You are working with your reactive dog on making the world a less stressful place for them…
You are out and about socialising your puppy….
You are training with your adolescent dog, ironing out a couple of teenage tricky behaviours…
One moment the world is at peace, then suddenly something happens that sends your dog into melt down frenzy (out of fear, over-excitement, frustration…).
In this heightened emotional state most dogs struggle to respond to a cue, and management is key.
The following force-free management tools will help you to swiftly, and positively, get out of a potentially messy situation.
Open the Treats Bar
Show your dog you have a handful of delicious treats, then throw these away from the trigger, moving your dog away from whatever is stressing them. A quick and easy way to move your dog away from a stranger, dog or perhaps something they have been guarding. And don’t worry, you are not reinforcing the melt down frenzy as you cannot reinforce an emotion (we don’t choose our emotions!)
Find your inner Happy Voice
Probably not your first instinct to follow but sweet talking to your furry friend will help to de-escalate the situation (whereas shouting will simply increase the tension and build and even more negative association all round).
Treat Magnet
Practice this one at home first so your dog knows what to expect (pure yumminess). Get a tube of squeezy cheese or stuff a Kong with your dog’s most high valued foods = your treat magnet. Place it right in front of that K9 nose and lure them around with it. And that’s exactly what you do when out in the real world, guiding your dog away from that trigger and back to calmness.
Keep Moving
Please DON’T stop and ask your dog for a sit while something frightening or super exciting approaches. Instead, keep moving and try to get away from the trigger as quickly as possible. Use a pattern game or hand target to try and keep your dog focused on you while you create distance. You can also work on an emergency exit cue (I.e. ‘let’s go’) and remember to keep it fun and positive when you train as you’ll be using it in stressful situations and you don’t want to increase tension even further.
Visual Barrier
If you simply can’t ‘keep moving’ and you are stuck and can’t get away from it, try and create a visual barrier between your dog and their trigger. This may be stepping between parked cars on the road or heading behind a bush. Keep up with the Happy Talk and try to feed your pooch delicious treats while you wait for the stressor to pass.