How to Stop Dog Reactivity: The Ultimate Guide
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- Опубликовано: 25 июл 2024
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If you're struggling with your reactive dog, you're not alone!I'll share proven strategies and tips to help your reactive dog overcome their challenges. As a professional dog trainer with years of experience, I believe in using modern, humane, and effective training techniques to build a strong bond with your dog, helping them to become more confident and well-behaved.
In this video, you'll learn:
- What a reactive dog is and the common causes of reactivity
- The importance of patience, consistency, and understanding when dealing with a reactive dog
- How to identify the root causes of your dog's reactivity and develop a tailored training plan
- Gradual exposure techniques to help your dog become more comfortable in challenging situations
- The role of desensitization, counter-conditioning, and applied animal behavior experts in addressing reactivity
- How to monitor your dog's body language, manage their environment, and provide mental and physical stimulation for overall well-being
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Thank you so much for watching this video! If you have any feedback, requests for future content, or just want to tell us about your dog… We’ll see you in the comments!! 🤗 - Zak and Bree (and Inertia… and Veronica! 🐾) 
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My rescue pittie, who is also my first dog, used to have window-shattering barking and pulling/lunging to other dogs. we utilized all of these tips and now he is at most “dog selective”. It was really hard at first but it has paid off so much and the positive training also helped us develop a stronger bond, which made the rest of the training easier. I’m so proud of us both!
I'm proud of you. How inspiring! Amazing work by you, as well. I hope more owners with reactive dogs acquire the same initiative, skill, and passion as you, and that it also pays off for them in the same way.
I am also the owner of my first dog, a 10 month german shepherd. Shes very reactive, and i'm still on my journey of helping her. Wish me luck!
That's great! I hope your still making progress
I've never read a book so fast! ruclips.net/user/postUgkx1_veP7CApJK_GWy_TczaMciuG64PqJeU Learning about his dogs and experiences was just the icing on the cake - bed this book through and through. We're working with our new pup and Brandon's advise was just what I needed. Wish he'd just come and train for me haha but it's good for us and happy to have this new set of tools to use on our pup.
I'm so grateful that you dedicated an entire video to reactivity. I have a pandemic puppy who was not able to get to puppy classes and became reactive after dealing with off leash dogs in the neighborhood and public parks. I actually paid for another online training dealing on this topic and now she pretty much knows to look at me for a treat when she sees a dog at a distance but I've been waiting for warmer weather to set up some paid sessions with a dog trainer who has a stable dog to try to decrease the distance at which she feels safe.
Hi which online training worked for your dog. I have the same problem. :(
I've noticed that whenever we were going through a really bad setback, he made tremendous progress in the weeks after. It's so consistent that I'm embracing the setback now.
What's a setback look like?
This is exactly what I needed at this moment in my life!! I am so grateful to have found this page before I adopted my first rescue pittie, and I was not told he was leash reactive so it was overwhelming to find that out, to say the least. Thank you for breaking it down like this, and reminding us all to stay positive :) I would watch the hell out of a whole series about reactivity!
Thank you Zac. I am currently strengthening my bond with my dog by remembering to be someone she wants to be with and can have fun with. She now listens to me more, especially with high value treats and fun games! I really value what you do and the message you are giving about kindness and intelligent training ❤🙏
There is a problem that dogs are put into molds and if they don't fit into it they are considered problematic reactive dogs. My dogs was considered understimulated by everyone because they kept comparing him to their own dogs. If I only had known 6 years ago that every dog is different and to not listen to people so easily my dog wouldn't be as "reactive" as he is today. Overstimulation is not talked about enough and to overexercise an anxious and overstimulated dog is not going to help with reactivity, it only made it worse. I really like your tips in this video and I just want to empathise on the part where you talk about encouraging calm behaviour. Some dogs need to learn how to relax and that it's okay to just chill.
So true! Thanks for pointing that out. It's just like that with my dog. If only I had known that earlier, my dog wouldn't have bitten me. But it is okay, we are making soooooo much progress ❤ for everybody out there with the same problem, stay positive, calm and patient. You can do that. And if you are feeling overwhelmed, get yourself help from a dog trainer or, the worst case, if you don't feel like you can handle the situation, look for a place where your dog gets the attention, patience and love that it deserves. Sadly enough it is not always the best solution to try until something happens. Make the Best decision for you dog ❤
Awesome video Zak, needed this as Ive been struggling with my dog having huge outbursts over people coming to the front door. Time, patience, understanding & consistency and we'll get there 🙌🏻
7:49 I love that you address that people need to take responsibility (and drop their ego) for controlling the environment in order to find and stay below a dog’s threshold! I know your old series address it, but I’d love to see new videos diving into each of these points in detail. I think people don’t understand how many steps back to take in counterconditioning and desensitization, like you show briefly with the vacuum. Seems silly to show people how to build a relationship and encourage engagement with their dog, but I think that’s what’s needed. The biggest change so far in dealing with my GSD’s reactivity was actually just building his engagement with me. I took steps back because I can’t expect my dog to engage with me when he’s triggered if he didn’t engage with me around the most minor distractions.
How about drop ur ideological nonsense and train ur dogs with a real training system not dog treats and hope with a prayer for good measure
Our husky pup was extremely reactive, but we watched the Moira & Chop series and applied it all over the past year.
He's gone from instantly over-threshold from seeing another dog (30+ meters) to being able to stay in a sit 2-5 meters from a passing dog. He still has a hard time listening while another dog is around, but he will now automatically sit and watch because he knows we will let him enjoy his doggy TV.
Today we were playing fetch and, as other dogs were being walked around the field, he chose to re-engage with the game! It might take a while, but it really worked for us.
amazing job!
I needed this video today. I was on a hike yesterday and he was so good for the first half, allowing dogs to approach him, even ones that came running and barking he remained calm. Then we came across a dog who mine didn't like, apparently. They both started barring teeth and lunging. No biting, no injuries, just intimidation. Now he's been regressing back to snapping at larger dogs who approach him. It's so exhausting, when they exceed your expectations in one moment and then fall back to square one the next. I will try to remain hopeful though, because he has shown me that he has the ability to become confident, I just need to turn around these bad interactions. (Which unfortunately means I can't walk my neighborhood anymore, since no one leashes their dogs around here...)
Hey! Thanks for the amazing content. With other channels about dog training, i was afraid to get a dog, it felt like i have to "rule" over my dog so it obeys and behaves the way i want. But after i found out about your content, i am definitely getting one. I am excited to share a bond with it and enjoy training it more positively.
Thanks a ton!!!
Because I live in an apartment, its extremely difficult to exercise my cattle dog before going on runs. I live in the Midwest so we do have fields nearby that are within walking distance that are great for long lead fetch, but the walk TO THE FIELD (~10 minutes) is complected by itself because I live in a dog friendly area. I'm hoping that our move to a house with a more private backyard will help provide us the ability for some fun fetch and outdoor activities prior to our run.
Off peak runs have resulted in dramatic improvement in his behavior outside (no more biting and nipping on runs, no more leash pulling, and he made lots of progress on heel), but his reactivity is still a struggle. We adopted him last year and he was untrained at 11 months so although we are happy with his progress, will be hiring a trainer very soon!
Imagine that. Being told to exercise your dog just so you can take your dog for a walk. Isn't the walk suppose to be the exercise?
This video was so helpful. I like how it's broken down into steps, and the emphasis on bonding and communication. It also made me realize how similar this is to exposure therapy in humans. It makes a lot of sense.
My wife and I have had dogs as family members for years but never had a pup.
So glad I found your channel! We pick up our Sheepadoodle on the 24th. We already have her signed up for training starting on May 29th but I want to start training right away so thank you! It's been 5 years since We have had a dog.
Thanks Zak! You just explained what I teach my clients in the most clear way I have seen. Will most definitely share with those that have a hard time understanding. Cheers.
Thank you Zak! So many great points and please keep doing what you're doing! Love the coaching and the positivity and the reminders that progress is greater than perfection😍
So many dogs in my young dog classes have some reactivity issues. It's so good to have tools for how to deal ❤ Many get so exhausted as every walk is a struggle.
My pupper is the opposite, which also comes with some issues - they are just less noticable to others 😂
I have a reactive dog and i already know lot's of information about it but you really helped me sort it up. Thanks a lot
I get both the super chewer box and the Pupford box. When they arrive, Gucci knows that they're for her! The last comment about spending quality time with your dog is something I try to do, but it's definitely difficult when you have other household chores, laundry's in the basement, mealtime, assisting my mom, and not getting along with my senior dog. Reactive jumping up when you do anything with her, but she gets along with other dogs, especially herding dogs. They'll play with her. I guess that dogs are kind of like people. They choose who they want to be with.
Thank you Zac! This was very informative and reassuring as well. Puppies growing up during the pandemic really struggle with reactive behaviour as their normal socialization window passed during the months we all were with very little if none human or animal contact except at the vets. I love your approach in handling this issue and would like to see more of your advice on the pandemic puppy situation in all other aspects too like separation anxiety, indoor exercise options etc
I have learned i am part of the process emotionally. Prep myself ahead of time I myself have a nervous personality. Set myself up to MY OWN limitations as I build my confidence that is required to build their trust in me to CALMLY patiently handle their needs. It’s not just the dog’s exposure that is part of the process. Don’t go out spontaneously have a plan. What I am going to do, a location, have a set point that says one of us is at our limit call it quits before it becomes a negative experience.
Thank you for mentioning the car thing! That is our major issue - she starts drooling immediately. We are working on it slowly (doesn’t help that I also hate the car). But today we just sat in the car for 5 minutes and ate cheese. 🤣
Hey Zak. This is perfect. Yes it's a lot of information but it's very valuable. Really great tips.
Great advice, both dog and trainer need to be on a safe calm environment to begin with. Over lots of years I have learned to be more aware and less embarrassed by my dogs not acting as I expected. I know just tell people any mistakes are trainer errors
Wow! that was a really comprehensive insight into " dog reactivity" it was far more information than I was expecting, thank you.
It’s so great ! This with the relax and treat for barking has helped already it’s only been a week !
i love your videos, thanks to you my dog is amazingly trained. Of course i had something to do with it but without your help i would have been lost. So thanks again!
Thank you for making this!! I’ll definitely have to try it. I have a 1 year old mini Aussie, he was kidnapped for 4 days when he was 6 months old. Ever since then he barks at everyone he sees and has even bit a few people (they were my friends so they were forgiving). I’ve become hopeless and even considered rehoming him. I’ve decided that I’ll be trying out these guidelines! I really hope they work
I agree with Red Schafer (below) on the click-bait title. Nothing in your video discussed aggressive dogs. The other MAJOR issue I have (and have been stewing on it for hours) is this ... the discussion presented is on dog reactivity. At about the 8:23 time stamp, the dog was within inches of the childs face. Leash or not, doing this with a reactive/aggressive dog is not acceptable! All it takes is a second or two for bad things to happen.
I feel so overwhelmed when I go on walks or to a cafe with my mini Aussie because she is reactive to other dogs. I sometimes feel that some training methods don’t really work for me. I had 2 different trainers that suggested choke collar and screaming to my puppy to teach her boundaries and it just broke my heart. I know that the positive training is sometimes frustrating because we expect fast results but I now think that it is worth it. I am currently training my puppy with positive only videos and we have come a long way. We still have so much work to do but I have seen the improvement on her day to day and our bond grows stronger every time. I love you videos and every tip was helped me a lot with different situations. I just sometimes feel it is hard to keep doing positive only when there are a lot of trainers that suggest choking collars and e collars and prong collar that make me feel that I am screwing up my relationship with my dog. Your channel has been like a life saver sometimes. So tank you for the amazing work
Fellow reactive mini aussie owner here 👋
I have been in the same boat. No positive only trainers really around me… I have used a spiky collar on him. Trainer wanted me to POP anytime he reacted. I’ve now moved away from that. I use it so he stays in a good walking position for now until he is more reliable at not pulling with a regular collar or harness. I don’t pop the leash anymore. I just let it give him pressure when he pulls, and that keeps him from even doing it. We’ve actually came a long way with the positive approach towards his reactivity! He also has an appointment with a veterinary behaviorist next week. let me know if you ever wanna chat bc I know how hard it is to deal with this :(
@@taylorh3097 I too struggle with my mini Aussie! It’s so frustrating because he’s such a cutie but he absolutely hates people. Whenever he’s around anyone besides me or my family he tries to attack them. Id love to know some things that have helped you guys out because I feel so hopeless. It’s so frustrating not being able to bring him around anyone
Go check Tom Davis guys 👌🏻
our 7 year old pomeranian is extremely reactive. if he sees another dog in our park, he loses his mind. vacuum cleaner - we vacuum only when the dogs are outside. guests - extreme excitement. driving the car and approaching the destination - all district can hear us. when we are out, constant barking. our second pomeranian is all about his boundaries. we just have had no life over last 7 years. and yes, we tried to go to a puppy's school, and took some private lessons later. just thanks for your channel, i discovered it a month ago and all the information is super useful
I needed this video!! Been frustrated and this was positive reinforcement for me as a human
Thank you for this I learned that I'm doing some things wrong and how to adjust from that. 10/10 video
the. perfect.answer.ever. you always manage to remember me why I choose you ... seriously. all the love❤
My dog has late socialization. Our shelters almost don't take dogs outside, and, when I got her at 2 and a half months, Russian frost hit for another couple months, so the outside was very cold and nothing was happening out there to socialise with anyway. So we almost didn't walk until she was about 5 months old. We have a litter box. We walked ones a day or ones in a few days but it just was cold and empty outside.
And I have ADHD. The thing about bonding and quality time and finny places is so true for us. It's very affective. She's just so different, like if she never even had any problems, and I'm able to be very mindful too in these moments with how my own brain works. Supporting her when she makes tiny steps towards scary things and these mindful walks were the best things so far.
She got worse with dogs, when I had to leave her with my mother for a month. She was playful but scared before that happened, but now she's just aggressive most of the time. It's still a lack of socialisation, but now it's so much harder, because I can't endanger another dogs, so we can't get too close. I try to watch them from distance with her now, when we encounter them, but it doesn't change much, it seems. For some reason, she seems to be much better with other street dogs, both those who are still on the street and those who were taken home like she was. Not perfect, but they are kinda more in tune with each other it seems.
I see how the biggest problem is me having a hard time with being consistent and more calm and more mindful on a regular basis.
That was a power packed video. Thank you
I *literally* just practiced vacuuming with my easily-over-threshold 14 month old Aussie x Maremma. She hates things that move or transform in weird ways (eg: she FREAKED OUT when I folded up her wire-panel crate once, and it took us 2 full days of INTENSIVE work before she'd even eat her meals in it again even though she was really comfortable and relaxed in it until then because of all the crate-training games and work we put in in her first days home) so she was immediately uneasy when she initially saw the vacuum "hinge" back and forth as I demonstrated for her how I'd be using it across the floor without it even being plugged in (this rural house has zero carpet anywhere - it's all linoleum, so I almost never *need* to vacuum even though it's still an easy option for floor cleaning). To prevent a repeat of the crate-folding incident, I started leaving the vacuum out where she could see it next to the closet, and randomly giving her a treat if I saw her anywhere near it. After a few days, I started encouraging her to "check it out" (something we're training) and giving her a reward if she moved her nose towards it. After a week, I moved it to a different location in the house and continued the rewarding. I was at my limit for "extra things I can dedicate my energy to train" at that stage so I left it at that for a couple of months, honestly, so the process was slower than it needed to be, but eventually I started calling her over, putting her in a Sit nearby, and just moving it back and forth slowly a few times (still not even plugged in, because I could tell she was on edge) and rewarding her.... and then eventually, just walking it around the kitchen island while she was in a Sit... we did that for about a month because it was the last step I could think of before actually plugging it in.
What I didn't anticipate was that unrolling the cord was going to throw her off (again with her "humans can make the physical world do really weird things I don't think should exist in reality" trigger), so we took a small step back instead of turning it on, the day I was going to actually turn it on. She's encountered electrical cords and ropes being manipulated before, so it was just something slightly different from what she already knew, and she hadn't "seen it coming" I guess.
After a few days of going back to just rolling the vacuum back and forth, and unrolling the vacuum cord and plugging it in and rolling it back and forth without it on, I cut up some scraps of leftover roasted chicken skin and meat, put her in a Sit, and turned it on and fed her tiny bits of chicken at as far a distance as I could juggle being from the on-off switch, only leaving it on for maybe 3 seconds of exposure.
We did that maybe 3 times in a row, and then repeated it a few days in a row, and then I actually did a tiny bit of vacuuming, stopping to praise and reward her every 5 seconds or so (so a REALLY tiny bit of vacuuming).
I still call it "practicing" vacuuming with her because she can still be uneasy around it, but sometimes she's less uneasy, and she's never ended up over-threshold with the process.
Now - ask me how our leash-walking is going, and you'll get a different answer, sigh. But it IS improving! I'm just so exhausted from having to continue to *train* instead of *go for walks.* Still, I know it's worth it. *She's* worth it.
It was critical for me to understand that I have limits of mental/emotional energy, and I need to NOT engage in training through challenging stuff when I don't have enough energy and patience. Training this pupper (this is my first dog who's been trained using positive reinforcement/avoiding aversives) has taught me all sorts of things about how I still wasn't identifying or respecting my *own* boundaries until now.
(replying to myself because RUclips's glitching out for me if I try to edit my comments) - I appreciate you doing this video even though you'll have known it would attract opposition, sigh.
This is a really great video for my 15 month old jack russell reactivity where he instantly gets 'over threshold' almost immediately.
I think I just went 5 steps back with my dog… I let my guard down again and thought no stray dog would simply appear and try to come meet him… I was holding his leash by my weaker hand and I had all of it in my hand (4mts long leash), I suddenly saw my dog running and I tried holding the leash tight but it just kept on going until it hit the end… I dropped it afraid that the impact would break my fingers, result: a runaway dog, burnt fingers and a very mad husband who ran after him for me.
At least he had his muzzle on so he didn’t harm the little dog…
We sat down to calm down but my dog went back to barking at motorbikes and literally every dog he saw…
Before that happened he had completely stopped barking at cars, motorbikes and bicycles, he would faintly cry when he saw dogs behind gates (except he’d bark and lunge at stray dogs)… I guess it’s time we go back and start his training from smaller steps, and that’s probably my second warning to stop letting my guard down (1st time he dragged me around the backyard, almost broke my fingers since I wasn’t holding the leash properly)
Great video hope to put it to good use with our Staffy cross
Thinking of getting a Newfoundland and getting really worried for the dogs size I don’t know If I should be watching videos on large dog breed training or if all training can be used for all sizes but here I am
I heard fearful more then agression, this is a video about stopping agression not desensitization quite frankly you posted a video highly edited and proving balanced training works.
Thank you ❤ Love the paintings too 😊
Awesome video!! Any tips besides distance & working your way up for dogs that are friendly (socialized with others via dog day camp) when on the leash, desperate up day hello to the other dog that they'll keep lunging vs waiting/calmly approaching? Even on long walks where the dog is tired out, will still lunge to say hello. Dog goes on daily multiple walks, has a dog sibling & occasional dog camp. Don't know how to break the habit, thought it was more a puppy thing but dog is now 4 and it's the one habit we still have. Many thanks in advance!! ❤
I need to do better remembering how far my dog's come. It's just one dog, if he sees it the rest of the day is just barking and lunging at everything, if he doesn't, everything is super cool. But that's so much better than every day being terrified of everything! Progress is progress.
Firstly, I am a big fan so thank you for your videos and books. They have been very helpful in training my dog! My dog is a rescue staffie mix and he has some reactivity around other dogs (specifically big dogs) and men. I have been working on this with him since I got him in January this year. We were making great progress using your techniques but unfortunately he has been diagnosed with hip dysplasia.
Since the diagnosis he has been on pain meds and physio, with a managed exercise plan and has made great progress physically (yay!). But his behavioural issues have gotten worse and worse. I was wondering if you might consider doing a video on training a dog that has medical issues that reduce their exercise.
My dog can't play fetch at all, he can't run off lead or do any doggie sports. I have found since having to reduce his exercise and the exercise intensity, his training has plateaued and his behavioural issues have gotten much worse. I would love to see how you would handle this sort of situation!
I could watch (and learn from) exactly this kind of training all day long! My dog is aggressive now, unfortunately. I've determined it's from being entirely too possessive. He doesn't allow any kind of animal, person, or thing get close if he doesn't approve. He's definitely not fearful, because he'd jump through the window if he could to attack whatever he sees he doesn't want getting close. He's bitten ME twice, because I naively tried to prevent him from barking and lunging at the window to attack a dog (different dog in both cases).
I have a Border Collie mix which includes Chow and GSD as well as a few others. We got him during COVID-19, when no one wanted to be around anybody. We also had listened to our vet who told us not to take him around any other people or animals until he had his full series of vaccines. That led to even bigger problems.
Once we finally were able to be around what few people there were that didn't mind, he would start to growl if he didn't like them. That growl turned into a snap, and after that, we kept him completely away from any kind of social situations for fear someone might get bit. Now, we have a 2 1/2 yo 50 lb. dog that barks and lunges at practically anything that moves.
We got a Thundercap for him now, and that has helped DRAMATICALLY! I really was skeptical that it would even work, because of how he acts, even when he sees an inanimate object. We live in the country, and there are several types of animals around us. The worst by far is one of our neighbor's dogs, which roams around loose, even coming up here to antagonize our dog. So, he hears him barking and barks back while INSIDE the house, tries to go through the door to get at him, or has even busted his tie-out because of that dog. It's EXTREMELY frustrating. He is very, very slowly getting better, but only if I am RIGHT THERE to tell him to be quiet and give treats. With that cap on, he lays down outside, and you could practically hear a pin drop when I first had it on him. I don't need to do that much anymore, because he has remained calm, mostly until the other dog gets him going again. It has made our car rides peaceful, and he no longer barks at hay bales or wildlife or whatever. I am continuing to train him while using this tool to help keep him calm.
The vet put him on Xanax, and that has helped his behavior as well, just not nearly as much as this Thundercap has (no I don't work for them).
I have bought both of your books, though I confess I haven't started the second one yet. I've been watching quite a bit of your videos, and am doing my best to follow the instructions in them. I realize it's going to take an immense amount of time and effort to get him to be as "normal" a dog as possible, but we're trying, and I am very hopeful that your methods will work. Please make more like this. There are hundreds of thousands of resources about how to train puppies the right way, but I haven't found any on how to help a "pandemic puppy" (people who got dogs during COVID-19). Thank you from the bottom of my heart!
U r the best ... U r my inspiration... Thank you so much for every vdo🙏
I appreciate it. We are lucky to do what we love.
Should I use these same techniques for over excitement. My dog LOVES other dogs so much that she just comes unglued to get to them to play and interact. Love all your advice! Thank you😊
Mine is the same way - overwhelmingly excited. Super friendly but it can get hard to control because she gets SO excited and she's strong!
lmao Zak getting excited at the popcorn dog toy 😂❤🫶
Thank you!
Hi zak! Could you maybe do a video on chronic hyperarousal? My friend is having a lot of problems with her dog (and I've been dogsitting so I've been seeing it firsthand) and I have a theory that unstructured play is actually just constantly revving him up. Idk would love to see the topic covered and thanks for the vids!
such an important guide for reactivity and so informative and truly feels helpful ! so many tips in 1 guide! people not always sure how to approach "fixing" reactivity, how to stop their dog from reacting to certain to dogs or other objects/people etc... and as said in the guide 1 of the keys is work on calm state of mind initially from a distance to whatever bothers the dog and work over time on closer range from their anxiety/trigger source! I can share from myown experience with my young aussie that is/was sensitive to touch by strangers from really young people (babies/small kids) to elderly even! and these days she's more and more ok with people! and she's also triggered by dogs whether they started bark at her or being calm themselves she barks at them regardless! and after roughly a month of work she's much calmer around most dogs and easily distracted and if I will call her name or use some really worthy treats I will get her focus and even if she looks at the dog that once used to b a cause of extra barkiness now she will look at the dog then look at me and she will stay calm and we will walk by the dog and nothing will happen xD and yes sometimes she may let a single bark at the dog but that's ok ! I don't expect her to be perfect in a short manner of time but it will happen eventually! her progress in such short time is still amazing to me and we mostly worked on staying calm from a far distance to a shorter distance from the dogs that she once barked at them like crazy :) it's a lot of work on communication with our dogs, understanding them and their body language and what they try tell us and not push them to do something they don't want (like saying hello to every dog because that doesn't really work -.-) thank you for this great guide
Thank you for this. I need all the encouragement 😢. Three days ago, my puppy jumped out of a moving cart trying to go see a stranger (he typically sits in it and I had a leash but he made a sudden movement and got out). He loves people SO much that he is extremely reactive to them. It’s overwhelming because we don’t have a ton of time to train this and typically when we are out, we have to see people closeup like at a vet etc. our walks don’t really come into contact with many people. Truthfully I have been avoiding it somewhat because it’s so difficult, frustrating and hard for him, and extremely hard for me. I know good value treats, practice, and distance are key. But is there anything else to help this issue? It’s insane! I just want him to eventually be calm around other people or at least not so so crazy excited/ jumpy/ demanding everyone’s attention immediately upon seeing them
With Inertia, you took her to puppy class and had play dates with other dogs. From what we've seen, Veronica did not go to puppy class, and did not do those play dates. Do you notice any difference in behaviour, and if so, do you think (more) socialising with other dogs early on would have helped Veronica be less reactive?
What about dogs that are excitement reactive? My dog isn’t aggressive at all but he gets very excited when he sees people and other dogs.
Omg my dogs get anxious with almost all the triggers you mentioned in the video, I have a LOT of work to do
Great advice
Your vedios have been so helpful for us as a first time puppy owner! I wonder if you can share some advice on how to help puppy to not wake up too early? My puppy usually go to bed around 9pm, sleep through the whole night, but wakes up so early, anywhere from 4:30 to 6:30. I tried letting her play more at evening so that she can go to bed later, but that didn't help. It's been such a headache for us now. Thanks for any suggestions!
I've recently inherited a cat that's old % I have a super sized well behaved (thanks to your help in training) dog that the cat is scared of. This has created a lot of anxiousness between them. They ended up getting into a fight. It's getting better with better monitoring, time & space. Are there other tools?
Thank you, Zak. Do you think I could use this approach with my dogs and their manic reaction to horses? They have a number of issues, but with horses I can more easily manage the environment because they are always divided by fence. Or should I try something else? I have a feeling that if I could get them to feel natural around horses, I could solve lots of other stuff.
This is the exact content all those dogdaddy fans are saying that want to see, you working peacefully with a reactive/ perceivably aggressive dog and cultivating a sincerely beneficial change for all parties without compromising the safety of anyone
We have 2 reactive Kelpie males (other one a 6mo old puppy). Love these videos. After our 2nd dog came into the picture, the first one has regressed a little bit and has gotten more reactive again. Just trying to be patient with them both.
What breed?
@@MrDeano-eu9rg both are Kelpies.
@@SoulRollerFIN I'd suggest looking into, "will Atherton" "upstate canine training" or "beckman" dog training. I may be Messing up the names but those dudes will help you much more than this channel. Granted I'm sure this channel helps with the family breeds but if u want quicker proven results go there.
@@MrDeano-eu9rg As I recall those guys use prong collars and other cruel methods. No thanks. Kelpie is such an intelligent breed. All they need is good routine, treats and a little time to desensetise.
@@SoulRollerFIN they do use prong collers sometimes but you have been mislead about them, they're not cruel
Do u have any videos of success stories to show it in practice
Can I get these barkbox toys as I'm in the UK? Xxx
My westie excessively barks and runs after every noise when he’s inside the house. I would love to see a trainer work with him.
So, I have a seven year old pitbull who had three previous owners. She has a long list of behavior problems. But the vast majority of them involve reactivity of some sort. I have made some progress but we still have a long way to go. Her problems Include but are not limited to.
She is very dog aggressive. If another dog gets near her there absolutely will be a fight even if the other dog is giving off absolutely no threatening signals. And she fights with intent to kill the other dog. She goes right for the neck and bites hard enough to draw blood. I personally suspect a previous owner tried to use her as a fighting dog. I have gotten her to where I can get her to focus on me if another dog is close enough for her to know it's there, but is still reasonably far away. Off leash dogs are the thing I can't figure out. She has gotten into three fights these last few months. All three of them were because an off leash dog ran up and got in her face rather abruptly. She still has bites healing from the most recent fight. We also have had several close calls with other off leash dogs. People letting their dogs run loose is a big problem around here. If the dog is leashed I can warn their owner that my dog is dog aggressive.
Another problem is. So absolutely does not like strangers coming over. If you try to come in and she doesn't know you she will charge the door. Even if she knows you and hasn't seen you in a long time she still might. But it's possible to get her to be okay with people in the house. But it's a process and it takes long enough that if you want to meet her, you can't just come over to run a quick errand and meet the dog real quick. You have to come over specifically to meet the dog. Like if we need someone to care for her while we are gone we have them come over days before we leave and we make sure the dog learns that they are okay. Usually after that she's okay with them. But you have to take it slow. The funny thing is. She's different outside of the house. On walks she's hit and miss with people. Sometimes shes okay with them, sometimes she isn't. I usually avoid all people though because I don't know which ones she isn't going to like... Well there's one person we stop and say hi to. This lady who took care of her while we were gone for a few days. My dog recognizes her and wants to go over to her whenever she's out in her yard. We don't go up to her house though because she has dogs and well.... See previous. Oh also she behaves best at the vet clinic. She's still a bit anxious like most dogs are at the vet. But she will let anyone approach her no problem. Although I did warn them that she sometimes doesn't like people and not to let her near other dogs.
And she also is reactive toward bikes. But this is happening less often now. Especially if I notice the bike before she does and can get her attention.
Wow that's a long post and that's not even all the things. I plan to hire a behavior specialist when I can afford it. I don't have a lot of money. And with this kind of behavior I'm not going for some cheap trainer who barely knows what they are doing. But for now I'm working on her myself.
My 80 year old grandma has a 2 year old Great Dane. None of us live in her state and she is pretty to herself. She cannot afford a regular dog walker/trainer/day care. He pulls crazy on a walk and jumps. What would you recommend for an older slower person. She feels like his harness makes him pull and she has been injured before. What would you recommend?
Do you recommend a short or long leash for dog reactivity to other dogs?
Would the approach be the same if a dog was properly socialized and never was abused as we had her at age of 8 weeks? My now 2 year old dog who was heavily socialized and we are constantly doing "doggy classes " (started with the obedience and doing Agility for almost one year) but she seems to have a fearful personality that pushes her to reactivity towards some people (really randomly)
Thank you for this video. I have a question regarding my dog. Every once in awhile she starts running around and then jumping and biting me. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
I once had a dog who was afraid of statues and those little charity collection items outside shops. I fixed him by patting the statues so he knew I wasn’t scared.
What would be the best way to keep my Cattle dog mix from barking at birds every time she goes out in the back yard? She's good at not barking while on a walk but every day she will rush outside to bark at birds, and it is extremely hard to get her attention especially when she is running around all over the place and jumping up at the fence.
Where would I start with a dog that literally screams (it’s ear splitting), every time we go anywhere and the car starts to slow down? He gets so excited and I make him settle and be quiet before we get out but it’s so hard and stressful to be driving in traffic and/or finding a place to park when my eardrums are about to burst. I’ve also tried just driving places and then stopping and not even getting out to show that not everywhere is exciting but so far nothing has helped.
Hi Zack, I've been wondering, my dog keeps on chewing on its harness and making a hole in it, plus my dog hasn't growled before like possessively before but learned it from his play buddy who's of the same breed Is there anyway to stop both things?
I’m really glad that I kept searching and searching for a good way to help my dog.
She’s a rescue that we adopted at 6mos old. She barks and bites(when she can) at trucks, people, vacuums, and cats.
We did a dog boot camp and they used to pinch collar (which I never was a fan of. ) There was some improvement, but the training was in a very controlled environment.
Anyway, I love your explanations, positive reinforcement and that you demonstrate with a dog and in a “real” environment.
What do you do with a dog that wants to play with a nd say hello to every dog? Also has an unreliable recall in this situation when there is another dog around.
Could you please make a video on “friendly leash reactivate? When ever people or dogs pass us when we are on a walk my dog lays down in the path and refuses to move😢
My puppy was doing pretty well with the potty training, even sleeping through the night. The past three days, she has had accident after accident in the house. She acts like she is going to sit down so we don't think anything of it until we realize she is not sitting but going to the bathroom. We pick her up as she is doing it, which people say will startle a dog and get it to stop and take her out. Argh. She is four months old this coming week. It's so frustrating. She is getting too big for us to pick her up too. She is a Golden Retriever. We have had her since March. Any suggestions on how to get her to stop doing that? I'm wondering what we're doing wrong.
My dog is horrible with puppies. As well as small dogs (sometimes I think she believes they’re cats)… also cats. Great with giant dogs she can’t bully. Any specific recommendations?
I have a question for anyone to answer. My dog is 2 years old, usually really energetic, happy, playfull, likes exploring and going out for long walks but out of nowhere she just became lazy. She doesent want to even go 20 meters away from the house, she bairly eats, doesent want to play and just sleeps all day. Last time we were at the vet they said they heard a whisseling sound from her heart. Is this a temporary thing or should I go get her checked out by the vet?
I have a 2 and a half year old male German Shepard who is very reactive but goes to daycare and is a good boy. He also guards me. I’m not sure what I can do to help him through this. He snaps at people when they get to close to me. Please help.
My dog, Gucci, is a Pembroke Welsh Corgi. I moved to Michigan at the request of my mom. She's 92 years old and is legally deaf with a cochlear implant. My dad passed away on December 17, 2020. He had a lot of health problems. Last summer I spent several months with my mom. Meanwhile, my husband was fighting an infection and had many surgeries on his right foot over the course of a year. He knew that my mom wanted me to move in with her. In the course of a year, I had to have my Chinese Crested put down and then I got Gucci. My husband's health declined and his children decided to remove him from life support. He passed away within a couple of hours. He hid a lot from me. It was determined that his cognitive abilities were poor and he was appointed a guardian through the court. He didn't want me involved with his medical care and he blocked me from participating in his medical care. His guardian informed me that he had so many debts that the house in Belle Center Ohio would have to be sold to pay for them. I had started to train Gucci using a clicker. When I was in Michigan, I took Gucci to PetSmart for training. Of course, the trainer has to follow the training guidelines for PetSmart. Gucci knew most of the training already. The distractions around her in the store were too many and they hampered her focus. I've been using your book, one written by Peggy Tillman by a retired clicker trainer, one written by Mary Ray,, and a few more. Gucci loves and does well with both mental stimulation and physical stimulation. She'll initiate the game of fetch and bring her ball to you. I'm not quite sure what sets her off with this behavior, but she'll jump up on me and grab my clothes, tearing them, and biting me. I've noticed this behavior when my cellphone rings, notifications when I take my meds, when my mom sings or gets excited, and when we speak to each other which can be loud and excited. The only thing I can do is send her to her crate then she seems to calm down. I've tried to talk to my mom with an "indoor" voice. I've tried to redirect her focus, but when she reaches that point she doesn't focus. I've been working on training her outside in our backyard which isn't fenced in. As the weather is getting warmer she's more aware of the sounds around her. I feel like I'm in training mode all the time. She's always on a leash connected to me unless we're playing fetch. She's 18 months old. When she gets out of control I figure that she's like a child and needs to take a nap. I'm working on loose leash walking, sit/ stay with duration, and rolling over. She can "touch". I'd like to train her for agility and freestyle. Both require full focus and off leash. She's prey driven, so I've got to keep her on a leash. Suggestions? Am I expecting too much of her? Those are just my future goals for her.
I would love to see a video of you using these approaches on a reactive dog with real aggression towards other dogs or people.
When trainers like me deal with dogs who are likely to behave aggressively in certain situations we don’t just throw them into those situations and get them to stop being aggressive. We teach them in over a reasonable amount of time. We use methods that are not correlated with undesired side effects such as increased aggression in the future example. which brings me to my next point, I have routinely worked with dogs who behave aggressively. But it is very rare you will see a dog act out towards another dog or a person on my channel because of expert management. It is a failure if a dog trainer allows a dog to behave aggressively in their custody while on a behavior modification plan. Hope this makes sense.
@@zakgeorge what is a reasonable amount of time? 1 day? 1 week? 1 month? 1 year?
@@zakgeorge I think the time frame is where a lot of the problem lies. Even if your methods does work, it takes too long. You yourself have said that positive training does take longer than using aversive methods. Although you may have the time to train your dogs your way, most people just don't have that kind of time. They need results now. It doesn't make any sense for a busy person to spend 2 years just training recall when you can get it done in a week using an e-collar. A person with an aggressive dog don't have the time to wait and be patient. They need the problem fixed immediately! Deal with any future problems that arise (IF THEY EVER DO) at that time. Fix the present problem first!
@@zakgeorge i think it would be good for your followers to see you actually handling an aggressive dog and teaching it. How do you stop a dog being aggressive if you don’t see them being aggressive. This means you just avoid any situations where they might get aggressive, that can lead to no life for that dog at all.
@@georgenakasone7613 100% agree. After my gsp ran out the door and towards traffic twice (my fault of course), I could have stuck to long lead recall training that would have taken who knows how long, risking the same thing to happen again and my dog possibly getting killed in the meantime. Instead I decided enough is enough, put my "I'm a great trainer" ego aside and got an ecollar. Problem solved almost immediately. My dog's happy, and alive.
Do you have recommendations for a dog that is reactive toward neighbor dogs? I have a dog that now jumps and hangs on the fence to see the neighbor dogs. I've tried working on giving treats while the neighbor dog is outside but my pup is instantly above threshold when outside.
Sounds like you need to have some supervised on leash time in the yard. If you wait until your dogs over threshold that is not a good time to train. Desensitize and counter condition.
Thank you. I will go back to having her on leash to work on this. As soon as she hears the neighbor dog, she goes from 0 to 100 and guns straight for the fence. I try to give her a treat right when I hear the dog door for the neighbors in hopes of getting her before she's above threshold and so she can see that as a positive thing, but it doesn't change much. She doesn't seem aggressive, just VERY interested.
If the neighbor dogs aren't in the backyard, she's calm and can enjoy herself.
Thank you for your reply!
I have the same issue with our neighbor dog!! But mine will react even from inside the house if she hears the neighbor doggy in the backyard. Treats work when I'm around and get to her in time, but otherwise it just makes her an anxious mess :(
This sounds great, but I'd like to see it actually work in a reasonable time frame. Could you take a dog like Moira and get her to the point where you can walk down a sidewalk/hallway with other dogs?
My Frenchie goes besurk if a dog ignores him. I haven’t been able to find a trainer who can help him with it. He’s had three! He’s a rescue. He had no training and possibly no outdoor exposure when I adopted him at 14 months😢
The German Shepard on the harness wasn't walking with you, you were walking with it.
Do you let all your dogs lead you?
😂 On point
Yeah cause he’s a clown lol he’s dangerous
Positive only my ass in the beginning, he was grabbing and pulling the lead which in its self is a negative act so I call bull
@@gazjt7550 well put to be honest, adding pressure till the animal complies is a form of negative reinforcement well done.
How do you deal with a jealous dog? My husky (2) is super jealous of my lab (9). We give both dogs the same toys, same time and same attention. The husky always has to walk in front of the lab and likes to bite her ears and flabby bits. She doesn’t hurt pippa but it’s not nice to watch.
Please tell me how you would deal with "self motivating" reactivity, specifically to unavoidable prey animals. She has caught and killed one [not with me at the time]. Now she is addicted to that high level of arousal. She is a fit muscular working bred GSD. I'm a 72 year old woman .She has pulled over, and dragged my 15 stone son, who offered to hold the longline!
Perfect! Loved the video :) The only thing I would add to this video is to talk about medication. In a lot of cases of reactivity dogs will need medication to bring their brain at an optimal degree to learn. Otherwise the dog could be always using his reptilian brain and think about flight fight or flee. But you gave all great advices like always :D
Just nope
I would say it’s any or all of the examples above
How to start aggressive behaviour...My Amstaff is not barking ...9 months now
We’re really struggling with our 1 year old German Shepherd. Whenever he hears or sees an animal on tv he goes mad barking and jumping up. We don’t know the best way to get him to stop 😢
How can i get my dog to play with toys? Maybe chase a ball?
My pittie puppy is 4.5 months old and almost tries to kill my 10 year old miniature schnauzer when he feels threatened over treats. I need help calming him down around food and treats. If he doesn’t stop attacking my other dog over food or treats, I may have to give him away 😢
My new rescue dog, an older Pomeranian, barks at me every time I move. Also has begun attacking me when I get home from work.
He has become attached to my mom, I understand that, but once the attack or barking is done he’ll come up on my lap and is calm as can be.
Help!!
Go check Tom Davis
1:20 is where the video really starts
Hi. Thanks for the video. Can you please show a clip of the dogs at :08 and 5:49 walking calmly past dogs in close proximity? Like the finished or almost finished behavior? I want to see what I'm working towards! P.S. not your BC and not just barking dogs but actually walking past dogs who are also out on a walk. Thanks!
He can't, because those videos don't exist. Those dogs never got to that point with his training methods.
His methods are not attainable to get the results you seek. If you want to see these results ditch this guy and check out Tom Davis. Tom’s videos show you from start to finish and actually help. I too was fooled by Zac.
Zak I'm writing again to ask if you can just show a video please? I know you're always filming so just something short to show the dogs I specified in my first post walking with other dogs in close proximity. Thanks.
@@terripiecara3362 lol like we said, those videos don't exist
@@s.b.5259 How can a high profile dog trainer not have video of the finished trained behavior? Zak can you address this?