After owning two "reactive" dogs, I couldn't agree more. When a dog is labelled, owners often don't want to try to solve the problem anymore. While it's true that some issues are very difficult to overcome, I don't think any owners should be discouraged from trying to see their dog in a new light -- and perhaps improve its behavior in the long run. My first reactive dog would snarl and try to bite other dogs, but with careful management and positive reinforcement, he calmed down over time, and even managed to compete in AKC National Agility Finals (an extremely chaotic environment with lots of excited dogs milling about). In his old age, he actually became quite an ambassador on the trail, happily meeting every dog he came across.
After owning two "reactive" dogs, I couldn't agree more. When a dog is labelled, owners often don't want to try to solve the problem anymore. While it's true that some issues are very difficult to overcome, I don't think any owners should be discouraged from trying to see their dog in a new light -- and perhaps improve its behavior in the long run. My first reactive dog would snarl and try to bite other dogs, but with careful management and positive reinforcement, he calmed down over time, and even managed to compete in AKC National Agility Finals (an extremely chaotic environment with lots of excited dogs milling about). In his old age, he actually became quite an ambassador on the trail, happily meeting every dog he came across.
Wow that's amazing! I feel like my dog would love agility if she could deal with the other dogs, haha. Maybe someday :)
Maybe start with private lessons! If she takes to it, it may actually help her take her mind off other dogs eventually.