· By Minou Tpain
Author: Denise Partlow
Instagram: @modernk9 Carolinas
For me, when I’m dealing with a reactive dog, I never just start with working through that particular issue. I always start in the home. I need to make sure the owner and the dog have a good relationship. Can the dog focus on the human when needed? Does the dog follow through with commands when given? Are all of the dog’s needs being met? Do they have an open line of communication? Most of the time, they don’t. So we start there.
Could I take the dog outside and force it to comply with the use of tools, most of the time, yes, but I’m not after just stopping the behavior, I am more interested in helping the dog feel better in those scenarios, not just behave better so that starts with changing how the handler and dog work together.
What do we do in the home to help this relationship?
It can be difficult for many owners to know what a good relationship is-which stems from appropriate leadership. Some don’t lead at all and some lead too much. This is where training for both the human and dog begins. It is a lengthy process and is not something that changes overnight. So I’m going to give you some ideas of how I get started. It is not the only way, it’s just my way.
Tomorrow we will start with step one-using “markers” as a way to communicate.
#dogreactivity #reactivedog #reactivedogsunite #reactive
