If you don't do this, your reactive dog will forever stay reactive

Dog reactivity is a difficult beast to tame and there is a lot of information out there about training methods and techniques..
We sent our dogs to trainers and bootcamps and board and trains and buy new dog training equipment but nothing seems to help?
There is a reason why the dog behaves well with the dog trainer and not with you. It's most probably got to do with trust that the dog trainer has their back and will be ablel to manage the situation. But with you, your dog hasn't got that feeling of safeness yet. So we have to set up lots and lots of repetitons where your dog can learn that you can keep them safe.

[@thecompletecanine]

Do you want a video where I discuss my fav training techniques for reactive dogs next? Let me know in the comments!

[@clarenceanderson6577]

Yes, that would be very helpful.

[@louisemckay4197]

Yes please

[@thecompletecanine]

@@louisemckay4197 will try film it this week or next!

[@thecompletecanine]

@@louisemckay4197is there something specific you struggle with, with your dog?

[@thecompletecanine]

@@clarenceanderson6577any specific situations that you need help with?

[@langdalepass]

very nice video, not seen a dogs perspective mentioned before, very thought provoking thank you .

[@thecompletecanine]

Thanks for the kind words! I think its so important to understand the dogs perspective (as far as we can right? We are inferring) because if we understand them better we can help them better and realise why certain methods do or dont work!

[@bigworld4089]

Thanks for the videos🐶❤ in addition to fight or flight there is also a freez🐾🐾

[@thecompletecanine]

There is, but dogs very rarely freeze unless super submissive and maybe going into a lie down.

[@louisemckay4197]

@bigworld4089 my dog does all three depending on who we meet

[@thecompletecanine]

That’s pretty common that they dont always choose the same response. Just like we respond differently depending on situation.

[@bigworld4089]

It would be very helpful if you could show what can be done in real time...

[@thecompletecanine]

Yep, will be making more videos of that as well!

[@thecompletecanine]

Oh I was going to ask you, anything specific you struggle with that I can cover?

[@bigworld4089]

@@thecompletecanine Thank you💞🐾🐶 I have a small mixed breed dog, 6 kg, one and a half years old, she is very reactive to big dogs. I have seen many videos on KZbin and there are different opinions, I have tried many methods.. some dogs are easier to teach, my dog ​​is not.. what is the right way?

[@thecompletecanine]

Is she reactive on leash or off leash or both? I think a certain degree of reactivity for such a small dog for big dogs is to be expected because it is scary. A large dog, even a well intentioned one, can sooo easily hurt her. Even when its just a playful movement towards her. That hurts! For my small dogs clients I always have them experience low stress walks with large dogs than can ignore them and then slowly increase. Ive got a few shorts of my dogs around tiny dogs!

[@bigworld4089]

​​@@thecompletecanine I have to put her on a leash, she is constantly looking for things to eat, especially cat poop (and at home she gets nutritious and quality food)... she is constantly with her nose in the ground looking for treasures. She was sick many times and the vet recommended that she wear a muzzle, so I made one by myself that would be comfortable for her.

[@EmmyLovesMagic]

My dog is frustration reactive and massively undersocialised. She's extremely sociable and gets upset when people go past and don't interact. So with people, as long as SOMEONE stops to say hi to her, it doesn't usually escalate too much, and when she's barking and axting crazy, she calms down when people do this. With dogs, seeing one even momentarily immediately sends her barking and spinning and trying to get to them. Off lead (in private, enclosed areas), it is clear that socialization wasn't prioritized in her pre-rescue life. I have no idea what to do anymore, as I can't take her ANYWHERE!

[@thecompletecanine]

Sounds to me she may be over-socialised to be honest - typical behaviour for a dog that has been to doggy daycare etc. is she okay off leash? I wasnt sure. Its a lack of impulse control and definitely frustration. How old was she when you got her? Im filming new content with 2 dogs that have these issues as well. Hopefully they might help you!

[@EmmyLovesMagic]

We think she is approximately 3. Her threshold for escalating in terms of aggression is extraordinarily high, but her tolerance for frustration and not getting what she wants would be comically low if it weren't such a problem! It's possible she may have been oversocialized. She approaches other dogs like a freight train. Off lead, she seems to lack social etiquette. She tries to approach for play, but seems to either become nervous and do a u-turn, or not engage in proper introductions. She's certainly intensely curious. She met a wonderfully behaved, enormous, patient German Shepherd who engaged in the usual sniffing, etc. ritual and it became clear she didn't know what she was supposed to do. They eventually played beautifully together, but she took some time making sense of sniffing, play bows, etc. I then put her on lead and she was allowed to approach a puppy (embarrassingly, this 9 1/2 week old puppy was better socialized than her!), and lo and behold, a ton of pulling to get to the puppy, but no barking! Just intense curiosity! She even seemed to notice all the social cues she had just learned and slowly implemented them!

[@thecompletecanine]

Yeah I reckon with a lot of impulse control work youre going to get a loooong way. Id also be mindful that she is probably not a suitable dog to be around pups - if she is so socially unskilled. If you were a client of mine id also say no more meetings on leash. At all.

[@EmmyLovesMagic]

@thecompletecanine The meeting wasn't one I had planned, to be honest. We were at a private, enclosed field and I tried to get out and maneuver away, but once the puppy was right there, all I could do was try to keep the situation from escalating. For her part, my dog managed to stay pretty calm, and she actually seemed to prefer the puppy, since the puppy was confident, but calmer than the big dog. But I was definitely not planning on the meeting in the first place, and certainly not on repeating the experience. I'm just glad my dog is so nice under all her big dramatics! She obviously then started whining as soon as she was in the car. But yeah, this was just an unexpected situation and I had to do the best I could. But yeah, I don't want to just randomly introduce her to dogs while on walks, just taking her out on a nice, normal walk would be a dream! (To be completely honest, the rescue should have been up front about these issues with her, as I am a first time dog owner and these issues are a LOT, especially with a big dog!)

[@thecompletecanine]

Ooh sorry for assuming. I thought it was just a random on the street meeting. Im sorry to hear the rescue wasnt up front about it. It’s a major thing to have to deal with and unfair they didnt give you a heads up. Im hopefully filming with 2 dogs that behave similarly to your dog on Friday, so should hopefully get some content on that on YT soon!

[@Aurianne-h1d]

My dog is leash reactive but friendly off leash. I'm not sure what to do about that. Advice?

[@thecompletecanine]

That’s generally a lack of impulse control and habit of if i get excited I get to meet the dog. Does your dog go to daycare by any chance?

[@drunkcorgies]

Ive kind of given up and just let them say hi. It's embarrassing otherwise.

[@Aurianne-h1d]

@@thecompletecanine She used to but not anymore. I felt like she learned too many bad habits there.

[@Aurianne-h1d]

@@drunkcorgies I have done that sometimes but watching more videos shows that its just going to make things worse in the long run.

[@thecompletecanine]

Yeah I wouldn’t recommend that. If anything that just teaches your dogs if I kick up a fuss I get what I want!

[@9miniclip]

My dog listens to everything I say when inside and when alone on walks she perfect and calm until a skateboard or another dog comes even when walking across the street she flips out I usually continue walking and tell her no let’s go but she still barks and lunges and I don’t know how to get her to stop do I raise my voice do I grab her collar what should I do? PS she was bit by multiple dogs as a puppy and she’s scared of loud sounds.

[@thecompletecanine]

Oh sorry to hear shes had a bad experience with dogs as a pup. Have you tried working with the skateboard in a controlled environment? You’ll have to desensitise her in a situation where you can control the skateboard instead of waiting for a random person to come by. For example going in your backyard or a quiet area. Have a helper with you and just have the skateboard out. Reward for being around it. Then have the helper move the skateboard 20 cm back and forth. Reward everytime. When that goes well move it half a meter back and forth. Then a meter. Have someone sit on it and roll it around. Have someone stand on it and roll it a few meters back and forth. When all of that goes well, repeat but on a different surface (gravel, cobblestones) etc. Ill see if i can ask around and find a dog afraid of skateboards to video it.

[@9miniclip]

@@thecompletecanine thanks I’ll try that

[@thecompletecanine]

Try this: (will get video of it as well) Break everything down into small steps. Every session restart at a previous step so he will be successful first. For example: Skateboard/things that move such as scooters. - Just having the skateboard out standing still - Having the skate board move a tiny bit (like 10 cm back and forth - Increase the distance the skateboard is moving by a bit (say half a meter back and forth) - Increase again to a meter - Have someone lift the skateboard up and down - Have someone SIT on the skateboard - no moving - Have someone STAND on the skateboard no moving - Have someone wiggle on the skateboard (sitting) - Have someone wiggle on the skateboard (standing) - Have someone move half a meter (sitting) - Have someone move half a meter (standing) - Roll the skateboard a few meters (no one on it) Slowly - Roll the skateboard a few meters (fast) - Roll the skateboard a few meters with someone on it (but slooooowly) - Roll the skateboard a few meters with someone on it FAST - Roll the skateboard a fair distance without someone. Slow & Fast - Roll the skateboard a fair distance with someone Slow & Fast Practise all of these with the claiming exercise we did but also with a place command or a sit / or eye contact with you. The point is that he gets bored and uninterested.

[@drunkcorgies]

Is your dog a herding breed? Very common to chase things for herding dogs!

[@9miniclip]

@@drunkcorgies yes she's a border collie/black lab