Traveling with a reactive dog, #Woof Support.

I'm quite lucky with Sheba in the fact that she loves travelling in the car, probably because her first journey in a car was with us to her forever home and than trips to the countryside or park to make travelling fun for her instead of making it a negative experience by the first trip being to the vets.

It wasn't to bad when we had the other car a saloon Sheba would just fall asleep on the back seat.

But since we've changed cars to an estate things are different, Sheba loves having her own space in the back but instead of sleeping she will spend the whole journey sat up looking out of the back window, which is fine on the motorway but a nuisance around town where she barks at every dog she sees.

Our new car.

Sheba's quite happy in the back.

Sheba's even happy when surrounded by holiday stuff.

Sheba even thought on holiday this year she would share the driving.

I've tried using an anti bark collar on her, but I think I've got the only dog that likes the smell of citronella.

Another solution I'm looking at is a ThunderShirt or ThunderCap, US store.

ThunderShirt or ThunderCap, UK store.

I would try her in a dog crate with a towell or sheet over it, but she's never been crate trained so could end up stressing her out more.

Another solution was blacking out the rear windows but she would probably scratch it of.

I might give the Thunder Shirt a try as it will help calm her when the fireworks start hopefully.

If I'm driving fast enough I've drove passed the dog before she has time to react, but if I'm stuck at traffic lights she will just keep barking untill the dog is out of sight.

On a positive note her training with Ryan is going great and she has really took to him.  

Sheba making friends instead of enemies on holiday.

She's calmed down a lot around other dogs depending on there energy if there calm Sheba's calm but if there all boisterous and get in her face to much she will still put them in there place.

This is the WOOF Support Blog Hop, where reactive dogs and their owners can come together to share similar experiences.  Are you a reactive/fearful dog or its owner?  Then please join us and share your story.  The Blog Hop is open through Sunday.

#WOOF Support. What my staff love about me.

I'm sorry to be late joining the party but I forgot all about it.

Today is the third WOOF Support (Working Out Our Fears) Blog Hop hosted by Oz the Terrier, Roxy The Travelling Dog and Wag n Woof Pets. The theme for this month is what I love about my reactive dog.

I asked my staff what they loved about me and they said it would be quicker to say what they didn't like, I take it that's a good thing right? so I will let my staff take over while I sit back and relax with a nice cold water on the rocks.

A lot of people probably would of gave up on Sheba and put her in kennels which are already over crowded or sold her which wouldn't solve anything you would just be passing the problem on, luckily for Sheba I'm a stubborn bugger and would rather work with her to find a solution instead of giving up at the first hurdle, I like a challenge and Sheba's certainly one of them.

The best way to describe Sheba is she's like a Cadbury creme egg once you break through that hard exterior she's all sweet and gooey inside.

One of the main things I like about Sheba is, my better half is a cat lover were as I'm a dog lover we already had 2 cats and Anne said I could have a dog if I promised the cats wouldn't be in any danger so I made that promise and Sheba hasn't let me down, it's been lovely seeing the bond develop between them.

Who said cats and dogs don't get on.

Sheba also gives the best hugs.

Despite Sheba being reactive to other dogs, she's got great manners around wildlife, sheep, horses, cows, ducks, swans etc never bother her. Which is great because it means I can walk her anywhere off lead without worrying about her running off.

Sheba is also very gentle around children and loves meeting new people.

Having a reactive dog does have it's benefits in a strange sort of way, It makes you want to work with them more to help them overcome there fears which helps strengthen that bond, Also with Sheba being better behaved off lead around other dogs we tend to look for walks were we can let her off lead safely, so end up walking were we normally wouldn't go so end up seeing new sights.

A quick update on Sheba's progress.

On last months hop someone recommended a book called Feisty Fido which is a really good read, I can't remember who they are but if you read this thank you very much.

Click on photo for more information.

Also you might know we were thinking of trying a back pack on her, well we managed to get a cheap one off Ebay, I didn't want to spend to much on it in case Sheba didn't take to it there was no worry though she loves  wearing it, we're lucky that she accepts new things so readily.

We just started her off wearing it around the house at first and then progressed to the garden just so she could get used to wearing it. We just tried her with a couple of tins of baked beans in it and it seems to really be draining her energy quickly and making her walk better. We've not tried her around dogs yet.

Out walking on the road.

And finally we've just had a new pet shop just open locally and the owner recommended a trainer to us who's supposed to be brilliant with reactive dogs and will work with us on a 1 to 1 basis instead of a class environment, he's only a young lad but his Dad trained Police dogs for 35 years and he started training when he was 15, we've spoke to him on the phone and he's coming out next Friday hopefully, he's cheap and he said he can guarantee he will solve the problem or at least improve to an acceptable level or we don't pay. his philosophy is he's in it for the dogs not for the money.

I'm finally starting to see a light at the end of the tunnel.

#Woof Support (Dog Back Packs)

WOOF (Working Out OurFears) Support is where reactive dogs and their owners can come together to share similar experiences.  Are you a reactive and/or fearful dog or its owner?  Then please join us and share your story.  The Blog Hop is open through Sunday.

Thank you to Oz the Terrier, Roxy the Travelling Dog and Wag n Woof Pets For hosting this Blog Hop. This months theme is Success, Frustration and Everything in between or in our case Frustration, Frustration and more Frustration.

We've tried all the usual methods of walking away and getting her to focus on me etc none of them work when Sheba sees another dog she just goes wild it's like a red rag to a bull it's the same in the car if she sees a dog she barks and tries to get out I'm concerned for her own safety. We've had it confirmed by her trainer that she's not aggressive because at training she loves it and wants to play with the other dogs that she knows and trusts but will create a fuss at any strange dogs, everyone loves her because of her friendly, playful nature. I feel as though I'm letting her down because were we live there's a lot of dogs around so exercise is confined to early Mornings and late Evenings when there's less chance of meeting any dogs or driving to the park, Normal things like walking to the shops which people take for granted is a challenge for us I'm convinced someone will report us one day roll on the holidays when we're in the country and most of her walks are off lead.

I came across this article by Cesar Millan of using a dog back pack and am thinking of trying it out I've got nothing to lose and everything to gain, you never know I might just hit on the one thing that works for us.

 By Juliana Weiss-Roessler

The walk is the foundation of a good relationship with your dog, so when humans struggle with it, those problems aren’t just confined to time on the leash, but also carry over into all aspect of their dog’s behaviour.

So what’s a dog lover to do? For many, the solution is a backpack. It’s one of the simplest and most powerful tools that an owner can put into practise. Here are a few of the benefits of adding it to your dog’s walk.

It Gives Your Dog a Job

Your dog wants to contribute to the pack, but most companion dogs don’t have a way to do so. Instead, they often direct that energy into problem behaviours, like barking, hyperactivity, and anxiety.

So let your dog feel useful. Allow him to carry a bottle of water, a ball, or even the spare poop bags on his back. It’s a task that he has to focus on as he walks alongside you. If your dog isn’t big enough for that, don’t worry. Even an empty backpack can give him or her a sense of purpose.

It Presents a Greater Physical Challenge in Less Time

Most dog owners have busy lives balancing the demands of their work and home life. Even if you’re committed to providing a long, regular walk, sometimes life just gets in the way, and you may have less time to dedicate to it than you intended.

The backpack can help maximize the time you do have with your dog. In most cases, a 15-minute walk using a weighted backpack provides the same physical challenge as a 30-minute walk without one.

It Re-focuses Your Dog’s Attention

Is your dog ready to chase after every squirrel or bicyclist that crosses your path? A backpack can help redirect that focus. After all, they’ve got a job to do. They don’t have time to bother with those pesky passersby. They have to get this backpack where it needs to go, even if that’s back to the house.

It’s Easy

Learning to rollerblade or bicycle with your dog alongside you are both great ways to increase the exercisethey receive, but those activities typically involve a learning curve for both of you. But the backpack is simple. Once you’ve learned how to strap it on, you’re halfway there. The only question you have from there  is how much weight to include.

For most dogs, a good rule of thumb is 10 to 20% of their body weight, but you need to take into account your particular pup’s health and energy level. If your dog suffers from any health issue, or you’re uncertain about their ability to carry the weight for any reason, contact your veterinarian for guidance. Many owners also find it beneficial to start out small and increase the challenge as your dog gets more fit.

Walking in my paws.

Today's post is part of the first WOOF support blog hop ( Working Out Our Fears )

First of all I would like to apologise for a short post but I'm pushed for time, there's never enough hours in the day at the moment. 

I will start off by introducing myself and explaining how I managed to end up in the state I'm at for the benefit of the members of the group who don't know me.

I'm Sheba a Dogue De Bordeaux/Rottweiler I was 5 yesterday 14/2/2013.

Me when I was a pup.

And now all grown up.

When I was a pup Mum and Dad would take me out in the front garden to toilet so I got used to traffic and people walking past with dogs, and when I had finished my puppy vaccinations and could go out I went to puppy socialisation classes to get me used to being around other dogs which I loved playing with the other pups.

And then one day it all went horribly wrong, We were out for a walk and I was quite happy sniffing lamp posts and minding my own business walking at Dad's side when out of a house came 2 Staffordshire Bull Terriers running straight for me I tried to hide behind my Dad but one of them managed to get behind me, Dad eventually managed to kick them away before the stupid owner called them back saying she didn't know how they got out, leaving the front door open might of had something to do with it.

I just got over that incident when we were walking past a house when 5 Cocker Spaniels ran out of the front garden, that was the last straw and I've never gotten over it it took me months before Dad built up my courage to walk past that house again I used to drag him to the opposite side of the road. Why do people have dogs if they can't keep them in a secure environment.

So now I don't trust any dogs I see and am a complete nut job when on the lead barking, lunging forward and spinning around on the end of the lead trying to get away, I'm not aggressive and have never attacked another dog I just like them to keep a safe distance from me, I love all animals apart from dogs that I don't know cows, sheep, horses don't bother me and I can walk through the park off lead past the ducks and swans and I'm not interested in them. I live with 2 cats who I love very much despite people saying cats and dogs cant live together it's all in the way your brought up.

If I'm off lead I'm fine around other dogs as can be seen from the above pics. So Mum and Dad try to avoid putting me in stressful situations and let me off lead when it's safe to do so. We have had a few comments but when Dad explains that I'm better behaved off lead most people understand, and I always stay close to my humans and don't run off so am always under control.

Luckily for me Mum and Dad are very understanding and have always worked with me when a lot of other people would of gave up on me and put me in the shelter.

I feel sorry for Dad because he gets abuse hurled at him and 1 person said I should be put down I'm glad I don't live with him. Dad used to get all protective to defend me but Dad's shouting made me worse so now he's learnt to ignore the comments and to carry on walking, Mum says he must of caught his selective hearing off me I don't know what she means by that.

All I ask is for people to be understanding of my needs and not to judge me before getting to know me, the only people who really know what I'm like are Mum and Dad because they spend 24/7 with me, I might be a pain when outside when on the lead but am as good as gold around the house where I spend most of my time.

Dad says if he was in the pub and someone punched him on the nose he would be weary of strangers it's the same for me.

I'm a lover not a fighter.

Me with Mum and Cody and Coco.

This is the WOOF Support Blog Hop, where reactive dogs and their owners can come together to share similar experiences.  Are you a reactive/fearful dog or its owner?  Then please join us and share your story.  The Blog Hop is open through Sunday, February 16th on Oz the Terrier's blog as well as on co-hosts Roxy The Traveling Dog and Wag 'n Woof Pets blogs.