Reactive Dogs
Most reactivity comes from fear. Each dog determines what is scary for them (as silly as it might seem to us). Their fear is real. They are not trying to give you a hard time, they are having a hard time. Like humans, each dog is a unique individual.
Imagine being in fear for your life. What do you do?
Run away, hide, freeze from fear, yell, if too close you may choose to fight.
Your furry companion needs your help to learn what to do, feel safe, and build their confidence. The first thing to do is to avoid whatever your dog is afraid of to prevent him/her from reacting to the scary object. This may mean limiting walks and avoiding new places.
Before working on changing your dog's behavior, we should make sure their needs are being met (see Enrichment). This includes mental stimulation (sniffing, chewing, and licking). Dogs see the world through their nose (equivalent to what social media or reading is to us) and many Malamutes enjoy foraging for food with a fun game of "Find it" (similar to an Easter Egg hunt with treats).
Here are several educational resources to help you and your dog learn what to do and work as a team. Go slow to build muscle memory together. It is best to be proactive versus going too fast and having to work backwards after a traumatic event.
Michael Shikashio - Presenting Dumping Gas on the Fire! When Leash Reactivity Gets Worse! https://youtu.be/N8ent7tTCc8
Emergency U-Turn: https://joyfuldogllc.com/emergency-leash-techniques/
FREE Online Training Course: https://onlineschool.instinctdogtraining.com/home
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the Dog Enrichment course
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the Leash Reactive Dog course
Reactivity Playlists
Dog Liaison: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLO8zARDLgLtQF9XZTXJb0fFkRJVvxKNAa
FREE Webinars understanding reactive dogs with Michael Shikashio
https://aggressivedog.com/webinars/
The Reactive Dog: https://youtu.be/EkucJFCyT_s
"Control Unleashed”: https://youtu.be/SgJC0p5jDAE
How to Build Your Dog's Confidence --- critical for fearful and reactive dogs
Muzzle Training
Aggressive Dog Training | Resources for Dog Owners
Resources | The Muzzle Up! Project (muzzleupproject.com)
Other Resources
Dr. Sophia Yin https://drsophiayin.com/resources/dog_behavior/
Jones Animal Behavior:
https://www.jonesanimalbehavior.com/articlesandrecordings
Your Dogs Friend FREE live webinars so you can ask questions or catch up on past webinars on YouTube - Your Dogs Friend.
REGISTER HERE: https://yourdogsfriend.org/free-workshops/
Resource Guarding in Dogs: A Fear Free Approach: https://youtu.be/LnSUerpBt1U
Let's learn together and make their world a better place.
