Helping A Reactive Dog

Anything living can be reactive. I think for many people I can say we have had those moments of something falling off the countertop in the kitchen and we reacted to quickly trying to stop it from hitting the floor.

In the dog world where much of my work is, I get to see different dogs being reactive. Visitors walking into a home. The dog starts to bark and moves forward and then moves back. A barking dog often is asking for distance. In home reactivity does take management to help prevent this event from happening.

Management in the home takes effort and planning when you know visitors are coming in. With today's technology anyone can text that they have arrived and the dog can be given something to do or using a room to keep the dog busy.

Does every dog need to meet every visitor coming into the home? No! Some dogs are very fearful of unknown people and there is really no reason to set the dog up for failure. Dogs that are stressed out can be very reactive and sometimes people become fearful of the dog too. Dogs are sensitive to people, and they can read a person's body language very well.

Basically, to help a dog in the home is planning and management. This can also help to prevent dog bites in the home. Once a dog bites this can create a bite record on the dog. There are different levels of bites some dogs can be rehabilitated while others have bitten severely which opens up a sad world.

Now that I have wrote about in home reactivity let's talk about out in the real-world, real-life situations.

Reactivity is when the reactivity is beyond normal. Normal reactivity a dog may react to something but can recover quickly. A dog's resiliency to cope with stress and bounce back from something frightening. I often speak about this to my clients with young puppies. Young puppies need new experiences to sights, sounds, different environments, people and so much more. If they don't get the experiences a person may find their puppy becoming fearful.

Often people experience the over reactive dog on walks with other dogs in view. This can also include people too.

Walking a dog in the same block where the dog is reactive is not going to help the dog or the handler either. Well, I have talked to people who have become the midnight walkers. Those that choose to walk early in the morning and very late in the evenings. Sure, it helps to use management like this, but there are techniques and methods that can help to change how a dog feels about seeing another dog across the street.

Imagine you have stepped out the same door for months and each time you have not even made it to the sidewalk without your dog reacting. I will often question how far you able to make it before this happens? What was the dog doing before stepping out the door? How many dogs does your dog see on a walk? Is your dog barking at every dog? Is your dog ever capable of looking at another dog without barking? Questions like this help me to decide what plan and set-up will be best for you and your dog. There are times I request for walks to happen in another area. Walking in another area helps both you and the dog. On days I am with a client and a dog, I may set-up with my helper a dog in view in a distance and this gives you the opportunity to learn as you work with your dog.

I will also teach you survival skills that will most likely be needed when you are working with your dog. There will be moments that surprise dog or person is coming, and you will know how to manage and use the skills.

To help an overly reactive dog does take time and skills. Walks may be shorter as you are working on helping your dog. Changing the environment where you are walking can help. Can you imagine how your dog feels when they have stress on their walks? This is the opportunity to bring a good example. Imagine you are walking and you suddenly notice a snake on your walk. You don't always encounter a snake on your walk but now you feel a bit worried. You continue your walk and surprise there is another snake. Now your stress level is even higher. You want to get out of the area and now you are searching for the next snake just to get out of this area where worry, fear and stress is rising in your body. Dogs can feel this way too on walks. One encounter with a dog starts the barking and often the dog is just too close. With survival skills you can help your dog in situations like this.

I teach survival skills to help both people and dogs. Life does not have to be a struggle on walks. Learn how to work with your dog because your dog depends on you to help them navigate in our human world.

A dog gives a paw to Mecca. Dogs do have emotions.

Mecca Curtice, CDBC, CCDT, CBATI-KA, FDM

Mecca's All Breed Dog Training, LLC.

Sheboygan, WI.