her calm demeanor.
As she began to remain calm, I could lessen the distance from the path. Of course I always needed to maintain a tight grip on the leash and be prepared for her lunge. Normally now she is very calm unless the other dog is reacting, then all bets are off.
I think this technique could be applied with people as well.
I know how hard it is to remain calm when your dog is doing something totally unexpected.
Hang in there.
Thanks, Jodi! I’m going to be sure to never, ever, ever leave for a walk with Lucas without a ton of super tasty treats. I think your idea of stepping aside and giving treats is the best idea and definitely what I’m going to try. Thanks so much for the words of support.
I’m so sorry. I know you must be worried and upset. But it’s good that you recognize Lucas’s behavior is his way of trying to communicate something. And hopefully the class will give you the help you need.
You’re right that your tension can exacerbate things. Can you think of some activity you can do when people approach on a walk? Perhaps you could whip out a tug toy or treat every time someone walks by. It would teach Lucas that good things happen when people approach and if you have a behavior for yourself, it will help you relax so you don’t send tense messages down the leash.
Good luck. I’ll be thinking of you as you work through this.
Thank you so much, Pamela. I really appreciate the kind, supportive words. I’m going to follow your advice… From now on, he gets tons of his favorite treats whenever we spot a person. I think because I’m feeling really tense about the situation, we’re going to keep our distance from other people for now but work on reinforcing people = yummy food!
You are not alone, Maggie, so please don’t take Lucas’ behaviour personally. It’s not your fault and it doesn’t mean he is suddenly turning into a dangerous dog either. My dog has always been more reactive with people than with other dogs. Even though she has improved greatly I am still very cautious with her around strangers.
There are a lot of signals this woman may have been giving off that upset Lucas. Maybe she is afraid of large dogs and stared right at him while she approached with wide eyes. That always gets my dog riled. There are so many subtle things that we’ll never see but that stress out our dogs. Jodi and Pamela have given you a lot of good advice and I know you have dealt with reactivity many times before. The methods of working with dog reactivity and human reactivity are much the same.
Barring that, do you have any local dog trainers you could consult? It can be expensive but the one home visit we had from our trainer and now very good friend, changed everything for us. Money very well spent.
Good luck!
Kristine, You have no idea how much better your comment made me feel. Thank you. I was totally going down the rabbit hole of thinking that he’s now a dangerous dog. And I’m going to take your suggestion and call our local trainer. I’d love to go for a walk with her and get her take. Thank you!!
Aw man. I feel that knot in the pit of your stomach. We’ve all been there in one way or another. You’ve gotten some GREAT advice here, and signing up for the class was absolutely the right thing to do. I’m always nervous when strangers come into my house, since my dogs bark so fiercely. Flash actually bit a teenager, but that was because he was practicing karate moves in my direction. Still. Scary.
The fact that you’re so nervous and aware means that you’ll be hyper-vigilant. And I’m sure the class will be extremely beneficial to both of you. You’ll both be just fine. You will!
Thank you so much for the words of support! I am so grateful! And I’m going to keep repeating what you said: We’ll both be fine. 🙂
You’ve had good advice from people (who really took my advice ideas, like Pamela with the toys when people approach!) What a horrible feeling that must be 🙁 I’m glad that you found a class to enroll in.
So Sadie snapped at almost every single person she met the first year we had her. Either they would try to pet her too soon or move too fast or say something too loudly. I know exactly what you are agonizing over here.
What happened could very well be a one-time incident or it could be more. I hope that it’s just a one-time, combo of bad factors but if not, here’s what we did with Sadie that helped her become the dog who loves people that she is today:
1. We conditioned Sadie to think that people = awesome. In Sadie’s case, praise is her most valued reward. It also helped to keep me from tensing up if I was talking in a baby voice to her. So if she wasn’t lunging or snapping, she would get lots of praise (at first, she would shake uncontrollably and gradually over time she got more and more relaxed) for calm behavior around a person. Then we progressed to treats when she was able to take them (me giving her treats, then the person dropping the treat, then giving it to her directly). If she crossed the line with a growl, lunge or snap, she was removed from the room/area. It was important for her to not be allowed to scare the scary person away so as not to reinforce the bad behavior. So she had to leave when she couldn’t handle herself.
2. We tightly controlled who touched her and who wasn’t allowed. In the home, this meant requiring that visitors did not attempt to pet her for the first five minutes they were in our house (and some people who made her extremely nervous were asked just not to touch her at all). We warned people of her triggers (loud noises & sudden movements) and asked them to be mindful. Out of the home, I simply did not let anyone who asked pet her. I praised her for calm or eager (read: not scared or reactive) behavior when we approached people on our walks. She went from being a dog who lunged at people she walked past on the sidewalk to now a dog who sometimes accepts a stranger’s pet and sometimes moves away but never acts out.
Sadie came to us with pretty severe issues whereas you’ve had one incident with Lucas. I’m sure by praising/rewarding good encounters, he will soon forget this one bad encounter and your process won’t be nearly as lengthy and restrictive as ours was. Best of luck!
To Maggie: you should definitely take action on this as soon as possible to make sure it’s nipped in the bud. You’ve received some good advice. While one incident isn’t likely to turn into anything long term, it’s possible. I know from experience.
Our girl (coincidentally also named Sadie) was always good with people, very much preferred them to dogs. She was a young lab mix we rescued from a shelter. She wasn’t without issues. She had been abandoned, so had some serious (read: tear up the carpet, door, floors, etc) separation anxiety. But, she was fine with other dogs. However, that all changed one night while we were out visiting with our neighbor and his golden retriever, Sadie’s best bud. She was on a leash. Our neighbor, unbeknownst to us, had shoved his 90 lb. chocolate lab out the front door to wander on her own and use the neighbor’s lawns. When she saw Sadie with the male golden, she charged and got into it with her. Sadie was only a third this dog’s size and about 10 months old. The golden’s owner managed to pull the dog off ours, but Sadie ripped her leash out of my husband’s hands and chased the other dog back to her house. After that, she didn’t much care for other dogs. She was still ok with the golden, but she didn’t tolerate any other dog, as much as we tried to work with her. We tried introducing her to new dogs in neutral territory, slowly, with treats, etc. I’m sure we could have done more and probably should have sought out a professional, but we didn’t and she just never got along with other dogs after that. So, when on walks or in situations where she might meet a dog (like a vet’s office), we did our best to keep her as far removed from other dogs as possible.
I’m sure what happened with Lucas was a misunderstanding and an isolated incident. I hope everything turns out well for you two.
Wow. Poor thing. What a traumatic incident. Thanks for sharing your story.
Oh my gosh. Thank you so much for taking the time to share your detailed plan. I’m going to implement your suggestions during our next walk. It sounds a lot like what we had to do with him to work on his reactivity toward other dogs. You guys did such a phenomenal job with Sadie! Your advice is invaluable!
That’s really hard, and I know what you mean. My dog is reactive as well, and unfortunately the 8 week reactive dog class did next to nothing for us but get him used to the dogs that attended that particular class ($375 later…). I’m not saying not to take the class – on the contrary, I think a good behaviourist is worth its weight in gold.
I would do a few things. 1) can you find a dog walker you trust, or a good friend, who can come walk him everyday? That must be so difficult for you to manage everything right now with your health – I’ll bet his outburst could partially be due to pent up energy. Add on his worry over you and yes, I can understand an explosion.
2) If you are walking him with you other dogs, I would consider muzzling him (basket-style so he can still be comfortable and open his mouth and bark). Not because he’ll hurt your other dogs, but because it is one less thing for you to worry about when out on a walk – you will probably be less likely to tense up and relay that “message” to his end of the leash if you know he cannot bite anyone.
I’ll also say, I wonder if a) the woman startled him, coming around the bend like that and b) if it was misdirected aggression – ie he noticed the other dog and felt you tense up the leash as you waited for them to get ahead, and then released that energy on the unsuspecting woman. It sounds bad, but it is actually considered a very normal (ha, right?) animal reaction, reactive or not. That is NOT to say all animals do it, or would do it, but it’s not considered abnormal. The more you know, eh? 😉
Anyway – I feel ya sista. That’s all I got.
Thanks for all the advice, Jane! It’s interesting what you said about the class… Something for me to think about. Oh! And I added both those books you suggested to my library list. I can’t wait to check them out. Thanks for the tips!
One more thing … the only thing that has REALLY helped us is clicker training and counter conditioning. I would recommend “Click to Calm: Healing the Aggressive Dog” for some actual exercises and “games” you can play on your walk. Very good book. Apparently “Controlled Unleashed” is pretty fantastic too.
I am right there with ya… you’re not alone. The difference is that I haven’t mustered up the courage to talk about it publicly yet.
<3
Thanks for sharing, AJ. Seriously. It helps so much to know I’m not the only one dealing with this!
You must be really upset! That would give me all sorts of anxiety. Try not to take it too much to heart – even good dogs can go off for what seems like no reason. Maybe a scent? A sudden move? You’ll probably never know. I know how much you love your dogs and hopefully some of the great advice you’ve got holds a solution for you.
Who knows… I only hope that it was provoked in some way and not out of the blue, you know? Thanks, Jodi!
Hi-
I just found your blog. Love it and thanks for the honesty/transparency.
I wonder if having him sit as people walk by would work. Of course this is difficult in a park setting. But maybe you could walk him along the streets with sidewalks. I know some people just approach and don’t even think about it. But if you have enough time, when you see the human, you could tug the leash a little and say, “Sit.” And let him watch the person. Of course keep a good hold on him as he is unpredictable at this point.
I do this with a dog I walk for someone on a regular basis. He’s not mine but we’re pretty bonded. He is reactive to dogs also. But not ALL dogs which makes it a bit confusing. When we come up on a dog (and he is always at least curious) I have him sit and stay. It took a while before he finally did this without all the drama, twisting and barking, but eventually it worked. Persistence and repetitiveness.
I generally don’t trust any dog in my charge to not react even to humans. I know it’s different for an owner than a dog walker though but I avoid humans (strangers) as well as other dogs. I also know some humans will just walk up…they just figure they know dogs cause they have one and their dog is friendly w/ everyone so this one must be too. I don’t know how well the sit and stay thing would work with humans and his reactivity to them as opposed to dogs but give it a try.
Good luck. Also I hope you write about that class you signed up for. I’d love to read about it.
Thanks for the suggestions, Laura! I’ll definitely test out sitting. And I will absolutely be writing about our class. I only wish it were starting sooner…
Nice. Looking forward to it…although I’m sure not as much as you are.
I read above about giving treats off to the side. I forgot about that part. And I used them with the Sit command as well at first. It’s reached the point of the treats not being necessary now though.
Lots of great advice here. The comments are as good as your blog. 🙂
Gotta love dog lovers!
Wow, great advice here. I have a dog that has never liked strange men. He has never bitten a woman, he has growled and waqrned but neverbit. However, when he was a puppy he did bite a friend’s husband, we never knew why. Then jus recently he nipped a feind of ours who was staying with us for a few days. It was a strange thing too, All weekend ling Raven was taking treats from Tom, not caring if he came or went. Then one night Raven was sitting outside with us. Tom had placed his radio on the ground. he went to pick it up and Raven bit him, right on the knuckle. What Raven tought Tom was going to do? we’ll never know. So for the rest of his stay (one more night) we kept them away from eachother, when Tom was inside, Raven was outside , and vice versa. Good thong it was summertime.
Raven is now 10 yrs old. We have learned that we just can’t rrust him around new people. He however, does not mind my daughter’s friends, they can come and go as they please. We still rell them b not to pet him and they don’t.
Good luck with the training…hope it helps.
Thanks for sharing your experience with Raven. I think I’m going to follow those same rules and ask that unfamiliar people not pet him, at least until we get this situation resolved and I feel like I can trust him again!
Oh Maggie, I’m so sorry. You’ve gotten some great advice and I’m sure you’ll get this figured out. Just know that we’re thinking of you and Lucas and sending lots of calming thoughts.
Hello,
It’s really sad that you can’t trust your dog again. I likes your post because this is a problem that lots of people have had with their dogs, but there is a solution. Your dog needs a good training, and every sign of agressiveness has to be erased. I’ve written a post about this topic in my website. I would be very thankfull if you came over it and give me some feedback about it: http://www.obedient-dog.net/2012/08/31/dog-training-tips/
Well, you’ve already gotten tons of great advice, so I’ll just tell you that you are doing a great job – we can’t always be a step ahead of our dogs, sometimes they surprise us! – But no harm, no foul, I’m sorry the lady yelled at you 🙁
Good luck!!
Our dog, Bishu, did almost that very thing to a rollerblading guy. She just stepped over as he approached and nipped him in the leg. Thankfully, he had long jeans on and he showed me that it did give him a scrape through the denim. I apologized profusely and said the usual things a dog owner says in these situations: “she has NEVER done that before.” Thankfully, he just went away.
Bishu also showed no interest in the guy when he was talking to me. It could have been a reaction to the speed and nearness of his passing by. I’ll never know. She only attempted that one more time, but I was able to pull her back before contact. I was never sure about her after that and we avoided walking in crowded areas from then on.
You’ve got great advice. I wish the internet was like this back then. Such great information out here!
I’ve seen this a lot with dogs and moving wheels. And the speed could be an issue… that’s a good point. I wonder if it’s also the sound that roller blades and skate boards make.
But then I also see dogs freak out over passing bicycles, even when on the other side of the street…so again the speed could be part of the reaction. Depending on the dog, things with wheels could be something strange and unfamiliar.
I used to have a little chihuahua mix who I adopted as a senior so I didn’t know her history. And the first time I saw her react to someone roller blading took me by surprise. Luckily I had her on a leash because she went right for the wheels.
Hey Maggie,
That’s an awkward situation. But I definitely believe there was something that spooked Lucas. My dog Maia, although only 19 lbs., will bark at certain people for no reason. I’ve also been barked and lunged at by a dog just for wearing dark clothing. So it could’ve been something as little as the lady’s perfume. I don’t know, I’m not a trainer/expert. But don’t feel bad. It’s just one of those little weird moments in life. Wish you both all the best! 🙂
Perhaps your dog has some physical problem that made it do what it did. I have read that thyroid problems and allergies can make dogs aggressive. Also, has he be neutered?
I would consider keeping a muzzle on him until you figure out what is going on. It may sound cruel, but it is better than having him bite someone. Your dog’s life would be in jeopardy, then. Also, consider some medication for your dog. Your vet can help you make some decisions. There aren’t many trainers that you can trust. I would really research them before you decide to use one. Anyone can get a certificate. Have your vet help you with that as well. Consider a trainer who has worked with a university.
Please, just be proactive. It could happen again. But, don’t beat yourself up. That will not help your health and it isn’t at all useful. I’ll be praying for you and Lucas. God bless.
Oh geez, Maggie, I’m so sorry to read this – and really, really sorry to just be reading it now. Since I only saw this because you mentioned Luca’s Reactive Dogs class is starting up, I know you’ve already started working on this with him and are heading in the right direction. The best thing you can do for Lucas, you are already doing – getting professional help.
There are a lot of things that could have set him off and reflecting on both the short-term of the actual incident and the long-term of contributing factors will help you figure out what happened and, hopefully, avoid it in the future. When Bella bit Jan the first time, she had been showing signs – as subtle as they may have been – that she was in distress LONG before she acted on it.
By going through her reactive dog classes, we learned to identify her triggers and how to manage them before they became a problem. I know, really I do know, that it feels like this behavior came out of nowhere but I think you will learn through this class that all the things you and your family have been through have been adding up in Lucas’ mind over time. Still, it is a stunning and terrifying to event to go through and I really feel for you.
The main thing I want to tell you is – this is fixable. And we are proof of it. Hang in there, listen to the trainers, seek additional help if you find it necessary. And if you ever just need someone who has been there to vent to, feel free to hit me up. The details of our circumstances may be different but the feelings it provokes are the same.
Leslie, Thank you so, so much for taking the time to comment. I’ve been following your story closely, and I’m fascinated by your experiences and all the progress you’ve made.
Thank you so much for your kind, reassuring words. I can’t even begin to tell you how much that means to me. I’ll definitely be writing about Lucas’ class. So far we have only met one week and it was people only, no dogs. This Sunday is his first official day in the class.
I think you’re absolutely right that this is something that’s been building in his mind for a long time – I just hadn’t paid attention to the subtle signs.
Thank you again for your kind comment. I really appreciate it!
hey there! checked out your wtsibee and am very interested in your assistance. We have a year old lab X greyhound (so we found out afterwards!) and all in all he is an amazing dog, we got him at 8 weeks and he has been around our daughter who had just turned 3 and is amazing with her she lays on him..pushes him is kind of in an agressive stage right now and we try really hard to stress to her NOT to be like that lol but anyways he has never growled, snapped, bit or snarled at her..or anyone for that matter.. he is a very loving and affectionate, licky/kissy dog.however, we have a baby on the way, and my husband was just called into the military and will be going away for quite a while. Bentley(dog) seems to listen to my husband more than me they are BFFS. And Bentley has and always has had an issue with jumping up, and pawing at people lol not aggressively but its still super frustrating, and we are concerned with the baby on the way and such and just want to get him under control while hes still young.Let me know what you think and We’d love to meet!
I stumbled across this post and I feel like it was fate…I am in this exact same position right now. I was just walking my dog back to my apartment door- he is 6 months and always very friendly and sweet to humans. Two girls passed me in the hallway and he just attacked one of the girls’ leg. She was irate and I was completely stunned, ashamed, and helpless!! I feel so stressed knowing that I officially have an aggressive, untrustworthy dog!
Did you do something that fixed the problem with your dog?? I am signed mine up for a class right now but I am in need of something to give me peace of mind. 🙁
Hi, Olivia: I’m so sorry for all you’re going through. I know how stressful it is. We did take two reactive dog classes at a science-based positive reinforcement dog training school. It made a huge difference. It sounds like the class you’re taking is a definitely step in the right direction. Love on your pup, manage his safety, and good luck in your class!!!