Understanding The Perspective Of A Reactive/Rescue Dog

There are many reasons why a dog owner may choose to keep their fur babies on leash including but not limited to their own dogs temperament. For those of us on the receiving end of the constant “It’s okay... he’s friendly” statements from off leash dog owners it is a source of frustration which I should add is further negative energy transferred through the leash.

My rescue dog Jerry is no exception, off leash dogs larger than him are an immediate threat requiring defensive action vs if the same dog is on leash Jerry is inclined to simply pass by though still obviously concerned. I think the picture above is a perfect visual for anyone failing to understand where his behaviour is extending from. On the left the dog (what we see) on the right a lion (what Jerry sees)... I bet you would be reactive too if your perceptions fooled you into believing a lion was coming your way!!!

Not all dogs react the same way to the same given situations, daily temperaments relative to triggers play a huge role in behaviour particularly for our rescue fur babies. Jerry has so many triggers it’s nearly impossible to avoid but through reassurance he has developed a trust in me being his protector but even he can tell an off leash dog is out of my control. Jerry has seen me in full protection mode, literally putting him between my legs and booting the incoming attackers in the face.... thank god I played soccer for years and have decent foot work... Jerry knows we put ourselves in the middle if it comes to it and in his mind he is to protect us as we are protecting him. Knowing his triggers has enabled me to avoid most situations outright and ease him into the ones I feel he can overcome yet it will always remain a constant struggle.

There are no words that can smooth over situations like these, the more you try to talk to my dog or me once you or your dog are perceived as a threat by Jerry the more you trigger him. I’ve even had situations that seemed fine till the individual holding the leash of the other dog spoke and simply the sound of their voice triggered my Jerry.... it triggered me also but that’s a story of its own 😅.... it’s not like he actually wants to fight with other dogs or even enforce domination, it’s a defensive mechanism. Have you seen the Netflix series “The Good Place” where the main character keeps falling back to her bad behaviour defensive mechanisms when confronted with uncomfortable situations? Same bloody scenario with Jerry protecting his sensitivities through aggressive outward behaviours, just like the show the harder you push the harder the desire to fight. Even in the show this behaviour is only overcome through staging events to disarm the defensive mechanism then through understanding the mechanism learning to recognize it and choose to behave differently.

What we as humans often forget is that a dog lacks this higher ability to reflect and self analyze as for a dog it’s more of an instinctual behaviour learned. Have you tried analyzing and changing your instinctual behaviours learned through years of experience and environmental factors? The only way I have made any grounds is through my conquest to understand psychological baggage on the journey to being a better human. When working with a dog carrying the baggage it’s much more difficult having to create a reward based positive behaviour loop putting aside any negative rewards. We put aside punishment when dealing with fur babies as carrying the baggage alone is more punishment than they deserve making for constant reminders throughout daily life. Simply put one negative situation tends to force Jerry to forget all the good behaviour he has learned and fall back to his instinctual bad behaviour as a defence mechanism. Often this means months of work gone out the window starting back at square one just because others lack the understanding of a reactive dogs perspective of the world.

With all that said just think a little next time your letting your dog off leash, do you still have full control? Will your dog run up to one on leash and can you immediately recall your dog?

Most Importantly!

Do you want to be responsible for undoing the hard work of a fellow dog lover trying to rehabilitate a rescue?

If you cannot keep control of your dog then you should not be letting them off leash no matter what disposition your dog has!

In Terms You Might Understand!

Laws enforce this with the dog off leash being the one at fault every time. Do you want to pay two vet bills and potentially face legal charges? What about being responsible for a dangerous dog which requires wearing a muzzle in public or worse put down?

If your dog is off leash and instigates a fight with mine on leash all that I need to do is report the situation and with 3 separate reports your dog is labeled dangerous and one more from there to be put down!

Now do you understand why this is a sensitive subject? Your naivety is playing with the life of not only your fur baby but mine so no....

It’s Not Okay!!!

PS Thank You K9 Academy for helping educate our fellow dog owners even going to the extent of posting laminated signs around the commonly mistaken “off leash” areas! Furthermore yes I can immediately recall my Jerry as he is trained to never venture far from my side and knowing everything I do stay in a state of awareness when I do allow him off leash.

Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!!!

Thats it @d00k13 OUT

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