Excitable and Reactive Dogs
Just like humans, through experiences and other factors, dogs can become sensitive and worried about things in their environment, such as dogs, sounds, loud vehicles, strangers, children etc. They could be too excitable, or they may be nervous, and show signs of apprehension in the presence of these perceived 'threats'/triggers.
When dogs feel nervous about something in their environment, they will likely show behaviours in hope that the trigger may go away, such as growling, barking and lunging or by showing subtle signals that we humans have to learn how to read. Mostly, these behaviours help the dog to stay safe, by increasing the distance between them and the perceived 'threat', and not a sign of over-confidence, as often thought.
Our Excitables/Reactives course aims to create a carefully-managed, calm space for dogs who need help with getting more comfortable with their environment, through neutralising their triggers. In this course we will teach you how to help your dog with remaining calm in the presence of things that make them uncomfortable or overexcited, and can trigger a reaction.
You will be teaching your dog calming exercises gradually getting them comfortable with being in close proximity to triggers without feeling the need to react. We limit this class to 4 dogs and we introduce screens, where needed, to soften any visual triggers. You will also learn techniques to apply in various situations away from the training ground, to help you and your dog around stimuli that they may find overwhelming.
This course runs over 6 weeks and each class is an hour.
As a preliminary course, for those who have severe reactivity or those who would like to learn about reactivity in their own home, we offer an Online Excitable/Reactive course over 4 weeks. The online class is a great start to learn about their dog's behaviour in a safe environment and how to overcome it.
In the group environment, we learn general techniques that if applied well, can make a real difference in dogs who are excitable/reactive.
For severe reactivity issues, please do get in touch with us first so we can discuss how it is best to move forward to help your dog. The group environment may not suitable, and personalised 121 support will be necessary, which cannot be achieved in a group setting.
Navigating the environment with a dog that lacks confidence can be an isolating journey, and we fully understand what you may be going through, often, through our own experience.
If you have difficulty deciding which course might be the best for you and your dog, we are only an email or a call away.