· By Minou Tpain
Author: Denise Partlow
Instagram: @modernk9 Carolinas
When you are working your reactive dog around other dogs; the idea is to help build a new norm of what it’s like to be around other dogs. We’re building this new norm of ignoring other dogs, being calm around other dogs, staying focused on the handler around other dogs.
But if the first time you try this, the helper-dog is losing it’s mind, what perception of dogs are you exposing the reactive dog to?
When helping a reactive dog through these issues, it’s important that you choose to work with a dog that is well trained and able to stay focused on their handler. It’s also important that you choose a handler that is well experienced and holds the same expectations for their dog as you do yours. This to me can be one of the factors that hold many people back from practicing. Many people just do not have access to these type of dogs or handlers, so you will have to be creative in finding these opportunities.
In order for your dog to be neutral around other dogs we must provide them with experiences that are calm and uneventful. Once they are able to do that, then you can start introducing them to higher levels of distractions and adding in some dogs that may not be as calm-because in real life you will encounter dogs like this-we just don’t start off in that type of environment.
So be wise and intentional in your training and always set up the scenarios in a way that you know your dog can be successful.
Tomorrow’s post, the last post, will focus on how you can start incorporating this into real life training.
