Adopted Shelter Dog Returned After Just one Month Due to Reactivity Issues. Urgent Plea to Help
Dog lovers dream of every pup finding a forever home with a loving family, but some dogs face extra challenges along the way. Soleil, a sweet dog with reactivity issues in dogs, is one of them.
Soleil’s behavior has made it difficult for her to find a permanent home, but with the right training and care, she has the potential to become the perfect companion. Until then, she is waiting for the support she needs to get her happy ending.
Soleil Has Moved From Family To Family
Soleil was surrendered by his owner at just 10 months of age at Riverside Shelter. The Southern California-based rescue, Sandy Dog Rescue was able to rescue her just in time before she was euthanized. Then, they shared her video on social media, which led to her adoption.
@sandy.dog.rescue We need help in order to help Soleil. She is one of our longest residents and has been through a lot. The last time she was at training, she made amazing progress in just 3 weeks. We need to put her back into board and training because she now has nowhere to live but also needs to relearn and grow beyond what she had learned before. This is necessary so we can give her, and her future family, the tools they will need to live together in harmony and be with each other until the end. If you can’t donate (link in bio) please please consider sharing Soleil’s story. The more people who see the video the higher chance she will find someone who wants to adopt or foster her! 🙏❤️ we are so grateful for any help #adoptdontshop #rescuedog #doglove #volunteer #donationsneeded #dogtraining ♬ house song – searows
However, Soleil’s dog mom surrendered her back just after a month. Following this, the dog went through many foster homes but could never stay put. This experience enabled the rescue to learn that the dog has reactivity issues, which is posing a problem for her to stay with a family long-term.
Subsequently, the rescue arranged for Soleil to go to a board and train. The canine learned a lot there in three weeks including basic manners and working on her leash reactivity to other dogs. She ended up with a family who planned to foster and eventually adopt her. But unfortunately, they couldn’t invest time and effort into continuing her training.
As a result, Soleil is now without a family, with her training disrupted. The poor dog has never lived with a family for much longer in her short life. She has moved among various families, longing for love and care.
Help Soleil Have A Shot At Happy Ending
Now, what Soleil needs is to continue her training so that she can get rid of her behavioral issues. If she is adopted again without a commitment to her training, she might have to go through the heartbreak of being surrendered once again.
Hence, the rescue needs $5000 to provide Soleil access to two months of training, which will help her find a forever-loving family. You can go to this link to donate. Any amount can help the dog tremendously.
On the other hand, if you want to foster or adopt Soleil and also commit to continuing her training, you can take her home and shower her with love.
Reactivity Issues In Dogs
Like Soleil, many dogs struggle with reactivity issues that can intensify without proper training. More often than not, people mistake reactive behavior for aggression in dogs, which rarely ever ends well for the dog. It is important to recognize these issues, as they are usually “rooted in distress, either from fear, excitement, or frustration,” according to an animal trainer, Victoria Schade.
However, as per Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, it is important to note, “Any reactive dog can be pushed into aggression, which is why a reactive dog needs to be taken seriously.”
What Is A Reactive Dog?
How to know whether your dog is reactive or not? There are certain signs that Victoria believes, are indicative of a reactive dog. They are given below:
- Lunging
- Spinning
- Barking
- Growling
- Whining
- Restlessness
- Hypervigilance
- Hunched posture
- Difficulty focusing
Causes of Reactivity in Dogs
Reactivity in dogs can arise from a variety of sources. Victoria says, “A dog’s genetic predisposition (for example, herding behaviors taken to the extreme), past negative experiences, a lack of socialization or training, or the dog’s environment” can be some of the reasons why a dog is reactive.
Victoria further adds, “A barking, growling, lunging dog might appear as purely aggressive, but reactivity is typically either a fear-based response or related to frustration and excitement.”
How To Help Reactive Dogs?
If you want to truly transform a reactive dog, then you need a science-backed approach: positive reinforcement training. Victoria notes, “The goal in reactive dog training is to shift your dog’s association with the stimulus by pairing it with something positive (usually food).”
To begin, it’s crucial to identify your dog’s specific trigger and understand the threshold at which they remain calm. This threshold, known as the “reaction distance,” varies from dog to dog. For instance, your dog might feel mildly anxious about a single runner in the distance but become overwhelmed by a group of runners approaching. Recognizing this threshold allows you to tailor your training approach.
The ultimate goal of reactive dog training is to maintain your dog’s focus on you, even when the trigger is present. Achieving this requires careful planning and execution.
Dog Reactivity Training
Brianna Dick is a dog behaviorist and owner of Pack Leader Help, a dog training company based in Alexandria, Virginia. She has outlined 8 steps when training a reactive dog:
Step 1: Discover the reason
Firstly, you need to understand the reason behind the reactivity in your dog before you can address the behavior properly.
Step 2: Assess daily activities
“I have found it extremely useful for owners to really take a hard look at their day-to-day interactions with their dog to consider what behavior they reward. For example, do you feed, leash, or let your dog out when they’re excited?” states Brianna.
Step 3: Ensure your communication is clear
You need to be clear with your dog about how exactly you want them to behave and how you don’t want them to behave. Addressing reactivity in dogs requires a strong foundation of training. It is important to teach “proper pressure and release with a leash (usually a slip lead, transitional lead, gentle leader, prong collar or starmark collar).” In addition, you need to engage in consistent use of a marker word or clicker, along with clear body language and energy.
Step 4: Prioritize relaxation and openness
Calmness is important in dog training, and dogs should only get what they want when they’re relaxed. By consistently enforcing this in every situation, you can condition them to be patient and wait for your cues before acting.
Step 5: Work on reducing reactivity at home
Reactive behavior often begins at home with triggers like door noise or seeing people and animals outside. Addressing these indoor triggers is essential before expecting your dog to stay calm during walks or in public.
Step 6: Impulse control
Dogs must learn to wait and stay calm before getting what they want. Teaching them to follow commands like “come,” “stay,” and “leave it” is essential for managing their behavior and meeting realistic expectations.
Step 7: Boosting self-esteem
Brianna states, “Confidence building fixes 95% of my reactivity cases.” Reactive dogs need to feel secure and understand what to expect from their handlers. Addressing stressors at home and introducing structure, rules, and consistency helps build their confidence and better manage reactivity.
Step 8: Seek professional help and stay calm
Choose a trainer who emphasizes building a strong relationship rather than just obedience, as true reactivity issues require more than mere commands. Address daily interactions and adjust how your dog perceives their environment for effective rehabilitation.
