My dachshund saw a squirrel while on a walk. He starts pulling to try and get it. Usually I can get him to refocus but he was just overexcited the whole walk. For context I took him to a new large open field that has an enclosed dog run in the side. We trained in the field and well 5 of the dogs in the dog run got into a brawl. He didn’t bark and still took treats but I think it stressed him out. Anyway while I was pulling him away from the squirrel some guy was like “ wow you’re just doing to let your dog drag you around like that? How embarrassing “ then walked off.and now I genuinely feel embarrassed;-; it was genuinely just a bad day for my little guy. He’s been able to be in a perfect heel for a while and has made so much progress in being neutral with larger dogs. I just cut the walk short and gave him a kong . Will be going back to more familiar routes so he’s more comfortable and can build up his confidence.

We adopted a German shepherd mix dog two years ago; he’s now three. When we adopted him, he was on a very low dose of gabapentin for anxiety from being at the shelter and we have weaned him off these meds. For the first six months, we were able to walk him without too many issues and even take him to the park for a run but since then he has become incredibly reactive on walks and we now struggle to get him off our street without fixating on houses that have dogs. He lunges and pulls on the leash, making walks extremely difficult. His reaction doesn’t seem to be aggression as once we’re close to other dogs, he’s actually playful and friendly. It’s the reactivity on the lead that we’re struggling with and it’s obviously very intimidating for anyone walking near us.

We’ve worked with three different trainers, all have said he’s a difficult case and recommended using a slip lead. We’ve tried this along with a halter and harness but nothing has really helped.

My husband now feels we’ve exhausted all our options and wants to rehome him. The hardest part is that he’s such a fantastic dog at home; he’s loyal, loving and a real joy to have around. He’s also intelligent so I’ve always made sure he’s stimulated with brain games, scent work and command training.

I’m feeling torn because I don’t want to give up on him but I also understand how exhausting and frustrating this has become as we’ve now got a newborn.

I’m wondering if anyone has experienced something similar or has any advice on what else we could try before making such a difficult decision.

My little Sasha boo. We just drove from LA to Bozeman, MT over three days. There have been times when I’ve wondered if she’d be better off with a sitter or in a well-vetted boarding/day care place than traveling with me. I wonder if this might help her long term or if this is simply too much for her.

That drive was brutal. A new place to sleep the past three nights (including tonight). Ideally we really need to be in an Airbnb where she doesn’t hear other people and she can have some semblance of a yard. Peeing and pooping is a whole thing bc she’s been too on edge in most places to go. She’s peed inside twice (all good with me I’m just glad she’s going).

She settles super well in the car, is always SUPER excited to get out of the car and explore, but sometimes we don’t make it out for about 5 minutes before she’s yanking me back to the car. We don’t have to pack up and go anywhere else for at least a week now. Sigh.

Photo: Hashbrown with his new Big Snoof custom muzzle.

I’m currently working to desensitize my dog to his new muzzle. We started with him putting his face in the basket and now he’s able to wear it for a few minutes inside (with lots of treats and praise of course).

Once he’s fully trained, is it best for him to wear it as much as possible when we go out so it feels normal to him, or should I only make him wear it when I feel like it’s necessary?

For example, I can easily get him from my apartment to the car without dealing with the muzzle. I also get home late from work, so his nighttime walks are his time to decompress when we know we won’t run into people. I’d feel bad making him wear it even at night, but I also don’t want him to accidentally associate the muzzle with stressful situations.

My dog loves to chase, I am trying to find some safer ways to meet that need.

So I have tried the smart toys, balls and other shapes, I've tried a flirt pole and every kind of ball I can find. I have tried the standard stuffed toys and pretty much any other type I can find.

I need something that gets some decent speed. At this point I am not sure it matters if its actually a dog toy.

What have you tried, what works for you?

is five years old with some pretty rampant anxiety. she’s had it ever since she was a little pup and I do have to say we’ve taken leaps and bounds. Not necessarily looking to explain the symptoms and behaviors on here rather, looking for concrete resources in and around the side of Chicago. My girl is too anxious to frankly leave the house/the invisible force field that she deems safe; so I believe my only option is having them come to her. And I’m trying to hopefully move in the next couple years where she’ll be around busier and louder sounds. I’m really not trying to have her regress when that happens either and frankly give her a good rest of her life because I know there’s so much more curiosity that she has to explore, but her anxiety is just getting in the way of it(like me too queen).

I’m booking a vet appointment, but I’m feeling really down and would appreciate any advice or hope from people who’ve experienced something similar.

My 18-month-old Malshi x Poodle barks at strangers and dogs. We’ve made some progress outside and around the home with training, treats, and gradual exposure, but visitors are still difficult, especially children - it's not sustainable to have them over at all. Even when he settles, sudden movements can trigger him all over again  and I have to constantly manage his behaviour the entire time they're visiting.

My biggest concern is that he also reacts to our own children. If they run, shriek or play-fight, he chases them, growls and tries to nip. We can ensure the safety of visiting children by keeping him on a lead and constantly giving treats, but I don't see how I can do that with my own kids all day. 

I’ve tried calming collars and supplements (no success) and lots of training with gradual, gentle exposure. He seems very attached to me and definitely seems to be protective when he thinks the kids are hurting me. But he also seems to react if he thinks they're getting hurt. He even got reactive when my child let a friend ride her bike at the park the other day. I must admit we haven't done much direct, graded exposure to kid-related triggers - perhaps we need to (with him on a lead for their safety, of course).

I’m struggling to understand whether this is anxiety, resource guarding or something else. Has anyone had success with medication or behaviour modification in a similar situation?

We're all quite attached to him now, and he seems affectionate and relaxed with my kids when they're calm, but I think I know he's not suited to a home with kids. But I feel distraught at the thought of having to rehome him, and how upsetting that would be for our kids (and if I'm honest, me too). I’d really appreciate any advice on possible next steps so that we can avoid that.

Hostile Neighbours - Not GSD friendly

Hey everyone,

I really need to vent and get some outside perspective because living in our apartment in France has turned into an absolute nightmare of targeted surveillance, anxiety, and hostility.

For context, my partner and I live in a co-property block. Our dog, a female German Shepherd (LOF-registered, non-categorised), is currently 8 months old.

As any GSD owner knows, 8 months is a prime adolescent phase, and she is currently becoming reactive (she gets scared easily and will bark at people, especially in enclosed spaces like hallway encounters) and barks a lot. We are working on this tirelessly: we take her to weekly professional canine training sessions and train with her every single day on neutrality and focus, but honestly she's mental. I love her but she's off the charts some days. She is always kept strictly on a short lead in common areas.

However, her barking and reactivity have made an already terrible situation ten times worse with a hostile faction of elderly neighbours, led by one particular woman who constantly tries to control the building. The neighbours literally stick to the walls when we walk past, shake their heads, point - you name it.

Here is the wild part: the harassment started long before we even got our dog.

Months before we acquired her (back when we only had cats), we received ridiculous complaints blaming us for pet hair outside the building and structural damage to common areas. Now that we actually have a puppy who is going through a reactive phase, it has escalated into full-blown mobbing:

\\\* Neighbours cornering us in hallways shouting that "our animals aren't welcome here."

\\\* Constant phone calls, emails, and ungrounded complaints. Even shouting from windows.

\\\* Being forced to feel like we have to creep around our own home, getting up at the crack of dawn to walk her just to avoid confrontation and keep her threshold low.

This week, the property manager (syndic) sent us a soft-touch "request" asking if our dog could wear a muzzle in common areas to make people feel comfortable, and accusing us of letting her foul in the estate’s green spaces. We don't btw. Of course.

It has drained us so much that being away right now feels like the only time we can actually breathe without feeling constantly watched.

Has anyone else dealt with managing a reactive adolescent dog in an apartment building full of hostile neighbours who are actively looking for reasons to complain? How did you manage training her through reactivity while keeping your sanity against administrative harassment?

I love this dog, she's my best friend and I know the training will be hard. I feel like we've tried everything, but she's still barking and lunging. Not giving up, but just need advice.

Ugh feeling so drained with it all.

Have a 2 and a half year old female GSD. Had her since 8 weeks old. Came from a certified breeder. Met her mum and dad and visited her at 5 weeks before taking her home at 8 weeks.

Tried to do everything right. Took her to puppy classes, took her out in a sling before she was vaccinated to get her used to the world, took her in the car to observe people and dogs. Never let her meet dogs on leash, had her make some dog friends who she hangs out with.

Despite everything she is reactive. Taken her to several behavioural sessions and despite being told we are doing everything right with positive reinforcement she still loses her mind when she sees a dog.

We do the look at me treat training, and she is fine at a certain distance but we can't seem to close that distance at all despite working on it constantly. We do impulse control training, sniffing games, we don't reward her for barking at all but she has a full on melt down if we ever get too close to a dog.

I just don't know what to do anymore. I am regularly crying and losing all hope. We can barely take her anywhere as there are dogs everywhere around where we live. I would love to take her to a park or a beach but she can't be trusted to behave.

My friends have dogs and can take them to pubs and parks and anywhere they want. One is eve a rescue from a hoarding situation and she is still more well adjusted then my dog.

I just don't know if this is my life now. That she will never get better. I feel so much shame when people glare at us because she is so loud. She's not even scared of dogs, she just gets so excited she can't control herself.

I just don't know what to do...

I am currently dealing with an aggressive and reactive dog, and am at a loss what to do at this point. For some backstory:

My dog is an 8 year old 75lb female pitbull mix. She is incredibly sweet, cuddly, and overall a lovely dog… towards people. We also have a 10 year old husky. Both dogs frequently get into bad fights. My pitbull is food aggressive, toy aggressive, attention aggressive, etc. My husky wouldn’t hurt a fly but I find her always having to defend herself. The fights have ended pretty badly before (always with my pitbull having bites and scratches because she picks fights she doesn’t win. We also used to have two dogs that she has been physically aggressive with. They have since passed for other reasons, but she is aggressive towards all animals. There are periods of peace between my dogs, but it never lasts for too long. At one point, I got a canine to the bicep from my pitbull getting caught in the cross hairs. She has been aggressive since we got her at 8 weeks and has never gotten better.

Fast forward to now, we have an 8 month old baby. I never expected her to show aggression towards her. She has been good in the past with small children and all people she encounters really. However she now is showing teeth, growling at her, etc. It’s not something I’m willing to gamble with.

We have (semi) successfully navigated having an extremely aggressive and reactive dog by keeping them separate mostly, feeding seperate, etc. however now that my daughter is around the fear runs in my head of what can and will eventually happen. We also have another baby on the way

That being said, at this point we’re down to three options:
1) rehoming her
2) surrendering her to a shelter
3) humane behavioral euthanasia

We love her a lot and I don’t want to put her down, but I don’t see how I can consciously let someone adopt such an aggressive dog. I wouldn’t forgive myself if something happened to anyone or any other animals. And I know she wouldn’t get adopted with her history and age at a shelter. I don’t know how she would do somewhere else. She has barely ever left our home due to her behavior. I just truly feel like there is something wrong with her brain. I am stressed around her, my daughter is becoming scared of her, my other dog and car are terrified of her. I don’t know what to do. We love her and she has been a part of our family for 8 years.

I don’t even know what I’m looking for from this post. I guess general advice from anyone who has been in a similar position. We love our animals and I have always criticized people who rehome their dogs. I never thought I would be one of them, let alone discussing euthanizing her, but at this point it might be the most humane option for her.

We rescued a dog about a month ago. He has very intense leash reactivity/aggression towards both peope and dogs. Inside the house he is friendly to people but barks at every noise.

I really wanted to be able to have a dog I could take on walks, hikes, etc…

Every time I try to walk him, it is extremely stressful for me. I already have a mental health condition, and now with these behaviors it is getting much much worse.

Everything I’ve read about reactive dogs is that it’s a lifelong management process and you need to manage their triggers. I honestly don’t think I’m cut out for that.

At the same time, returning a dog goes against my values. I feel like such a bad person.

I’m having huge crying fits every day about this.

Thoughts/advice greatly appreciated

I posed here 5 weeks ago expressing concern and hesitation about trying medication for our dog that has struggled with dog reactivity since she was attacked around a year ago.

We had been working with her tirelessly since the attack and while we saw improvement, it still was obvious that being near another dog immediately triggered high anxiety for her. We could see she wanted desperately to work with us and redirect/engage with the training, but it was impossible to avoid the initial ingrained anxiety response. It was tough on both her and us.

Now 5 weeks in on a “conservative dose for her weight”, we can see a noticeable difference. She’s responding SO much more to the training. When she spots dogs now, instead of getting worked up, she is instantly looking at us to engage and get rewarded. It’s like the medication is slowing/stopping the initial freakout moment and allowing her to process so much more.

She never lost her appetite, though we did notice her sleeping a bit more and increased independence - or should I say decreased clingy-ness.

We got her bloodwork done before starting the meds and just the other day for peace of mind, and all of her levels look great.

Instead of dreading seeing another dog, we’re actually almost excited when we see one in the distance and get the opportunity to work with her.

I’m cautiously optimistic for the future and so excited to see her regaining some comfort in public.

Every New Year's Eve, my dog starts shaking as soon as the fireworks begin and becomes completely unreachable, as if he can't even hear me anymore. We've tried a lot to calm him down, but nothing has really worked so far. That's why this topic means so much to me personally, and why I chose it for my university project in Germany.

The project is non-commercial, and I'm trying to think in all different directions to find new ways of protecting dogs from the stress. I'd love to hear how your dog reacts, what you've already tried, and which ideas you'd be open to.

The survey takes about 3 minutes and would really help me get an overview:)
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScOFm0SrO3sqjqcDL5Nqs5_pcUDN6XB7leJXAx3v-sov-z_qA/viewform?usp=header

Thank you so much! And if you have tips or stories, I'd love to read them in the comments too <3

Crossposting after seeing this sub recommended!

We recently listed our reactive Border Collie (around 3 years old with bite history) for rehoming, while exploring other options like medication and training. We are to find someone experienced who could give him the right home. A person reached out saying she’s a trainer who specifically works with working dogs with reactivity issues and has had a lot of success. She’s interested in adopting him and is coming to meet him tomorrow.

Has anyone had a similar experience? I’d love to hear how it worked out and what you did to get to know the person and feel comfortable with the placement.

If the meeting goes well and she seems like a good fit, what should we prepare or agree on before moving forward? Any advice on checking references, adoption paperwork, or planning the transition would be appreciated. We love him very much, so we’re hopeful but want to take our time making sure it’s the right match.

Im so sad right now. My dog used to be very friendly to every dog and would completely ignore reactive ones up until he was around 2 ~ 3 years old (He is neutered). Then he would bark back and lunge at larger dogs that showed aggression but ignore reactive smaller ones.

A couple months ago we were attacked by a pack of 5 stray dogs. One of them bit my leg and I had to go to the hospital and take one million rabies shots but he was not hurt. He also didn’t try to fight them that much.

Now he hates any and every stray dog. If he sees a stray from a distance he will want to charge at them. He still doesn’t care about most crazy aggressive small dogs barking at him, but if it’s a stray, he sees no size or gender, he gets all stiff and wants to go after them.

I’m seeking advice on how to train/condition him to ignore dogs. He is not food motivated when outside and in situations where he sees a stray he’s completely locked in and won’t respond to toys. I also can’t use a friend’s dog cause he likes all of them and if it’s a random dog with an owner he doesn’t care.

Some additional behaviours I noticed that may be important

• He doesn’t want to hurt the strays, but chase them down like he was going to kill them and then do nothing. Just aggressively run after them.

• When he sees dogs playing/fighting he wants to chase one of the dogs away. Regardless of them being a stray or not. That’s for every dog.

• If a dog he knows barks at another dog (that he was until given moment completely ignoring) he’ll start lunging at this other dog.

Would anyone have any tips and suggestions?

Sorry if this is the wrong flair. Feeling very hopeless about our ACD mix that we rescued when he was 4.5 months old (in the shelter for 2.5 months). Looking for any encouragement or similar stories.

He is 14mo old now (65lbs) and in the house with my husband and me is the best dog ever. No food aggression/resource guarding whatsoever. On walks, he listens very well, watch dogs go by, walk past them, and mostly ignore them (he will turn his head; we're working on this!), great loose leash walking.

But with strangers in the house, he barks and runs towards them, tries to nip, and has extreme fear aggression at the vet. He doesn't like men and is wary of strangers. I know that the wariness is part of the ACD breed. He loves dogs, though, after being properly introduced. He's muzzle trained and gets sedated for vet visits.

We've been working with a Fear Free dog trainer and have great protocols for guests where he is able to co-exist and actually wanted pets from our friends at our most recent gathering. We also have scheduled with a vet behaviorist to see if there is anything else we're missing.

I am just feeling so tired after only 10 months of having him, and he's a big dog. I feel anxious traveling because I am not sure if the rovers we use will always be available. We tried trialing him at a dog daycare, and he didn't do well; he got fear-aggressive when the workers tried to take his leash off, etc. We have trazodone and gabapentin for him, which I plan to use in new environments like a new rover. Our previous rescue mutt was reactive and aggressive (food resource guarding, hated other dogs, didn't care for new people but warmed up quickly), but she was much smaller and older (10yrs old), so it felt more manageable?!?!

I feel guilty thinking about rehoming or BE because of the above, but he is such a great, goofy, smart dog 95% of the time, so I am hoping you all might have similar success stories or words of encouragement. Thank you for listening

I walk a five year old female Airedale. Her owner requires a gentle lead but this dog is extremely reactive. Any other dog seen sends her into a spiral of dolphining, biting at the lead and biting at the handler/owner. I have tried to break her focus when dogs are in their own yard and attempted to acclimate her to having other dogs around, but not close.
I would say I have succeeded in calming her and refocusing her about 25% of the time. Is there anything else that can be done? She vibrates after reactivity for 5-10 minutes. I have tried soothing and I have tried ignoring her. Not sure what else I can try to help both dog and owner. Any suggestions are appreciated.

My girl is not a fan of other dogs, despite coming from a rescue saying she was fine with them. We’ve been working for the last two years.

Today we were walking, and she’d been doing wonderfully. There were multiple occasions of dogs barking where she redirected. But she was looking the other direction when a dog stuck its head under a fence, barked, tried digging out, and kept barking. It scared her, and she immediately took off and lunged. I heard a pop and was worried she broke something on her body, but it turns out she just broke the harness.

Now, I know sassy woof probably isn’t the best for reactive dogs, but I didn’t know any better when I got it. I’ve never had a reactive dog before. I’m looking for harness suggestions with metal hardware. I’ve been looking at biothane long lines, and I’m wondering how the biothane harnesses are.

Picture of broken harness attached. Both sides broke like this.

Heyy everyone. I recently moved away for college and ever since then, my dog has been having a lot of behavioral changes, especially with his food. Buddy has been known to have resource guarding but over the years, I was able to train him to the point he would back away from his food when told, and will let us touch it. Now that I am gone, it seems that his old habits remerged: he doesn't let anyone get close to his bowl and snaps at people near him if they don't listen to his other warning signs. He also has been skipping his meals. We usually give him food in the moring and evening and he would normally eat it immediately. But ever since I moved, he has been skipping his moring meal and only eating it at night, and even then, he would leave pieces of kibble in his bowl and wouldn't finish it all the way (this is super unusual because he LOVES food).

I'm assuming this might be because he is missing me, since I spent the most time and energy on him. But it's still odd because I don't think my relationship with him was any more special than his relationship with anyone else in the family, as he treats everyone the same. What makes this even more odd is that he's never had separation anxiety before, and he's never done this when he was left all alone with a dog sitter.

Is there any reason to why this is happening? What can I or my siblings, who are at home with him, do to help train him. Please give me any suggestions or advice on what I can do and why he is doing this :(

I know resource guarding is required to see by a professional trainer but my parents refuse to hire one. All his training has been done by me which might be why his reasource guarding isn't fully dealt with :(((

I don't even know if this technically falls under reactivity since it's diagnosed anxiety, but this is the closest place I could find for support.

Background: About two years ago, my dog (staffy mix, two at the time) developed what we thought was severe separation anxiety. After medications and a vet behaviorist, we made progress and he was basically cured once we realize that he wasn't actually experiencing separation anxiety but a fear of a noise the security cameras we armed when we left the house made.

For about a year, he had been completely fine.....until last month. I left him with my sister (which I've done many times-- he also visits her house to play with her dogs regularly) and he just freaked out, shaking and panicking and hiding even with medication. What's worse, when we got him back home, he was freaking out there too. He only wanted to hide outside or, eventually if I wouldn't let him out, upstairs in a corner or in the bed.

We have NO CLUE what's causing this new fear. We are assuming a sound we can't hear but we can't figure it out. We've tried unplugging and plugging in different things and even tried during a power outage but nada. At home, he eventually comes back to the living room but he's often very tense. When we walk, he doesn't want to come back inside. At my sister's house, he will happily run through to get to the yard to play with her dogs, but will freak out if back inside.

I am EXHAUSTED. I spent over a year working through the camera fear to finally get him to a place where I could leave him alone and even travel and now we're back to square one with a new fear and I'm just out of energy. I'm likely going to have to cancel a trip I booked months ago when he was doing well because I can't have him stay at my sister's house anymore and in-home care at the level he needs would cost a fortune. I feel trapped by him and his anxiety and I'm just so tired.

Obviously I'm doing everything the vet behaviorist suggested; he's still on daily meds and taking the supplemental ones when needed but nothing seems to be helping him through this.

I’m honestly at a loss, and I’m hoping someone here has been through something similar and can offer some advice.

I got my dog about four years ago. She’s a mixed breed, part Whippet and part Husky, and unfortunately, she was taken away from her mother at only 6 weeks old instead of the recommended 8 weeks. This wasn’t my decision; the breeder was giving the puppies away early, seemingly just to make money.

She is genuinely one of the most loving dogs I’ve ever met. She’s incredibly sweet and motherly toward both of my children. I trust her around them because she has never shown aggression toward them, and she’s so gentle and caring with them. I love her, and I know she’s a good dog at heart.

But she is SO difficult to manage, and I feel like I’ve tried everything.

She has an almost endless amount of energy. She can run and play for up to four hours and still seem ready to go. We spent $5,000 building a fence so she could safely stay in our yard, and she STILL digs underneath it to escape.

Taking her for walks is exhausting. She squeals, screams, and barks at practically every person she sees. It’s stressful and embarrassing, and I feel like I can’t even enjoy a simple walk with my own dog.

We spent $1,800 on professional training, but unfortunately, it didn’t solve the problems. I’ve tried positive reinforcement and using food to train her. I’ve tried a shock collar, an e-collar, and a bark collar. We’ve also tried medication, but it didn’t seem to help.

At this point, our next step is to speak with our vet about medication that might help calm her down, because I genuinely don’t know what else to try.

I feel terrible even saying this, but sometimes she is an absolute pain in the ass. I’m exhausted. I feel like I can’t give her enough exercise to satisfy her, I can’t trust her not to escape the yard, and even something as basic as walking her feels like a battle.

The hardest part is that she’s also such an amazing dog in other ways. She loves my kids, she’s affectionate, and she has such a sweet, nurturing personality. I don’t want to give up on her. I don’t want people to think I don’t love her, because I really do.

I just feel like I’m running out of options, and I don’t know what she needs from me that I haven’t already tried to give her.

Has anyone dealt with a dog with this level of hyperactivity, escape behavior, and reactivity? Did anything finally help? Could this be anxiety, overstimulation, genetics, or something else entirely?

I’m open to suggestions, especially from people who have dealt with similar dogs. I’m not looking for judgment. I’m genuinely looking for help because I love this dog, but I’m struggling, and I don’t know what to do anymore.

I’m looking for experiences from parents who’ve navigated a similar situation, particularly those who’ve managed to make things work.

We have a 5.5-year-old female rescue dog whom we love dearly. She’s always been somewhat nervous and reactive in certain situations, but she’s also incredibly affectionate with us and very much part of our family.

We recently welcomed our first baby, now 5 weeks old, and I’m increasingly worried about how things will work as he grows and becomes mobile.

A bit of background:

Our dog has had positive experiences with babies and young children. Friends brought their baby over at 6 months, and she was completely relaxed, approaching to sniff and lick him before settling nearby. He visited again at 10 months, when he was much more mobile, and she was similarly calm.

However, she can also be reactive. When uncomfortable or threatened, she sometimes growls, barks, or air-snaps. She’s never bitten anyone, but what particularly concerns me is that she doesn’t always retreat from triggers — sometimes she actually moves towards them while growling or barking.

I’m especially worried about the toddler stage, when our son will become more mobile, noisy, and unpredictable.

We’re committed to supervising interactions, respecting our dog’s boundaries, and using separation where necessary.

My husband and I have different perspectives. He firmly believes we can make this work through management, training, and separation, and doesn’t consider rehoming an option. I desperately want that to be true, but worry about whether strict management will be realistic and sustainable over the years.

We’re also considering consulting a veterinary behaviourist.

I’d love to hear from parents who’ve been through something similar:

* How did your reactive dog respond when your baby became mobile?

* Were you able to make it work through training, baby gates, and separation?

* What does everyday life look like if you’ve successfully managed this long-term?

I’m particularly interested in long-term experiences rather than just the newborn stage.

My child’s safety will always come first, but I also want to give our dog every reasonable chance of remaining part of our family. I’d really appreciate hearing both positive and negative experiences.