She tells me that this is NOT something that is life threatening, but something that we will need to work on. She told me that only really observant four-legged friends have it and it's nothing to be ashamed of. She also keeps saying, "I'm so happy that we might have this figured out!"
Let me give you a brief description of what my "disorder" is. Reactivity, On Leash Aggression, Barrier Frustration is
a dog that is “reacting” to som’ thing in its environment. The
reactions generally involve barking/lunging/growling but can also involve
whining/clawing/biting etc. Essentially, to the human, it would seem the dog is
overreacting to som’ stimuli in the environment
We call whatever the dog is reacting to, a trigger. Triggers take infinite forms, from silly things like leaves blowing in the wind, balloons, far away sounds…to the more common stuff; strange people, and strange dogs.
There are two primary motivations that cause this. One is frustration. The other is Fear.
Frustration type aggression usually occurs when the dog is restrained in som’ way. A leash, or a barrier like a fence. These barriers can turn the friendliest dog into a psychopath in moments.
They want to meet/sniff/go see/approach whatever the trigger is (usually a dog/person/animal for frustration based reactivity) and when they find they can’t, they essentially loose it for a moment. All that energy has to come out, and quite often it comes out as a screaming/barking fit. Many of these dogs, unrestrained are quite friendly.
We call whatever the dog is reacting to, a trigger. Triggers take infinite forms, from silly things like leaves blowing in the wind, balloons, far away sounds…to the more common stuff; strange people, and strange dogs.
There are two primary motivations that cause this. One is frustration. The other is Fear.
Frustration type aggression usually occurs when the dog is restrained in som’ way. A leash, or a barrier like a fence. These barriers can turn the friendliest dog into a psychopath in moments.
They want to meet/sniff/go see/approach whatever the trigger is (usually a dog/person/animal for frustration based reactivity) and when they find they can’t, they essentially loose it for a moment. All that energy has to come out, and quite often it comes out as a screaming/barking fit. Many of these dogs, unrestrained are quite friendly.
Well, at least we know what it is now and I'm glad to have Single Girl to help me get through it. Know that one can get through anything with someone by your side.
Ruff, Ruff
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