Many typical programmes to stop barking and lunging on the leash fail because they start with a basic misunderstanding: reactive behaviour is rooted in fear. As you will have seen if you have been following this series, when dogs struggle to cope out on walks, there can be many reasons: Anxiety Fear Impulsivity Frustration Territoriality…
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One mistake that many people make with their reactive dog is how close they get to their dog’s triggers. Although this is far from true for most people with reactive dogs, some of us are simply going too fast and too close to things our dogs need to process. In many ways, barking and lunging…
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‘I was coming home from a walk with my and my neighbour was outside his house. We started chatting but my dog was barking and lunging at him. When he tried to move away, my dog grabbed his trousers! I’m so embarrased! Is my dog protecting me?’ ‘I’ve got a really embarrassing problem… Every time…
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Do you have a dog who struggles to settle in the home or garden if there is noise outside? If so, this article will help you understand what’s going on with your dog. You should also find some strategies to help you cope. Many reactive dogs struggle in the home. Although they may bark and…
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Do you have a dog who barks and lunges on lead but seems much better when they’re allowed to run up and greet others? If so, this article will help you make sense of your dog’s behaviour. If you’ve ever shouted ‘Don’t worry! He’s friendly!’ as other dog guardians struggle to disentangle their dog from…
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This article is the third in a series to help you understand your reactive dog. So far, we have looked at: Anxiety in reactive dogs Fearfulness in reactive dogs It may not seem important to understand the role of impulse control in your reactive dog, but without truly understanding the role it plays in reactive…
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There are three ways we can really start to help our fearful dogs. Understanding what fear is, what it looks like and which strategies are likely to help can make all the difference. Although it overlaps with anxiety, it is different and it’s helpful to understand how they differ as well as where they intersect.…
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If you have a dog who barks and lunges at strangers, at unfamiliar dogs, at other animals, at vehicles or even at inanimate objects, it can be really tough to know what is going on. In the last post, we looked at 10 reasons behind reactive behaviour. We saw that there were two clusters that…
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There can be many reasons a dog is reactive. Understanding their behaviour is crucial if you want to help your dog thrive rather than simply surviving. Many dogs will be a combination of these ten reasons, and it’s important to understand the way they affect each other. In the coming weeks, I’ll be taking each…
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Having asked my Facebook and Instagram followers for their descriptions of reactive dog behaviour, I was really glad to find that it really mirrored my own experience. I’ve worked with reactive dogs for almost ten years now. The more I learned, the more I realised that one size definitely did not fit all. In the…
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