February 27, 2025
My service dog in training reacts poorly to some dogs in public, almost like he has PTSD, is there a course I can take to correct this behavior?
Full Question:
Hi. I'm training my dog as a service dog. He is just over 3 years old. He is a mutt mix of Blue Tick Coonhound, Siberian Husky, American Pit Bull, Labrador, and many other breeds. He performs his tasks well and learns more as my disability changes. We have been training for 14 months. In public, he reacts poorly to some dogs. A male black German shepherd bit him about two years ago. I've been working with a friend who has a male black lab. His reactions are getting better until I go to Fleet Farm and he sees a different dog of similar size. He reacts well with small dogs he sees being pushed in a cart and did great with an Anatolian Shepherd and Alaskan Malamute. Is there a course we can take to help correct the behavior? 
Cindy's Answer:
The first thing I would suggest while you work through this is to stop taking him out into environments where you have no control over the number/type/behavior of other dogs you may encounter. Before adding that difficulty level to your training, he needs to learn some core skills. Some dogs never quite get over being attacked or bullied by other dogs so keep that in mind.
We have a course called Leash Reactivity that I would recommend.
We have a course called Leash Reactivity that I would recommend.
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