Training Your Reactive Dog, Part One

When I sit down with a person to map out their reactive dog’s treatment plan, I often get a lot of push back with the initial parts of the plan. I’m asking the person to teach their dog to respond when they make a kissing sound or a whistle, or I’m coaching them through teaching their dog to settle on a mat, or instructing them on how to provide Boredom Buster activities and they’re like, “Ummm, I called you to stop my dog from barking and lunging at other dogs, not to learn how to stuff a Kong.”

The thing is though, you and your dog have to learn some basic skills before we can start taking your dog out into the fray. If you can’t get your dog’s attention consistently when they’re inside the house and nothing is going on, how will you get their attention when your outside in the face of one of their triggers?

Your dog also needs to have their needs met in other areas of their lives to be able to maintain their composure when they see their trigger. Boredom is often a huge component of reactivity. Take my own reactive dog, for instance. He barks whenever the neighbors come home at night even though I sometimes think he really should be “over it” by now.

The funny thing is, if I’ve provided enough Boredom Buster activities for him throughout the day, he doesn’t bark when the neighbors come home at night. His “reactivity” is less about the trigger and more about whether or not he’s had anything better to do all day.

In order to really treat your dog’s reactivity, we have to look at the whole picture, not just the moments when your dog is barking and lunging.

Want to spend more time really focusing on just your dog’s reactivity? Resolve the above issues (attention and boredom) first.