Again, when their head is no longer facing the trigger, release the rest of the treat for them to eat. The moment they look at the trigger, say “yes!”, put a treat in front of their face, and turn their head away as they lick the treat. Be prepared: they will immediately look back at the trigger after you release the food into their mouth. When their head is no longer facing the trigger, release the rest of the treat for them to eat. The moment that your dog looks at the trigger, say “yes!” in a bright, happy voice, put a treat in front of their face, and use it as a lure to turn their head away as they lick and chew on the piece of food. Remember, your end goal is for your dog to be calm and non-reactive when they see their trigger(s), so we need to teach them that they can feel relaxed when they acknowledge the presence of those things.īe sure to have a treat pouch full of high value treats, just as you would for step two. Once your dog is showing relaxed body language and eating readily with step two, you can move on to playing “Look at That.” This is a training game that works similarly to step two, but allows the dog to look at the trigger for a longer period of time. These spaces give you the ability to stay far away from dogs and give you the room to avoid a dog directly approaching you. Eventually, parks with large, open spaces can be great training locations. If your dog is very reactive, you may even choose to stay in your car for the first few training sessions so that if your dog is struggling, you can simply drive away. This might be a pet store or vet clinic parking lot. Be sure to consider spaces where your dog will see other dogs but won’t be approached by them. Some dogs are more successful with one versus the other, so you can try both and assess which works best for you.įinding an appropriate training location is critical. This food can be fed directly from your hand or scattered on the ground. You should continue to feed them until their trigger goes out of sight or until you move them further away from the trigger. The food should be constant with little to no pause in between each piece. Be sure that they see the trigger FIRST and begin to feed them second. The moment your dog sees the trigger, before they react, begin to feed them. We want to start far enough away from the trigger that they can see it but are unlikely to have a reaction. Your dog’s threshold is the distance at which they begin to react to their trigger and are unable to take food. You will want to begin your counter-conditioning protocol well outside of your dog’s threshold. This could include playing fetch in a fenced-in yard or on a long line in a dog-free space, taking your dog to an indoor pool to swim (remember to give the facility a heads up that you’ll need a dog-free path to the enclosed pool), or increasing mental enrichment inside with treat dispensing toys (see Enriching Your Dog’s Life Handout for more ideas). You may choose to not walk your dog unless you’re in a training session and provide them physical and mental exercise other ways. This may mean that walks in busy neighborhoods won’t be possible in the beginning, and that’s OK! Walk your dog in open spaces where you can easily see approaching dogs and can turn and walk in the opposite direction if needed. Keep an eye out for other dogs and avoid them at the beginning of your training journey. Remember, other dog owners will not be aware of the spatial needs of your dog, so you will have to be a “defensive driver” on their behalf. It is important to set up a management plan for our leash-reactive dogs so that we can help them be as successful as possible. A squeeze tube for added ease of treat delivery (optional).A waist leash for added security (optional).A 4 to 6-foot leash (no retractable leashes).An abundance of high-value treats (tiny portions of hot dogs, cheese, etc.).Modifying this behavior is possible but requires a high level of consistency. Possible triggers for this behavior include dogs, cats, people, bikes, and wild animals. We describe a dog as being “leash reactive” when they bark, lunge or growl at specific triggers that they see while on leash.
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