My Reactive Dog - The Best Thing That's Ever Happened To Me

(I should note before I start that I do not regard my dog as a 'thing'! Thing in this instance refers to the whole bundle of events that happened after he joined our family.)

I know, that title sounds insane. I've written many times of the emotions that can run rife as the guardian of one of these complex, complicated, sensitive dogs. Of how hard it can be on us, as well as them, to drift through a sea of stress and fear, or spending a large proportion of our time outside both in a state of hypervigilance constantly on the look out for triggers and problems on the horizon. And yes, I still struggle with that at times. The tears come much less frequently now, but I remember that raw, embarrassed and humiliated feeling as yet another person sneered at me and my 'bad' dog.

Counter-conditioning or Desensitisation?

These are two terms that are often seen when discussing behaviour modification, particularly surrounding fearful and reactive dogs. As with many technical terms, the definition and usage of these can seem confusing when they are first encountered. This is not helped by the fact that often people will begin to describe what they think counter-conditioning (often abbreviated as CC) is but also include elements of systematic desensitisation (DS). So what then is each of these, how do they differ, and how do they work together?

To understand fully, it's necessary to go through a bit of learning theory. It might be worth getting a cuppa before getting going on this next part!

Confidence - it works both ways!

I talk a lot about how we need to increase the confidence of a fearful or anxious dog who struggles in their relationship with the world around them. What isn't so often talked about (with the exception of a few excellent examples like Janet Finlay's Canine Confidence Academy) is the fact that the human half of the partnership needs to feel confident as well.

Absolutes in Dog Training and Reflections on an Unusual Year

10 steps to dog training success!

The 5 things you MUST train your dog to do!

The things you must NEVER do with your dog!

We see these kinds of headlines all over the place in relation to our dogs. So many rules and advice that, if we don’t follow them, means we’re the worst kind of dog owners/guardians ever. Even that, the owners vs guardians title dilemma can cause bitter argument (for my part I’m not that bothered what you call yourself – professor of the world or emperor of canine kind if that floats your boat, just so long as you treat the dogs in your care as they should be treated). The thing is that dogs don't come with a training rule book!

Celebrate, no matter how small the step!

Yesterday Finn and I did one of our park visits. It was a horrible day, a bit rainy and very blustery. There were people around the park, but all some distance away - apart from the workmen by the cricket pavilion who required a good staring at, as did the noisy kids on bikes but they were on the other side of the park. He was a little jumpy, as he often is when it's windy, but settled after just a minute or two, and did some beautiful loose lead walking, looking up at me and thoroughly engaged, then heading off to the end of the lead for a good sniff around when released to do so. Direction changes with a cheery 'Let's go!' resulted in a dog bouncing along beside me and looking for his reward. Lovely (if soggy) coaching session.

Short and Sweet Spells Success!

Finn's park adventures with me have not happened for a few weeks now - even after the kids went back to school, the park we were going to in the next town was still busy the last few times I tried to go. I see no point in pushing things if there are more people there than I'm happy with and I definitely will not attempt it if I am unable to park somewhere I can get back to the car and Finn inside quickly if I want to beat a hasty retreat. Today was the first time I tried going there in a while that was quiet enough to try it.

What a Chronic Condition Has Taught Me About Anxious Dogs

I talk a lot on this blog about Finn and my much missed old boy Red - they are the reason the blog started, after all - but I rarely talk much about me. The dogs are far more interesting and much more photogenic. 😂 For a change today I am going to talk a little about me in relation to something dog related, so it's still relevant!