Update On Bailey...

I agree, Randi needs help from qualified person. There are just too many factors to be considered, living in high rise, multiple stressors, history of practicing same behavior. It is not easy for sure and it is going to be long process.
Behaviorist will give lots of useful suggestions but they are not trainers, they do not physically come out and work with your dog and you. Knowing WHY is often irrelevant. It could be Bailey got spooked by something when she was in one of her fear periods, it could be she had some accident when she was a puppy, it could be she is just hyper personality... it is what it is! You have what you have, question is what are you going to do about what you have...
it is quite possible Randi will have no choice but to start with some meds because she lives around too many triggers and she needs to lower threshold to be able to train for what she wants.
It is likely that taking classes for reactive dogs or classes on distractions will help. Anyway you look at it, you need some time and good chunk of $$$ to spend on this problem.
When there is a choice vet behaviorist vs excellent dog trainer I will always go with dog trainer. But again I am spoiled, because there are dog trainers and there are dog trainers. Dog trainers I work with specialize with problem dogs, the ones that usually get kicked out of other daycare facilities or training classes.
I like idea of video taping as much of this behavior as possible. Susanne Clothier is in Chicago this weekend, I am going to her Aggression seminar:biggrin2: ,
she would be excellent person to consult.
 
SheltieChe said:
Behaviorist will give lots of useful suggestions but they are not trainers, they do not physically come out and work with your dog and you. Knowing WHY is often irrelevant. It could be Bailey got spooked by something when she was in one of her fear periods, it could be she had some accident when she was a puppy, it could be she is just hyper personality... it is what it is! You have what you have, question is what are you going to do about what you have...
it is quite possible Randi will have no choice but to start with some meds because she lives around too many triggers and she needs to lower threshold to be able to train for what she wants.
It is likely that taking classes for reactive dogs or classes on distractions will help. Anyway you look at it, you need some time and good chunk of $$$ to spend on this problem.
When there is a choice vet behaviorist vs excellent dog trainer I will always go with dog trainer. But again I am spoiled, because there are dog trainers and there are dog trainers. Dog trainers I work with specialize with problem dogs, the ones that usually get kicked out of other daycare facilities or training classes.
I like idea of video taping as much of this behavior as possible. Susanne Clothier is in Chicago this weekend, I am going to her Aggression seminar:biggrin2: ,
she would be excellent person to consult.
Click to expand...

Actually, the behaviorist we saw did come out to our house to see us and came out for a walk with us to see exactly what was going on.

Not to say that all behaviorists do, but it is possible. A behaviorist may be able to look at how certain things trigger Bailey's reactivity and get an idea of what motivates it, like excitement, fear/anxiety, pure agggression, etc.

The behaviorist I saw provided me with valuable incite and helped me understand which direction I needed to go with helping Toby and whether or not I was doing the right thing. I learned that my trainer and training classes were great (This is a must have in addition to a behaviorist so you're right, you do have to expect to spend $$$ to get the best possible treatment) but that I also needed to alter a few things at home.

I think a behaviorist would help Ashley and Bailey in the same way the one that I saw helped me, only the person she's seeing is also a vet, so if she and Ashley decide that Bailey would benefit from medication, then they can do so. I had to go to a separate vet to get Toby medicated, since vet behaviorists are almost unheard of around here.
 
I think I know only one vet behaviorist in Northern IL but I could name 4 trainers that I could take dog with problems and be happy with results. Maybe NY has different numbers.
 
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