The Cautious Creation of a Reactive Dog Social Club

This Isn't what I Thought it Would Be Like

Who woulda thought? 8 months ago, I wouldn't have even considered taking my eyes off the dogs to snap a pic. Today, they are all so close they're in frame!

Your dog has been slapped with a label like reactive, naughty, over-aroused, hyperactive, aggressive, scared or scary. It’s isolating, embarrassing, frustrating, sad and very likely not what you thought you signed up for. Dogs are supposed to be our go-to pals in life, but it’s hard to go anywhere when your dog’s behavior is unpredictable, or worse, predictably terrible.

Undesirable behaviors can manifest themselves in all breeds, without prejudice for how much you forked over to buy or adopt, it’s doesn’t matter if the dog is big or small, experienced dog owner for first timer. These behaviors might present themselves all of the time, they may feel random, perhaps only on leash, only around children or only men over 5’10 wearing red hats. 

It’s easy to get hung up on the “whys, ” Were you abused? Were you even socialized, bro? Were you mercilessly harassed by a mail truck in a previous life? Real feelings surface when we see other dogs walking calmly down the street or hear about our friends' weekly trips to the dog park. Sometimes we think our dogs will just get over it, sometimes we seek professional help, sometimes we pretend it’s not a big deal, sometimes these dogs just miss out on experiencing life because it's exhausting to be with them, sometimes these dogs find their way into or back into the shelter system to become someone else’s burden. No judgement, just reality.

Ch-Ch-Ch Changes

Behavior change takes time and commitment. That's what we say. And let me be super clear about what that actually means. There is going to be a disruption in your lifestyle, you will likely need to rearrange your home and schedule, there will be an alteration in your expectations of what raising a dog means, your understanding of training may need to be expanded, at some point, there will be acceptance that progress is not linear and all the while, you'll be digging deep for levels of patience, kindness and compassion that you may not even know you possessed. But, change + challenge = growth*
*Not actual math, rather it's what I tell myself when I am overwhelmed and need to do things that I find uncomfortable. 

This proximity was never a specific goal, but a happy outcome of two dogs given space, patience, good training and great food.

An Individual with a Tribe

Over the years, we’ve accumulated these awesome graduates from our Focused and Confident series who wanted more. And, I wanted more for them and for myself. My pups get my leftovers when it comes to training. I was particularly concerned with my guy, Ojai - a wild boy whose engine runs red hot, his heart is fueled by chase and his head is filled with all. the. feelings. We have made most excellent progress, but he is and will forever be, a masterpiece in progress. Not only that, but we live rural and experience winter weather in which no life form goes outside. 4 months of not seeing a bike or another dog generally knocks us back a few notches on our journey. 

I am, by education, a programmer. Not of the computer variety, but the sort that brings together humans to participate in classes, events, teams, clubs and activities built around a central concept and when I do this right, everyone comes back for more. I am fascinated, inspired and motivated by community and connections. So naturally, I set out to build my tribe.  
 
Focused and Confident Social Club (FCSC) is free but exclusive, it’s managed but not coached.  The program is invite only for teams who have proven their skills in our Focused and Confident series.  Both handler and dog skills are considered prior to invite. My priorities, above anything, is animal welfare and a safe training environment. 

We started in Feb 2018. The goal was simple - bring a handful of carefully selected teams together to practice whatever skills the individual team needed to work on. We have non-negotiable rules. No greetings, no sniffing of any sort, big (BIG) space bubble, head in the game 100% Each location was picked with minimal blind corners, ample space to duck off and easy options to re-route. Our initial meet-ups were successful, all of the dogs had ample space, were reasonably focused, appeared to be enjoying the experience or at least the hot dogs and humans were releasing tension in their leash and shoulders; I think a few even breathed. Then, it got better.

Our posse was showing up on a regular basis and each walk provided a new opportunity for growth. Dogs became quick to recover from any barky barky and the humans, now able to read situations like real dog pros, rapidly and gracefully made micro adjustments to position, strategy or even attitude.  The super cool things about tribe building is that when done right, it becomes it's own force. Everyone involved is amazing.

Not Your Average Walk in the Park

Positive reinforcement training got us here.

Dog management is turned up to 11. Always. This is the not-secret to our success. We practice trail/path etiquette, we have full treat pouches, we take our time, we understand not only our own dog but the space needs and body language of other dogs and humans. 

We get compliments on the regular for our group's behavior, which makes us giggle and is totally reinforcing and heartwarming, and all teams deserve a huge round of applause for their work to achieve this. But, it's also important to know that we are the ever-vigilant.  We are the ones who cross the street to avoid other dogs or children. We're the ones who respond "no thanks" to invites to greet another another dog on leash, we're the ones who run through emergency protocol when we see a dog off leash in a spot where it should be on leash (which is basically everywhere except off leash parks, btw).  We're the ones who have poured our love and energy into helping our dogs find peace and comfort and work endlessly to avoid situations that may compromise that work.  Our dogs display great signs of reduced anxiety, they are empowered with choice, have better strategies to not just cope but actually thrive, but they aren't "fixed" - we've simply found a better way to exist with them.

FCSC continues to meet on a regular basis with some dogs getting together more frequently because let’s face it -it’s not just about the dogs. There is a huge social element to this group. Whether we asked for it or not, we are comrades in raising our little hellions. Devoted caretakers of dogs who could have been discarded. Determined guardians ensuring that our dogs, even the naughty and broken, have the opportunity for the very best life has to offer.

I invited a few of our friends from FCSC to share their stories of growth - please read on!  If you’d like to start your journey to a better relationship with your reactive dog, check out our Focused and Confident classes at www.mylocaldog.com or email me at jess@mylocaldog.com

Written with X's & O's to the OG's of the FC and their lovely humans: Teams Princess Leia, Bailey, Copper, Lucky, Foxy, Memphis and Remy - We thank you for your enthusiastic participation from the get-go. It's safe to say, it wouldn't be the same without you. - Jess & Ojai

Bailey (far left) with FC pals, Ojai & Lucky

Ellen & Bailey
I fell in love with Bailey, a sweet little brindle pup with the biggest ears I’d ever seen, at an adoption fair for Sandi Paws Rescue. I’d been dreaming of getting a dog and she felt like the perfect match. We had dogs growing up, I thought, how hard could it be? On the drive home from Fond du Lac after picking her up, I realized I had no idea what I was doing.

Over the next few weeks as she started to settle in, her energetic, bold, sassy personality started to shine and I quickly realized we were going to need all the help we could get. I came home from walks feeling embarrassed and frustrated about having the dog that lunged at other people/dogs and jumped up trees barking at squirrels. There were days when we couldn’t even get out the door before the jumping and nipping and leash tugging would start, and I’d turn around and unclip her leash, feeling defeated. I couldn’t sit down at the table or on the couch without her barking at me. More than once I questioned whether I could actually handle this, if we were truly a good fit for each other.    

We started training with Local Dog (formerly Dog Face), learning the basics, Bailey is smart and eager to learn, but as her leash-reactive behaviors grew worse I knew we needed more. As we worked through the Focused & Confident series, joined social club walks with other reactive dogs, and did in-home training for leash skills and boredom busters, I began to see the progress we were making. Both Bailey’s confidence and mine were growing, and our walks were becoming much more enjoyable. I’m better able to predict situations where we’ll need a distraction, and when she does react she’s able to recover more quickly. I’ve learned the value of being an advocate for your dog - the importance of keeping distance when needed, avoiding potential triggers, and being comfortable with saying no when someone approaches asking to pet her or if our dogs can meet.

We certainly still have struggles, but growth is a continuous journey, and we’re going to keep working! It’s my goal to take the skills we’ve been using outdoors and apply them to stressful situations at home as well - building calmness toward the vacuum cleaner for example, and managing over-arousal during playtime.  

Over our year and a half together, Bailey has challenged me in the best ways and shown me all the love she has to offer. Walking past other dogs with ease and snuggling on the couch without all the barking, are reminders that hard work pays off, and it’s 100% worth it! -Ellen

Princess Leia (far side of water) doubles down on a confidence challenge - flowing water and a dog across the way. Her Heiness crosses the water no problem these days!

 Julie & Princess Leia
Princess Leia started her dog-dog reactivity at about the age of 6 months.  There are several scenarios as to ‘what went wrong’, but after several years of trying to place the blame, I finally realized that isn’t important.  What’s important is giving my little girl the best and happiest life with what we have.
When first showing signs of reactivity, I was SO devastated.  Afterall, I had big plans for this pup! I competed in agility with my previous dog, and when he retired, Leia was going to be my ‘National Champion’ dog.  So as soon as her little body and mind could handle it, we began our agility instructions.
I remember my first Local Dog (Dog Face) class well. Focused and Confident, Level 1.  I sat in a room with 5 other people, NO DOGS ALLOWED, discussing our dog’s issues and what our goals were.  Goals? I never thought about a goal. Just ‘fix’ my dog! That’s all I wanted.
I finally figured out that my immediate goal was to get Leia from her crate to the start line at an agility trial, without throwing a tantrum or hurting another dog.  Once in the ring, alone, we will be fine.
I continued the rest of the F&C 1 classes, without much improvement.  The shear sight of a dog, a block away, would send Leia into a growling, shaking, drooling mess.  And there was no coming back once she started. We would actually have to leave the building in order for me to calm her down and get her attention back.
I wasn’t giving up! Then the magical day arrived. We walked into our classroom, treat in hand, leash pulled tight.  I’m dreading that deadly walk from the door, past our classmates, to our seat. We walked into the room, and like clockwork, Leia began her intense eye contact, body tightening, growling noises at sight of our neighboring poodle.  Oh here we go again!! But, catching me completely off-guard, SHE LOOKED AWAY! Her eyes concentrated on me, tail wagging, I think she was actually smiling, as we continued our walk to our ‘special corner’. I couldn’t believe it!
I had spent dozens of times crying in despair after our classes, losing hope.  That day my tears were ‘happy tears’.
As we left class that day, still shaking from the unbelievable events from earlier, she locked eye contact with our neighboring shepherd dog.  Growling and carrying on. Oh well. It’s true what they say…one step forward, 2 steps back. But every little step forward counts.
Yes, Leia reached our goal of being able to walk from her cage to the agility start line. And we’ve continued to grow from there.  I have to keep on top of things, always being aware of our surroundings, and letting others know about her ‘problem’. It was important that I learn to communicate this to others, to help us be successful.  I needed to accept that she will still have ‘bad days’, and there will always be that dog that no matter how much we train, she ain’t ever gonna like (Poor Paco. Sorry, Dude!)
Most importantly, I needed to stop feeling guilty about her ‘condition’.  Who cares why she’s like this. I had to get over it and move forward. And through the years I have become confident in our strengths, and know what her vulnerabilities are.  It’s ALWAYS a work in progress, and I frequently go back to the basics and work on our “Look at that dog” exercises. - Julie