Come on a reactivity training session with Julia
Here's a video showing you what I take on a training session! It’s a lot. But I also have very big goals for her and I am hitting it hard! I will also talk about what are essentials as you set up what you need.
My set up:
4 types of treats: Low value kibble for scatters and easy games, Visible treat for tossing or easy finding when I want her to easily find it, medium value treat, high value treat.
At least 1 Tug toy
At least one fetch toy
A long line
A harness, I like one that has a front clip and a back clip
A regular leash (6-8ft), I like a double clip one so I can attach to her front and back clips on her harness if needed
I am using a training vest, I have also been known to just stuff everything in my dog jacket pockets.
small tripod to get you guys videos 😊
Essentials:
3 kinds of treats, low, medium and high value. Dogs can satiate with flavors so being able to switch can make treats more interesting, and you need a high value treat to use if your training falls apart (which is will sometimes) and your dog is going over threshold.
No use using toys unless your dog will play with them, if not work on that! If they do play bring at least 1 toy, again being able to switch play can help keep interest longer so having two kinds is great.
A long line- my training sessions are never on a neighborhood walk, so in a field giving a dog more freedom can help their reactivity as they feel less frustrated. If you have a BIG strong dog and they have big reactions than I would stay with a 6-8ft leash until you are further along in training so they don’t get up 20ft of a run to lunge and drag you away!!!
A harness, never use a collar with a long line as dogs necks should not be taking a lunge with a lot of a running lead up!
A 6-8 ft leash
Treat pouch, training vest or lots of good pockets
Choosing my location:
Big field of vision! I want to see things approaching from big distances so my dog and I are not surprised. This can be a parking lot, a ball field, a large park.
Predictable traffic flow: I like parks next to walking/bike paths so I know most people are going to go from the parking area to that path. I like big parking lots near things like dog parks, pet stores, etc where people are going to leave their car and head to that spot.
If I am in an area where I might be dealing with off leash dogs I like put myself near an exit, a high wall or bench I can have my dog get up on, or by my car where I can pop them in and out of as people arrive and leave.
Likelihood of seeing the type of trigger I am looking for at distance
Training Plan:
I don’t go to a training spot and just stand there waiting for triggers, I have a plan of things I want to work on and then when triggers arrive we work on that, and then go back to the training plan so that might look like
I walk her long enough to do her business and check the space out.
I move to the spot I feel most comfortable in
I take out some treats and work on my first tasks which are usually calming: sit stays, down stays, sitting at my side. Stationary behaviors that are centering
I move to behaviors that are more energetic: hand touches, favorite tricks, middle, pattern games like 1,2,3
Then as triggers enter the space I sort of move my dog in a way that the trigger is in view, so like I might do a treat scatter so as they grab the treats the trigger is in the distance in front of them so they catch a glimpse. Or I might turn in a slow circle letting them see. I am trying to let them naturally see it rather than pointing it out (I will get to “look at it” later in our training, but at first I want to just catch the natural moments for more of a conditioning event)
If my dog sees the trigger, glances and looks back at me I know we are at a great training distance and I do nothing special, we just go back to our training games.
If my dog sees the trigger and locks onto it visually and is tracking it’s movement I will give a treat and as I give the treat I will move further away and give another treat and then see what they do, do they snap their heads back and want to keep tracking the trigger, in which case I move further away again, or do they go back to more casual glances. If I get that glance than I will go back to my training at this new distance
The idea is not to distract the dog with the training so they don’t see the triggers, but to use the training to build engagement and understanding between triggers presence with the goal of normalizing triggers at that distance as being no biggie and having them more interested in engaging with me.
If the only time we come to life is when triggers arise we build value to noticing these things more!
So it’s a balance, we want to use classical conditioning and desensitizing our dogs to worrying about those things, but if that is the only time we are interesting when we are outside we can create increased hyper vigilance.
So fill the space
When you are done with your training session leave, whether they have really seen many triggers or not.
Changing up the walk routine
For some of our dogs, depending on their level of reactivity we may need to rethink how we walk them! We are sort of conditioned to believe a dog needs a walk out the door once or twice a day rain or shine every single day. That is great for non-reactive dogs, but for reactive dogs neighborhood walks can be the hardest location for them to succeed. I recognize it is not possible for everyone to find alternatives but if you can, you can see big improvements by changing how you exercise your dog during reactivity behavior modification.
Alternatives to neighborhood walks:
Sniffspots or field rentals. Taking your dog to a fenced in private area to run around on a long line or off leash a couple times of week can be a much better alternative to neighborhood walks
Nosework and/or barn hunt classes are often reactive dog friendly because only 1 dog can be in the working area at a time and many of these instructors are familiar with reactive dog needs
Canine fitness & trick training for 15-20 minutes will exercise your dogs body and mind!
Creating free work and canine enrichment areas (setting up areas with random things for your dog to move around, and placing food caches around the stuff)
Food puzzles
We need to allow a reactive dog’s nervous system to calm and reset to make any progress with our training!
It’s more than just biochemical trigger stacking, it is also a dog’s history of experiences that shape what they assume will happen next, so if EVERY walk they take they have a reaction, they begin to expect the reaction and become hyper vigilant looking for what is going to cause it.
Downsides to neighborhood walks with reactive dogs
There is usually less room and across the street is often still too close and over threshold for many dogs early in their training program
You can get boxed in or surprised- you walk around a corner- boom dog in your face, you can see a dog, try to cross the street but another dog is across the street, so you turn around and a dog is also behind you
The BIGGEST, is that expectation, usually the place the dog has had the most reactive experiences is the place they assume triggers will be so they actively look for them
There is less environmental entertainment, on a walk in a park many dogs spend a lot more time sniffing vs the street and sidewalks where there are less opportunities to sniff and explore, so they are looking around more.
Again I understand it is not always possible, if you live in a city, in an apartment you have to walk your dog so they can go potty. But if you have a car and can go to other training locations it is highly worth it!!!!
It is also helpful in those situations to try to choose the times you are less likely to encounter other walkers, earlier, later, in the rain, etc.
So my management plan with Julia:
We walk 3-4 days a week in the mountains where she will likely not see any triggers, when that is not possible we walk at night
When I cannot get up to the mountains we rent a sniffspot for her to run off leash
1-2 days a week I pack her into the car and drive to our training spots to work on her dog reactivity
I NEVER go out into the yard without looking to see if anyone is out there
I never leave her in the yard unattended (because we live on a corner lot with our yard all facing the street)
We train tricks, agility and basic skills 2-3 times per week for 10-15 minutes a session
I close all of the blinds when I am not able to help her make good choices when she sees a dog
I have frozen kongs, frozen lickimats, chews, etc always ready so if she has a big reaction she has some “come down” activity when we get back
I have treat jars stashed: On my office desk, kitchen counter by the side door, next to couch, in the garage, upstairs next to my bed. I always have a fast way to get to her reinforcers.
I have a selection of about 5 toys she ONLY gets when we play together and we do so every day
Again, I am hitting this with everything I have to help her as my goal is to have her ready for agility competition by fall.
Stay tuned to the blog as the next post will be “Triangle training games” showing how I use them with Julia getting to know strangers!