Learning to calm down after getting excited or frustrated is a skill which dogs need to practice in order to get good at it.
When you're out on a walk, and your dog has become fixated on something you’ll want to get their attention so that you can move away before they overreact.
How you hold the lead can make a big impact on how your dog feels, whether your dog reacts, and how safe you both are while on a walk.
Reduce Lead Tension - Stroke the Lead
Tension in the lead can trigger your dog to react. A simple way to reduce this tension is by using a technique called stroking the lead.
Reducing Lead Tension and Sliding Connections Pg 1
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Tension in the lead is often a trigger for over reactivity. You can reduce this using a sliding connection to your dog’s harness or collar, rather than a fixed one
Reframing your Response Pg 1
Reframing your Response Pg 2
It is easy to feel frustrated or resentful towards people you believe are judging you and your dog. But your stress can also negatively affect your dog.
A simple tool to calm you down and get present on a walk is the 5 4 3 2 1 Countdown to Calm.
Self-Calming Breathing Techniques
Deep breathing helps lower your heart rate and respiration and help you respond rather than react!
Breathing deeply helps us to calm down and control our respiration and heart rate and it is the same for your dog. And the good news is that you can teach your dog to Take a Breath!
Ear TTouch helps to release tension in the head and neck and can lower respiration and heart rate.
The Zebra or Zigzag TTouch is a slow, sliding touch which you can do along the length of the body from the shoulder.
The Turtle TTouch is great for releasing tension in the neck, shoulders and along the back. It is also helpful if you have a dog who gets a bit stuck on a walk and won’t move on.
When your dog reacts, it is natural to hold onto them tighter. You might pull them in, make the lead short or hold their collar so that you feel in control.
TTouch is a mindful and gentle way to touch your dog which is relaxing for both you and your dog. It is very easy for anyone to learn and do.
ARC by Approaching Distractions
To set your dog up for success you will need to create enough space that your dog remains relaxed.
Check in on the Move
One of the easiest ways to improve your dog’s walking skill and general focus when out and about is to reward them for checking in.
There will be times that you will need to hold onto your dog’s harness or collar suddenly for safety reasons or to interrupt escalating play between your dog and another.
Exposing your puppy in the right way early on to objects that move is really important if you don’t want them to become triggers for your puppy to chase later.
Managing Access to Triggers
When you are looking to reduce reactivity, managing your dog’s access to their triggers is critical.
Managing Noise Reactivity
Startling easily, barking, looking for close contact or fleeing can be signs that your dog is sensitive to noise.
If your dog barks whenever people or dogs pass by your window it’s important to prevent them from practicing this behavior. One easy way to do this is by setting up management so that they can’t see outside.
Every animal reacts sometimes, and some reaction is needed for survival!
When it comes to building behavior one aspect which has a huge impact but is often overlooked is reward placement. Where and how you reward your dog will impact the final behavior you build.
Figure 8 Walking
Once you have taught your dog the position you would like them to walk in, you can start to develop their skills further.
One of the best skills you can teach your dog when walking together is to automatically come to a stop when you do.
The Miracle of Management
It’s important to understand the role that safe and humane management plays in helping to change behavior.
Sometimes you need to interrupt what your dog is doing because it’s something you don't want them to practice, it’s escalating a situation or may even be dangerous.
A trigger is anything that is actually present in the environment or in a memory of the environment that initiates a physical response or a reaction.
Understanding Trigger Stacking
A trigger is anything that is actually present in the environment or in a memory of the environment that initiates a physical response or a reaction.
One of the best exercises to help your dog learn to walk calmly by your side involves teaching your dog the position you would like them to walk in, before you even attach the lead.
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Teaching your puppy to walk nicely on a loose lead is really useful, whether you live in a busy city environment, or the rural countryside
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Loose lead walking is a key skill when it comes to working with on-lead reactivity. It will help your dog to be calmer on their walks, more responsive to you and create a more comfortable experience for you both.
Over-reaction is usually driven by an emotional response to something in the environment.
Why Reactivity is Hard for Us Pg2
Reactivity is one of the hardest behaviors to deal with, but have you ever wondered why that is?
In this tutorial you are going to learn a fun game to kickstart your puppy’s recall training.
When it comes to building a reliable recall, something that can really help is to teach your dog to sit in front of you when you call them back.
When teaching your dog a reliable recall, it is important to keep it fun. Having a variety of ways to call your dog back to you helps keep it interesting and exciting for your dog.
If you want your puppy to enjoy running freely on the beach around distractions and come straight back to you as soon as you call, you need to build up their skills gradually.
One way to really supercharge your dog’s recall is by encompassing fun games.
One game you can play involves waiting for your dog to look at you before quickly backing up so that they follow.
Once you have taught your dog a recall cue you will want to practice with each member of the family. A fun game you can play is called Ping Pong.
When it comes to adolescence, recall is often one of the most challenging aspects.
