Confinement anxiety
I've flip-flopped on my views on crates over the years.
Navigating life with a fearful, anxious, and reactive dog.
Sharing our challenges, small wins and lessons learned along the way.
Freedom…but with a dose of fear
Well we made it through canine cough lockdown. It was a bit of a slog.
Bumping into people you know
We try our very best to avoid people given George's reactivity.
"You can't reward an emotion"
With this sentence, I got a greater understanding of the techniques to support an anxious dog.
Canine cough lockdown
George woke me up one night recently sounding like he had something stuck in his throat.
Reaction tracking update
I'll be honest - the more recent stats aren’t looking great.
Little jumps and a wooden spoon
It's been a bit of a mixed bag recently.
Things my dog is not scared of
George seems to be scared of pretty much everything and anything in the world.
1 year, 9 medications, 2826 reactions
We recently passed the one year mark since our first appointment with the vet behaviourist.
Indifference and neutrality
I wish I had treasured George's early indifference and neutrality.
Curious George
Considering he is fearful, George is surprisingly curious.
A little run of green days
We've had a few good days in a row recently.
About us
Welcome to George The Spicy Dog!
Meet George, a young cavoodle navigating life with generalised anxiety disorder, social anxiety, separation distress and noise anxiety.
Life with a reactive dog is challenging, unpredictable, and sometimes isolating - but also full of small victories worth celebrating.
I started this blog to share our journey - the ups, the downs, and everything in between. It's a lonely road at times and I have greatly appreciated the support from those (often strangers!) navigating similar challenges. I have found the personal stories incredibly helpful and relatable.
I'm not a dog trainer or an expert, just a fellow spicy (reactive) dog owner figuring things out as we go.
If you have any questions, feedback, or want to share your thoughts, I'd love to hear from you: georgethespicydog@gmail.com