Owner Couldn’t Manage Her Severely Reactive Dog — Until She Tried This Crazy Suggestion
One of the most challenging experiences to go through as a dog owner is having a reactive pup. Seeing your dog go into full panic mode each time they encounter another pup or a stranger is heartbreaking to witness. And the worst part is, most people assume reactive pups behave that way because they aren’t “disciplined enough.” But this isn’t entirely true. Even dogs that are generally well-mannered can still struggle with reactivity. (Watch Video Below)
Reactivity often signals that a dog feels scared or overwhelmed by specific triggers, and that they just don’t know how else to respond to these triggers other than to react. This was the case for Suki the rescue dog.
@sukipatooki Living in a high rise used to be the hardest part of our lives. Suki couldn’t share elevators, hallways, or lobbies without panicking. I tried counterconditioning, muzzling, desensitization, punishment, ignoring, avoiding… Nothing helped. While many dogs excel living in high rises and have no issues coexisting with the chaos, asking Suki to tolerate unpredictable humans and dogs in confined spaces went beyond her limits. Asking her to stay calm when a dog is running inside our elevator barking/snarling at her while on flexi and the owner is 15 feet behind isn’t possible, I’ve accepted it and frankly, I get it. After multiple cry sessions and DMs to friends about our situation, @finn_the_acd suggested something I’d never considered: a stroller. Not as a “fix.” Not as a way around the problem. But as a way to create space in an environment where no space exists. We started conditioning it on July 27th of this year. By September 20th we were using it to move through the building. I recorded every ride – 111 rides so far. At first the reactions were smaller. Then fewer. By ride 47, they stopped. The stroller didn’t “coddle” Suki. It gave her the space she needed to think instead of rehearsing. She felt safe in that stroller, and she quickly learned that her triggers were not so triggering after all. Now she can walk past people and dogs without reacting. Dogs can even catch a sniff, people will talk to her… She sniffs back and watches calmly. This isn’t a crutch. It’s a bridge. A safe way to move through the world while learning a different way to exist in it. And honestly, it changed everything for us. Stroller is from PawHut – purchased on @chewy DISCLAIMER: although the stroller played a massive and essential role in Suki’s behavior modification, it hasn’t been the only tool. I am not a force free handler, and I have relied on pushing Suki and myself out of our comfort zones. Exposure and socialization also played a key role in making her more confident. #villagedog #dogstroller #sensitivivedog #reactivedog #behaviormodification ♬ original sound – noahksticks
When Suki first arrived at her new home, her reactivity stood out. This was especially tough for Suki’s owner to deal with because she lived in a high-rise apartment, which meant frequently using shared public spaces such as elevators, hallways, and lobbies. Unfortunately, Suki would show extreme reactivity toward any dog or person that they encountered in these spaces.
For almost two years straight, sweet Suki couldn’t stay calm around other dogs and people. A recent TikTok video posted by her owner @sukipatooki captures Suki’s transformation after her years-long struggle with reactivity, and it’s honestly the most uplifting clip you’ll see today.
When Everything Else Failed…
In the video, Suki’s owner revealed that she tried every recommendation for her pup’s reactivity in the beginning, but nothing worked.
“I tried counterconditioning, muzzling, desensitization, punishment, ignoring, avoiding…nothing helped,” reads part of her lengthy caption on the video.
Everything changed when a friend suggested an unlikely solution: using a stroller. At first, Suki’s owner thought this would turn out to be a big fail like the other previous strategies. But her desperation to make Suki’s life better pushed her to try out this stroller idea. What she never imagined was that this simple item would make all the difference in Suki’s reactivity.
“I was convinced this would be another fail, but I was desperate. We took two months to condition her to the stroller. And now….the stroller has allowed for Suki’s mind to switch from a reactive state to an evaluative state,” Suki’s owner explained in the video.
To Suki, the stroller felt like a safe space as it created a barrier between her and stressful physical triggers. It eliminated the feelings of panic that arose whenever she’d come face-to-face with unfamiliar dogs and people while outside. Riding inside a stroller made Suki feel less directly exposed to her biggest triggers, and this ultimately stopped her from reacting.
Life Outside the Stroller
What makes Suki’s story more heartwarming is that she can now stay calm while outdoors, even when she’s not riding in the stroller. She no longer barks or lunges at other dogs during walks, something her owner hadn’t experienced before. Amazingly, Suki even lets these unfamiliar pups sniff her up close without making a fuss.
Suki’s owner also emphasized that while the stroller did wonders in addressing her pup’s reactivity, it wasn’t a magical fix.
“Although the stroller played a massive and essential role in Suki’s behavior modification, it hasn’t been the only tool…Exposure and socialization also played a key role in making her more confident,” she added.
