Management
Management means doing whatever I can to reduce George's exposure to triggers allowing his stress and cortisol levels to reduce.
Navigating life with a fearful, anxious, and reactive dog.
Sharing our challenges, small wins and lessons learned along the way.
Never punish a growl
I used to think that growling is bad.
An off-leash dog encounter
It's been another big week for little George.
What's hurting George?
We continue in our quest to find the source of pain for George.
Two dogs vs one
I always saw myself with two dogs.
Confidence-building
Slow and steady wins the race.
Anaesthetic and another lockdown
It's been a challenging couple of weeks.
George's circle of trust
George's world seems pretty small.
FOMO
George and I both struggle with this in different ways.
George's countryside retreat
I had to leave George recently for 18 days so I could visit my family in the UK.
Life happens
I'm really worried about a change in my life circumstances that I can't control.
Leash reactivity
I first heard the term 'leash reactivity' not long after I heard the term 'reactivity'.
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