Reactive to cyclists

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Lilybet8241
Posts: 7
Joined: Fri Oct 21, 2016 5:10 am

Reactive to cyclists

Post by Lilybet8241 »

Hi Everyone, it's been a while since I last posted. I have had problems in the past with my nervous reactive 3year old cockapoo. I've worked hard with a behaviourist last year and had managed to get him to ignore the joggers and cyclists that he so disliked and we had progressed 6 months ago to him being off leash but heeling with us and getting treats while these triggers passed, and he has been very successful, although we have been very vigilant. He has not reacted to either trigger for over 10 months. However, today, a cyclist had snuck up behind us & at the same time we saw him, the cyclist started ringing his bell ( too late) and Fergus ran up to him and jumped. No harm to the cyclist who rode away as I was apologising and Fergus was quite chasing away the scary thing. I am wondering if this means that we have to start all over again with desentisisation etc??? I should add that Fergus has been neutered. Any suggestions gratefully received.
JudyN
Posts: 7018
Joined: Tue Jul 26, 2011 1:20 pm
Location: Dorset, UK
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Re: Reactive to cyclists

Post by JudyN »

Well done for having made such brilliant progress :D

I'd be extra-vigilant for now, put him on lead when you see a cyclist, ask him to heel and then reward him after - assume he's going to have taken a few steps back so you need to go back a few steps too. But if he has regressed a bit, it'll probably take a lot less time to get him back to where he was before this incident.
Jasper, lurcher, born December 2009
Lilybet8241
Posts: 7
Joined: Fri Oct 21, 2016 5:10 am

Re: Reactive to cyclists

Post by Lilybet8241 »

JudyN wrote: Wed Dec 20, 2017 1:46 pm Well done for having made such brilliant progress :D

I'd be extra-vigilant for now, put him on lead when you see a cyclist, ask him to heel and then reward him after - assume he's going to have taken a few steps back so you need to go back a few steps too. But if he has regressed a bit, it'll probably take a lot less time to get him back to where he was before this incident.
Thanks Judy N, I appreciate your reply. It's blooming hard work staying positive and I was as needing a bit of encouragement! Have a lovely Christmas.
JudyN
Posts: 7018
Joined: Tue Jul 26, 2011 1:20 pm
Location: Dorset, UK
Contact:

Re: Reactive to cyclists

Post by JudyN »

You too!

There will always be setbacks, and there will always be situations where a dog won't be 100% reliable, so we can't expect perfection all the time though. Fergus is still relatively young, though and there are things that my dog would have kicked off at at that age that he doesn't react to now.
Jasper, lurcher, born December 2009
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