Reactive Dog

11/02/2024

Who needs one?

08/02/2024

This week's blog post is getting a lot of attention. I wrote about new research on the difficulties of living with a reactive dog. Dr. Carla Hart of Waltham Petcare Science Institute, first author of the study, told me "To me, the most striking finding from this research was how problematic off lead dogs are to reactive dogs and their owners, but it also highlights an opportunity for positive change. Future efforts should be made to disseminate the message that not all dogs can be approached, and to suspend judgement because their owners are often working on complex behavioural problems.”
Read more in the post on my blog. What do you wish other people knew about reactive dogs?

03/01/2024

There is a common misconception that if we just drill concrete skills (aka Obedience Skills) hard enough, or often enough that it will prevent behavior problems. This is not how behavior works. At best drilling a dog through obedience skills might mask the problem, but it doesn't change their underlying emotional cause of the problem. A dog who is reactive and behaving aggressively in response to their fear, discomfort or perceived threat will not suddenly stop feeling those Big Feelings because he's been demanded to sit, or down through them. A dog who starts a conflict with another dog due to over arousal or frustration , or even redirection, will not suddenly stop feeling all those overwhelming feelings simply because they are drilled in a heel for ten minutes. Concrete skills can have their place, and their uses. But they are not skills for behavior change. They provide a mask for behavior that can cause a false sense of security in terms of whether or not the dog has truly experienced an emotional change towards the stimulus. That can be pose significant risk in terms of aggression presenting behaviors, as it will appear the dog's sudden snap came "out of no where."

When your dog is experiencing a behavior concern, it is because they are having an emotional problem in response to certain stimuli. This is not personal, and it is not a problem that can be resolved by simply drilling the dog to sit more frequently. Under going genuine behavior modification takes time and an effort to address the underlying emotional cause of any behavior disruptions your dog is experiencing.

14/12/2023

RED FLAG

Often, of course not always, we can help determine what kind of professional we are dealing with. Dog Trainers who have not gone through any formal education or earned any certifications in their field provide a big red flag for dog owners.

07/11/2023

A great reminder by Bob Bailey concerning expectations! Set the expectation lower because our dogs are learning and we have to have to teach them. As we go through classes we become better handlers, execute training precisely and are able to understand our dogs better. If they don't do what we would like them to do we have to look at motivation, our ex*****on of teaching them and distraction aka our competition we are dealing with. Themore we train, the better we get and the better our dogs understand what we want from them.

14/10/2023

Distance is your best friend!

DISTANCE ASSISTANCE
It’s not easy having a reactive dog. As much as we may feel frustrated, restricted, angry or even ashamed or embarrassed, our reactive dogs are also experiencing a range of negative emotions when they react to something that triggers them.

This reaction is usually caused by anxiety, fear, feeling threatened or frustrated.

These emotions cause high levels of stress and stress prevents both us and our dogs from being able to process information, think clearly or learn a different, more acceptable way of reacting to whatever triggers us.

This is why creating enough distance is so important.

I’m really scared of snakes and even struggle to look at them. The only thing I want to do is run away and create as much distance as possible.

If someone was restraining me, forcing me to sit down and look at the snake while trying to feed me my favourite chocolate (or any type of chocolate!), telling me there was nothing to worry about or trying to educate me about the specific species, it would do nothing to alleviate my fear and would only increase my stress levels.

Doing this at a sufficient distance, where I felt safe would be far more effective and my stress levels would be much lower. I may even eat the entire slab of chocolate!

In time, with patience and practice, I may even be able to get much closer to the snake without having a negative reaction.

The same principle applies to reactive dogs. Creating sufficient distance where they can see the trigger but still feel safe, comfortable and don’t react is the best way of helping them to cope with their feelings.

Some dogs (and people) may never be able to decrease that distance and that’s also okay.

Accept your dog for the unique individual they are, work on the things you can change and accept the things you can’t.

05/10/2023

27/07/2023

Dr. Horowitz advice: let them use their nose

26/07/2023

19/07/2023

The medical definition of arousal is a state of physiological alertness and readiness for action. Do you agree?

13/07/2023

Many people perceive a laser pointer a great outlet to exercise their dogs. In reality it may cause more physiological and psychological issues down the road.

09/07/2023

We can determine 3 stress responses:

- Positive Stress Response
- Tolerable Stress Response
- Toxic Stress Response

In the coming weeks we will focus more on these stress responses and how they impact behavior.

06/07/2023

Do you know what "AROUSAL" means?

- http://www.bbvs.com.au/

04/07/2023

Tomorrow may be a very stressful day for your dog. If you did not have the opportunity to contact your Vet to help with medication here are a few things you can do to help:
- Exercise in the morning
- Provide some good (mental) enrichment
- Stay home! Your dog needs you.
- Close all windows and curtains
- Play music or white noise or run your air conditioner
- Find a place in your home where your dog feels safe (a friend of mine redid her closet, which was in the middle of the house, with dog bed, lights, played soft music and stay with your dog

Do not leave your dog unattended in the yard or outside. If dogs are terrified of fireworks they have the ability to jump even if they have never jumped that fence or jumped off the balcony.

Make sure you have a collar with identification on your dog. Worst case scenario if your dog runs off you may be reunited faster.

Next year look at options. There are places where there are no fireworks. Do this for your dog if they are sensitive to the sound.

Thank you!

03/07/2023

Allow your dog to be a dog. If they love to sniff ... let them sniff. This is such a great alternative behavior. It enriches their walks and can help them relax. A dog walk is all about your dog's need.

02/07/2023

Did you know that STRESS is a reaction to change?

01/07/2023

In the end we all need space!

29/06/2023

Is your dog muzzle trained?

28/06/2023

Did you know that STRESS is a reaction to change?

27/06/2023

Seeing this way too often. Set up your dog for success! Another great drawing by Doggie Drawings by Lili Chin

26/06/2023

Don't forget a dog's emotional cup! Wonderful graphic by Doggie Drawings by Lili Chin and Sarah Owens.

23/06/2023

Did you know that stress can have an impact on your dog's behavior?

13/06/2023

Being proactive is an important part in your dog’s life.

12/06/2023

How much stress is too much stress?

09/06/2023

Wonderful explanation. This is valuable information for reactive dog owners.

28/04/2023

Why are so many dogs reactive? - The Canine Diva

24/03/2023

Why punishment doesn’t solve the problem and often makes behavior worse.