Comment “Barkaholics” to watch a Free Masterclass on Reactivity and learn more about the Barkaholics Protocol.
If you want to change a reactive dog, then you need to follow a process. Doing one or two things isn’t enough.
The Barkaholics Process teaches you simples exercises to get your reactive dogs to be calm. You saw the process in this video. It only takes 15 minutes a day or one hour a week of training. Commit to that for 6 weeks and you’ll see great results, like Bosley.
Btw, we don’t teach Engage Disengage, complex confidence building (we use 4 super simple behaviors that you’ll learn in 30 mins), avoiding dogs for months or using treats as a bribe.
Comment Barkaholics if you’re finally ready to change your reactive dog.
If you haven’t seen success with your reactive dog it could be because you’re not following a structured plan. It’s so important to know exactly what to do and when to do it so that you know when you’re ready to move to the next step.
The dog in this clip is reactive, but her parents were focusing on their other reactive dog who is a lot worse. I told them to walk the dogs separately and they notice how this dog was also reactive.
They took her outside and started the process we used with their other dog, only they skipped the first 3 steps.
They didn’t understand why it wasn’t working not realizing they skipped to just looking at dogs (which is step 5).
As you could tell, she wasn’t comfortable. She wouldn’t respond to her name and she couldn’t check in with mom. Those are all signs of stress, in addition to the body language you saw in the video. She wasn’t going to be successful if a trigger appeared.
To help Violet, they had to back up and do Step 2 and Step 3.
Now you might be wondering, what are Step 2 and Step 3.
They’re part a process I use to help reactive dogs called Barkaholics.
I’ve used this same process for every reactive dog that I work with. There are 5 steps and I detail them in the Barkaholics Program.
You can get access to this exact process in the Barkaholics Program. Every step and every detail is given in video tutorials using other reactive dogs.
Comment BARKAHOLICS to learn more about the program and get access to our Free Masterclass - 4 Reasons Why You’re Struggling with Reactivity.
Where are you stuck with your reactive dog?
Which one of these will you be practicing in addition to your reactive dog training plan?
By the way, these methods are to be used in a sticky situation. These will not prevent your dog from reacting or teach him to be calm.
If you want your dog to be calm when he sees a trigger, watch Reactive Dog Mistakes, 4 Reasons Why You’re Struggling and see if Barkaholics is right for you. Training a reactive dog is a process, it’s like a recipe. If you leave an ingredient out, it won’t taste right and if you add ingredients that you don’t need it won’t taste right either. It’s not hard to make cookies when you know which ingredients and how much to use, right?
Which one of these are you going to practice just in case you need it?
What do you do when your dog barks or is reactive? Tell me below.
I get this question all the time and I’ll answer it in the next video.
What if your reactive dog starts to pull on the leash when you’re training?
Back up and add more space. Call your dogs name or lure him back. I’m not a fan of luring but it’s better that your dog doesn’t react (bark & lunge). You need to add more space between your dog and the dog he’s looking at.
In the beginning of this clip we were walking to the park. There were dogs in the fenced yard behind us (which isn’t in the video clip) and dogs walking across the street. There wasn’t a lot of room to move as we made our way to the park, but that’s real life.
George and his owner have been struggling with this situation, so this was a perfect time to practice.
We used George’s name to get his attention and move him back a few steps, which was all he needed.
You need to practice the Confidence Building Foundation Behaviors first so that your dog can respond to his name around distractions. George didn’t even know his name 3 weeks ago.
If your reactive dog doesn’t respond to his name, when he’s looking at another dog, that’s ok, it just tells you that he’s too worried and reaching his threshold. Lure him back a few a few steps.
Where are you at in your reactive dog training?
Two simple tips to see how anxious is your dog. I do these during a consultation so that I can figure out how many lessons a dog needs.
Each dog is an individual and one cookie cutter approach isn’t going to work for all dogs.
However, there are 3-4 different paths to take, not 20. It’s not that complicated but sometimes it feels like you e done everything when really you’ve done 2 right things and some others that are making it worse.
I go into more detail about this with reactivity in Reactive Dog Training Mistakes, 4 Reasons Why You’re Struggling. Watch this free Masterclass if you’re struggling with a reactive dog.
Have you tried to get your dog to eat when he’s anxious??
Note: the dog in this video is mine. This was about 2 years ago. She’s done a LOT of training over the past 11 years. That previous positive reinforcement training helped her recover quickly.
Can training make your anxious dog worse? Or does it make it better? Which kind of training can decrease your dogs anxiety?
Btw, the anxious dog video is pinned on this page. The original clip is 4 minutes but it’s sped up to fit into a 90 second reel.
What kinds of training are you doing with your anxious dog?
If you’re not seeing results with your reactive dog, then make sure he’s not barking when you’re not home.
Unsupervised barking can ruin your training and make it feel like you’re not making any progress.
1. Close blinds or curtains when you’re not home
2. Block accent windows with fogged glass sticker so your dog can’t see out
3. Put your dog in a bedroom away from the front window
3. Use a baby gate to block access
4. Leave on classical music. I like Through A Dogs Ear
5. Use brain games or food toys daily, especially during happy hour
6. Walk your dog before you leave him home alone
Not only can barking out the window cause reactivity, it can make it worse and difficult to change.
I keep my dogs in the bedroom so they can’t bark at dogs walking by.
Ps. This goes for the backyard and fence fighting too.
Where is your dog when you’re not home?
The Reactive Dog Training Mistakes Masterclass (free) will give you more information about how to help your reactive dog.
Stop avoiding dogs and do this on your walk with your reactive dog.
Every walk is a training walk and you shouldn’t miss an food opportunity to teach your reactive dog to be calm.
It takes little bit of planning, but I’d you have a reactive dog, then you’re probably scanning the street for dogs anyway.
All you need to do is add in more space so that you can use that dog to help your dog.
We talk about this in Week 5 of the Barkaholics Program because this is where all of your efforts start to pay off.
If you have a reactive dog then you always want to have an exit strategy, ie. somewhere you can go in case a dog pops out of no where.
You can use this exit plan as your area to make more space to work with your reactive dog.
Creating space will make it easier to be successful and slows up your training time.
Are you doing this on your walk with your reactive dog or are you still avoiding dogs?
Ps. The Reactive Dog Training Mistakes, 4 Reasons Why You’re Struggling is a great place to start. It’s our free Masterclass, so check it out.
How to help an insecure puppy moving to a busy neighborhood.
Listen at get 8 tips to help your dog or puppy settle into his new home (or the current home he is in.
There are some good tips if you have a shy dog.
The Naughty Dog Episode 80. I’ll put a link in the Stories.
Is your dog shy or insecure?
Most reactive dog owners think that barking is the problem, and I get it, the barking and lunging is difficult, frustrating and embarrassing.
But if you want to change your reactive dog then you need to focus on WHY your dog is barking and lunging.
Reactivity is an emotional issue. It’s not an obedience issues, or that your dog is being disobedient.
Dog’s can’t control their emotions (and a lot of human can’t control their emotions on social media either. ;)
There are two main emotions that lead to reactivity:
Fear and Excitement.
Most of reactivity is fear.
The reason why a reactive dog barks and lunges is to get the other dog to go away. We (dog trainers) call it a distance increasing behaviors.
In other words, the purpose of the barking and lunging is to scare the other dog away (add distance).
A reactive dog doesn’t know that the dog across the street is out for a walk and will go away anyway.
If you want to get your reactive dog to be calm, then you need to change the fear. When you decrease the fear (and build trust) the barking and lunging will stop on their own.
If you change the cause of the reactivity (fear) the symptoms (barking and lunging) will go away on their own.
Now, if you try to “correct” your dog, use a pinch collar, ecollar, etc, then you’re adding pain to the fear. The pain may temporarily stop or decrease the barking, but it won’t change the fear. In fact, it will make the fear worse because not the dog experience pain or discomfort when they’re frightened. It’s a recipe for disaster.
Dog that are excited will pull and lunge to get to another dog. Over time that excitement turns into frustration, and frustration leads to aggression (acts of aggression).
If you want to learn more tips to help your reactive dog watch Reactive Dog Training Mistakes, 4 Reasons Why You’re Struggling. It’s a free masterclass that explains the quadrants of reactivity. Then you’ll know why it feels like you’re doi
Want to make raising your puppy easier? Using an expen (aka playpen) with a puppy will be a game changer. This helps teach your puppy to be independent and comfortable when he’s home alone. It will also help with potty training, puppy biting, barking, chewing and more. I call this Independence Training or Home Alone.
Puppies should be in the exercise pen (aka play pen) when they can’t be supervised. Think of a play pen for a baby.
It’s completely normal for puppies to be a little uncomfortable and bark when they’re in the pen. Barking and fussing doesn’t mean that you can’t use a play pen, it just means that you need to teach him to comfortable in the pen.
You can, and absolutely should, teach your puppy to be calm in the playpen or behind a barrier.
If your puppy isn’t comfortable in the pen, use the tips in the video to start working on it today. Grab the free handout - 10 Tips to a Calm Dog Without Training. Use those tips in the play pen (especially the brain games).
Teaching your puppy to be comfortable in the playpen will make life with your puppy a lot easier. It will expedite potty training and help your pup stay out of trouble.
To learn all the steps to teach Independence Training, check out The Dog Academy or watch the Free Masterclass - 3 Secrets to Get a Calm Dog without Yelling or getting Frustrated.
Do you want raising a puppy to be easier?
If your nervous walking your aggressive or reactive dog, try this exercise. This helps keep your dogs focus on the ground, instead of looking for something to bark at. It helps keep your dogs focus on you and it will help you build your confidence.
After practicing, you can turn and walk with your dog. With reposition your dog will learn to (1) focus on your (2) walk without pulling (3) check in with you and (3) be less concerned or hyper vigilant about his surrounding.
This is also a great exercise for dogs that are nervous or anxious outside.
Do you want to feel more confident walking your dog??
Ps. If you have a reactive dog, then watch our Free Masterclass, Reactive Dog Training Mistakes. Let me know if you want the link.
This dog mom took the Barkaholics Program but wanted more help feeling confident walking her dogs.
Door manners for a fearful door. If you have a dog that is worried about people then you know how stressful it can be when someone comes to the door. In this episode of The Naughty Dog Podcast, you’ll learn several tips to help your dog and what kind of training you’ll need to do. There’s also some non-training tips too.
This episode came as a request from someone on Instagram. Thank you!
In this episode I talk about Pearl, a dog with stranger danger. Pearl is in the video clip above. Over the next few days I’ll share Pearls story and training videos with you.
Many of the tips in this episode are good for you if you have an over excited dog too, so you’ll some good stuff even if you don’t have a fearful dog.
What do you do with your dog when someone comes to the door?
If you’re not see a change even when you’re training it’s probably because you’re focusing on the wrong thing. Instead of asking your how to stop biting, barking, or pulling on the leash, start asking WHY is my puppy biting. Why is my dog barking. Why is my dog pulling. Focus in changing why your dog is doing something and you’ll see change.
To learn more watch our Free Masterclass - The 3 Secrets to Get Your Dog to Listen.
Your dog isn’t being dominant! He’s just a dog. Even wolves aren’t dominant. Google David Mech and use positive reinforcement with your dog. It’s worked for every dog I’ve trained for the past 13 years, even the reactive 130lb Chesapeake Bay Retriever in my stories.
This video is from a free Masterclass I offered in 2019. I wish it was outdated by now but it’s not.
A new Masterclass for reactive dog will be available soon, free. If you have a reactive dog, then check it out!
Do you believe dogs are trying to be the alpha?
Should you wait until your puppy is fully vaccinated before you start the socialization process? Listen to this episode of The Naughty Dog Podcast to hear what experts veterinarians say.
Tell me what you think about this episode 👇🏼
Positive reinforcement or a shock collar or ecollar, which is more effective for reactivity.
These are my formerly reactive dogs. Both were extremely reactive and Sadie use to redirect (bite and go after) my boy, Robi. It was a nightmare to say the least.
I used positive reinforcement to teach them to be calm (before I was a certified dog trainer) and it worked! It’s held up 10 years later, and counting.
Learn how to teach your reactive dog to be calm in the Barkaholics Program.
Which method do you think is more effective?
PSA: make sure you know how a dog trainer will train your dog. Do your homework and reach methods ahead of time. Positive reinforcement is the most humane and it’s what veterinarians recommend.
What happened to this dog is horrible!
It’s very sad for helpless dogs that don’t have a choice in which training methods their guardians choose for them. Do you think your dog would chose a shock collar?
Shock collars are banned in Germany, Austria, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Portugal, Slovenia, Switzerland, Wales, the province of Quebec in Canada and some states in Australia.
How do you feel after watching this?
Full video here:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=MGtU4-eeqYY
