Poppy didn’t have the best start in life; being rescued from the streets abroad left her anxious and highly reactive to and fearful of other dogs and situations.
We have a dog, Poppy, who we adopted as a puppy when we lived abroad. An animal charity had rescued her off the streets at ten weeks old. By then, she had already had a tough and feral life. Consequently, she feared many other dogs and was already prone to be reactive if scared. This was made worse after she was badly bitten when she was about one year old. She is also scared of many things a lot of dogs won’t think twice about – people in hats, gates and swing doors, small spaces like alleys/corridors, brooms, mops, hoovers, and loud noises.
We returned to London 18 months ago but taking her for a walk in a nation of dog lovers resulted in stress levels to the absolute extreme; so many dogs and so many off-leash, even though the majority of them are super friendly, she couldn’t see beyond her fear. Consequently, her hyper-vigilance went off the scale, so I obtained a vet referral and met Laura at Dog Communication on a cold, snowy day in a field.
Laura’s first consultation and one-to-one was very thorough, and Poppy had an absolute ball being off leash for the first time in years, racing around, stretching her fast legs and smelling foxes and deer everywhere. We were there for about an hour, and towards the end, Laura brought out her Teaching Dogs – on the other side of the fence. What amazing dogs they are, so polite and respectful that Poppy only felt the need to give them a cursory warning bark and then went back to sniffing for foxes.
Although that first session was her first snow experience, she was having so much fun she forgot she neither likes wet nor cold weather. Laura’s positivity about Poppy was exactly what was needed to boost our confidence on dog walks. Laura also said that Poppy would be welcome to join group classes, which I had not expected after years of hyper-vigilant behaviour. Following that first one-to-one, Laura provided a detailed written report, to which I still refer back and follow the guidance on all our walks.
I was apprehensive before the first class session, but the space all owners and dogs are given meant there was no tension or reactivity on Poppy’s part, nor any other dogs, just a watchful, interested, calm participation. Poppy will always be a vigilant dog, but as long as she is on her leash and other dogs are at a reasonable distance away and do not come too close, she no longer automatically lunges or growls at every single one. She will now often ignore dogs that bark or growl at her, as long as they are at a distance and preferably smaller.
It can be stressful and sometimes upsetting to have a reactive dog. Still, they are reactive for a reason and can benefit greatly from kindness, patience and teaching, which is what Dog Communication offer. As long as Poppy has her human family, is treated kindly and with respect, and is walked in a way that ensures she feels safe, she’s living her best life.
