Reactive-Dog-FREE-Resources

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