Do loud noises such as car alarms or skateboarders set your dog off ? Or has your dog been attacked by another dog while on a walk? Chances are that your dog is more susceptible to being on edge or is more reactive to stressful situations.
If your dog is showing aggressive behavior such as growling, lunging and aggressive barking. I have a few tips on how to reduce stress on reactive dogs so that you too can walk in peace.
So here’s 5 tips to walk your dog with ease.
- No harsh reprimands. Leash pops or for harsh forms of punishment may only suppress the behavior temporarily. This can teach the dog that all dogs are bad and create more tension. Growling,barking, and lunging are symptoms of an emotional behavior its is not the cause. You need to find the root of the problem to understand what is driving the behavior.
- Work on counterconditioning. If your dog forms negative association to something try to reinforce with treats. For example if a dog walking up ahead is a trigger, be prepared with a steady stream of treats until the trigger is out of sight. Also, ask the dog to do a certain task such as “look,”or “Sit,” as an alternative task while being rewarded.
- Dogs respond to energy. It is extremely important to train yourself to remain calm and walking with a loose leash. If your find yourself tensing up remember to breath, shake it off or better yet sing to your dog. This may sound silly but its a positive association.
- Create a dog safe walking environment. Ask your dog owner friends to help you walk with your dog. Dogs who are mild in reactivity can benefit walking with other dogs who are mellow. Also consider taking your dog to emotional rehab classes or ask a dog trainer to help.
- Give yourself and your dog a break. Avoid putting the dog in stressful situations such as walking during busy times in the neighborhood or a busy bike path. Avoid the stress.
I hope these 5 tips help you get a more productive and easy walk, let me know in the comments if you’ve tried these tips or if you have a tip of your own that we can all benefit from!
#KeepOnWalking
