TRAINING REACTIVE DOGS: I was at the dog park on the weekend and there was a woman who was trying to train her dog who was leash reactive to other dogs. By that, I mean, when dogs would get close to her dog, her dog would be at the end of her leash barking and snapping. Her dog was clearly stressed - yet the woman persisted. She would yank the dog back on the leash and wait for another dog to approach hers and try again. Years ago, I was that woman trying to train a reactive dog in a dog park and hoping exposure would help. Fortunately, I found better trainers. Gradual exposure and positive reinforcement to something that is scary for a dog is really the only way to help them overcome their fear. And in some cases, recovery will never be 100 percent. Thats why proper socialization and exposure is so key in puppyhood. Unintentionally throwing a dog in the deep end of a scary situation will not help the situation, it will only make it worse. In simplest terms....the reactive dog sees a dog on leash approach her, she starts getting stressed so she barks and lunges. She now has adrenaline coursing through her veins is not able to calm down so when the next dog approaches she will react that much quicker, etc etc. The owner - though well intentioned - did more harm than good with that training session. Understanding dog body language and understanding what stressors or triggers your dog may have, will make the relationship that much better - for both of you. This is a good article about dog threshold. I really hope it somehow makes it to that woman. - Nat thecrossovertrainer/what-is-a-threshold/
Posted on: Mon, 11 Aug 2014 21:40:17 +0000
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