28/06/2025
I tend to work with lots of reactive dogs, it's where I'm happiest to be honest.
The dogs brain is a complex bit of kit, controlling the emotional response a dog exhibits to what can often be seen as trivial things to us, but they perceive as a threat.
The GSD in these pictures was probably one of the most intensely affected dogs I worked with, he'd had a traumatic past being passed from pillar to post, but that's not always the cause, lots of other factors can lead to reactivity.
He wasn't aggressive, he was frustrated, scared & anxious, the only way he knew how to deal with all those emotions in full swing was to make himself appear scarier than the perceived threat he was dealing with, when a 40+kg GSD kicks off, barking & lunging, to the untrained person it looks bloody scary & that's what the dog wants it to looks like, so that perceived threat goes away.
Other trainers / behaviourists had told the owner to have him put to sleep, or they'd start working together & when they realised how complex he was they'd disappear.
I like a challenge so was happy to work with him and his dad & work we did, regular training sessions, teaching dad how to teach the dog, instilling clarity, confidence & resilience in both of them, and this, combined with dad's commitment is what started to see results, a dog that once couldn't walk to the end of his road without reacting to something was turning into a calmer, focused dog, dad started to smile ( unless it was wind ), but it was coming together.
I work some of my dogs as stooge dogs, they're calm & confident, but where they would have been a huge trigger before, now they weren't such a big deal to worry about, he was more inquisitive than reactive, showing an interest without the barking & bravado.
We did this over several sessions, then with him muzzled, he was allowed to meet one of my dogs close up, then a second, then a third, all without any reactions.
We built on this & started to see playbows, a happy dog was emerging, while the anxious, reactive one took a back seat.
This is what can be achieved with time, patience and understanding.
We meet up every few weeks now for a catch-up, to put the world to rights & smile as we watch this once incredibly reactive GSD play with my dogs with a carefree confidence.
This was all achieved without using any aversives such as a shock or prong collars, it was done through training, understanding the complexity of the canine brain, associated emotions, understanding canine body language, considering the owner - listening when he needed to vent & most importantly, commitment, because without that, none of the other things would have taken place.
A few pics of him having playdates with some of mine & a reminder, your dog isn't giving you a hard time, they're having a hard time.
