05/09/2024
This!!!! so many people get confused and misunderstand what’s actually going on and what the dog actually needs and often people get really hung up on their dog not socialising.
This is very well explained why it’s so important to take things slowly.
It's OK to walk your reactive dog in quiet places.
"But how will they overcome their triggers if they're never exposed to them?!"
That is a valid point, but before we can expect a dog to overcome their fears, we need to teach them the skills to manage those fears.
Imagine you're learning how to swim. Would you rather learn in the safety of a pool, with someone who can teach you the skills you need in order to swim safely, or would you rather get dropped off in the middle of the ocean and left to figure it out for yourself?
Walking an anxious or reactive dog in quiet places away from triggers allows us to build the foundations we need before facing our triggers. We can teach cues and games to use without the worry of our dog becoming overwhelmed and shutting off from us.
If, for example, our dog is fearful of other dogs, and we take them to a dog park, they are more than likely going to be over their threshold within minutes, if not sooner. Once we are over that threshold, very little learning will take place, as the dog will be in 'survival' mode with all their energy focused on fight or flight.
If we were plopped in the ocean, and somehow managed to make it to dry land, how much would we have actually learnt about swimming? And how likely are we to think 'I wouldn't mind doing that again'?
Maybe we start off in the shallow end, we know we can put our feet down and safely stand in the water if we get into trouble. As our confidence and ability grows, we can venture a little deeper-maybe staying by the edge so we know we can grab on if needed.
We can learn by pushing ourselves a little bit further knowing that we are in a safe environment and have learnt skills to keep us safe.
A reactive dog isn't choosing to react, they are responding to a perceived threat, whatever that threat may be. By providing our dog with coping skills and a safety net to fall back on, we can encourage them to slowly go a little bit closer to what they find scary or overwhelming.
Then you need to ask yourself why are you learning to swim? Is it a survival skill, is it something you might enjoy doing occasionally, or are you aiming to swim across the Channel?
Do we want our dog to be able to cope with a day to day walk, do we want them to be able to play with other dog, or are we wanting to take them to busy events?
Not all dogs can cope with summer fairs and busy holiday spots, and that's absolutely OK. Not all dogs can go to doggy play dates or run off lead with others, and that's absolutely OK. Some dogs can learn to just manage a walk around the park, and that's absolutely OK.
Before we start putting them in uncomfortable situations, we need to give them those skills they need to cope. Then we can start to slowly go to busier places where they can watch from a distance, and then places where maybe they have to walk past a dog a few feet away.
So it is OK to take your dog to quiet places to walk, because you're giving them a solid foundation on which you can build and develop their skills which will help them cope with the world.