#reactive behavior

[littlebellesmama]

When Patience Meets a Short Fuse

Some people move through the world with a quick temper, like a spark waiting for something dry to land on. Reactions are sharp. Words come fast. The tension arrives before anyone else can prepare for it. Conversations become careful. Steps get lighter. Not because fear takes over, but because some personalities demand that kind of space. It isn’t always about cruelty. Sometimes, it’s just a deep…

[hazard-and-friends]

so Hazard's intermittent hind leg problem finally has a probable cause (one vertebra in the lumbrosacral region has a hook and associated stenosis, aka various nerves and muscles get pinched in routine motion) but it's been making me think about that 60% of problem-behavior dogs have a pain issue study

that's usually understood as the pain causing/exacerbating the problem behavior; treat the pain, behavior improves. and i'm not disagreeing with that interpretation but

given how subtle Hazard's symptoms were and how much I've had to push for any investigation at all

...are we sure that 60% of all dogs aren't in chronic pain?

[paolachatters]

THUNDERBOLTS SPOILERS

I've seen a lot of people range from worried to doing absolutely too much about the second post credits scene without having actually sat down and thought about what is going on, or how the different parts are moving in the MCU and how they lead us to Avengers. So here's my presentation on what I believe this scene, and several other moments in different movies and shows are telling us, as someone who watches everything and does it in good faith and with joy

[seabeck]

So dogblr, how does one start with finding a good muzzle for your dog? Juniper doesn’t react to men well and while she hasn’t tried to bite anyone I’d feel a helluva lot more secure knowing she can’t (and it might keep people from letting their dogs run up to her). Like what brands and styles are good and how to you figure out what size? All I know is how to train it

[elvenferretots]

I just saw a Facebook post with a dog still in ear tapes, wearing a matching muzzle. The owner was posting about their "reactivity journey".

My dude. That's a puppy. You don't have a reactivity issue. You have a Doberman puppy. Labeling it and reacting to it like that is just looking at the spider so it will bite you.

I'm all for support for reactivity trains-- reactivity is the better chunk of my bread and butter. I'm all for muzzled dogs are good dogs. But if your puppy young enough to be in ear tapes is being muzzled for reactivity, you're either overreacting and making the problem worse or have a SERIOUS temperamental aggression issue.

[justagaycryptid]

Inverse of my previous Morgott x Tarnished musing post where it’s deliberating how instead the Tarnished may make the relationship toxic

Specifically when it comes to Morgott’s mortality

So I’m not sure if the Tarnished would still be guided/revived by Grace after becoming Elden Lord, but for the sake of discussion let’s say that they do/this is about a hypothetical relationship started before they become Elden Lord

Anyways what if the Tarnished was really paranoid about Morgott’s perceived fragility

They know he can die, hell, they’ve nearly killed him/have killed projections of him

Morgott can die and leave them alone, leave them to go somewhere they can’t follow, even if they wanted to

What if someone wanted to hurt him? To kill him? Be it another Tarnished or any other manner of enemy, of which Morgott has plenty. Especially considering he is an Omen, upon which few look kindly. Yes, they know Morgott has been able to handle himself for thousands of years, but it only takes one time

One mistake and he’s gone forever

The thought is terrifying

[hyper-lynx]

Oh God I'm thinking about rewriting my whole mod to be all data driven......... I already added KubeJS support I really don't have to do this, the people can already make reactions in modpacks !!

(But it'd be cool)

It would but, but...

[mandana-the-service-pup]

Mandana has made HUGE improvements since the session with our behavior consultant. Today we went out for the first time together. I thought I might have to hold Taravali in the car but they both rode really well next to each other in their own crates without any issues. Hubbins handled Mandana when we first went into the store but it was obvious how well she was doing so I took the leash and she heeled next to my rollator for half an hour. She had no problems when Taravali made noises or ate treats. Mandana was on her best behavior the whole time and when we came home she was able to settle on my bed with Taravali resting loose on the floor instead of in her crate. I’m still being extra cautious but I’m over the moon that she’s improved so quickly.

[grison-in-space]

Since the dental Tribble has been on a strict no kibble, no crunchy, no chewing diet. (In a week or so she'll be allowed to use her teeth again a bit more, but no one wants to see a dog get dry socket.) Spouse feels that canned dog food (perpetually on hand to make into pupsickles) is not experienced as filling enough, and we do know that Tribble has done better on grain inclusive foods for the past decade, so... the rice cooker has been simmering with chicken stock rice too bulk out the canned food all week, and Matilda and Benton have both gotten a fair bit of overflow rice as a treat.

Unconnectedly, tonight happens to be my first night alone as the sole human all evening in quite a few months. Matilda has been doing her job of enforcing bed, of course, but I can also rely on other humans to help make routine happen if she's too tired to be on it.

If I was worried that Tilly hadn't worked out her evening routine enforcement functions before now, I shouldn't have been. I don't think I've ever seen a dog so excited to move the evening along towards the part where dinner and the good cookies are.

[heart-of-copper-dog-training]

Purebreed vs Rescue

A common debate among the dog loving community is purebred dogs vs rescues. Several things contribute to this and of course I'm going to talk about my own opinion on them.

First, I'm going to say that while there is such a thing as a bad breeder, there are also ethical breeders who genuinely care about the health and welfare of their dogs, as well as the temperament and purpose of the dogs they are breeding. To buy from these breeders is not a bad thing if you know what you need in a dog, have a specific purpose in mind, or simply want to know the most likely temperament and health from puppy to adulthood because it is much more controlled. I also contend with certain breeds of dogs being bred to more and more extremes (french bulldogs, bulldogs in general, any dog with high health issues due to their need to conform to "standard") because these are NOT ethical. They may be well cared for and have a certain temperament, but I can't support dogs that can barely breathe and often have expensive surgeries and/or die due to aesthetics.

Buying from an unethical breeder is something I will never agree with. I'd say your average dog owner knows what a puppy mill is, but many don't understand why a backyard breeder is not much better. Supporting those who breed simply because they have two dogs that are technically purebred (getting an akc registration is actually easier than you'd think) is supporting over breeding, even if the dogs are well cared for. These dogs are at best minimally medically tested with random temperament, and at worst, simply purebred with no testing in any way. Please do your research before buying.

Pet shops carry unethical dogs. Whether fad breeds or "rare" colors (i.e. nonconforming or not even possible colors like a silver lab which is a mix of a Weimaraner and a Labrador), an ethical breeder will not supply these shops.

Fad "breeds" are also something I struggle with. Many of these doodle mixes have become a bane on the dog world. They are cute and adorable, but often mixed with breeds that cause incompatible drives leading to heavy behavior problems being bred into them right from the start. Doodles are worse off due to their cuteness and being marketed as "great beginner dogs" which often translates to new owners as "needs minimal to no training/socialization". While doodles do bring in clients, I would rather they not. Same goes for many of these "purebred" crossbreeds, such as shepskies, pitskies, etc. These dogs are selling for high prices with breeds that should not mix and can cause at best challenging but high drive dogs and at worst a bit of a nightmare for most dog owners.

All that said, I support ethical breeders. I support buying a dog for a specific job (service, sport, search and rescue etc). And I support new owners looking for a more predictable dog with the lifelong support a breeder will bring to that dog. Buying responsibly is not a bad thing, and is what keeps some of these breeds alive.

Now, let's talk rescues. Rescue culture is interesting. Back when I was younger, we just called dogs from shelters/streets/oopsie litters mutts. Sometimes we got lucky and got a purebred from a shelter, and we'd say that was a lucky find (by the way, there are purebreed rescues and many dogs in shelters are purebred, often due to guardians not knowing the demands of a breed or overbreeding). The culture around mutts has shifted to become a more positive one. Now we say "rescue", seemingly referring to any dog that is not directly from a breeder or pet shop is a rescue. I have personally rescued dogs off the street. This is not a humble brag, just a statement of facts. Of those I picked up, several were in poor health and needed medical treatment, and many were just a little dirty and skinny in need of a bath and food. Of these, I kept none, but rehomed all of them.

I'm not here to gatekeep the term rescue, but to put some context into it. While I support adopting from shelters, there is a new culture of calling all dogs in a shelter a "rescue" even if the dog was born there, an owner surrender, or never in any medical/physical/mental trauma to begin with. This culture shift was to aid the shelters in moving dogs and encouraging guardians to "adopt not shop" wasn't enough. They needed to have people feel good about their dog in a way that was more than just "I didn't buy a puppy" so they shifted to calling all dogs rescues. I don't necessarily think it's a bad thing, but it leads to a ton of misconceptions.

Shelters are a traumatizing environment for dogs. Many dogs who are in a shelter long enough suffer mental trauma and can appear as though they were abused. It's very easy for a shelter or future guardian to talk about their dog in a way that personifies them (again, sometimes helpful, sometimes not) and paints a tragedy around a dog who probably was never abused but actually just needs help working through the trauma of just being in a shelter.

Why is this a problem? Well, it's because I meet guardians who assume nothing can be done, that this is "just the way she/he is" because "they were abused". They "hate men" so therefore "a man must have hurt them". So while they love their dog, they never seek the proper help for their dogs' mental state and the dog carries that trauma with them. But they do get to carry that badge of honor saying they "rescued" a dog, whether or not any abuse took place.

I have met puppies from a breeder (I actually have a client right now with this issue) that started from a breeder but was (in this specific case a covid puppy) undersocialized. These puppies turn into adult dogs that are fearful, skittish, and scared of things they weren't ever exposed to in a positive way. Things such as men in hats, tall people, people who are not in the household. These dogs duck and cower and bark. These dogs would appear to be "abuse cases" if they appeared in a shelter (and many of them do, because these behaviors can become overwhelming and guardians can feel too ashamed to return the dog to the breeder or worse, got it from an unethical breeder). Maybe their temperament was poorly bred, too, which compounded things. These dogs would end up in a shelter with a sob story and probably be adopted by kind hearted individuals who want to save the dog and tell everyone they rescued the dog.

This weird culture over having a "rescued dog" badge of honor leads many guardians who really would do better with an ethical breeder to adopt a shelter dog instead. And, as much as this pains me to say, shelter dogs (abused or not) are not for everyone. Shelter dogs can be a huge challenge. They have trauma, whether from the environment or the past, whether they are undersocialized or oversocialized. They will often come with behaviors that are not for the feint of heart, and certainly not for first time guardians. But people feel guilty buying from an ethical breeder and feel the need to defend their decision.

Marginal dogs are often adopted out to inexperienced guardians. Even going to an experienced guardian or trainer can cause rescue burn out. A family feeling the pressure of adopting and "rescuing" rather than getting a dog that is more practical for their lifestyle will adopt these dogs and sometimes get lucky, but often times end up with a dog they have no idea what to do with and may quickly return, leading to a revolving door for some dogs which adds to shelter trauma. A family who gets enough behavior problem dogs from a shelter without knowing where to find proper help ("this is just how they are because they were abused") WILL burn out and WILL make shelter dogs look like "all shelter dogs are bad dogs" and "all shelter dogs have behavior problems".

Shelter dogs are a big, beautiful unknown. They can be diamonds in the rough, or they can be a new learning experience for an upcoming dog trainer. They can be the inspiration for some to LEARN about training and behavior in dogs. They can be a therapy dog (Copper, who inspired my namesake, was such a dog), they can be a service dog, a sports dog, a working dog. They can be an anxious dog, a dog with separation anxiety, a dog with aggressive behavior towards certain triggers. They can be beautiful or funny looking (in the cutest ways) and graceful or clumsy as Scooby Doo (looking at Pancake right now). They can have past health issues that come back to haunt new owners or be more healthy than most purebreds.

So what does all of this mean? Who's better, purebreds or rescues?

I think the more important question is: what do you want in a dog, and what are you prepared to handle? Once you know that answer, you will know who is better for YOU.

Stop shaming ethical breeders. Stop shaming shelter dogs who have behaviors their guardians don't have the knowledge or resources to handle. Stop shaming those who bought from an unethical breeder unknowingly because they were never given the chance to learn. Stop shaming guardians who turn to breeders after having a bad experience with a shelter dog.

Educate. Show sympathy and kindness. Show them resources for any of these guardians. Why are huskies a challenging breed, and what can guardians do with a shelter dog that needs more help?

Dogs are dogs, and we love them. But we are doing a disservice by simply slotting them into "breeder vs rescue". We are ignoring the nuances of what these terms mean and we are not educating those who need it most to help those dogs who need it most.

We need to focus on our mutual love for dogs and educate those who do not have the knowledge, background, or resources to find it themselves.

As always, be kind to yourself, to your dogs, and to others. It is free to be kind.

[matsugumisou]

if you have a dog listen to me IF YOU HAVE A DOG THAT YOU CLAIM IS YOUR OWN DOG IT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO TAKE FUCKING CARE OF IT NOT EVERYONE ELSES YOU’RE INSUFFERABLE

[namira]

Tbh I do find it fascinating how many people (medical professionals included) will blame physical issues on emotional states without even considering the reverse. Like a lot of health issues do come with mood changes (particularly neurological problems like migraines and seizures) and issues that cause pain tend not to be great for a person's mood.

[quillvice]

what people don't talk about is how truly difficult it is to have a dog that you genuinely do love with every fiber of your being but who is not the dog you *wanted* and anyway give it up for everyone who got a dog with behavioral issues in their 20s that they weren't ready to handle 🤪🎉

[aidenwaites]

Also when I did consult with a trainer with Renfield she did confirm that all of my theories about his behavior were correct/ that I'd been moving in the right direction with him, which was extremely affirming and a huge relief, however the way she handled him and used that slip collar on him resulted in some of the scariest behavior I've ever seen in that dog. Like legitimately both before and after that, whatever situation I've been in with him, I've never seen him that tense or displaying behavior that was that outright terrified. It's why I never went back to her 🤷‍♂️

[myriad--starlings]

oh. Mom spontaneously apologized for telling us to stop crying when we were younger and we went "oh. ah. I see." because we can't cry when we're genuinely upset unless we're at near meltdown state. there's like a wall there. and we went "that explains a lot. and also we forgive you." because again like. at this point we hold very little anger towards her for a lot of reasons. but just. children can either be incredibly resilient or incredibly fragile and it's all up to the adults in their life; as the child you don't get to choose which you are. and doesn't that suck? that you have no choice in how deeply you're affected?

[butchshepherd]

thinking about the dog we almost adopted earlier this year. she would be with us by now if that did go through. i'm still not sure i understand the logic behind what happened with that rescue, i try to be objective when thinking about it but being given crucial information at the last moment along with their final, negative, decision did sting.

point is, there's been no update to this dog's information on their website. still says that "other dogs are fine" when what we were told in that last email from them (and at no point before that!) was that she had apparently shown reactive and aggressive behavior towards other dogs at the shelter. and like, i dont get it. why withhold information like that but then give it at the last moment and turn down people because of it without giving them the option or time to think or talk about it?

im fine with not having adopted her, i want to say it's probably for the best because our initial plan was always to get a dog from a breeder and that's what we'll do. but i worry about how long she's going to stay in that environment. i mean, old (8yrs) overweight malinois with a last minute "oh hey btw she's aggressive!" surprise ? good luck finding a "good fit" for that.