It’s EMBARRASSING when your dog is making a scene and no one else’s seems to be.Remember embarrassment is a normal human reaction and there’s nothing wrong with you if your dog barking and lunging makes you want to crawl into a hole and never come out.But you are not the only one. Reactivity keeps trainers in business because it’s so, so common. Know you’re not alone and there is hope for more peaceful walks in the future!
I love working with easy-to-motivate dogs because it’s just so enjoyable to work with a dog who is enthusiastic about training. In fact, ease of motivation can be a make or break factor in how much progress you make, and how quickly. That being said, just because a dog is eating or tugging, doesn’t mean they’re okay. Make sure to let your dog notice the trigger and watch their body language to make sure they’re truly comfortable.
Is your reactive dog actually benefiting from walks?
Separation anxiety is one of the most complex case types because there are just so many factors to take into consideration. Although some dogs progress quickly, many dogs take a year or longer to reach their goals. Sometimes it can seem like we’re just spinning our wheels for months on end. Knowing what some of the common reasons for stalled progress are can help us navigate plateaus and regressions as effectively as possible.
Lily has a congenital, neurological condition and as she ages, I want to make sure she is as comfortable as possible. We are working with a rehab vet on some exercise to improve flexibility and balance. Unlike Alvin, who I adopted when I was already in school to be a trainer, Lily has had many experiences of restrained/forced husbandry and grooming. This means we are not starting from blank slate. Cooperative care is helping heal our relationship, as well as giving us some one-on-one training time together, which she needs as a nervous girl who isn’t one for “normal” dog activities.
I am so proud of team Popcorn! To say this was a long time in the making is an understatement. Put in the work, at your dog’s pace, and progress is possible. 👏
Medication is not a cop out. It’s a treatment for a mental health condition. Mental health is just as important as physical health.I hope to see a day when we all take these conditions as seriously as they deserve. Because yes, training is part of the answer, but it’s often not the whole answer. We can’t train out chemical imbalances and underlying health conditions. So advocate for your dog. Find a practitioner who takes your concerns seriously and who is up to date on current recommendations from veterinary behaviourists and other experts in the field. It could be the difference between regression and success.
The phrase “adopt don’t shop” is starting to go out of favour, and for good reason. As behaviour professionals, we see families struggling with rescue dogs with fear, anxiety or reactivity so severe they can’t meet basic needs. We see dogs who lack resiliency and are prone to behaviour problems due to bad breeding practices. We see dogs who really have no business living in an urban environment or apartment building, but have to. We see “rescues” who adopt out behaviourally compromised or downright dangerous dogs. We see “rescues” pulling dogs off of the street across the world and then slap an electric collar or prong on them. We see just how much genetics matter, and how much prioritizing temperament in breeding programs can impact the welfare of dogs and the families who adopt them.It is wonderful to adopt a rescue dog (I’ve done it twice and I may do it again!) but both of my dogs lack resiliency, take medication to manage day-to-day life and have unknown health histories. So it’s fine to adopt AND it’s fine to shop, just do both responsibly.
I am beyond proud of Popcorn and his mom Paige.
Popcorn didn’t present with much reactivity when he was first adopted in December. However, once he settled in and grew deeper into adolescence, reactivity to both dogs and people came on fast and strong.
Paige has been working her butt off in the past months, taking highs and lows in stride. We’ve had big wins and big setbacks, like we always do with reactivity.
The most important thing to note is that Popcorn’s reactivity isn’t “fixed”. We still have a way to go, and he’ll never have the happy-go-lucky temperament of a Lab or Golden. We’re managing our expectations, while at the same time celebrating the wins and continuing to move our goal posts further down the line.
An important piece of the puzzle for Popcorn has been finding safe and well-managed dogs to expose him to, rather than writing dogs off altogether. Thank you to Christina @bewelldogs for helping Popcorn in this way.
Did you know the “look at that” game can be used for noises too? In this video, Joan was noticing and disengaging from a neighbour putting away dishes. Barking is a complex behaviour with many possible functions, and sometimes there is more than one function at play. This is the case for Joan. We know there are aspects of fear, territoriality, attention seeking and boredom motivating her barking, and it’s our job to track some data and figure out how to meet each need in a different way. Our goal with Joan is not that she never barks. She is a vocal dog and barking is how she expresses herself. Instead, our goal is to teach her she is safe, that she need not alert to every single sound around her, that other behaviours can meet the same needs and to get back some peace for her mom, who is trying to balance working from home with Joan’s needs and quirks.I’ve been really enjoying working with this team and look forward to their continued progress.
It can be a delicate balance weighing the needs of your furry and non-furry children, and often the needs of the dogs get pushed to the side. I try my best to make sure that’s not the case. Although my dogs do sometimes need to be able to just hang out while my son plays in the playground or slowly explores his environment, I try to make sure that if they have to cater to him, there are other times where he has to sit in the stroller while we take the dogs on a good walk, or explore a natural area more conducive to free movement and sniffing. We have baby gates up and we use them to enforce uninterrupted rest time, so the dogs are getting enough sleep and have the ability to decompress away from the loud and unpredictable toddler. If your dog never gets down time, it’s much more likely they will be on edge and snap at your toddler. I also try my best to make sure that they can interact sometimes, but only when an adult is supervising and only in a way that I feel is safe and stress-free for everyone. Playing with the tug toy is okay with me because a) Alvin has no history of resource guarding toys and b) Alvin is participating with relaxed body language. That being said, I do not allow Theo to approach and take toys from Alvin while in his posession - I don’t think Alvin would do anything if he did, but it’s a risk I try not to take.
This is a tough one. We all want our dogs to be able to hang out in the backyard on a nice day, watch the world go by from our front window or enjoy a walk around the neighborhood. But if these things are resulting in the behaviour you’re trying to change being practiced, it’s unlikely you’ll make much progress.
We are holding another dog guardian support group on June 4 at 2:30pm EST. This group is led by a trauma informed counselor and is suitable for anyone who is struggling mentally or emotionally with a challenging dog. Sign up at http://treatyourselfdogs.ca/classes
It was my pleasure to collaborate with Sana Adelaide Animal Hospital on this video for Dog Anxiety Awareness Week. I’m always so excited to have the opportunity to connect with vets who care about animal welfare in training and working as a team to help dogs and their people.
What makes a good play date? Consent tests to make sure both dogs are having a good time, back and forth, breaks and capturing moments of engagement with us (these are really fleeting for some dogs!) Really happy to see these two running in our very own Sniffspot
Being able to do Lily’s nails cooperatively after years of restraint is such an amazing feeling. As a Certified Control Unleashed Instructor, I love finding ways to incorporate pattern games into every aspect of life with my dogs. Have you tried pattern games in this context?
So proud of team Cooper! When I first met him, he was very reluctant to put on his muzzle and it took some restraint to get it on. We switched to a new muzzle and his family has been working hard to introduce it slowly and create a positive conditioned emotional response. I think it’s safe to say they have succeeded. 🥰
