We adopted Shelby when she was just 12 weeks old. I always say that whatever is in little red and white dog now, is what I put in. How can I blame her past when I am her past?
Shelby is leash reactive towards other dogs. It doesn’t matter if they’re big or small, fierce or sappy; Shelby lumps them all in the same mishmosh of dangerous dogs that might attack.
The pattern looks like this:
dog appears on the horizon (Shih Tzu to German Shepherd).
Shelby gets into a crouching border collie type position, laser focus on the dog.
when the dog is about twenty feet away, she lunges towards him, barking and snarling.
I murmur apologies as the owner and dog pass by.
Fortunately, Shelby is only 30 lbs. soaking wet. Still, it’s a frustrating behavior to battle. I’m always afraid that one day, she’ll set off a defense in the wrong dog. The thing is, she’s fine with little kids, grownups, wheelchairs, strollers, you name it; she just has a thing about meeting dogs on the leash.
As a puppy, I sociali…
