How can I reduce my dog's reactivity towards other entire males?

Willko,

I think you're absolutely right, and it’s a no-brainer that any responsible owner should be ready to recall or get hold of their dog during an encounter. I honestly don't see why anyone would find that shocking.

@Ulysse46

You’re right, Neels was definitely over-correcting. He starts by growling, but at the moment, growling isn't doing the trick (either the other dog doesn't take the hint or the owner doesn't step in quickly enough), so Neels ends up kicking off. Usually, I try to call Neels back, but by then I’ve usually lost his focus completely.

"Neels pas à en mode bagarre?" Not in fight mode? Goes into fight mode? I’m not sure I follow what you meant there.

Personally, I think it’s totally counter-productive to let your dog approach another—or vice-versa (sometimes they surprise you, fair enough)—and then, the second you start doubting or panicking, you try to recall your dog. I reckon that’s the best way to make the dog think there’s a problem (especially if your voice is full of anxiety and you're sounding desperate). Depending on how the "chat" with the other dog is going, he might decide to get stuck in rather than come back to you.

Or, if at least half of these meetings end in a rushed recall, the cumulative effect—without enough positive interactions to balance it out—could make the dog think, "Blimey, meeting other dogs isn't fun, it's actually a right pain."

In my opinion, you either have to trust your dog completely (if his body language suggests you can, obviously) and accept the risks that come with it. I'd say the risk is tiny because, yeah, there’s no such thing as zero risk... but what kind of life is it if you’re always shielding yourself from everything or constantly on edge?

I personally think it’s a great way for them to broaden and develop their communication skills.

Plus, I’d much rather have a dog that can manage his own interactions instead of me constantly hovering over him.

Mind you, it’s not about just leaving him to fend for himself; there are plenty of things you can do to help him become more independent.

Either you don't trust your dog and you guide him, letting him make mistakes so you can correct them (meaning he shouldn't get too out of hand and should learn from it)...

Or you just stop him from meeting other dogs altogether...

But letting him go in with your fingers crossed hoping for the best, or panic-calling him back once they’ve already started interacting—I honestly don't get that logic.

Hello,

@Ulysse46

You're right, Neels was definitely over-correcting. He starts by growling, but for now, the growls aren't enough (the other dog doesn't stop and/or the owner doesn't have time to stop their dog), so Neels goes into scrap mode. What I usually do is try to recall Neels, but by that point, I often can't get through to him.

@Boxy I really like your approach of body blocking; I just need to have the presence of mind to do it, but I’ll definitely keep it in mind. It's a very interesting suggestion, thank you, I'll try to put it into practice.

Regarding the work with the trainer, in case it's of interest or helps anyone:

1/ Recall in all situations and walking to heel => e.g. when Neels is off-lead and we meet an unfriendly dog on a lead.

2/ Off-lead encounters: the work has mainly been on me lol!

- I (the owner) mustn't stare at the "obstacle" => no freezing up/no putting him back on the lead (which is really, really hard). Often, I was the trigger.

3/ Reading body language: checking that the dogs approach each other properly to have a sniff, rather than head-on. It's a good sign if he lies down beforehand.

I should also mention that these points were given to me after an assessment session with Neels, so they might not necessarily be a universal truth. The trainer was talking specifically about the situation with Neels and me.

I hope this update is helpful; let me know if you need anything else. Anyway, thanks for taking an interest in my stories. What a great community!

👌

Hi Willko

I’ve had a quick skim through the previous pages and there’s definitely some progress with Neels, well done! Happy 2nd birthday to him too! 🎉🎂

Could you tell us a bit more about what you did with the trainer? (A bit more than just the meets with calm dogs and random dogs, the "non-events"...) I’m just curious about the body language, cues, positioning, equipment and that sort of thing... Whatever you’ve been doing seems to have worked wonders and it might be really helpful for others to hear about.

Well done on managing your own stress as well!

Was that something you worked on specifically, or did your stress levels just come down naturally as you saw things improving?

It's brilliant that Neels isn't reacting like he used to!

Regarding him reacting to "provocations", I’d suggest stepping in (as Docline mentioned, "acting as a shield" or body blocking). And if Neels tries to escalate things, tell him to "leave it", "no", or "steady" (whatever your usual command is to get him to stop and settle).

The other owner might not react, or might react too late (they can’t anticipate Neels' reaction the way you can).

By dealing with the other dog yourself, it shows Neels he doesn't need to get worked up. Telling him to "leave it" at the same time helps nip that rising energy in the bud—it defuses things instantly and he’ll get into the habit of calming down quickly and letting you handle it. Eventually, he won't get so wound up to begin with.

Thanks for the replies,

@Docline, my dog is often out in front. He’s actually got very good recall, but I don’t want to make a big deal out of every encounter by calling him back. I’ve opted for the "every encounter is a non-event" strategy instead. It’s actually something the trainer worked on with me more than anything, to help me manage my own stress.

Willko, my dog stands his ground quite easily if he’s mounted at his age. But when he was younger, if the owner let their dog get away with it, I’d step in myself. Your trainer is right. It’s up to the owner to manage their dog. If it happens, you intervene, and if it becomes a common occurrence, you have to anticipate it...

Where does your dog walk in relation to you when you’re out on a walk?

If you have a tricky encounter, it’s actually quite easy to teach an Aussie to get behind their owner—it’s up to you to act as a shield.

Hi @Ulysse46, thanks for getting back to me.

What we've done so far is socialisation work, starting with well-balanced dogs and then moving on to random dogs we meet out and about. I think Neels has realised that there's actually no danger with other dogs; you just say hello and that’s it. He doesn't react anymore—what I mean is, he’s no longer the one starting it.

Now, I feel the situation is different because it’s the other dog doing something "out of line" to him. The trainer told me that, logically, it’s up to the owner of the "pushy" dog to keep them in check before they start acting inappropriately.

So yes, there’s a common link like you said, but the root cause isn't the same anymore—and more importantly, Neels and I can't control how other dogs behave, can we?

Does that make my point of view a bit clearer?