profile

Positive Dog

Reactivity, Recall, and Settling at a Cafe...

Published about 2 months ago • 1 min read

Recall, reactivity, and calm behaviours all draw from the same foundations: self-control and arousal management. On the surface, they don't seem the same - recall is fast and high-energy, reactivity is emotionally charged, and settling at a cafe is low-energy and chill.

These behaviours all depend on the dog’s ability to regulate their internal state and make choices under stimulation.

​

Different goals, same skillset

When you call your dog, they must disengage from distractions and focus on you.

When faced with a trigger (dog, skateboard, squirrel), they must inhibit their initial reaction and choose a calmer response.

When sitting quietly at a café, they must regulate excitement and frustration, even when the server comes by or a person at a neighbouring table looks like they want to share their muffin.

All of those are examples of self-regulation — the dog managing internal impulses in the face of external stimulation.

Most people treat these skills as separate issues.

“My dog doesn't come when called.” “My dog is reactive.” “My dog can’t settle.”

But they’re not three different problems — they’re three symptoms of the same missing foundations. If your dog struggles with arousal management, everything else becomes harder.

Stay tuned for info on an upcoming class! I'm just formulating the details and I'm really excited to share it with you ❤️

Happy training,

Christina

​

Other Free Resources

FB Reactivity Group

FB Puppy Group

Relaxation Protocol

Podcast

Podcast

Blog

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

Positive Dog

Christina Young, BSc, CDBC, PCBC-A

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

Engaged training Resilience * Emotional Regulation * Self Control I've seen a few posts going around lately advocating for use of tools that use pain or fear to apply stress to a dog to help them learn. The trainers promote the idea of a false dichotomy - either you bubble wrap your dog and never progress.. stuck in ineffective training, OR you use e-collars, prong collars, and other tools to either apply stress or to suppress behaviours when a dog is put into stressful situations.. Stress...

1 day ago • 1 min read

New class! Engagement, Resilience, Emotional Regulation ❄️ Winter Blues? 🐶 Want your dog to thrive, not just “get by”? Looking to fill in the gaps in your training program? Check out my NEW Foundations to Thrive class! I have a few spots available in-person as well as on-line only. It’s a 6-week online class (spread over 8 weeks) that teaches the core skills so many dogs are missing: playful self-control, confidence-building, resilience, and emotional regulation. ✅ Perfect for puppies, adult...

8 days ago • 1 min read

New class! Engagement, Resilience, Emotional Regulation Training can be so hard in the winter — classes wrap up, training barns are cold and damp, and … driving at night with the rain, snow, and ice can just plain suck. So this year, instead of taking a December–January break for classes, I’m offering something new! Foundations to Thrive is a 6-week online class (spread over 8 weeks) focused on the skills so many dogs are missing — playful engagement, confidence, resilience, and emotional...

9 days ago • 1 min read