Management and training for reactive dogs

Does your dog growl, bark, lunge or show fear when seeing other dogs and people on walks and at home? Do you struggle to keep your dog calm and relaxed when out and about? We can help you with that! Linlin knows everything about management and training for reactive dogs!

When it comes to reactive dog training, handlers have two toolboxes: management and training.

Management, in my understanding, involves the handler making the choice for the dog. It doesn’t actively change the dog’s emotions but management helps to reduce reactive frequency to prevent trigger stacking and rehearsal of the unwanted behavior. Training for reactive dogs, on the other hand, involves the dog making the decisions. As a handler, our job is to make sure the dog makes the right decision.

This course focuses on everything you need to know about living with a reactive dog. You will learn useful management skills for real life dog walking to reduce the frequency and intensity of your dog’s reactions, and strategies to help your dog recover after a reaction. You will learn essential training for reactive dogs skills and fun and predictable pattern games to actively change your dog’s feelings towards triggers—dogs, people, sounds, etc. This course will also discuss many reactive dog related topics and how to take care of the other end of leash—because we need to take care of ourselves in order to be good advocates for our reactive dogs.

Having a reactive dog can be hard and lonely. But we are in this together! <3

Course outline

Management skills: 

• Error-less learning wait at door and reorientation at the door
• Leash handling
• Leash skill: Emergency U-turn
• Leash skill: Touch
• Leash skill: Switching sides
• Leash skill: Changing speed
• Leash skill: 1-2-3 (Control Unleashed^TM)
• Mat work
• Find it
• Name game

Training skills:

• Look at that (Control Unleashed^TM)
• Pattern games for operant counter conditioning

Discussions:

• Safe enrichment ideas for reactive dogs
• Equipment: collar, harness, leash, and clicker
• Self-care as a reactive dog owner
• “But my dog is not food motivated!”
• What to do when my dog hurts my hand when taking treats?
• Putting it together: when to use management and when to use training