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Today I'm going to give you some of the Best tips I can think of for dealing With dog reactivity promoting positive Actions managing a dog's energy and Nurturing their emotional health these Three crucial elements synergize for Effective reactivity management and our Sponsor bark assists you in achieving it All first decide if your dog is a BarkBox dog or a super chewer box dog Super chewer toys range from really firm And hard to something that's still Pretty firm like I can squeak that but It's still really tough super tuber toys Are designed for dogs with exceptional Strength this helps keep their teeth Clean right here these little ridges That's a really nice toy they often Include puzzle toys that really Encourage your dog to think you could Put some kibble in there and it would Trickle out as your dog plays with it While BarkBox offers still very robust But more gentle toys for our spirited Yet less Fierce dogs that is a dog toy If I've ever seen one I love that Crinkly sound there's enough substance Where a dog can really bite into it that Might be dog toy of the Year for me that Looks so real popcorn right a clump of Pop popcorn oh it's like a single Popcorn look at it you always get a Couple of bags of really high value Treats too sometimes when you're working
With reactive dogs you want to scatter Them like that so they don't get fixated On another dog do you want a free Bark Box because you can get one when you Sign up for a subscription at Barkbox.com dog training and Superchewer.com dog training I'll have Links below reactivity is definitely one Of the more challenging things to Address in dog training so what do we Mean by reactivity a reactive dog is one That displays an exaggerated response to Certain triggers such as other dogs People or objects I have to emphasize That when we're dealing with reactivity We're dealing with complex animals with Very big feelings I'm going to give you Some of the fastest ways I know to Achieve success with dog reactivity First it's all about mindset we must go Into this with a patient and Understanding attitude so for a dog that Exhibits leash reactivity know that it's Going to take time to see progress next Address the underlying cause by Understanding the underlying cause of Your dog's reactivity you can tailor Your approach to effectively address Their specific needs let's say you Believe your dog's reactivity is because Of a lack of socialization we would want To create opportunities for controlled Positive interactions with other dogs And people to help them feel more
Comfortable in social situations how we Do that will vary from dog to dog Develop a gradual exposure plan you'll Want to create a plan that slowly Exposes your dog to their triggers while Reinforcing calm Behavior breaking down Challenging situations into smaller more Manageable steps allows a dog to build Confidence and resilience over time Create a plan that slowly exposes your Dog to their triggers while reinforcing Calm behavior and you might have to Break this down into smaller steps than You currently think say your dog Goes Bananas when they see another dog you Might want to consider going 50 meters Away from a dog park outside of the dog Park to give your dog some general Exposure to help a dog overcome a fear Of meeting new people start by exposing Them to one Friendly Stranger at a time And gradually increase the number of People if your dog is afraid of a car Start with a plan that involves having The engine completely off gradually Progressing to short trips around the Block and eventually longer trips next Assess your dog's current abilities Really try to understand your dog's Triggers and situations that they Struggle with so that you can Effectively learn to manage those Reactions this is again going to help You achieve a tailored specific plan for
Your dog if your dog is fearful of other Dogs take note of the distance where They start to show anxiety around other Dogs this will help you determine a Starting point for your desensitization And counter conditioning plan which We'll go over in a second prioritizing Goals focus on the most pressing issues First or ones that most significantly Impact your dog's quality of life so if It's really hard to walk your dog around The neighborhood because they bark at Everything that moves that probably Means you need to prioritize significant Exercise just before those outings so That your dog has a depleted energy Source and is more likely to focus on You proper fetch training becomes a Priority in that situation so that you Have a means to get your dog's energy Out on your terms and schedule next be Prepared for setbacks understand that Progress is not always linear accepting That setbacks are a natural part of the Process will help you stay extra Resilient and committed to your dog's Progress for example if you've got a dog With separation anxiety you would expect That there might be days where they Struggle more than others if there's Been a lot of rain lately and you Weren't able to exercise them well then You understand that those days might be Harder than days when you do exercise
Them understand that some dogs may Continue to feel more mild forms of Anxiety or fear but significant Improvement is extremely valuable so Concentrate on the progress that your Dog is making rather than absolute Perfection if your dog used to bark like Crazy when they saw another dog but now Just lets out a little woof and then Promptly pays attention to you again Celebrate that progress or if your dog Was inconsolable when someone they Didn't know walked into the house but Now they might still be a little nervous But eventually will settle down and meet A new person that's progress next Acknowledge your personal limitations Recognize your own constraints in terms Of time resources and expertise and Adjust your expectations as needed for Example if you have limited time due to Family or work obligations consider Enlisting the help of a partner or a Family member and just make sure that You're really on the same page and have The same goals and are willing to be Very consistent my next tip is to look For opportunities to reinforce calm Behavior there's a lot of power in this One reinforcing dogs for remaining calm And mildly challenging situations can go A long way towards helping you make Progress you're doing great Oh
And see there's a dog barking I'm Gonna Keep moving no need to stop because we Know he's sensitive to dogs and that's Really good and consider using a variety Of things to reinforce that calm Behavior sometimes it can be play Sometimes it can be food sometimes it Can be further access to the environment Or other things whatever your dog values Let's take the example of a dog who Feels anxious when riding in a car you Might want to consider giving them Something like a really good dog chew or A treat dispensing toy that can keep Them occupied while you drive around the Block or take short rides or just let Them enjoy The Chew in a parked car Depending on where they are in their Training next make sure you understand Counter conditioning which is a really Simple concept and it's where we Actually go through the effort to change Our dog's emotional response to Something that might cause them anxiety We can actually do that for example if You're out on a walk and you see a dog Way in the distance make sure you bring Like extra high value treats for those Situations it is completely normal for Dog dogs not to take even really good Food if they're over threshold or Overwhelmed by a situation that's why we Have a strong emphasis on distance and Over time we modify those distances
Accordingly as our dog's emotional state Varies another great example of counter Conditioning you've seen me do it on my Channel several times let's take the Vacuum cleaner before you even turn the Vacuum cleaner on you might touch it Give your dog an amazing treat and then Work up to being able to turn it on for Just a half second this is all done in One training session a lot of the time And then gradually being able to work Your way up to vacuuming with the thing Fully on as you reinforce your dog and Move slowly so counter conditioning like This is really magical just be sure to Work at your dog's Pace that really is The key counter conditioning goes hand In hand with desensitization which is my Next tip that's where we gradually Increase the intensity or the duration Of exposure of something that's been Challenging for them in the past where We really have a strong emphasis on Reinforcing those calm moments you can See throughout this process how we're Balancing the environment with our dog By controlling your dog's surroundings You can control how your dog behaves What they do and how they feel and you Can do it in a virtually side effect Free manner if you consistently find Your dog becoming overwhelmed and acting Out that means you've got work to do in Practicing in very specific environments
That you seek out it's not reasonable to Just expect dogs to be good because you Have the expectation that they should Dogs are complex animals that need to Understand this world and make sense of It an example of desensitizing your dog Let's say your dog was scared of young Children you might start by giving them Some general exposure to older children Who don't behave as erratically and Giving your dog space and of course Advocating for your dog to make sure They don't become overwhelmed during any Interactions with kids but the more Exposure your dog gets and the more you Go out of your way to prevent any Undesirable interactions the more likely It is that your dog's going to become Accepting uh of young children Collaborate with qualified experts on Your particular issue since reactivity Can be one of the more challenging Things to address particularly from an Emotional welfare standpoint you might Want to consider reaching out to a dog Behavior specialist these are trainers Who typically have additional Certifications in these very specific Areas and these days you have your Choice of so many amazing people you can Work with virtually no matter where you Are in the world that's pretty awesome Some dogs may have experienced trauma or Abuse in their past and working with
Someone who's more specialized in these Issues can offer you additional support So that you can have a really particular Custom tailored approach for your Specific dog and their situation there Is no one-size-fits-all approach in dog Training however don't take that to mean That aversive dog training methods are Sometimes necessary many aversive dog Training methods have been strongly Correlated with creating other Undesirable things in our Dawn's lives When we use these more intelligent Approaches we're not creating other Issues so it's a very streamlined way to Look at resolving reactivity my next tip Monitor your dog's body language Understanding their body language is Essential for trying to make sense of How they are feeling emotionally so that You can address the root cause of their Reactivity for example if your dog is Showing signs of fear such as flattened Ears or a tucked tail or they're licking Their lips or you're seeing more yawning Than you would normally see these are All signs that your dog may be feeling Uncomfortable this doesn't mean you're Doing anything wrong just taking his Information so that you can gain a Better understanding of how your dog Might be feeling but some of these body Language signals are pretty subtle so You might be overlooking some try to
Really study your dog and understand how They behave in a variety of contexts my Next bit of advice would be to become a Master at managing your dog's Surroundings and their environments by Doing this you're reducing the odds of Having unintended trigger events that Are likely to exacerbate the issue and The more you effectively manage the Environment to keep your dog feeling Safe and secure you're you're actually Contributing to their future confidence So think about if you're taking your dog For a walk and there might be a lot of Dogs out you might want to take your Walks during a less busy time of day or Right after a thunderstorm when there Are fewer people out taking less busy Routes will set your dog up for success And allow you guys to build Communication in a less stressful State Because that's the time to build it when Your dog is overly stressed that's not The time to communicate with them and Teach them new Concepts we often see This without data dog training Techniques where if a dog reacts they'll Forcefully pop a collar until the dog Suppresses that emotion now we're very Likely just increasing your dog's stress Level with the thing that was already a Bit stressful even though your dog is Learning to suppress the energy We Have Nots addressed the underlying cause and
That will be problematic my next tip is To practice patience and empathy Recognize that your dog might be Experiencing fear anxiety or stress Being genuinely compassionate and Understanding during the training Process is going to result in less Frustration as we talked about earlier Progress is not linear that means you Have to frequently take steps back and Reassess and come up with a different Plan even if your dog has a good day on One day they might be extra energetic The next day in the same situation might Cause them to react so it's really Important to have a strong situational Awareness when you're training a dog Really this next tip should have been Number one tell me if you guys think This is true but when you really have a Strong bond with a dog it becomes so Easy to communicate with them so trying To bypass the bond and exchange for Strict discipline is not advisable spend Quality time with your dog in engaging Environments that are appropriate for Them playing games and doing things they Enjoy my next tip is to have a strong Focus on providing that physical and Mental stimulation to your dog very Often the easiest type of reactivity to Overcome is reactivity that's related to Pent-up energy so simply by exercising a Dog teaching them a fluid game of fetch
Or some other activity we know that with People exercise can be amazing for Reducing stress and the same is true for Our dogs don't forget to get a free BarkBox and super chewer box I'll have Details in the description if you Enjoyed this video click thumbs up make Sure you're subscribed to my channel Follow us on social Tick Tock Instagram And Facebook that's what we're most Active these days and we'll see you in The next video
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