Another Shannon Sweat Sesh for Puff! Fun fit stuff for your ruff and a few shameless plugs for our upcoming workshops 🐶💪
Happy Monday! 🐕🦺 Spend a busy work day with me as a dog trainer in the DMV! Not pictured: the several other cups of coffee I had 🫣
Another Sweat Sesh with Shannon for my doggie Puff 😍💪🐶
Sometimes virtual dog training looks like…
• taking your lesson from your daily walk
• dog training during your lunch break
• on-the-go lessons or squeezing them in when you have time
We love the flexibility of virtual lessons 💗
Vacation workout with Puff and @k9adventuretraining ! Great example of how to make canine fitness fit into your dogs life even in an unfamiliar Airbnb with no equipment 💪🐶
Puff’s Sweat Sesh with Shannon of @k9adventuretraining
We’re really pulling a fast one on Hazel 😎
Believe it or not, desensitization is only one piece of the social anxiety pie 🥧 What questions do you have??
Raise your hand if your dog becomes “reactive” when they’re on a walk 🙋🏼♀️ When your dog is reactive toward other dogs while on leash, I like to call these “big emotions.” This reaction can stem from fear, frustration or both. There are a few methods we can use to help your dog feel comfortable and safe around other dogs while on leash, but I often start by addressing the root cause of the issue.
1. Create distance from the trigger: Whether that’s humans or other dogs, create some space between your dog and the stimulus. This will bring your dog “under threshold,” which means that your dog is less likely to react because they are more emotionally stable. This helps your dog learn and listen.
2. Once your dog is “under threshold,” step 2 is to mark and reward for desired behavior. So if the desired behavior is for your dog to look at another dog while on leash and not bark, you want to reward your dog each time they do so.
This creates a positive association in your dog’s mind and will start to reduce the fear or frustration your dog is experiencing. Once you pair the stimulus with something the learner perceives to be fantastic (usually a high value treat), they start to recognize that seeing other dogs on leash equals treats!
****Finally — this is just a reminder that reactivity does not mean aggression, and a reactive dog is not a “bad dog” or a “mean dog.” We all have fears, stressors and sometimes big emotions. Helping your dog through these emotions is a great way to build trust with them.
Give these methods a shot and let me know how it goes!
POV: You’re at an outdoor group class with LianaFit, soaking in the sunshine and playing with your pup ☀️
Join us every Sunday at 10 a.m. for outdoor training activities and adventures. The LianaFit membership comes with one 60-minute private lesson each month plus unlimited access to the outdoor group class in Rock Creek Park!
Sign up at the link in my bio or at LianaFit.com 🐶
If you thought I was a good trainer, just wait until you meet Jenna … our newest addition at LianaFit 💗 To book lessons with Jenna, purchase a package on LianaFit.com — you’ll receive a confirmation email that will also include a schedule link to access our calendars.
