15/09/2024
Atlas is such an amazing example of why sometimes, training just isn’t enough.
He is one of the few dogs where training alone just hasn’t been enough for him to be able to make progress; he was so over threshold on his walks that he couldn’t hear us and no reward was enough to counter his very big feelings. Weighing over 40kg, this was a real challenge.
Atlas is dog reactive and displays very typical breed traits in his reactivity; lunging, barking, and just generally responding in a frenzied manner. But living in a high dog density area, Atlas was living in a permanent state of stress, unable to decompress. He was also less than a year old, so we were conscious of how this would develop and worsen as he matured and went through adolescence.
But two years down the line, with the support of a vet behaviourist and prescription medication, and Atlas is now able to respond to his training and is making incredible progress! I was so thrilled to work with him yesterday and reflect on just how far he has come. Atlas was able to manage passing three dogs yesterday, with only a very minor reaction (some whimpering) to the second dog we saw. This would have been hard for us to imagine two years ago.
The plan is to get Atlas to a point with his training that we can wean him off the medication - training and medication have to work together to achieve the result. The medication alone wouldn’t be enough, in the same way that training alone wasn’t.
Huge shout out to his dads Charlie and Tim for their unwavering commitment - Atlas wouldn’t be living such a fulfilling life if it wasn’t for them!
