This is going to be a long one. It is also up over on Facebook if you want to read it there.
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Any of you who have been around know that I often talk about Garmin and his issues. For those of you who don't know what his issues are: He is leash reactive. He resource guards. He is extremely touch sensitive. He HATES husbandry behaviors. He's jumpy. He doesn't like when someone moves quickly passed him. He's "soft" (meaning anything that he perceives as a harsh voice--even if it isn't directed towards him). He hates the car. He alert barks at lots of things. He doesn't like it when people touch me. He hates when I change something in the house. He has generalized anxiety. Yes, he has been on Prozac since he was just over 18 months old. And yes, we have worked on all of these things (because behavior meds are NOT a fix). A lot. And he has made progress. A lot. But he isn't "fixed" nor are the quirky behaviors all gone. They are MUCH better. But I still see whispers of many of them.

I often joke about it being his breed (I mean, he is half cattle dog and half husky, for goodness sake), but I know there is more to it than that. And for some reason over the last few days I have found myself thinking about all the things that COULD have created the issues in my dog. Because since he has come to live with me at just shy of five months old, I started working on training and behavior modification. But it was very clear that he was not wired the same way as most dogs. I could see it from the beginning. He didn't have any bite inhibition (which means when he would bite, he bit HARD--we have also worked on that and his has amazing bite inhibition now), he shied away from feet, ate like he was starving, he didn't really understand toys, he was HORRIBLE to housebreak.

So, in my thinking about the WHY behind the WHAT that my dog was doing, I can't help but think it is directly correlated with how he got his start. Not with me. But before me.

Garmin was dumped at a shelter by someone who said they were a neighbor of the owner. This person said that the neighbor had left this puppy with them and never returned, so he needed to be surrendered to the shelter because the neighbor couldn't keep him. If I am doing my math right, this means he would have been just around 4 months (or 16 weeks) old. Right at the end of the recommended socialization period. I have no idea how long he had been with the neighbor, but If the owner left this puppy with a neighbor, I am guessing that the puppy likely hadn't been properly socialized. And I have a hunch that where he had been may not have treated him the best. A trainer who met him early on said that he behaved like a dog who had been kicked in the past (and this was without knowing he was afraid of feet) based on how he reacted to being touched on his body.

Then, because he was not technically an owner surrender, he had to be on a different type of hold--a hold that required them to send a letter to the address of the owner and wait at least three weeks. In those three weeks, he was not allowed out of the kennel. He couldn't interact with visitors, he didn't get to go play in the yard with other dogs. Instead, he had to sit in that kennel, listening to other dogs bark endlessly when he was four months old.

I brought him home when he was just shy of five months old. And although at FIRST he seemed to be a typical puppy (an energetic puppy because OMG I AM FREE), but it became clear early on that we had some issues that were not typical puppy behavior. In fact, he was originally going to be up for adoption through a local rescue, but I quickly realized that he was not suitable for a non dog savvy home. So I chose to keep him. (No regrets there at all. He is right where he needs to be and I love him dearly and he is a GOOD boy.)

And when he hit around 8 months, many of these behaviors escalated (not atypical as he hit adolescence and there are hormone changes and I tell clients all the time to expect some changes--but his were extreme. The reactivity popped up around this time, and when it hit, it hit HARD). Many dogs that have behavior changes in adolescence often don't have lasting effects and often with some training and work, those new behaviors slowly fade into the background. His escalated.

So, I think there are a lot of things at play that could help understand why Garmin is how he is. Do I think some of it could be genetic? Of course--he is half cattle dog, and those dogs have some strong breed traits. But, I also can't help but think he missed critical socialization before 16 weeks. That something traumatic may have happened to him during a fear period that had a lasting effect. That someone may have mistreated him (and this is NOT my saying that dogs with behavior issues have been mistreated. That is often not the case). That sitting in a shelter full of barking dogs with no means to escape for three weeks caused some serious and long lasting stress.
Garmin is VERY loved. And VERY happy. And so very smart. He loves his crate. Has a great recall. LOVES training and will work so hard to learn new things. He loves clicker training. He likes to figure things out on his own. He is a spectacular dog. And I wouldn't trade him for anything. He is part of the LLR Canine Dream Team! But I often wonder how different he would be if he had had the chance to experience those first five months differently. We will never know. But that doesn't matter. What does matter that I love the dog in front of me. Not the dog I might wish he was. (And I would never wish him to be anything but his ridiculous self).

This is a long winded post to say the following: those early weeks and months of your puppy's life are important to raising a happy, stable and "typical" dog. Am I saying it eliminate ALL potential issues? Of course not. I can't predict the future. But I can say that exposing your puppy to positive things in those first 16 weeks can help prevent them from forming. That doesn't mean your puppy has to meet everyone or go everywhere with you. All it means is that in those early weeks, it is your job to make sure that all the experiences your puppy has in those early weeks is as positive as you can make it. Yes, they will see scary things. Yes, they will get spooked. But, you will be there to help them navigate this scary world and show them that you have their backs.

If you have questions about how to safely expose your puppy to positive experiences during the age of social distancing, let me know. Happy Training and Happy Dogs. #LLRcanine

Just a quick tip for today: you need to teach your dog to rely on the TRAINING and not the TOOLS.

When I first start working with a lot of clients who struggle with leash walking, the first thing I notice is that they usually wrap the leash around their hand a million times, hold the leash as tight as possible, keep their arms super tight and tense, and they don't allow the dog much freedom in movement. The result is often a dog who strains against the tension, creating a walk that is unpleasant for everyone. (This isn't bashing these people in any way, because we have all been there! In fact, when I demo this in class before teaching leash walking, they all laugh and say "have you been watching us get ready for walks?")

In this case the tool (the leash) isn't working to help improve the behavior (the leash walking). It is likely making it worse (the tension often has the opposite effect and makes the dog pull more, not less!). I encourage people to unwrap their hand, drop their arm, loosen the leash and focus on teaching the the dog to move WITH their person--leash or no leash. Yes, that seems scary, but it isn't.

And I get asked a lot: What harness/collar/leash is best for teaching my dog not to pull. The answer really is none of them. No tool will teach your dog not to pull. The tool may HELP you in teaching your dog not to pull, but it is still about the TRAINING and not the TOOL. Often dogs get "collar smart" or "tool smart" and only perform a behavior in the presence of certain tools. So, maybe he only offers great leash walking if you put his head halter on, but if you try him on a harness, he pulls like crazy. That is a tool smart dog.

In the video below, you will see that when I change direction, Garmin goes with me. Not because I drag him, but because he has learned to follow body cues. There is ZERO tension on his leash. He is not relying on the tool to tell him where to go. He is relying on the training.

If you focus on training and reinforcing the behavior and not focus on relying on the tools you will often find you get a more consistent result. Also notice that he is only getting verbal praise here. We started teaching this using treats and other reinforcers, but as he got better at it, we could fade that out. (That said, I ALWAYS have cheese on me on walks because of his reactivity, but we didn't need it here, thankfully!)

Leash walking is a tough behavior to train, but when we start to realize that we need to focus on TRAINING and not the TOOLS we use, we can often switch our perspective a little. Garmin will give me this same behavior in our fenced yard off leash, walking on my driveway, in a field on a long line or in the house while we practice. Why will he consistently give me this behavior? Because I focused on TRAINING the behavior, he hasn't become tool smart--he just knows what he needs to do.

If you are struggling with getting your dog to perform behaviors in the absence of certain tools or guides, let me know. Happy Training and Happy Dogs. #LLRcanine

This is a repeat of something I put over on Facebook this morning, but I figured this may be easier to link and share in the future.  Enjoy!  

We heard that a lot of you may have added puppies to the family this Christmas. In order to help you guys get off on the right foot (and make sure your Christmas puppy becomes a forever dog), I wanted to offer some basic advice to help with some basic puppy behaviors. So, let's start with potty training--one of the number one things people ask about on online forums and groups when it comes to new puppies. And, if you added an older dog that is struggling with potty training, these tips will work, too!

First, remember that puppy bladders are not fully developed, and the muscles they use to control whether they go or not are also not fully developed (much like babies can't control when/where they go). So, it is our job to be proactive and make sure we can prevent accidents AND teach our new puppy the desired place to go.

First, if you are using puppy pads, I suggest you stop. Reason being that they can confuse your puppy because sometimes they are allowed to go indoors and sometimes they aren't. Yes, I know they are convenient, but it could mean a longer potty training process.

Next, make sure you take your puppy out often. Every 30-60 minutes is ideal at first, but definitely after eating, drinking, playing and sleeping. Take your puppy out on a leash (even if you have a fenced in yard) and keep them moving. Give them a chance to sniff and pick a spot (some dogs, like Gracie, are SUPER picky about where they go. Other dogs, like Garmin, just stop in mid run and go). When your puppy goes, praise them and, if possible, give them a treat immediately after they go to reinforce that they did what you wanted them to do. Reinforcing in the moment is very important as puppies and dogs don't necessarily understand "after the fact" reinforcements (or punishments, for that matter).

When you take your puppy back indoors, do not let him out of your sight until you are 100% confident that they understand that outside=potty. I advise using baby gates to create a space for you and your puppy or something like an ex-pen to create a safe space for your puppy to hang out where you can watch him. If neither of these is an option, using a leash to tether him to you will work, but it is more restricting to the both of you. By keeping your puppy in sight, you can look for signs of needing to potty (sniffing, circling, whining, etc.).

In the event your puppy has an accident in the house, do NOT scold, yell, smack, or force your puppy to "look at what he's done." This will not help your potty training process and it could actually create a dog that is afraid to go to the bathroom in front of you at all, which will also complicate your process. Instead, clean up the mess with an enzymatic cleaner and move on and think about what happened that led the puppy to having the opportunity to go potty in the house. Did you wait too long to let him out? Was he out of your sight? Did he not fully go when he was out just a few minutes ago? Whatever it was, remember that your puppy isn't doing it to make you angry or out of spite--he is just a baby and he can't hold it.

Overnight you may need to set an alarm and get up a few times at first to let him out. Yes, this means interrupted sleep, but it can also prevent you from waking up to a puppy who has pottied in his crate overnight. If you work full time, see if you can get someone to come let the puppy out once or twice during the day at the beginning (you won't have to do this forever).

Puppies don't gain control of their bladders really until they are somewhere around 6 months old, so be patient. Understand that accidents happen, work hard to set you and your puppy up for success and enjoy a long and happy life together.

Stay tuned for other new puppy tips in this Train Your Dog month. And feel free to share with anyone who has a new puppy adding joy to their household. Happy Training and Happy Dogs! 

Here's what you need to know about Garmin and the car.  If I say "do you want to go for a ride?" he gets excited.  He loads up beautifully.  But as soon as I close the door and he realizes that the car is moving, he panics. I think that part of his issue is just his general anxiety--he likes predictability and a car ride is inherently unpredictable.

​Garmin has always had issues in the car.  He barks, paces, whines and panics.  Before I started utilizing a crate for him, he would try to get to me in the front seat.  He would scale barriers, scratch at the door--anything he could do to express his discomfort.  So, I started crating him in the car for his (and my) safety.  And although he loves his crate, his behavior didn't change--he was still vocal.  Still panicked.  And still clearly not loving car rides.  As we continued to work through this, the main issue was that the crate was near the back of my car, so it was impossible for me to safely reinforce him in any way.  He wouldn't take high value treats (so no peanut butter Kongs, no oink sticks--nothing.) He simply wasn't having it.  

It is difficult to modify behavior when your car is moving and you need all eyes on the road.  And because the majority of the activities we do are within close proximity of my home, he didn't need to love the car.  I just needed him to be safe in the car.  Plus, with his reactivity and other issues, the car was always last on my list.    

A few weeks ago Garmin developed a weird twitch in his shoulder, so we had to go to the vet.  He loves the vet, but I knew the car ride would be stressful, so this time I decided to move the crate a little closer to me so that I could reinforce his good choices.  It became clear, however, that he wasn't going to make any good choices (because it was still the car and he still hated it).  But I figured we could do this one trip, get the shoulder under control and we would be okay.   

But his twitch didn't get better and my vet and I decided to try six sessions of laser therapy.  One trip where he is a bit vocal is one thing--but six is something else altogether.  Before I continue, please know that we have been working on his car manners for years.  I had tried waiting for a down.  Waiting for quiet.  Waiting for anything BUT barking.  But those moments were few and far between.  And when they were few and far between, he wasn't getting any reinforcement.  Which means very little (well, no) progress.  In fact, here is his car ride on July 20.  You can here the barking, you can see in his body language how upset he is.  He is clearly not having it.  His conditioned emotional response (CER) to the riding in car is clearly negative at this point.  

So, I decided to start some work with some non contingent reinforcement.  It was the one thing we really hadn't tried.  Non contingent reinforcement seems like something that can't (or shouldn't work).  Essentially, your dog gets rewarded at intervals regardless of what he is doing at the time.  So what they meant is that I was to give Garmin food reinforcement REGARDLESS of what his behavior was.  He could be barking, whining, pacing, panting--didn't matter.  He got reinforcement.  (So the reinforcement is not contingent upon anything that Garmin does.  It just appears).  We worked on that for the next two trips and by July 26, we had a lessening in his overall franticness.  He was not as vocal and he was responding well to cues.  You can clearly see, though,  he is still anxious and not relaxed.  

Fast forward yet again to July 30.  We have been working on this now for about 10 days (three car trips)--strictly using non contingent reinforcement.  Garmin doesn't have to do anything for food to appear.  I just hand it to him throughout the ride. These videos show a night and day difference from where we started.  Clearly his conditioned emotional response (CER) has improved in terms of the car.  He actually offered an extended down on his own (second video below), which is something he previously would not do.  He would lay down briefly and then pop back up and resume pacing and whining.

This is far from a scientific study, but it does clearly show progress in lessening his vocalization and pacing in the car.  All four of these videos were taken as we go along the same route to the vet, so our next experiment is to try a route he doesn't know as well and see if we get a continuation of the quieter behavior or if the change in routine brings back some of his other behaviors.  And if we get an uptick in those behaviors, we will continue using NCRs and see what happens.  

​Sometimes in dog training the correct answer is the one you think shouldn't work.  But you can't deny the science of behavior--and the power of spray cheese to help change a dog's mind about riding in the car.

When involved in training conversations around the internet, I hear a lot of things:

I need my dog to see me as the alpha...
I need my dog to see me as dominant...
I need my dog to see me as the pack leader...
I need my dog to see me as the boss...
​I need my dog to see me as in charge...

​My response to those comments is always the same:

I don't need my dogs to see me as any of those things.

You can imagine that my response can get a lot of reactions--and not always the good kind.  I get asked a lot about how I can train a dog without showing her I am the dominant pack leader.  How can I make a dog behave if they don't know I am in charge?  How can I not want to be a pack leader?  I tell them it is actually not too complicated.

I didn't get dogs to prove I was "top dog."  In terms of wanting to be seen as in charge, there is really no need to try to prove anything there.  I have opposable thumbs and I can open the dog food container.  As far as my dogs are concerned, I am a wizard.  I can do algebra (sometimes), think abstractly and read classic literature.  I am already ahead of the game there, too.

I am the bearer of all good things.  Walks, toys, play, food, treats, snuggles, pets, a queen sized bed--all of it.  And, as a result, my dogs look to me and see me as a pretty amazing person.  And as a result of that, they will work for me, listen to me and we live together in harmony.  It is pretty great.  

At no time in my relationship with my dogs have I ever felt the need to exert dominance over them. Pushing them around or forcing them to do things doesn't prove that I am a pack leader.  It doesn't show them I shouldn't be trifled with.  In fact, it doesn't really prove anything.  Except maybe that they should fear me.  

And that isn't the type of leader I want to be.  

So, how did I do I manage to get my dogs to listen without showing them who is boss or intimidating them?

We learned how to communicate.  I watched them.  I listened to them (dogs tell us a lot of things--we just have to learn how to listen). I never forced them to go faster, farther or longer than they were comfortable.  When they said "I have had enough," we stopped.  They learned to trust me.  I showed them what I liked.  They did it.  I reinforced it, they realized what behavior worked, so they started to do it more often.

And they look at me like this:

They look at me like that because they trust me.  And I trust them.  And we are a great team.  The three of us.    

My dogs see me as the most amazing person on earth because every good thing that have gotten has come from me.  As a result of that, my dogs will do what I ask them to.  And on the rare occasion they don't listen, I don't need to yell, scream or pin them down to show them they need to listen.  All I need to do is withhold reinforcement (praise, food, play) and they realize that they didn't do what I asked.  And you know what?  They do it the next time. 

Leadership isn't about winning--leadership is about building a team and growing together.  

Since I am not concerned with being the dominant one, does this mean that my dogs get away with everything and my house is chaos?  Of course not.  If you were to watch the day to day around here, it is pretty routine.  They wait patiently for food (while sometimes singing for their supper), they come in when asked, they snooze on the couch when I need to do some work or when I am watching TV, they wait to be let in and out of the car, they listen on walks.   As I sit here typing this, Gracie is snoozing in her bed in my office and Garmin is watching the world go by out my office window. 

My dogs aren't perfect (I tell clients that all the time, so it isn't a secret), but our relationship and understanding of each other is close to perfect.  And that took time. But I regret nothing.  And because they trust me, they take risks in training, they aren't afraid to make mistakes and we learn from them together.  And we all grow stronger.

That's it.  That's my big secret--I listen to dogs, build a relationship based on trust, set dogs up for success and then reward them for it, thus reinforcing good behavior.

So, the question remains:  Should you be a leader? 

​Sure.  But be the kind of leader that someone would want to follow.  I want a dog that wants to work with you because it is fun and worthwhile and he wants to follow you. A dog who knows that if you are leading him too far from where he's comfortable, he can tell you to stop without fear. I don't want a dog who works with you because he is afraid of what will happen if he doesn't.  

This week, instead of worrying about being dominant or showing your dog that you are the alpha pack leader, start thinking about the qualities you want to see in a leader.  What would make you want to follow someone and work for them?  Is it yelling, intimidation or fear?  Or is it cooperation, mutual respect and understanding?

In training, build the relationship first.  The behaviors will follow.  And if you stop focusing on proving your dominant position and start focusing on building a strong, lasting relationship, you will be amazed at what happens next. 

Until next time, Happy Training!
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Leash walking.

Honestly, I think I could just leave this blog post at those two words. Those two words bring fear, anger, anxiety and frustration into the hearts of dog owners everywhere.  Why? Because this is the HARDEST thing in the world for dogs to learn.  
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Don't get me wrong, other behaviors are hard, but this one goes against every natural instinct your dogs have.  Dogs want to explore the world, not be tethered to a slow walking human.  They want to run and sniff and play and learn.

And we tell them they can't do that.  

But--What if we let them?

(Pause for effect)

And what if I told you I don't make my dogs walk at my side all the time during walks.  
(Oh the shock, the horror, the madness!)

Okay.  Now that we are over that, let me explain.

Both of my dogs have great leash walking manners.  They have good position.  They have good focus and they have no tension on the leash.  They were taught early on how to do it.  Why?  Because it creates a well mannered dog who can go out in public and not knock everything off shelves.  And because I didn't need my arm ripped out of my socket.  And because for Gracie, as a therapy dog, it is imperative she can walk nicely on a leash through crowded places.  

I spend a lot of time teaching and talking about leash walking in class.  We talk about methods, harnesses that can help us gain control (like the Balance and the Freedom) and how to make walking loose lead SUPER reinforcing.  One of my favorite methods of leash walking is the 300 Peck method that reinforces a dog for each good step he makes.  We want being near you with the leash slack to be the most awesome place in the world.  We find what motivates the dog, use it to our advantage and when it clicks, it is awesome to see.  

When I first started working with dogs, I believed that a dog right by my leg without moving ahead or sniffing or exploring was the only way to walk.  They weren't allowed to sniff unless given the go ahead.  They weren't allowed to be even the slightest bit ahead of me.  

It wasn't until I started realizing I wasn't enjoying our walks that made me think maybe they weren't either.  And it was hurting my relationship with my dogs.  I was frustrated.  They were frustrated.  And something wasn't working.  

So I let up a little.  I gave them a little more leeway.  I let them trot ahead.  I let them sniff.  I let them pee on everything.  We stopped to smell the flowers (or whatever scent the previous dogs left.)  We strolled along.  And something amazing happened--they were perfect.  They never pulled.  They were having fun.  

​And so was I.

Now when we go for a normal walk, my dogs routinely trot a little ahead, sniff things, pee on things and they check in with me when we are walking.  They don't surge ahead.  They don't pull me down.  They are often ahead of me, sniffing, trotting along and checking out the world.  And if asked, they return to my side without an issue.  And they are happy and tired at the end of a walk.  I am, too. 

Why?  Because they were getting more stimulation than just a simple walk. Garmin in particular has benefited from this new "sniffy" walk structure. Or lack of structure.  
 
Once your dogs understand leash walking behavior and that leash slack pays off, you can actually start to give the dog a little leeway in where they need to be.  But they have to REALLY understand the expectation (no tension on the leash) before you can give them a little freedom. Freedom doesn't mean pulling you down the street. Freedom simply means freedom to explore on walks.  By doing so, you aren't letting them control you or the walk.  You aren't giving in to their demands--you are letting your dog be a dog.   

If you have questions about leash walking or any of the methods or equipment I mentioned, let me know.  I will be glad to help you and your dogs enjoy your walks.  

Until then, happy training! (and happy dogs)

Most of you know that I have been blessed with not one, but two, reactive dogs.  And I don't use that word in an ironic way.  I am actually happy that I have them because working them through it has been a huge stepping stone to working with other reactive dogs. There are lots of ways to manage reactive dogs, so I will tell you what I did that worked, what didn't, what books I love and share some websites with you.  

​Before I go any further--I NEVER suggest aversives like prong collars or e-collars when working with reactivity.  I mean, I never suggest them anyway, but for this behavior I am adamant about it.  Reactivity is based in fear.  Punishing a dog for being afraid is not to going to help.  In fact, it could make it far worse.  If you have been told to use a tool like that to manage reactivity, please keep reading.  You may find another way.  

In my experience, reactive dogs are NOT aggressive dogs.  They are fearful dogs.  If you have an aggressive dog or a dog that you feel may bite, I suggest conditioning them to a basket muzzle for your (and their) safety.

But first, what IS reactivity?

Reactivity is tied to the fight, flight or freeze fear response.  Most reactive dogs are NOT aggressive dogs.  What you are seeing is a big display of "oh my goodness, I am so scared of that thing, I want it to go away!"  Normally, it starts with a stiffened body posture, then some whining, then some barking, then some growling, lunging and full on freaking out.  

Then you, as the owner, start to tighten the leash (or maybe you already did that when you saw the dog approaching).  You try to get your dog's attention, and you can't.  You feel trapped, hopeless, and mortified that your dog is behaving that way.

And it results in a stressed out owner because you have no idea what is happening.  And you don't know what to do.  

The most important thing to remember is that your dog doesn't WANT to react.  If we can find a way to build their confidence, condition a new response to the trigger and help the dog learn to relax around the things they find scary.

Asking them to "get over it" isn't going to work.  That is a technique called flooding and the premise is that you force them to face the thing they are afraid of and they will eventually get over it.  Nope.  They won't.  They will shut down completely, which will make you THINK they are over it.  Think of it this way--you are afraid of spiders.  Someone tells you "we are going to put you in a room with a thousand spiders.  You will just have to get over it."  Would that sound good to you?  I doubt it.  So, we need to not do those things to our dogs.  You may tell yourself "but it is just a stroller.  How can that possibly be scary?"  It doesn't matter how it is scary.  All that matters is that your dog is worried about it.  And we need to make them less worried.

Since both Gracie and Garmin were (and are) managed differently, so I will share the training I did with both of them.  

Gracie
Gracie wasn't reactive from the beginning.  She didn't start until she his adolescence.  And since we know that a lot of reactivity stems from fear, it makes sense that she would show this new behavior around that time.  It is important to not that she was never reactive in classes or in public--she only reacts on walks.  And only to dogs on walks.  Her reactivity seemed to be very conditional.  But it was reactivity nonetheless.  

When she first did it, I didn't know what to do.  I wasn't a trainer yet.  I was just a dog owner who adopted an anxious, fearful, reactive dog.  I spent a lot of time forcing her to walk by dogs (wrong).  I would make her hold a sit while dogs walked by (also wrong) or I would shove treats in her mouth as a dog walked by (closer to being right, but for a dog who is over stimulated, treats are little compensation and most of the time the dog won't/can't even take them).

I was told I needed to show her who was boss and force her to act right.  I was told I needed to pop her leash whenever she reacted.  

I didn't want to do any of those things.  So I started reading.  And I stumbled upon the "Look at That" game, which actually taught the dog to look at the thing they were worried about.  I thought it was crazy.  And counterintuative, but I decided to give it a shot.  It all starts with no distractions.  You teach your dog a "look" cue.  So, Gracie and I did it.  She had a great "look" cue indoors.  Then, you take it outside.  Ideally, you do this with a calm dog as a set up, but I didn't have a lot of friends with dogs, so I had to try my best with dogs on our walks.  So, I would see a dog at a distance, Gracie would see the dog, I would say "look" and she would look at me.  Praise, treat, repeat.  We did this for a while, always at a safe distance, and then one day a miracle happened.  She looked at a dog and then looked at me.  No cue needed.  She did it on her own.  

We started to decrease the distance between dogs.  We would walk a little ways off the sidewalk and work on the "Look at That" game as dogs went by.  Now we can walk by dogs at a close distance and all she does is glance at them and then back to me.  She even does it when she hears a barking dog.  Bark, look.  The behavior has become a reflex for her and instead of reacting, she simply looks at me.  It has made my walks with her much more pleasant.  She still reacts IF a dog surprises her, but for the most part, she is managed well.  And still has an awesome default "look" when she sees a trigger.  And she is also a therapy dog and has her advanced CGC title, so she has come a long way!

Garmin
Enter Garmin.  He came to me after I had been training dogs for about 2 years.  I swore I would do things differently.  He would NOT be reactive, anxious or fearful.  

And he was anxious, reactive and fearful.  

His reactivity was different.  Very, very different.  When he would see another dog (or person.  Or bike, stroller, skateboard, lawnmower--you get the idea) he would freak out immediately and then redirect that frustration on whatever was closest.  And that was either Gracie or, most likely, me.  I had lots of lovely bruises up and down my legs when Garmin was younger.

Since I had worked with Gracie, I thought I knew what to do, so we started with the Look at That game.  

He wasn't having it.  None of it.  

His safe distance was infinite it seemed.  Even a speck of the trigger in the distance and he was in full blown freak out mode.  

​I tried the open bar/closed bar technique with him.  It didn't work.  

I kept trying.  And failing.  Miserably.  I was told to put an e-collar on him.  I refused.  

So I started walking him in empty parking lots.  At odd times.  And that worked for a while, until other people started finding my empty parking lots and treating them like off leash dog parks.

Each time he was rushed by a dog, his behavior worsened.  And I was more lost than ever.

In March of 2016, I attended ClickerExpo in Cincinnati, Ohio.  There I sat in on a seminar conducted by Emma Parsons, a trainer who, like me, ended up with a reactive dog.  She told her story and I swear I was listening to my story--she had hoped to have an agility dog, instead she got a reactive dog.  And she mentioned all the things she had tried that didn't work.  And then she showed something that did.  She called it "the dance."  

Essentially, here is how it works:  you walk your dog towards the trigger.  The second the dog sees it, you mark (either with a click or a word) and then you move backwards--AWAY from the trigger and reward.  Then you move forward again.  Dog sees trigger, you mark and move backwards and reward.  Repeat as you decrease distance, always keeping dog under threshold.  The key is to mark that precise moment that the dog sees the thing and DOESN'T react.  Moving them away from the trigger is rewarding (yay! I am getting away from the scary thing) and then they get a yummy treat (double yay!)

I was mesmerized.  And energized.  And I couldn't wait to come home and try it with Garmin.

So I did.  We started the following week.  And I was amazed at what he could do.  He was flawless.  And since starting this technique, we have had very few reactive episodes.  In fact, he can take walks in neighborhoods with low foot traffic now  and he can go to public spaces around people without reacting.  And it is a beautiful thing.

Essentially, we were playing a version of the Engage/Disengage game.  It is one of my go-tos for clients and others who ask me about reactivity.  And one that a current client credits with her dog's success.  

Garmin is still reactive, but he is on the road to recovery.  In fact, he was just in a grooming salon with other dogs around and didn't react once.  Not once.  And that is a huge win.

Other Resources
The techniques I listed above are the ones that I have used with great success.  That doesn't mean those are the only things that work.  Here are some other links and ideas.

Grisha Stewart has a program called BAT 2.0 that has been very successful for lots of dogs.  I have not had the opportunity to use it, but I have read up on it and find it very beneficial to dogs.  

Emma Parsons has written two books:  Click to Calm and Teaching the Reactive Dog Class that have great techniques in them.  I have them both and refer to them often when working with reactivity.

Patricia McConnell wrote a booklet called Feisty Fido that includes a reactivity protocol.  She also has a great article on dog reactivity on her website.  

Dr. Sophia Yin also wrote articles about the subject.  Those can be found on her website.  

There is also a protocol called CARE for Reactive Dogs.  I have never used this one, but I know people who have.  There is a Facebook Group dedicated to this method as well.  

The Bottom Line
Your reactive dog CAN be helped.  It will take time.  And you will need to be patient. The most important thing to remember is that you are on your dog's timeline and not yours.  You may think "we have worked at this same distance for a week now, surely we can move forward," but your dog my tell you that is a whole lot of no.  Listen to your dog!  The second you move to close, you will potentially damage any progress you made.  With reactivity I have found that slow and steady definitely win the race.  

If you have a set back, it's okay.  Take a breath, give your dog a day or two to decompress and then try again.  Set backs in reactivity are common, but usually dogs who have a strong reinforcement history bounce back and you are back on track in a few days.  Just remember that you CAN do this.  And celebrate each and every small step forward.  

If you have a reactive dog and need help, please don't hesitate to reach out to me at [email protected].  Reactive dogs are close to my heart, and I will happily help put a plan in place for you that teaches you and your dog how to best conquer this hurdle.

Happy training!

A couple of weeks ago I had a client ask me how many hours a week I spent training/working with my dogs.  I had to think about it and, at the time, I answered "It depends."  Which is, for the most part, true.  However, the more I thought it, the more I realized that I am actually working with them in some way more than I intitally realized.

You see, she got me to thinking.  When she asked, I was only thinking about formal training sessions.  So, the honest answer to that is that I spend about 20 minutes daily training my dogs in formal sessions (an hour if we factor a walk into this, but let's take that out of the equation for a minute).  First, I pick 2-3 behaviors.  Then I start with one dog and I set a timer for 2 minutes, we work on one behavior of the behaviors.  Then I switch dogs and do the same thing.  Then I switch again and work on a new behavior for 2 minutes.  Then we are done for that session.  If I do that twice a day (ideally), I am working with each dog formally for anywhere from 6-12 minutes a day.  That's it.  

But that really isn't it.  When I let them outside, they sit before dashing out the door (we have lots of bunnies who like the yard, so I have to scan first).  I call them to me when it is time to come in and they get reinforced for that through praise and lots of love for coming to me. For breakfast and dinner they have to wait patiently while I prepare their meals and then they wait until given the go ahead to eat.  After meals they get a treat and I usuallt run them though a few behaviors before giving it to them.  If they are laying on the couch, floor, in a crate, dog bed, etc. and they are being calm while I work, watch TV or read--they get praised for that.  Gracie wants to play fetch?  We work in a little obedience work in there.  Garmin lets me rub up and down his front legs and mess with his feet?  Praise and love.  They let me brush their teeth, more love and praise.  In the middle of this blog entry, my dogs saw a stray cat walking outside and started to bark at it (as dogs do).  I stopped what I was doing and we worked on new reactions to that cat--so sometimes the opportunities present themselves.

I can't tell you how many times a day I walk by Gracie sleeping and say to her "good girl."  Why?  Because she is being calm and quiet in the house and that is a behavior I want reinforced.  Garmin is laying in the bed watching the world go by through my open window right now--and when I am done with this, he will get some love for that calm behavior.

So I guess the answer to my client's question is that I am always working with my dogs in some way.  My dogs are a part of my daily routine and even when we aren't training, we are.  I just make sure to let them know they have done something I like.  It doesn't have to be through food.  A simple scratch behind the ears or even just a "good boy" is usually enough for those daily behaviors.

So don't be so hard on yourself if you didn't have time to do a formal session.  Focus on the behaviors you want and build from there.  My dogs are an integral part of my life.  We work together.  And that is what I want for all of you--to have a relationship that is effortless and based on mutual respect, understanding and lots and lots of love.