Reward Your Dog Training

Reward Your Dog Training Are you dealing with an unruly pup or reactivity on and off leash, or wanting to learn how to make h

You’re at a loss what to do when you see one of your dog’s triggers on walks. Every time she sees a dog she loses her mi...
12/21/2025

You’re at a loss what to do when you see one of your dog’s triggers on walks.

Every time she sees a dog she loses her mind, tuning you out when you call her.

Instead, she pulls into the end of the leash, first whining and then barking and growling.

The weird thing: She’s friendly with other dogs at the park - just not … on leash.

It’s hella confusing.

And it stresses you outttttttt.

Each time this happens, your own body tenses up, feelings of frustration washing over you.

You’ve tried so many things, and nothing works.

Honestly: You’re spiraling….

– – – – – –

Are you ready to stop spinning and start doing things that really work?

Read on for the three steps that will help you support your dog - and yourself.

Step 1: Gauge your dog’s emotional state

To help her, you need to be able to gauge her emotional state by understanding her body language. You need to know exactly what your dog looks like when she’s relaxed, activated or in an overreaction. This will allow you to support her appropriately while seeing her trigger.

The thing is: if her nervous system overloads, her body will go over her emotional threshold- and in this state, all you can do is leave the situation. That’s why you need to stay underneath this threshold to keep her successful.

Step 2: Create the right distance from the trigger

You can stay underneath your dog’s emotional threshold by creating enough distance from the trigger. You can teach her how to turn away on cue or with gentle body pressure… or simply avoid getting too close.

Step 3: Model calm and relaxation to support co-regulation

While you’re far enough away from your dog’s trigger, keep your own body chill by standing in a relaxed position with your side to the trigger, taking deep breaths and gently blinking your eyes. When your own emotions are calm, your dog can co-regulate with you and begin to calm down, even with a trigger around.

This simple process is very effective… but it asks a lot of you: knowledge of body language and nervous system state, a distance cue - as well as the ability to stay regulated yourself.

Which of these skills do you want to hear more about in the next post? 👇

All they want for Christmas is...
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All they want for Christmas is...

Don't dream it.... BE IT!
12/17/2025

Don't dream it.... BE IT!

I got news for ya, babes.
12/17/2025

I got news for ya, babes.

Ain't nobody got time for endless Internet debates... we got dogs to enrich and train, yo!
12/16/2025

Ain't nobody got time for endless Internet debates... we got dogs to enrich and train, yo!

Dishing out some radical reset ideas on this fine day. Share your walk struggles in the comments - would love to help ya...
12/14/2025

Dishing out some radical reset ideas on this fine day. Share your walk struggles in the comments - would love to help ya.

I’d love to hear from you!What do you and your dog struggle with the most? How often do you encounter triggers on walks,...
12/09/2025

I’d love to hear from you!

What do you and your dog struggle with the most?

How often do you encounter triggers on walks, and how do you navigate these challenging situations?

Share your story in the comments!

Walks with your dog have been hard lately. She’s barking and pulling towards other dogs. She’s lunging at squirrels and ...
12/07/2025

Walks with your dog have been hard lately.

She’s barking and pulling towards other dogs.

She’s lunging at squirrels and cats, almost pulling you off your feet.

And skateboards? Forget about it.

You feel unsafe when you walk her.

Your head is on a swivel, trying to figure out where her next trigger might come from.

And here’s the kicker:

You’ve tried a million approaches.

You’ve bought webinars and courses.

Some of them you’ve watched, but some just linger in your inbox.

And when you try something from those resources, you never quite know if you’re doing it right.

You’re neither feeling successful nor motivated.

Instead, you’re feeling more and more …. Alone. And defeated.

My friend, that is no fun at all.

Big fat UGH.

But hey, even though we live in a capitalist hellscape…

… pulling yourself up by your bootstraps and going it alone is *not* the only way to have better, calmer, more relaxed walks with your pup.

What if instead you could tap into a tried and true reactivity recovery blueprint.

What if you had the expertise of a multi-certified dog behavior coach at your fingertips, guiding you every step of the way?

What if you had a supportive community of people going through the same issues around you who are cheering you on, celebrating your losses and giving empathy when things don’t go well.

Sound good?

Like, are you feeling a little wave of relief in your tummy as you read this?

Good.

Because you’ve come to the right place.

In January, I’m opening my Urban Dog Recovery Online Program (UDROP) for 5 dedicated dog guardians who want to have chill, connected and confident walks.

You interested?

Then I’d love to chat! Connect in the comments or shoot me a DM - and tell me all about you and your dog.

Time for a re-introduction! I wanna meet you too! Say hi and tell me about your dog... coz I ALWAYS wanna learn about yo...
12/04/2025

Time for a re-introduction!

I wanna meet you too! Say hi and tell me about your dog... coz I ALWAYS wanna learn about your dog.

Having a dog with big feelings on walks makes you feel lonely. Your friends don’t really get it. Some wonder why your do...
12/04/2025

Having a dog with big feelings on walks makes you feel lonely.

Your friends don’t really get it.

Some wonder why your dog is still losing his mind over other dogs on walks.

Why haven’t you fixed it yet?

Others think it can’t be such a big deal.

But they don’t know.

They don’t feel how it feels to you when your dog pulls into the leash with all her power.

How scared you are when she almost pulls you over.

And how helpless you feel when you have yet another trigger-filled walk.

That is a really hard place to be.

But it’s not where you have to *stay.*

I have created a small group online coaching program for people just like you.

Full of support, science and solutions.

Using positive, pain free methods, you can help your dog overcome his big feelings on walks.

And your own too…

… and all this while having a multi-certified trainer as your support system.

Someone who’s helped hundreds of people and their dogs with this very issue.

Yup, that’s me, Verena (waves hi).

I’m beginning enrollment for my Urban Dog Reactivity Online Program very soon.

Are you ready to transform walks with your dog?

Hit me up in the comments or DMs, and let’s get the conversation started.

For the love of dogs... but also for the love of YOU.
12/03/2025

For the love of dogs... but also for the love of YOU.

You’ve tried so many things to help your dog with big feelings on walks. You have a front clip harness so that you can c...
11/29/2025

You’ve tried so many things to help your dog with big feelings on walks.

You have a front clip harness so that you can control him. But sometimes he pulls so hard that you barely hang on.

You ask him to sit so that you can watch his trigger. But most of the time he can’t seem to put his butt on the ground.

You bring treats. But sometimes he won’t even take them when you’re passing a trigger.

It is scary, and it feels unsafe.

But what else can you do?

You’re at your wits’ end.

This may be hard to hear but… your training isn’t sticking because it’s *reactive* not *proactive*.

OK, Verena, but what does that meeeeaaaaaaannnnnn???

It means, my friend, that you are trying to build new pathways in your dog’s brain when he’s already overwhelmed and not set up well for learning.

You’re trying to train after the trigger pops up when you two are already feeling some intense feelings.

That is not a great place to learn a new behavior pattern.

And it’s the #1 mistake folks make when training their reactive dog.

So let me tell you how to avoid it with this simple three step formula:

👉Decide what you would like your dog to do *instead of* barking, lunging and growling when he sees the trigger, for example look at you. Then teach him to look at you in a quiet, relaxed environment.

👉Now, practice the alternative behavior behavior with easy distractions - but NOT the trigger. Ask him “Can you look at me while someone is crinkling a bag of chips?” Gradually make the distractions more exciting.

👉Once your dog can do the alternative behavior with a variety of distractions, introduce a trigger in a controlled way. You will tell the helper person, dog, skateboarder, cyclist, etc. what to do (sit, stand, walk, …) and practice the alternative behavior with a controlled trigger.

And now?

With all of your fancy new neural pathways, you and your dog can now take on real life triggers.

Because you have the strength of habit and the confidence that comes with it.

Skip those steps?

The brain and nervous system are working against you.

Want to learn more about how to build strong habits for training success? Drop your questions in the comments!

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