Reactive Dog Owners: Stop Overlooking THIS Game-Changer!

[@arletabublevic5270]

I manage to calm him down at home, backyard, car or in the forest without big triggers. He does everything, listens to me, has fantastic eye contact. It has been better outside with cars, despite it is raining. It is horroble situation with dogs. But sometimes he passes quite well dogs and cars and we don't understand why this time it was better and what was different.

[@spiritdogtraining]

Hi There! Thanks for reaching out. We actually have another video on our channel about dogs that react 'only sometimes' that may be helpful here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/aqiTZ4hmgJp4grcsi=VIG7TYp123nJ_0ZQ

[@Emily-kv3uw]

The hardest part of management for me is finding a place to take my dog for a walk where there are no triggers. We live in a busy neighborhood, and she is reactive to dogs, men, inflatable decorations on yards, and has a prey drive. Every time we go out for walks we encounter triggers.

[@spiritdogtraining]

Parking lots in quieter areas can be great options- such as after a business has closed for the day!

[@junecollins1497]

Have difficulty now getting him in the car

[@spiritdogtraining]

@@junecollins1497 Is your dog scared of the car?

[@Emmaisamothertoanother-canine]

​@@junecollins1497 hello just know you are not alone, does your dog enjoy a car ride? My scared dog likes being in the car (as he wants to be with me) but he is nervous to get in as he thinks it means a scary walk. I've taught him "car ride" means just that a 10 minute drive without getting out of the car.

[@Emily-kv3uw]

@@Emmaisamothertoanother-canine my dog has anxiety and nervousness in the car. He is very vocal, whines and his whole body shakes

[@RoxxiRockstar]

My struggle is the infrequency of opportunities to train in the areas i need her to improve on. My chi-weenie is a barker at company and though she responds well to basic training, I lose her immediately if someone comes to visit. I try to focus on keeping her calm and removing her from the situation until she's calm. And all will seem fine but then if the person visiting stands up... She starts all over again. It's so exhausting and embarrassing in front of guests. We don't have enough visitors for her to have the exposure she needs to improve so I feel like we are in a constant loop hole in this training phase.

[@huggy8295]

We have the same . Xmas was fine as long as the men didn’t move around ! Even after 3 days! She is very erratic . Was able to sleep on the floor around us all including them, sniff them etc

[@RoxxiRockstar]

@huggy8295 yes! And it's so hard because some of the guests have been here before so she knows them but she will still bark 🙄

[@huggy8295]

And real life has to continue! Plus it’s very difficult to gradually expose in the house … they’re either in or they’re not ! A gate or barrier makes no difference , she will still bark . At some point the tarp on the fence or the barrier has to go!

[@spiritdogtraining]

Are you currently in our reactivity program? Definitely it's very common that our dogs lose the ability to respond to basic training when they are over their threshold. This is very common, so we have to look at ways to manage the situation/remove them except from the set up parts of training where we can work on it. Even if we don't have many chances to practice it, if we use careful management we can help to set up for success that way!

[@alcirabrookes9096]

My dog is an entire male reactive usually only to other reactive males. Easy to manage by never letting off lead or longline except in rare circumstances but not easy to train. Or could manage by having castrated but seems that dog will continue to react to seeing dogs he knows are intact. He can sense/smell/ see them before me usually so seems impossible to do any counter conditioning as I never know where they'll be

[@KrisDeLap-x1k]

Help! When in the house, or outside in the backyard, my dog rarely barks. However, when we put him in the car, he barks his head off at a passing car. Actually, if he looks out the side window, he will bark at a passing car. If he is looking out the back window, he does not bark at the car that just went by. How do we deal with this frustrating car behavior?

[@spiritdogtraining]

Hi There! Thanks for reaching out- I'm sorry to hear this. Reactivity in the car specifically can actually be quite common. Reactivity is a complex topic we cannot totally resolve in a single video or explanation, but we do have a Tackling Reactivity course that even covers specifically reactivity from within the car. Our courses also come with trainer support as we understand that everyone's situation is a little bit different and unique. So if you have any questions along the way, you can reach out directly on the course and one of our trainers will be happy to help :) Here's the link in case you want to check it out: spiritdogtraining.com/tackling-reactivity/

[@teresagillies2438]

my biggest problem is reacting to visitors. He will calm down and even sit on a visitors knee but if they move suddenly he will react and perhaps nip them. if i keep him away he just howls and barks. I am working with a neighbour and he has improved immensely but still suddenly lurches at house visitors when appearing calm.

[@spiritdogtraining]

If our pup is escalating to the point of nipping/biting our dog should not be interaction with our guests directly, and this is something that we should have a trainer that can work with us in person come and assess so they can observe everything and advise on a safe training and management plan for everyone!

[@teresagillies2438]

@ I did work with a trainer. We got dog at 9 months old, not a rescue, not socialized. We have done a lot of work with him but seem to have reached a block. He is great with us but very reactive to visitors, he will fall asleep next to them or on their lap but as soon as they move. No growling just a lunge at an arm or leg. Another dog from same breeder, different blood line, purchased at 13 months does the same. If we keep him in another room with favourite treats etc he cries and howls. We live in New Zealand

[@teresagillies2438]

We do not own the second dog mentioned we just know same issue from same breeder.

[@spiritdogtraining]

@@teresagillies2438 In this case if you have seen an in person trainer, the next step I would suggest in this case would be a veterinary behaviourist if you have not seen any further progress.

[@philippeturineck3952]

My dog is 1.5 year old golden retriever and is pretty reactive (barking out window) pulling on leash and lunging at other dogs/ vehicles. She walks well with treats but she is still reactive in the home or when she hears other dogs bark. Thinking about your course

[@spiritdogtraining]

These are all certainly things we can help with in our program- let us know if you have any questions!

[@susanparker1838]

Right or worng? Is it oK to give Maggie treats to sniff as a distraction when she reacts to other dogs on our walks. It's hard to avoid the other dogs because we just walk our neighborhood since she wont get in the car to go someplace else

[@spiritdogtraining]

Hi There, Thanks for reaching out! With the car, is it because Maggie is afraid? We can use treats as a distraction when needed, but we should also focus on making distance between our dog and their trigger!

[@ramonamp]

My challenge is having 2 reactive dogs and now that I've watched this video, I am wondering about the possibility of separating them so they don't trigger each other?

[@spiritdogtraining]

Yes! This would be the best option- we have videos about this on our channel as well :)

[@secretescape101]

Our neighbor has a dog that their tags jingle and my dog used to bark at the window (our window is covered) and now she lets out some brief whining, 1 or 2 barks and then comes to me for a treat. Is this counterconditioning? Shes deciding calm and treat over going nuts like she used to.

[@spiritdogtraining]

Hi There, Sorry- are you asking if this is something that can be worked on with counterconditioning?

[@secretescape101]

@spiritdogtraining I was wondering if having my dog come to me when sensing a trigger considered counterconditioning?

[@spiritdogtraining]

​@@secretescape101 Counterconditioning is changing our dogs emotional response/feeling towards the trigger so helping them feel less on edge and more neutrally towards a trigger!

[@marciamotter7906]

Questions: is it good that my dog comes to me for treats (while barking and whining) when he has heard a noise outside like barking or a delivery truck? Is this a step in the right direction?

[@spiritdogtraining]

@@marciamotter7906 Does your dog bark, then come to you? Is it automatic or when you call?

[@beverlydeardurff5366]

I agree with managing your dog's reactivity using boundaries, but you need to distance your dog until your dog is able to focus on you.

[@spiritdogtraining]

It sounds like you are referring to the correct trigger intensity during training sessions - we have a video on this here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bpCqeJx3irtkjM0 This one was specifically about managing a dog's stress outside of training sessions :)

[@missieduke1977]

Biggest challenges: It seems all three of my dogs are overreacting. Also, my husband is no help.

[@spiritdogtraining]

Are you currently taking all three dogs out together?