I was inspired by a recent question on a FB group to share how I deal with off leash dogs.
1. I manage my environment. AKA whenever possible, I choose wide trails with high visibility and low traffic. Obviously, I can’t always control these things (hence steps 2 and 3) but this is an important factor to mention. I see people repeatedly going to the same places where they get rushed over and over and there are 20 off leash dogs and they are the only on leash dog handler. Are those other owners at fault for having out of control off leash dogs? Yes. Is subjecting yourself (and your dog!!) to the same thing over and over again going to help your situation? No. If I show up at a park or a trail and see a bunch of off leash dogs arriving we turn around and leave.
2. If they are far enough away, I will politely greet the owner and let them know my dog isn’t friendly and I’ll be pulling over so they can pass with lots of space. I will usually put my dog in a middle or just hold them behind me on a leash. At this point, most people will leash their dogs and pass us. I get the occasional “it’s ok he’s friendly” and I calmly let them know my dog isn’t and to please keep their dog away because I don’t want there to be a fight.
3. If the dog is charging, far from their owner, or the owner has refused to take control of their dog, I will use increasing levels of force to handle the situation myself. If they were willing or able to help me, they already would have by this point. Getting in a fight with this person will not help me reach my goal (keeping their dog away from my dog). I’ll start with spatial pressure and yelling and escalate as far as I need to defend my dog. Most dogs are soft and will turn around and leave us alone at this point. Sometimes it is necessary to make physical contact but in my experience those situations are rare (see steps 1+2)
I saw an unexpected off leash dog on my hike with Atlas this past week so figured I’d include thi
We make a point of sending long, unedited videos of us working our client dogs to their owners. We do this for a few reasons:
1. Learning Style. Most people have a much easier time learning how to handle their dogs by watching vs. by only hearing what they should do or reading a follow up email
2. Seeing is believing. When you have been living with a severely reactive/aggressive/fearful/over-aroused/fill in the blank dog for months or years, it often becomes hard to believe this dog can ever change. Often, dogs will start progressing with us before they show improvements with their owners (obviously, we have been doing this for years so when we are handling a dog there is only one party learning-the dog. When owners are learning how to handle and train their dogs there are two beings learning how to navigate a situations). This tends to give owners hope that their dog can change and creates motivation to keep practicing.
3. Trust. As someone whose dogs have been mistreated by trainers, I never expect or take for granted a dog owner’s trust. We work hard to earn this trust and showing our clients exactly how we handle, train, and interact with their dogs when they aren’t around is a big part of that.
My boy 🤩 he maxed out at 8ft today (.5ft over the required 1.5x standing height for WC1)
Do you accidentally set your dog up to fail by only setting them up for success? I see this often in dog sports and just as much in behavior mod training. Being in both worlds has shown me the common denominator tends to be a fear of failure. In sports, this may look like feeding your dog a cookie for every single correct behavior they perform and never asking for behavior chains, sticking to direct rewards and never taking the treat pouch or toy off your person in fear of losing control, mastering a million behaviors in your kitchen but never introducing any distractions that may interfere with your dog’s performance in a trial environment. In behavior mod, it may look like never allowing a dog to make mistakes, always keeping a dog engaged on their handler either through rewards or corrections, and always keeping the dog “under threshold” to avoid any stress or undesirable behaviors. In both scenarios, trial and “real world”, this leaves the team unprepared to face the challenges that will inevitably arise. If you want to run a marathon, you have to increase your endurance beyond 5 miles before the day of the race. If you want to get a PHD in Physics, you have to struggle in your education beyond elementary school chemistry. Aside from allowing us to achieve specific training goals, the process of methodically introducing challenges and learning to navigate those as a team builds character and resilience on both ends of the leash-not to mention a level of trust that can never be achieved when you go through life “smooth sailing” and then suddenly throw yourself and your dog off the deep end.In my own experience, I know I’ve accidentally done this before when I felt insecure and was afraid of my dogs not “looking good” in front of others or when watching my dog behaving anxiously brought up feelings of guilt for my own contributions to her struggles. Both have been psychological barriers I have worked hard to overcome (and continue to do so) fo
Today we had our first out of control off leash dog encounter on my “safe” trail. I knew it was a matter of time until this happened so I was annoyed but not surprised. I was recording a video explaining some of the training Gertie and I were doing for The Balanced Dog when I heard “NO KIRA COME” from behind us. There was a large brown dog running at us full speed and so I did what I usually do. I put Gertie on a short leash behind me and yelled NO. Luckily, like many rude off leash dogs, my yelling stopped the dog in her tracks and she stood 50ft away from us, staring. If it hadn’t, I would have used my body or a stick to protect Gert. I kept my eyes on the other dog until the man was able to grab his dog and then we shook off and went on our merry way.This is how I earn the right to punish dogs for aggression and reactivity. I’m not saying that every aggressive or reactive dog *needs* punishment or aversives as part of their training program. What I am saying is that until you are willing to accept the responsibility of protecting a dog-and SHOW them that you will protect them at all times, you don’t get to demand they stop defending themselves. At best, it won’t work. At worst, it will.
What is your why?
When Sonny was 11 months old, he was fearful of most things. He was also fear reactive to all strange humans and dogs. He had no motivation to train or play with me whatsoever. All of this was extra concerning considering the fact that before, he was one of the most stable and social puppies I had ever met and he was absolutely in love with me. He was “perfect”.
This was all a big problem considering the fact that he was training to be my Service Dog and I needed his help because my disability affected me so severely that leaving the house was reserved for weekly doctor’s appointments (of which I missed many when things were extra hard, which was often)
I was so disappointed, and, honestly, I was pissed. I had paid so much money for this well bred puppy. I did everything “right”. I socialized him from a young age, I trained him frequently, I worked him for all his meals. I paid trainers for their advice. I kept putting more pressure on him, and he kept getting worse.
One day, I said f**k it. F**k his training. I’m going to let him pull on leash. He can eat from a bowl. He can possess toys and self entertain. If he reacts, I will just let it happen and move on. Most importantly, I had the realization that this dog owed me…. absolutely nothing.
He didn’t sign up to be my Service Dog. He didn’t even sign up to be my DOG. I made ALL the decisions in his life. But Sonny? He chose none of this. If any body owed anybody anything it was ME who owed HIM my very best.
This experience taught me to reevaluate my WHY. WHY am I training this dog? WHY am I putting them in this situation? What’s in it for them?
So now, if you ask my why I train, it goes back to giving my dogs a happy life and building our relationship.
Why do you train your dog?
Fulfilling your dog doesn’t always have to equal a cardio workout (although for some breeds/dogs, that’s an important aspect of biological fulfillment!)
It’s 85 degrees today and Pheeb is an old lady with cardiac issues. Neither one of us wants to run around or get super physical right now. However, Phoebe needs to have her needs met and we both love playing together.
Tug can look like this. Sitting on the floor, making tiny plays to steal the toy. Using tactics that annoy her to see if I can snatch her precious away.
I think there’s a pressure on some trainers and owners to make play look the way a tug game with a working line Malinois looks (which can be a great game for the right handler+dog!) but that doesn’t mean that the style of play you and your dog enjoy is any less valid or fulfilling.
What types of games does your dog like?
And just like that, Chromatic K9 turns 1!Cara, Marisa and I celebrated by taking our dogs dock diving at New England K9 Athlete and it was a blast! When I first decided to start this company, I felt extremely scared. Today, I am so glad I embarked on this journey with the help of my amazing clients, mentors, family, friends, dogs, and now-two more Chromatic K9 trainers (or my paid friends as I like to call them lol) I’m trying to avoid rambling like I usually do so I’ll end by saying thanks to Cara for being the reel queen. That is all
There are two extremes I run into on a regular basis when it comes to behavior modification:
a) Avoid allowing the dog to make a mistake at all costs
or
B)Set the dog up to fail and then light them up
I think there is a third way that most trainers I look up to follow:
Help the dog, treat them as a fellow creature and a friend, show them that you are on their side, and also don’t be afraid to set boundaries if they do make a mistake.
Don’t micromanage them with obedience/leash/food, don’t run the other way every time you see a trigger, and also don’t just stand there waiting for them to f**k up and then act surprised and angry when they do.
Help them! Step in front of them to show that you are advocating for their space, redirect them into a game, talk to them and reassure them they ARE big and strong enough to face and overcome this challenge.
And also, if they do threaten violence… don’t just try to pull them back and run away pretending like it didn’t happen. Explain to them that this is the wrong choice and show them what the right choice is.
I think this is how all good relationships function in essence… kids, partners, siblings, friends…be their best friend, have fun, be on their side, love them completely for who they are, and also set boundaries and make it clear what behaviors you will and will not accept.
Don’t be mad at them for having feelings! They’re allowed to be sad, anxious, angry, confused… And you are also allowed to make it clear what behaviors infringe on your rights and the rights of those around you… you DON’T have to accept violence or threats but you do have to accept that there is usually a reason behind those feelings that has to be addressed if you want a sustainable, stable, safe relationship.
Your dog will teach you so much if you let them.
Learning how to play and teach dogs how to play a real game has been the hardest and most rewarding skill I have learned (and keep learning) in dog training.
Not rewarding with toys, not “shaping” play with food, and not using Premack to trick the dog to “do the activity” in exchange for a reward but truly build a game with an objective, rules, and penalties that is a self rewarding social interaction between me and the dog.
This has been especially tough with my dog, whose relationship with both play and me has been damaged so intensely by following the instructions of “professionals” I trusted when I didn’t know any better.
It has been extra difficult for me to learn to truly play with Frankie because every moment of disengagement brought about guilt and every bite felt warranted-after all, I am the one who followed advice that messed her up so badly that she viewed play as a “trick”. And while I definitely needed to feel those feelings and own my responsibility, I also had to learn to move past them as staying stuck in the past kept her stuck in the past as well and prevented us from achieving the relationship I knew was in store for us.
The toughest part has been learning to be in the mindset of “fellow creature”, not “dog trainer”. To be able to set limits and celebrate victories without falling into the trap of “reinforcement and punishment”.
I am still definitely a work in progress and have so much left to learn-but seeing the incredible effects of building games in both my dogs and the dogs of my clients has been nothing short mind-blowing. Play is magic.
If you are local, I am more than happy to help you with play.
However, if you can make the drive, flight, or zoom call-you’d be much better off reaching out to @grcdogsports or @trainlikeivan to learn from the true masters of the art.
Sometimes my job is pretty great 🥰🥰
Being chronically stressed physically hurts…
Read that again…
This past week I got very sick. I’ll save you the graphic details but I spent most of Wednesday on the bathroom floor. It got so bad I was pretty sure I had COVID but after testing negative found out that was not the case. That’s when it hit me-this is not a virus but my own body telling me to slow the f**k down like it does from time to time when my anxiety builds up for too long.
When I see anxiety or fear in any dog… I make it a top priority to address the source of the insecurity, increase confidence, and decrease stress right away. This happens before we do trigger work, before we work on obedience, and before we nag the dog about their manners. That is because anxiety is a health crisis and the most “annoying” and “frustrating” behaviors our dogs display (barking, biting, lunging, leash pulling, destroying objects around the house, etc.) are just symptoms.
A lot of times when our dogs display these symptoms we get very focused on how we are affected. *I* am tired of being yanked around, *I* am embarrassed by my dog’s barking, *I* want my dog to just calmly chill at the patio while 3 dogs are pulling and barking at him from 3ft away, *I* want my dog to let everyone touch him. But, no matter how frustrated or stressed the human is, I can almost guarantee the dog is having a way harder time experiencing the emotions driving those behaviors.
So next time you get angry about your dog embarrassing you on a walk, or annoyed you have to ask a friend not to let their toddler yank your dog’s ears? Try seeing things from your dog’s perspective. Because your dog? They didn’t choose this life. They didn’t choose that busy street, they didn’t choose to have that toddler over at their house, and they didn’t choose to live in your home or eat the food you put in their bowl every night.
But you? You have a choice. You can help them, or you can put a bandaid on every new sympto
New Service
Is your dog reactive and needing more neutrality work around other stable, well trained dogs?
Are they socially awkward and in need of further help learning how to interact with dogs?
Do they blow off their recall or need engagement work in close proximity to other dogs?
Marisa is now accepting bookings for a Social Hour in New Hampshire as well as Northern MA
She will guide you through the process of working neutrality, introducing your dog to a new dog, and teach you how to read your dog’s body language while in social situations.
For more information, please email [email protected] directly
Appointments are exclusively available to Chromatic K9 clients and will not last, so please reach out ASAP to reserve your spot!
Larry’s Homeschool Program
Just @zoratheadorable doing a 3.5 minute food search outside, with my neighbor mowing his own, while a bus passed right near the fence without giving up even once 😍😍
Those of you with fearful dogs will understand why this is such a big deal 🙏
#fearfuldog #foodsearch #dogtraining #rescuedog #puertoricodogs #balanceddogtraining
Scenario #1: You go to a house party. You don’t know anybody. Random people drunk out of their minds bump into you and push you around despite your repeated pleas for space. You get food poisoning from the pizza bagels. You don’t have money for an Uber and have to wait for your partner to pick you up at midnight.
You come home feeling exhausted and overwhelmed.
🐶🐶🐶
Scenario #2: You go to a house party with your best friend. You don’t know anybody. Your friend sees you getting uncomfortable with being shoved around and corals you over to an emptier room where they pull out their Nintendo Switch and you two play your favorite video game while laughing at everyone’s drunk antics from a distance. They warn you about the pizza bagels that kept them in the bathroom for 3 days after the last party and instead pull out a bag of chips for you to share. You mention getting tired and they give you a ride home, no questions asked.
You come home feeling supported and connected.
🐶🐶🐶
In both scenarios you were “exposed” to the exact same environment but how you felt at the end of each night was vastly different.
Your reactive dog doesn’t need more exposure. They need supported exposure. #reactivedog #reactivedogsunite #reactivedogsofinstagram #dogtraining #dogtrainer #balanceddogtraining #dogsofboston #bostondog #advocateforyourdog #playwithyourdog
Some people may not know this about me, but I have struggled with really intense social anxiety my entire life. Even as a young child, I would often hide in the bathroom or library at school in order to avoid social interaction.
Recently, I’ve been really enjoying hanging out with different people, including friends I haven’t spent a huge amount of time with previously (historically this is very scary for me), and I haven’t felt that intense increase in heart rate accompanied by nausea and shakiness that has been the debilitating “normal” for most of my life. You know why? I can drive. And because I can drive, I can escape. And because I can escape, I don’t need to.
So many dogs are repeatedly put in high intensity social interactions with absolutely no escape route. And when they ask us for help, hide, or show their obvious disinterest, we push them even more instead of helping them.
When I am working with a dog who has any type of social issue, be it avoidance or aggression, the first line of the defense is *always* to show the dog that they can leave if they need or want to. Many times, once the dog learns this lesson consistently, they stop wanting to leave at all-they become curious!
Oftentimes, the issue is not that these dogs hate humans or other dogs. It’s that every situation they’ve encountered with those beings has led them to the conclusion that they are trapped-once the trap is gone, the social skills flourish. #fearfuldog #aggressivedog #reactivedog #behaviormodification #dogtraining #socialanxiety #behaviorrehabilitation #anxiousdog #dogfriends
Some people may not know this about me, but I have struggled with really intense social anxiety my entire life. Even as a young child, I would often hide in the bathroom or library at school in order to avoid social interaction.
Recently, I’ve been really enjoying hanging out with different people, including friends I haven’t spent a huge amount of time with previously (historically this is very scary for me), and I haven’t felt that intense increase in heart rate accompanied by nausea and shakiness that has been the debilitating “normal” for most of my life. You know why? I can drive. And because I can drive, I can escape. And because I can escape, I don’t need to.
So many dogs are repeatedly put in high intensity social interactions with absolutely no escape route. And when they ask us for help, hide, or show their obvious disinterest, we push them even more instead of helping them.
When I am working with a dog who has any type of social issue, be it avoidance or aggression, the first line of the defense is *always* to show the dog that they can leave if they need or want to. Many times, once the dog learns this lesson consistently, they stop wanting to leave at all-they become curious!
Oftentimes, the issue is not that these dogs hate humans or other dogs. It’s that every situation they’ve encountered with those beings has led them to the conclusion that they are trapped-once the trap is gone, the social skills flourish. #reactivedog #reactivedogtraining #fearfuldog #anxiousdog #dogtraining #socialanxiety #advocateforyourdog #balanceddogtraining
