SQUIRREL!
We all got a kick out of the “talking” dog in the Pixar movie, Up. He’d be doing one thing and suddenly…
SQUIRREL!
…he’d be distracted and totally focused on the potential squirrel.
If this sounds a bit like your dog, we have a class that is perfect for you. Formerly known as “Control & Focus,” the class is now entitled Distracted Dog Class.
Rex was so fearful when he was first rescued, he would void his bowels if someone touched him. With patience and positive training, he now cuddles with his mom and will take treats from his dad.
Dogs can express fear in a variety of ways.
Some dogs, like Rex on the right, express their fear by shrinking back and trying to be invisible.
Others, like Jazzy in this article from our Newsletter Archives, show their anxiety by trying to act tough and scare away the thing that scares them.
Both of these dogs can be rehabilitated through the same positive training methods.
Photo by Henna Bee on Flickr
Our new section of Reactive Dog Class started this Wednesday and one of the topics Michelle and her coaches discussed in the overview of the course was quick fixes to help manage your dog’s reactivity. What can you do today to make life a little less stressful for your dog (and a lot quieter for yourself)?
(FYI, there are still 3 spots in December’s Reactive Dog Class if you want to sign up!)
There are some dogs that enjoy lazily watching the world go by from their perch on the couch or by the sliding door. If you’re reading this article, your dog is probably not one of them.
Your dog sits, ears perked, tail stiff, eyebrows furrowed, waiting for the next target.
For a dog-reactive dog, that’s whatever dog dares take a walk down HIS street, right in front of HIS favorite potty spot.
For a people-reactive (or people-fearful) dog, that’s any human that comes into his field of vision.
The barking begins.
The image above is pretty darn close to how your dog thinks.
Something I dislike is too close for comfort + I bark and growl and lunge at it = It goes away.
If Dr. Phil were to ask your dog, “How’s that workin’ for ya?”, your dog would say, “Pretty darn well!”
The easiest way to prevent your dog from practicing reactive behavior at the window is to take away his view. You can buy decorative window film at your local Home Depot (in the blinds department), or pick some up on Amazon. It comes in many different designs, some that look like stained glass and others very subtle like frosted glass. The light still comes in and you and your dog can enjoy some privacy, peace, and quiet.
Application is easy: measure your pane of glass, cut the decal to fit, wash the glass with a little water & dish soap, and stick the decal into place. Press any air bubbles out with a credit card and you’re good to go! Since there’s no adhesive, removing it is quick and easy.
The photo above is the living room of one of our students. She lives on a busy street near a bus stop, so there is lots of foot traffic just outside that window.
Before getting the window clings, her fearful dog would flip out every time someone walked by. Now she relaxes on the couch and only barks if someone is making a lot of noise.
If you have a dog that barks and lunges at other dogs, we have 3 spots in December’s Reactive Dog Class. Our next section of Fearful Dog Class starts on October 12. Finally, for dogs who just need a tiny boost in their confidence, Confidence Building class begins in early November.
You’re trying to exercise your dog, but it’s stressful because every time another dog appears, your dog goes nuts. Barking like mad. Lunging. Growling. You’re holding on for dear life, trying to pull your dog away while shouting apologies at the other dog’s human. Your worst nightmare is meeting up with an off-leash dog when you’re on a walk. In fact, you’ve given consideration to not walking at all because it’s just so difficult to control your dog.
What you have is a reactive dog. What we have is an expert trainer and a team of dedicated training assistants. Our job is to take your dog from barking and lunging at the sight of another pooch to calmly looking back at you. It’s an intensive class, but it delivers results (assuming you hold up your end of the leash/bargain)!
Now THAT’s what we call awesome! Congrats to Latte and all of the newest Reactive Dog Class graduates, both human and canine.
When we adopted our dog Latte a year and a half ago, we struggled through many “solutions” for his dog reactivity and had become very frustrated with our walks being all about controlling his reactive state when spotting dogs around. What finally worked for us was the positive reinforcement method taught by Michelle Mange in her reactive dog class. Latte is soooo much better on the walk these days – we can go a couple weeks now without any real incident! Sure, there are still bad days or surprises, but we (both dog and human!) are finally able to enjoy the walks more. Michelle gives great instructions, including seemingly small adjustments that go a long way in making the walks more positive. Each person gets their own personal coach to assist and provide feedback. In our case, our coach also owned two herding dogs so she understood our dog well and showed my husband and I many ways to improve our general training technique. Since we started this method, we’ve gotten a lot of compliments on Latte because he is so focused on us when being trained. Thanks Michelle and gang!
Our next session of Reactive Dog Class begins on Wednesday, July 31st at 8:10 pm. It is an 8-week class that will give you and your dog the tools to go out and about without the stress you’re experiencing now. You may not have a dog that likes other dogs, but by the end of the class, you should have a dog that looks to you for guidance rather than taking the situation into his own paws. Sign up today or contact us if you have questions.
