What is a “reactive” dog? Reactive dogs are dogs who are displaying certain behaviors when in the presence of their triggers. These behaviors may include: barking, lunging, pulling, whining and the inability to engage with their human handler in that moment. Triggers may be dogs, people, squirrels, bikes, skateboards…). Many dogs exhibiting these behaviors on-leash are fine with others when off-leash (or at least have a doggie friend or two). Dogs may be showing these behaviors out of fear (“don’t let that dog/person get any closer to me!”) or frustration .
A good way to evaluate which class your dog needs is to take him out on a walk carrying high value treats (chicken, hot dog, cheese) and see if you can get his attention when you pass your dog’s triggers (another dog, people etc.) with the help of the treats. If you can easily redirect him to you with the treats in hand when you come across his triggers, you likely can go straight into The Basics. If it is difficult to get his focus back on you even with the help of the high value food rewards, then Growly Dog Class would be the appropriate class.
Our ultimate goal for reactive dog training is to change how our dog feels (and thus how they respond) to their triggers. Meaning, we no longer have to “tell our dog what to do” on a walk, rather, by changing his emotional state around the trigger, we can change his behavior and his response. As we get to that ultimate goal, we may still have to teach our dog some specific cues to get us through of the moment so, in this class, you will also learn specific cues to use with your dog to start, and when needed.
We use fear – free, force-free methods when working with reactivity and fear-related leash problems. These include classical and counterconditioning, desensitization. These techniques teach your dog to offer new and more appropriate behaviors to replace barking, lunging, and snapping.
Time: Five one hour sessions
Next Session: September, Saturday 12:00-1:00 pm Full
October, Sunday 10:20-11:20 am
Cost:$200
Prerequisites: A Consultation before starting class is required to access whether or not the Growly Dog Class is right for your dog. In this session we will cover what leash reactivity is and is not, body language, leash and handling skills and foundation behaviors required to participate in the class. If you will be attending the class the cost for a private session is discounted when you register for class.($120 if registered for class).
Before: We will send a behavioral questionnaire to be returned before the start of class. In the consultation/evaluation we will discuss causes of reactive behaviors, body language, appropriate equipment, counterconditioning conditioning/desensitization, foundation skills needed for the start of class (Find It, Targeting, Attention, emergency-turn ) as well as how to use a clicker or verbal marker.
No refunds or credits given within 14 days for Reactive Dog Class class start date.
