The Art of Raising a Puppy Leash Reactivity Training

So you lot want your reactive dog to calm down and stop beingness a completely embarrassing nightmare on walks?

You've come up to the right identify.

Reactivity is a BIG topic. There are many elements, many moving parts. The deluge of disorganized, sometimes contradictory, information you discover when you outset looking into it can be overwhelming and paralyze you into inaction.

The indicate of this monster-sized article is to organize that information and give yous a articulate path to follow. Information technology'll give you a solid foundation education in solving leash reactivity, plus a agglomeration of helpful links to continue your didactics. It's designed to be a bookmarkable resource that you can come up back to again and once again.

Information technology's split into five capacity:

Preliminaries: Scrap of pep talk, bit of big moving picture, bit of training philosophy.
Things You Need to Understand: Canis familiaris knowledge you'll need to have in lodge to effectively handle your dog's issues.
Building the Foundation: The stuff that will set you upwards for success. These are things that everyone should do, regardless of what reactivity-solving tactic you lot eventually choose.
The Tactics: Finally, the things you lot tin do to go your domestic dog to stop existence so reactive.
Resources: A listing of quality books and websites on reactivity.

Notation: In that location are no sponsored or chapter links in this post. All the books, programs, and other resource I link to are in that location only because I really like them.

Ch 1. Preliminaries

First: how are YOU doing? The toll reactivity takes on the domestic dog owner

Living with a reactive dog is a lot to deal with. In severe cases, it tin experience suffocating and isolating.

Back when y'all were dreaming about getting a domestic dog, you lot probably envisioned taking leisurely walks together or playing Frisbee in the park. Mayhap yous wanted a running partner or a hiking buddy. Maybe you even hoped to compete in dog sports like agility. Facing the reality of having a domestic dog who can't easily do whatever of those things can be crushing.

With a reactive domestic dog, everyday life becomes much more complicated. Only going for a walk around the neighborhood becomes a logistical nightmare.

And so there's dealing with judgmental strangers. Many reactive-dog owners have stories of facing stares and cocky-righteous "control your dog!" comments on the street.

Or even if those things don't actually happen, it tin can sure FEEL similar everybody is staring and judging.

But the judgment -real or imagined- of random assholes is aught compared to the judgment we face from ourselves:

I accept no thought what I'm doing. I'k probably making this worse.

I'thousand no skillful at this. This domestic dog deserves amend than me.

God, I hate this stupid canis familiaris.

…Oh wow, I'm a terrible person for antisocial my dog.

This is all my fault.

Sound familiar? First of all, yous don't have to arraign yourself. Yes, I know the slogan: "there are no bad dogs, only bad owners." Simply that isn't fair. No, your dog isn't "bad," but that doesn't mean you're a bad possessor.

Reactivity can be afflicted by genetics, early on puppyhood experiences, and other factors that are out of your command. The fact that you care plenty to be emotionally beating the shit out of yourself similar this tells me you're 1 of the good ones.

And on the days when you hate your dog (and there Will be those days), it helps to remember that this sucks for her, also. Whether her reactivity is fright-based or frustration-based, she'due south having a hard time dealing with life in a world built for humans. She'due south not trying to bulldoze y'all crazy, she's going crazy herself. Look at this not every bit a y'all-vs-dog problem, but a problem that you and your dog face together.

What I want yous to know about reactivity

Reactivity is one of the most common dog behavior problems. So you lot're not lonely. Nosotros've been through this with a few of our own dogs. (Run into: The Uncensored Story of How I Helped My Reactive Dog Go Better)

And there is promise! It absolutely can be successfully treated with modern force-free, reward-based methods.

There is a low-cal at the stop of this tunnel.

But it's not similar teaching a dog to sit down, or stay, or end begging at the tabular array. Where you can become online, discover a quick training recipe, follow the recipe, and soon end upwardly with a dog who sits or stays or doesn't beg at the table.

Reactivity requires more of you. Especially if you want to DIY it and non apply the services of a good dog trainer. (Consulting a qualified trainer is a fantastic idea and volition get yous better results faster, but I know not anybody has the budget that allows working closely with a trainer)

You need to go beyond merely finding a quick "recipe." You need to dig further, and get something of an amateur dog trainer yourself. You demand to learn nigh dog body language, and a agglomeration of other stuff that nosotros're going to talk about in this commodity.

The cool function? The reactivity training I recommend requires a lot of you, but information technology gives back tenfold. It directly builds that unbreakable bail y'all were dreaming about when you adopted this dog. High investment, high reward.

Make a plan, don't wing it

When y'all just desire to get your dog'due south reactivity DEALT WITH ALREADY, it can be tempting to throw a one thousand thousand things at the wall and see what sticks. "Ooh, I just read a web log post almost this training technique, I'll endeavour information technology."

-One week later-

"Ooh, I merely watched a Youtube video about another training technique, I'll endeavor it."

I've been there, I get information technology. But that can cause more harm than practiced. You probably won't make much progress, and worst instance scenario, you can make things worse. For things to go better, you demand:

A steady, methodical approach that addresses all the factors involved.
A solid understanding of the WHY backside the technique you lot use

So don't rush. Accept your time, do your research, build your agreement of the diverse and sundry factors I'm about to introduce y'all to, and build your plan.

Go team!

Nosotros're referring to you and your dog as a team. This is jargon from the domestic dog sports and working dog worlds, and it applies here. Later on all, y'all and your dog are undertaking a large exciting project together.

There is no one-size-fits-all approach

Different approaches work improve for different teams. I don't recommend punishment-based methods, just beyond that, at that place are a lot of adept methods for dealing with reactivity.

A lot of "intro to reactivity" manufactures dive directly into instructions for tactics, just that can be a problem, because how constructive any given tactic will be depends on a lot of factors. Like, an article might recommend counter-conditioning past feeding treats when you see some other dog on a walk. Which is great, but what if your canis familiaris e'er blows you off and has no involvement in food on a walk? We'd have to lay some groundwork before counter conditioning will work.

Later, I'll requite you an overview of the unlike methods. And the resources affiliate contains a bunch of examples of real-life grooming plans.

Why I don't recommend penalisation-based methods or aversives

"When used effectively, punishment tin suppress the behavior of fearful or aggressive animals, but information technology may not modify the association underlying the behavior. Thus, information technology may non accost the underlying problem.

For case, if the fauna is ambitious due to fear, then the use of forcefulness to stop the fearful reactions will make the canis familiaris more fearful while at the same fourth dimension suppressing or masking the outward signs of fearfulness. Once it can no longer suppress its fearfulness, the animate being may suddenly act with heightened aggression and with fewer warning signs of impending aggression. In other words, it may now attack with no warning."

–AVSAB position statement on the apply of penalisation. A must-read for anyone considering the employ of aversives.

"Aversives" are tools like prong collars, east-collars, spray bottles, noisemakers, etc.

I'1000 not a fan of aversives in canis familiaris training in full general, but they're an specially bad idea for fear and aggression.

Aversives work to suppress behavior, but practise nothing to change the underlying problem that acquired the behavior. In fact, the domestic dog may become more stressed. Training may announced to "piece of work" on the surface by creating a dog who is passive and subdued, simply the canis familiaris is really more upset with no ability to prove it.

And information technology can backfire completely. Let's say your dog is frustration-reactive. She wants to play with dogs she sees. She starts barking and going nuts. To stop this behavior, you put an e-neckband on her. Every times she goes after a dog, she gets a shock. Pretty straightforward. Merely all Sparky knows is that when she sees some other canis familiaris, she gets zapped. Now she thinks that the other domestic dog is causing her to get zapped. You tin can see how that might atomic number 82 to problems.

I used to utilize both aversives and rewards in dog training, called "balanced grooming." I was a loyal defender of prong collars back in the mean solar day. It took a while -I was stubborn like that- but I eventually came to understand the damage that comes from training with hurting or the threat of pain, and the great things that can happen when a team uses forcefulness-free methods.

The risk of fallout from aversives is also great to be worth it, IMHO, especially when you can accomplish fantastic results from correctly-applied strength-complimentary methods. If your goal is to accept a domestic dog who is well-behaved, AND also happy and confident and carefree, utilise force-free methods.

Sources/further reading:

Fallout From the Use of Aversives | Eileenanddogs

The Use of Daze in Brute Training | The Pet Professional Order

The Consequences of Consequences | The Science Dog

The Welfare Consequences and Efficacy of Training Pet Dogs with Remote Electronic Preparation Collars in Comparing to Reward Based Grooming

Ch 2. Things You Need to Understand

Thresholds

Each reactive dog has a threshold, or a point at which her trigger volition make her React, capital R. Sub-threshold, she might get fidgety, only she is still in control of her actions and she can still take didactics from her handler. But when she reaches her threshold, she can't control herself.

For a fear-reactive domestic dog, this is when the fight-or-flight response kicks off. For a frustration-reactive canis familiaris, it's when he gets so focused on the trigger that everything else gets tuned out. You can yell, yank the ternion, or wave food in his confront and he'll act like y'all're not even there.

All my recommended grooming methods involve working with the dog sub-threshold: the indicate at which the trigger can be present in the surroundings at a low enough intensity that it doesn't gear up the dog off.

You don't demand or want the canis familiaris to showroom their Reaction in order to gear up reactivity.

For best results, piece of work in the sugariness spot where the dog is aware of the trigger, but non upset yet. You're going to work at this sub-threshold signal 100% of the time in the training process.

This may mean that you lot need to starting time out one-half a football field away from the trigger.

You'll utilize gradually-intensifying exposure to raise your domestic dog's threshold. If your domestic dog'south current threshold is seeing a trigger one-half a football field away, we'll heighten information technology to a quarter football field, and then right across the street, and then on.

How practise you know when you're in the danger zone?

Obviously, if Fido'south going bonkers, he'southward over-threshold. Merely there are subtle signals that he'll requite when he's about to become bonkers.

Behaviors to watch out for:

A fixated stare – Ears forward, body pointed straight at the trigger.
Raised hackles – this is involuntary, like goosebumps. It's a great indicator of your dog's internal state.
Growling – pretty self explanatory.
Increasingly frantic movements – Fido may dart back and forth, "tap dance" with his front end paws, or bounciness up and down.
Your dog's unique signals – watch carefully and you'll notice specific things your canis familiaris does that tell you he's stressin'.

If your dog starts sending you lot these signals, then yous're as well close to threshold. Immediately dorsum off to a safe point, and proceed from there.

Dog body language

All dog owners should learn nearly domestic dog body language, simply for owners of reactive dogs, information technology'south critical. There'south so much about reactivity that requires a solid ability to read your dog.

You demand to be able to respond questions similar:

What kind of reactivity am I dealing with?
How is the dog feeling nearly the grooming we're doing? Are we going also fast? Is he overwhelmed?
Are nosotros working besides shut to threshold?
Is training working? Are we successfully changing the way the dog feels about the trigger?
Is this training making things worse?

If you're not fluent plenty in "canis familiaris speak" to answer these questions, you're flying bullheaded.

Is there a gratis, detailed, step-by-step manner for me to learn about dog body language?

Why, there sure is! Have our free online course, Dog Speak 101.

The departure between grooming behavior and irresolute emotions

Fixing reactivity involves both training behaviors and changing emotions, and to be successful at information technology, you need to sympathise the difference betwixt the two. Then I wrote a prerequisite article for you lot to read. I tried to make it as jargon-costless equally possible:

Training a Behavior vs. Changing an Emotion: What All Canis familiaris Owners Need to Know

Handler behavior tin exacerbate the problem

I don't know about you lot, only I'm normally my own worst enemy.

When one has been dealing with a reactive dog for a while, a vicious circle can be created:

Bandit has a history of going nuts when he sees another dog, so his owner Charlie becomes understandably stressed when some other dog appears on the horizon. Charlie tenses up, pulling the ternion tight and saying "Oh god… Okay Bandit, STAY Calm."

Which makes Brigand more tense, which makes Charlie more tense…

We talk a lot most conditioned emotional responses in regards to our reactive dogs, but Nosotros can develop our own conditioned emotional responses to our canis familiaris'due south triggers.

Sometimes when a reactive canis familiaris's possessor works with a skilful trainer for the get-go time, the dog will exist less reactive in the trainer'due south hands, simply because the trainer doesn't accept a conditioned response of OH SHIT to the trigger, and therefore doesn't commencement up the tension and nervous chatter that the canis familiaris has learned is a cue to go basics.

I know it's easier said than washed, but piece of work on maintaining relaxed body linguistic communication in the presence of triggers. Keep a loose leash as much every bit possible.

Ch iii. Building the Foundation

Figure out your canis familiaris'due south motivation and triggers

Why is your dog reacting – is it fright-based or frustration based? To answer this important question, read this article: Why Does My Domestic dog Bawl and Lunge On Leash?

Other things to effigy out:

What triggers set your dog off? Dogs, people, trucks, loud noises, simply dogs who are off-leash?
How far away does the trigger have to be to cause a reaction?
Are there certain locations where the beliefs is better or worse?
Are there specific contexts or situations that ready him off? For example, some dogs are okay seeing strangers in expected situations, like on a busy city street, but they freak out at the appearance of unexpected strangers on a quiet hiking trail.

Set up mini goals and milestones to hit along the mode

Rehabbing reactivity is a long process, and it'south piece of cake to get discouraged and experience like yous're non making any progress forth the fashion. So, make a list of baby-step milestones to achieve, and gloat when yous do.

There are many small wins between where you are now and "completely cured of reactivity."

Here are some example goals and milestones:

Being relaxed enough to eat treats on a walk
Being able to follow a basic obedience cue after seeing another domestic dog
Taking a walk around the neighborhood with fewer reactions than normal
Taking a walk effectually the neighborhood with no reactions for the first fourth dimension
Being within 50m of another domestic dog with no reaction
Being inside 30m of another canis familiaris with no reaction (and and so on)

Piece of work on developing your dog's focus and connection with you

Reactivity training involves working in potentially distracting, high-stress environments. For reactivity rehab to piece of work, you need a foundation of training that builds your domestic dog's ability to engage with you and listen despite distractions.

I recollect that'south a piece a lot of us miss when we starting time starting time trying to work on reactivity: we go straight into directly working on information technology by doing counter-workout or any, neglecting the fact that the canis familiaris never pays united states a single shred of attention on walks, even when in that location are no triggers.

Don't get me wrong, I'm non saying your canis familiaris needs to be perfectly obedience trained. I actually, really, really don't care if your dog has no idea what Stay, Heel, Down, or Lookout man Me means. I don't even care if your dog pulls on ternion.

What I want to run across, and what will really help you during reactivity grooming: Your dog happily choosing to interact with you, because he likes spending time with yous and because y'all provide skilful things.

When away from home, volition your dog:

Follow basic teaching in the presence of mild (not trigger) distractions?
Swallow treats, or if not interested in treats, testify involvement in toys?
Choose to check in with you occasionally without prompting?

If yes, y'all're expert. Acquit on. If not, no big deal. We'll only demand to lay some groundwork. There are lots of focus/appointment-building exercises you can do.

Our online courses Super Recall and Practical Ternion Manners are both designed to give yous this foundation. The volume Control Unleashed is also a great resources for this, peculiarly for the dog-sports-inclined.

For a very bones intro to the type of preparation I'm talking nearly, see four Puppy Grooming Game Ideas.

Direction

Management is the fine art of physically preventing an undesired beliefs -in this instance, hitting threshold- from occurring.

Management is not training, just it's an of import companion to training.

For example, if your domestic dog was reactive toward strangers outside the window, you would manage it by putting upward a barrier so the dog couldn't run across out the window when you're non preparation.

The more the canis familiaris gets to "practice" their reactive behavior, the more entrenched it becomes, and the longer it'll take to change it.

Plus, reactive episodes are stressful for dogs, even the ones who react out of frustration/desire to play. Frequently hit threshold means the canis familiaris is living in a abiding state of stress. Which sucks.

And then! As yous begin training, the first footstep is to prevent, as much as humanly possible, the dog from encountering their triggers at an intensity that sends them over threshold.

This may mean walking the dog less and using at-home forms of practise more, walking the dog during "off" hours, similar early in the forenoon or late at nighttime, or driving the dog away from the city and into serenity areas where you're unlikely to encounter their triggers.

And hey, staying far away from people is what we're all doing now with social distancing anyway.

The emergency u-turn cue

This is a helpful management trick to have in your toolbelt. You're walking down the street, keeping an eye out for other dogs. Suddenly a domestic dog walker comes out of an alley ahead of y'all, and they're WAY too close, at a distance you and Sparky haven't trained at yet. This will surely ship Sparky over threshold. The emergency u-turn cue is how yous get the dog out of the situation before he can freak out too much.

Here's a quick demo: (non our video)

To teach it:

Pick a cue: "u-turn," "this way," "oh ****," whatever you'd like.

Kickoff training this at dwelling house, with the dog on leash. Walk a few steps, and then say your cue and immediately turn and walk briskly in the contrary direction. Brand cheerful encouraging noises if necessary. Give your canis familiaris a treat when he follows you. If your dog prefers toys over treats, y'all can throw his toy instead.

When your dog is happily turning around with y'all upon hearing the cue, start practicing away from home, in lots of not-trigger situations.

Practice and mental stimulation

Getting enough exercise is important for your reactive domestic dog. Exercise releases all kinds of feel-expert chemicals to help dogs chill out and have the edge off.

Practise won't set reactivity all by itself – no amount of jogging or chasing tennis balls will make a dog less scared or less socially bad-mannered. But it'll withal help.

Sniff walks/decompression walks

I'thou a big believer in getting reactive dogs out of the business firm and into places where they can stretch their legs and accept fun, and build their confidence away from home. And exercise that in places where, as all-time you tin can manage, they won't run into a lot of triggers.

That usually means finding a quiet expanse in nature. Or fifty-fifty just finding a wide open field or empty lot that creates a large "space absorber" between your team and any potential triggers. #socialdistancing

Put your canis familiaris on a long-line, which is a training leash at least 20ft/6m long. This gives them more freedom to run dorsum and forth. It's a much more than natural and relaxing manner of moving for a dog, as opposed to being stuck on a brusk lead next to their slowpoke human.

Long-lines can also make reactive dog feel better, and safer. Part of their problem is that short leashes trap them in place and create a lot of tension.

Bring some treats and reward the domestic dog any time she chooses to check in with you, but other than that, just let her run around and sniff to her heart's content. This is called a decompression walk, and information technology'southward a good way to help stressed out dogs relax.

It might seem counterintuitive, but letting your dog terminate to smell all the roses he wants on walks is better than making him walk briskly and ignore the roses.

Sniffing will assist your dog acquire most his environment and feel more confident.

Sniffing is also a relaxing dog hobby, which is something your high-strung pup really needs. And it can help vesture him out: Sparky is processing a hell of a lot of information with all that sniffing, and encephalon work is one of most tiring-in-a-good-mode forms of exercise.

At-dwelling exercise and mental stimulation

If it'due south non possible to take your dog for frequent low-trigger adventures, you can nevertheless provide a lot of practise and entertainment at home. How? By putting their encephalon to piece of work. Doing things like puzzle toys and working on training will help tire out your dog. You lot can kill two birds with i rock here because the engagement and foundation exercises yous'll work on count as lots of mental stimulation.

See:

9 Ways to Do Your Dog When You Can't Walk Him
Stuck Indoors: Things to Do With Your Dog When You Can't Become Outside
Puzzle Toys: A Beginner's Guide to the Almost Useful Dog Toys Ever
How to Live with a High Energy Domestic dog Without Losing Your Mind

Ch 4. The tactics

Desensitization and counter-conditioning (DSCC)

This is the method you'll hear about near often. It's virtually irresolute Sparky's emotional reaction to the trigger. Basically, every time the trigger appears, you give your dog some really delicious treats. So Sparky learns "when I see a domestic dog across the street, I get craven! I LOVE when dogs appear beyond the street."

DSCC is dandy for many flavors of fear and assailment.

Simply!

I'grand of ii minds about this method for reactivity. On one hand, it can exist a super effective approach when it'due south washed right. Many teams find it to be a elementary and easy way to get started with reactivity preparation.

On the other hand, it doesn't always work. A lot of people aren't skilled plenty to get it exactly right. Specially if they're not working with a professional trainer or veterinary behaviorist.

(No offense intended – I hateful that in the nicest way possible! Strict DSCC is pretty unforgivingly technical)

So instead of dealing in the ethereal matter of direct irresolute emotions, some teams may find it more effective to work on the more than concrete matter of grooming behavior (that will naturally atomic number 82 to emotion modify). See the other methods.

I have a primer on how to do DSCC and avoid common mistakes:

The Right Way to Utilize Desensitization and Counter-Workout to Help a Fearful or Aggressive Canis familiaris

Observation games (Await At That, Appoint-Disengage, etc)

This one. This is my favorite method for beginners. Information technology's like DSCC's cooler, more forgiving cousin. Nearly people should start here. It's what I used to get River over her puppyhood reactivity.

In the outset level of this training game, you reward the dog for looking at the trigger. In the subsequently level, you lot reward the domestic dog for looking at the trigger and then looking abroad.

This tin can feel weird at first – why would you encourage your dog to look at the trigger More?? But by rewarding practiced behavior (looking at the trigger without freaking out), you're education your dog to call back about the trigger in a different way, instead of mindlessly flipping out.

In that location are a few slight variations of this game out there:

Appoint-Undo (not sure who to credit for this)
Await at That/LAT (Leslie Mcdevitt, Control Unleashed)
Where'south the Canis familiaris (Patricia McConnell, Fiesty Fido)
I teach it in Puppy Survival Schoolhouse as The Ascertainment Game. (If you're a fellow member of Puppy Survival School, yous'll notice a video tutorial for it, plus vlogs demonstrating its use, in the Socialization course).

A crash form in observation games:

This works all-time if your team has a trivial bit of foundation in focus and engagement first, similar we talked most.

To do this exercise, work far enough abroad that Sparky can see the trigger in the altitude without going over threshold.

Phase ane: As soon as the dog looks at the trigger, mark information technology with a marker discussion or clicker, and give her a high value care for. Repeat for one-2 minutes. Terminate the session by walking out of sight of the trigger and doing something the dog enjoys.

Do a few sessions with different triggers. Do until y'all remember she's figuring out the game. At the side by side session, do a few reps of marking/rewarding. Then the side by side time the dog looks at the trigger, just await. Don't marker. When she looks back at you lot as if to say "where'south my care for?" mark/reward. Y'all're now ready for the adjacent phase.

Phase ii: Every time the dog looks at the trigger, wait for her to wait away from it or look at you lot. Mark/reward for this "disengaging" from the trigger.

Check out this infographic guide to Engage-Disengage.

The "Fired up, Frantic, and Freaked Out" training plan

This proposition is a fleck dissimilar – it's a recommendation for a book with a consummate grooming program.

I similar this programme for frustration-reactive dogs. This step-by-step plan will show you how to teach a crazy, out-of-command canis familiaris to calm himself down and gain some impulse command.

Fired Up, Frantic, and Freaked Out is a book past trainer Laura VanArendonk Baugh.

Here's a link to the ebook version.

I'm not affiliated with this book in whatever way, I just really similar it and I retrieve you will also. Especially if you like my writing/teaching style. Laura's is similar.

Behavior Adjustment Training 2.0 (BAT)

(Again, no affiliation with this programme. It's just good)

Take you tried methods like the ones above and had express success? BAT tin help.

BAT is the invention of renowned trainer Grisha Stewart. It'due south a force-free training method that does non rely on treats, and it can get amazing results where other methods fail.

Information technology lets dogs investigate the trigger at their own stride, and empowers them to make adept, non-reactive decisions. Information technology helps fear-reactive dogs gain conviction, and it teaches social skills to frustration-reactive dogs.

At that place's a lot to BAT, including specific leash-handling techniques. It'll take some fourth dimension to get yourself all familiarized with it. And so my proffer for "Average Joe" dog owners is to start with plug-and-play methods similar observation games or the programme in Fired Up, Frantic, and Freaked Out.

But if that isn't working for you, or if you consider yourself to exist a dog nerd (one of usa! 1 of us!), yous might want to accept a dive downwards the BAT rabbit hole.

At that place'south a volume, videos, and an online course taught by Grisha Stewart. Y'all can even hire a BAT-certified dog trainer called a CBATI.

Cheque out this page to begin your investigation: BAT two.0 Overview

Notation: if y'all purchase the book, make certain you're getting BAT 2.0 (blue cover) and not the original BAT (yellowish cover). 2.0 is significantly unlike from its predecessor.

Ch 5. Resource

Online resources:

Dog Liaison's Youtube channel and Instagram page – tons of excellent information on reactivity and aggression. They also offer virtual coaching.

Reddit.com/r/reactivedogs – A subreddit where I lurk occasionally. For the well-nigh part, it'southward a nice supportive community based around methods that fit with the force-costless philosophy. Reactive dog life tin be lonely, and places like this can get in feel less lonely.

Three Reactive Dog Cases – The writer explains the very unlike ways she handled three reactive dogs. This article is aimed at dog professionals, but it's a great case of how different approaches work for different dogs.

From Crazy to Calm: A Training Program for Leash Reactivity – Another solid case study.

Tips to Aid Your Reactive Dog – Some good communication plus even more examples of how the author helped real alive reactive dogs.

How to Handle Reactive Dogs – Patricia McConnell has been a major player in the dog training world for a long time. Always good to see what she has to say on a topic.

The Neurological Benefits of Counter Conditioning Leash Reactive Dogs – A science-y deep dive into the benefits of DSCC.

Books

The Midnight Dog Walkers – Probably the coolest title of any domestic dog grooming book ever. It'southward an in-depth full general guide to reactivity and aggression. Specially helpful if your dog has bitten or you retrieve they would bite.

Command Unleashed – a good book that goes beyond the "average domestic dog owner" level. Contains many focus and engagement exercises. Swell for those who want to compete in dog sports eventually. That website, Dogwise, also sells video demos of Control Unleashed. There'southward also a CU sequel specifically for reactive dogs: Control Unleashed: Reactive to Relaxed

Behavior Aligning Grooming 2.0

Fiesty Fido

Fired Upward, Frantic, and Freaked Out

Our other reactivity articles:

Go out the Light On: A Real-Life Reactive Dog Adoption Story
The Uncensored Story of How I Helped My Reactive Domestic dog Get Better

cooperforstized.blogspot.com

Source: https://www.3lostdogs.com/a-beginners-guide-to-helping-your-reactive-dog-get-better/