What To Do About Reactivity
And The First 3 Steps You Should Take To Help Your Dog
Dogs in a yard, barking at something on the other side of the fence, exhibiting stress and offensive reactivity.
Many owners are desperate to help their dog stop barking at other dogs and people as they pass by on walks. In these situations it can be easy to feel embarrassed, helpless, and frustrated when you’re unable to control your dog as you walk through your own neighborhood. Many people think they’re dog is “protecting” them, and they brush it off and take it as a compliment. Unfortunately that type of thinking is a bit too over-arching for a dog to comprehend. In reality, the dog is scared or nervous for their own safety and they are trying to remove whatever is scaring them from their environment. And even though leash laws exist in Charlotte, North Carolina, there are still occurrences where well-meaning dog owners come across off-leash dogs, and then their pup has a big, emotional outburst.
But how do you fix it? With the enormous amount of information on the internet, it can be daunting to try to figure out how to help your pup—that’s where we come in.
At Canine Compass Dog Training, you’ll work side by side with a certified dog trainer who has specifically been trained to treat reactivity. They’ll use a unique combination Classical Conditioning, Applied Ethology, Passive Management, and Active Management to help your dog learn not to be scared of people, dogs, cars, loud sounds, and whatever else they are reactive to. At the end of the program, you’ll end up with a more confident and happy dog, making your life easier and less chaotic.
A dog and their owner enjoying a relaxing walk in a park.
Need some tips in the meantime? Here are 3 to get you started:
Prevent your dog from practicing reactivity as much as possible. This may mean temporarily blocking off your front windows or walking your dog at less popular times of the day. If they continue to practice unwanted behaviors such as barking and lunging, then their progress will significantly be held back from improving.
Any time you notice a potential trigger for your dog, create as much distance between you and the trigger as possible. And yes—this may mean walking up into a neighbor’s yard to avoid your dog getting close enough to want to lunge at the oncoming trigger (such as another dog being walked).
Teach your dog training games to both hold their attention AND have a positive experience in the presence of their trigger. Training games are extremely effective at redirecting your dogs attention, while still participating in Classical Conditioning - aka making a negative experience associated with something positive. There are many training games you can look up online, but as Certified Family Dog Mediators, we at Canine Compass Dog Training have exclusive “dog hacks” that take behavior modification treatment to a whole new level.
So whether your dog lunges at strangers on walks, barks at other dogs, or chases after cars in Uptown, we can help teach you about the function of this behavior, how it is being reinforced, and most importantly, how to fix the reactivity. Through a combination of one-on-one Learning Sessions with your dog and Guided Lessons with you, your dog will be able to make profound progress, in just a few short weeks.
Curious to learn more? Call us today for a free phone consultation!
