πŸ”Are You Missing Crucial Pieces?


Even with a great training plan, but without the supporting foundation pieces you may not progress.

There are many pieces of the puzzle that makes your dog who they are. Here are two of the common ones I see missed in a training plan.

Is your dog getting enough sleep?

Do they know how to just chill and have a rest day? Can you drink your mornign coffee or eat a meal in peace? This one piece is missing for a lot of reactive dogs.

We keep them busy, keep them enriched, keep them tired.. but we build a reactive brain. A big part of reactivity training for many dogs is to help them have a more relaxed base line arousal level.

What are your dog's genetically appropriate outlets?

Does your terrier get to shred stuff? Does your mastiff get to wrestle hard? Does your herding dog get to control movement? Does your retriever get to hold soft things in their mouth? Does your dachshund get to dig for badgers?

When we look at the dog in front of us, what intrinsically motivates them? What just 'feels good'?

Most dogs have things that they are genetically programmed to enjoy doing, whether through our selective breeding of dogs meant to do a task, or through more natural pressures in more primitive dogs like spitz and streeties.

When we tap into the dog's natural instincts, in ways that make sense to them, they are less reactive, less edgy, less likely to seek stimulation in conflict and reactivity.

The Next Leash Reactivity Deep Dive Begins Jan 2025

Check out the LEASH REACTIVITY DEEP-DIVE, my group mentorship program in which I spend 8 weeks with a small group of people struggling with leash reactivity. Submit videos, ask questions, and meet awesome people and dogs.

You'll receive daily support and feedback on your training for 8 whole weeks. This is a fantastic way to jump start your training and to get some real progress for both your dog and yourself. Build your dog's skills and confidence, as well as your own!

Free Resources

FB Reactivity Group

FB Puppy Group

Relaxation Protocol

Podcast

Podcast

Blog

New here?

Wondering what you've missed out on? You can find the previous emails filled with training tips here.

2738 Holden Corso Rd, Nanaimo, BC v9x 1n5
​Unsubscribe Β· Preferences​

Positive Dog

Subscribe if you'd like to receive my somewhat regular emails including training tips and concepts as well as info about my upcoming freebies and programs!

Read more from Positive Dog

I'm a lazy trainer. Runa wanted to visit a person on the beach. I wanted her to stay with me. Recall training is pretty important right now. I also would like to build enthusiastic heeling foundations. As always, we are practicing the skill increasing and lowering arousal. I can do all of this at once! When we understand how and when arousal helps or hinders, and we have the skills to increase or decrease arousal, a single training session can work on many things at once. In the above...

Every week I hear from someone who feels crushed because their dog had a reaction. Maybe they barked at a neighbour, lost their cool at a dog on the street, or had a really hard time with a visitor. β€œDid we undo all our training? Are we back at square one?” It's OK. Reactions are not the end of the world. Occasional failures are a part of growth. The trap many of us fall into is playing it too safe. When we stay too deep in the comfort zone, progress slows. When we don't push boundaries, you...

Does your dog stiffen over a bone, growl from the couch, or guard a stolen sock? You're not alone. Resource guarding is normal dog communication. It's how dogs evolved to survive, sometimes it is what we bred them for. But sometimes resource guarding strays away from what's just normal, healthy communication and becomes something that's dangerous and problematic for the dog and for the people or the other animals that the dog lives with In this week's episode of Dogs with Big Feelings, I...