So I have been really trying hard to read a lot more training books for Niko's reactivity, and I'm LOVING so much of what I have read from positive trainers. Whenever I find something good, I will post it on my FB for other people to read. And I share a lot of the positive dog training tidbits I come across. In summary, I present myself as a positive dog training advocate.

Well, I had a reality check this morning and it upset me. I was running with Niko like normal. He was at heel on my left, at my side like a good boy. Out of nowhere he catches a scent to the right of us and breaks heel, coming around behind me. He bumped my left leg, which then caused my foot to hook behind my right leg. I have no idea how I didn't faceplant, it certainly wasn't my natural grace which saved me.

In a split second I was LIVID!! I yelled out "Jesus!!!" and I whirled on him and stuck my finger in his face and said "Don't!!" He literally cowered down in front of me.

So I just started running again and he came back to my side and we finished the run but I was still really, really angry. And I kept thinking to myself, why am I still so mad? It's not like he meant to trip me. It's not like he can apologize. If that had been Don who accidentally tripped me, I might have been mildly irritated but I would not still be pissed off two miles later. And I doubt I taught him not to sniff stuff when we are running, or even to not bump me if he changes position. I probably just taught him that I am a scary unpredictable psycho.

I'm just disappointed in myself. It's like I learned in the beginning one way of dog training (I have to be large and in charge) and instead of evolving into a method I prefer, in an instant I revert back to the kind of "Why how dare you!!" kind of mindset. Which is stupid and anthropomorphising, etc. And it's not just been in the react-don't think kind of situations like today, it has been with his sits too. He has a really slow sit now, he never used to. But I have been taking it personally, like he's doing it slowly because he doesn't want to sit for me anymore. And then I read people say how a slow sit is like no sit at all, in obedience terms. Which makes me think about the very name Obedience, and how it sets a person up to think of these "tricks" as something which must be done in order for the dog to prove fealty to the owner, or something like that.

I don't know. I just wish I had learned the positive methods first so I wouldn't have to re-learn how to train my dogs.

Don't worry about it - nobody's perfect, you're not a hypocrite. When Halo muzzle punched me in the face during an over exuberant greeting hard enough that I thought she might have broken my nose, I was mad. She HURT me! She didn't mean to, it wasn't intentional. I knew that, but it was hard not to take it personally at first.

One incident is not going to destroy your training or your relationship with him.

I am very happy there is no video of my grabbing Havoc by the scruff and lifting him off his feet and screaming at him the last time he grabbed my arm and almost sent me to the ER. It happens. I am not proud of it and I cried when I realized what I had done. I had simlpy lost it because he hurt me - again. He had no understanding of that.

With the sits maybe consider exuberant praise every time he sits on his own. Perhaps it will carry over. Increse your reward level. Cross over dogs are tough, it is hard to undo some of that entrenched behavior and sometimes they do not get much faster.

If he was trained to sit with compulsion originally, sit may be causing him stress. Can you change the word and retrain it from scratch? It is not personal and it is not a personal commentary on you or your relationship with him.

Sorry you got tripped up, I was thinking as I started reading this that you fell and hurt yourself and I was thinking of how much my bad spill hurt me 2 months ago. Havoc was involved as we running agility but it sure was not his fault and thankfully I did not get angry at him. I did think about it.

I'm glad to see that some of us (me included) have reactivity issues. We always talk about dogs with reactivity but sometimes it's us as the owners that react without thinking. It is normal to yell or get mad about something silly that they didn't mean to do. I stopped home for lunch today and let the dogs out. It had been raining since yesterday. Of course when I went to let Luke in and clean his feet on the towel Raven snuck in too. Her feet were wet and muddy and she parades all over my kitchen floor. I yelled "no, no on the towel" repeatedly. She had no idea what my problem was and what she had done wrong. I could actually see the confusion on her face and then felt bad. I guess I will be steam mopping the floor this weekend.

I am the world's biggest advocate of positive training-- after I've had my coffee. First thing in the morning, before coffee, if the dog accidentally hurts me. . . I am evil evil. The good thing is that in that state I'm not coordinated enough to actually get my hands on a dog, so my effect is limited to cursing.

It happens...I just got nailed in the face by Vigo the other morning. He was acting wild ( a problem we have in the morning) and when I bent to scold him, he jumped up. I flipped my lid, because it HURT!

I know there is a way to multi-quote, but I'm not seeing it so forgive me...

One incident is not going to destroy your training or your relationship with him.

I would like to say that in the nearly three years I have had Niko that this was the one and only time I have ever lost my shiznit with him, but that would be a lie. It's the first time in a long time though. Mostly been it's pretty good since he's been leaving the cats alone and not barking at phantom noises in the house.

It makes me feel better to see that other people make mistakes too. I guess I just assume that everyone has better self control than I do!



With the sits maybe consider exuberant praise every time he sits on his own. Perhaps it will carry over. Increse your reward level. Cross over dogs are tough, it is hard to undo some of that entrenched behavior and sometimes they do not get much faster.

If he was trained to sit with compulsion originally, sit may be causing him stress. Can you change the word and retrain it from scratch? It is not personal and it is not a personal commentary on you or your relationship with him.

I think going back and re-training the sit is a good idea, although we didn't use compulsion to train it originally. I also just had a thought that maybe he is getting confused because I think Don will often (but not always) say "sit down" and I just say "sit", although we both use the same hand signal. I asked Don if he was getting slow sits with Niko and he said no, except when Niko is waiting to be unleashed he is slow to sit because he's really excited. I think I would get quick sits if I put him in the mindset of doing OB work. Like requesting a series of behaviors would cue him in "I know this game!!" and I bet he would rocket into a sit. But if we were on a leash walk and I stopped and told him to sit, he may or may not even do it. That happened this morning. I wanted him to sit off to the side when a car went by and although he moved to where I pointed, he just stood and watched the car. Normally he will sit (slow sit) and watch me as the car goes by (and he gets treats, that's how I trained him not to lunge at passing cars), but not today. But maybe I was still putting off angry vibes over the tripping incident.


I feel a little bit better about it now. I'm still disappointed that I reacted that way (Linda, that is a good way to describe it, I am reactive!). But I unloaded on Don and he said, "Poop happens, move on."

Raising my hand as part of the, uh, club here, and also not proud of it.

We do take them as a reflection of us, and sometimes we do take it personally. Sometimes, it's hard to remember that they are who they are, and we shape them, but we don't change the core of who they are in most cases. Sometimes we can suppress it with compulsion, but I would rather shape it through more positive methods.

The slow sit, would also consider joint issues. Max hasn't wanted to sit the last couple of days. He twisted something in his back I think...

Don't be too hard on yourself.

Dogs don't think about intent like we do. Watch two dogs together. They will correct each other even if it is an accident. It doesn't matter. They are cause and effect.

That being said, I think we all lose it from time to time. If not, "I'm sorry" wouldn't need to be in our vocabulary. The "Sorry" you give to a dog is clear, consistent communication whether you choose to be positive or use corrections.

Leah, I lose my "shiznit" on occasion and I'm not proud of that. I live with two very rowdy dogs - one of whom is so loud that it gives me a headache sometimes - and the other who is an incessant chewer (only 10 mos. old)!! Sammy's a talker (and a sasser), but he just can't seem to do it in a soft voice. If I lose my cool, I'll stew about it for a long time - far longer than they are affected by it... I really don't have a quick temper, but when someone hurts you or knocks you into a wall, or about knocks you down the stairs when you're carrying the laundry basket, etc., etc., etc., it's more of a reaction and sometimes very hard to control. I always tell myself to count to 10, but then when something happens, that goes right out of my head! We're all human...