You need to ask your dog to do something during reactivity training to be sure that they’re able to respond to cues. When you bring that toy to a reactivity training session, your dog will be more excited about the toy than worried about the other dog.

Build intensity around certain toys by always stopping the game when your dog is still excited about it.

Reserve favorite treats for reactivity training.

Some dogs will do anything for some boiled chicken or a piece of cheese, while other dogs find their tennis ball or frisbee to be the most compelling thing in their world.įind whatever motivates your dog the most and deliberately increase their obsession with that thing: Tip 3: Find What Motivates Your PetĮvery dog is motivated by something. The more routine in your dog’s life, the calmer they’re likely to be and more open to changing their behavior. Make sure that you provide food toys at about the same time every day.

Have your dog sit before they get a treat or before they are leashed for a walk. Licking and chewing are naturally soothing for dogs, so having these kinds of things will keep them calmer.īuild a routine around everything in your dog’s life. Offer natural chew toys like bully sticks and turkey or beef tendon. Provide their daily food in food-distributing toys like Kong toys. They will be in a calmer state when you’re ready to begin your training. Make sure they get plenty of active exercise including before your training session. They are satisfying to your dog and essential to their mental and physical well-being.Ī dog who is relaxed and happy is less likely to be reactive and is more receptive to modifying their behavior. Some examples of these natural behaviors include digging, chewing, licking, playing, and sniffing. Enrichment is the process of using natural activities that satisfy your dog’s natural drives. Tip 2: Enrichment and Routine for Reactive DogĪnother tip to help with reactive training is to make sure your dog has an enriched daily routine. You can also take them near a hill overlooking a dog park.Įventually, you’ll get to a point when your dog is less reactive and you can include your daily walk in your training. Early in the morning and late in the evening are good options.Ĭonsider driving to a hiking trail instead of using neighborhood roads. It’s almost impossible to achieve control over the stimulus when you’re out on a neighborhood walk. So you want your dog to encounter other dogs at a distance that enables them to be aware of the other dog, but not so focused that they can’t pay attention to you. Your goal in reactivity training is to control the level of stimulus. When starting reactive dog training, one tip is to avoid walking your dog during times and in places when other dogs are most likely to be near your dog. Working dogs like military and police dogs wear muzzles throughout their workday and aren’t the least bothered, and your dog can get used to it as well. Keep sessions short until your dog is practically begging to have the muzzle on. Smearing peanut butter on the inside of a basket muzzle is an excellent option. Just give your dog tasty treats whenever the muzzle is on. Muzzle training can help when your dog goes over their reactivity threshold. If your dog is large and powerful and you’re concerned about controlling them, it’s a good idea to use two leashes, one for the collar and one for the harness.Īttach the leash that goes to the harness to your waist and use the collar lead to take control of your dog’s head in case of an emergency situation.ĭoes your dog bark at other dogs or people? Join SpiritDog’s Tackling Reactivity Online Class (Get 20% off with coupon code DogEndorsed2021) Attach the leash to the harness, not the collar, because you don’t want tension on your dog’s neck to amp up a reactive response. The best way to make sure your dog won’t escape is to use a sturdy harness attached to a martingale collar. As a result, you want ways to stop their behavior in its tracks. There will be times when your dog becomes reactive during training. While not specific to the training itself, management is still a part of the process when engaging in reactivity training. Tip 6: Keep Your Canine at the Right Stage.

Tip 4: Build Easy, Dependable Behaviors.Tip 2: Enrichment and Routine for Reactive Dog.

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