I have been practicing all of your methods with my two pits. Today I called "Josie Come!" In the backyard. Josie, who is fence and leash reactive, started to come to me. Suddenly a little dog barked, not far away. Seriously her whole body jolted like an electric shock when that dog barked. She turned her head, but continued to come to me. Absolutely amazing. She got a lot of love at the finish of that recall. Your methods (and I'll give myself some credit for time and effort) are literally changing our lives for the better!
Great to hear- similar experience here. I used to describe it as an electric charge that would run through him upon hearing another dog bark. From that point on I would basically have no control over him because he would launch into full tactical alert. In six months he has gotten so much better- he still looks around but he doesn't go out of control anymore like before.
I know! Isn’t it amazing? I had never had a dog from a puppy and I pretty much adopted 1plus yr old pups that luckily seemed pre-trained… at least good enough for me… I always thought that being extremely well trained took a long time and required a trainer whom I’d have to pay thousands of dollars to, I did hire trainers for each of my 5 pups ( one passed so I have 4 now) when a specific issue would arise, and it worked, but I didn’t gain the confidence or learn any techniques that I thought I could do. With Joel’s techniques I can now get all four pups to sit and wait while the door is open, the. Sit at the gate open till I tell them to go. They used to just bolt out the door, jump up onto the fence gate and go crazy running up to the car…. It took me three days, actually on the third day all I had to do was start the hand motion to back up and they scrambled to do that! And I could open the door and they didn’t move… it blew my mind! And the gentle leader for my collie… wow… that was a miracle to say the least. It’s so much more fun, and I loved running or walking my dogs anyway, but that edge of stress that I didn’t feel completely in control is gone… the other day at the dog park someone even said “wow, your pups won’t take their eyes off you!” I had come running down a hill to the river and instead of running into the river, they stopped with me until I told them to go… that they did all by themselves… I never made them stop before. Crazy smart… I can feel how happy you are in your comment… and I ditto that feeling😊
Your "pause at the door" method really helped us today. Our front door was left open by mistake and our 2 huskies that were trained to pause at the front door did NOT bolt out. They just stood there looking out. Your methods really work. Need to work on our Golden though - she merrily walked out. THANK YOU.
This was a great example of balanced training, especially with a dog that's not yet an adult. I haven't seen a demonstration quite like this, in any of your videos thus far!!!
People, stop wasting your time and just follow what Joel is saying to help you, help your dogs. This guy has got dogs figured out. I like all his recommendations mostly “loose leash walking”! I have been using a lot of his techniques before I saw Joel on RUclips, his techniques WORK! There is nothing worse than a misbehaving dog, or child…. Dogs are like kids, they want to see how much they can “get away” with, before they are corrected. If I communicate effectively with my 65 mix breed, he knows what’s expected of him and 95% of the time is great. Thanks Joel!
Love this video! My dog is definitely a better dog when we walk....still reactive to other dogs but not as bad as before :) I also talked to my dog just like Joel when he did good thing on leash...I know a lot of people on the streets did look at me like "what up with this woman?!" But I don't care! I want my dog to be a good dog!!!!!
Oh my gosh! This is so helpful! My Catahoula is eleven months old I'm dealing with exactly this. I have been to harsh, too exact, I will back off a bit. Seeing how you deal with an outburst and work to get things relaxed and let the dog decompress after is so very helpful. I see also that, for now, I need to set up for success and not get in situations where our proximity is too close to start, to work up closer. This will help my fearful girl. Thanks.
This video is so helpful for working on fear reactivity with my dog. With your methods we went from intense reactivity to peaceful walks with no reactions in just a couple weeks! Thanks Joel! It would be so great to hear your advice for fence reactivity as well.
This vid helps me SO much. I need to stay sensitive to the fear period that my 9-month GSD is in. She is like Luna, slightly nervous, on "alert" all the time, to everything within 360 degrees of all of her senses. "This dog needs latitude." I so needed to hear that, and will remember it. Thank you.
Great video. I still have a tough time with leash reactivity from nervousness/anxiety and it feels embarrassing when we're in public. We keep working on it using your methods and we've had successes, but this morning I had some smug dog owner with an off-leash dog who had 'perfect' behaviour criticize my dog and my lack of training ... what a horrible experience. I deeply empathize with people who choose 'off times' so they never have to walk their dogs around other dogs or people...
Your methods are amazing. You changed the way I think about my dog. Unfortunately I fell into FF emotional manipulation and lost precious time of development of my dog tiptoeing around him and created stupid issues along the way aka dog reactivity. With your leash walking technique I got my dog to think before he reacts. Now I’m onto letting him meet as many random dogs as possible. He gets more and more comfortable and confident, his reactivity turned into curiosity and desire to experience and discover things. He has no problem with passing dogs going crazy at the fence. We still struggle with passing dogs on a walk on a narrow pavement, but getting there. Thanks to so many of Joel’s videos I know where the problem is - my mistakes. To all that are not sure about this. It ain’t looking pretty at first, but it’s worth it. It looks like the dog is on the ride to the worst trauma ever, but it’s not. That’s how dogs work
Oh how I wish I had found your channel when our boy was young!!! Our boy is so frantic 😔. He was bitten by 2 dogs (at 9 and 15 weeks, the first time by a dog on a retractable lead and the owner wasn't paying attention coming around a corner and the 2nd time a dog busted out a front door around some kids). I'm taking in as much information as I can from you about dogs with fear issues!!! Thank you for sharing!!!!
Totally! When you’re talking about how you want to let dogs out are more that are nervous & explore a little more that is spot on! It’s like that was horses to. You want a horse that is inquisitive, curious and thinking. You DON’T want a horse that is scared, nervous, being micromanaged by there human and and fight, flight or freeze mode. You want to encourage the curiosity.
You really give me hope that I can learn to help my Aussie. He had a bad experience with a large dog at 5 months ( was trying to play with my dog but essentially ended up feeling like he was being chased by a bear) and ever since he is so scared of dogs. Thank you so much
Such great modeling and sharing nuances and reasoning! I always appreciate how you show and offer how to customize the training to and for the dog. I like that you talked about letting the dog acclimate and assess. Thanks and heaps of best wishes!
This is an awesome video! I've never seen a session like this before. My GSD is nervous / territorial around other dogs especially in my neighborhood and this demo really helped me see where I should correct, and where to help guide her through her anxiety. I've definitely been too harsh and not balanced enough. Thank you, Joel.
I love your training methods, straight to the point, no-nonsense. I have a 3 year old German Shepherd who is leash reactive but it’s a work in progress for us both. We were attacked by a pit bull a little over a year ago and now him and I both have some PTSD when seeing other large dogs on our walks. Thank you for your content!! I am using your methods all the way in Texas!
Thank you for explaining just stopping and letting the dog take in the world on the loose leash! My dogs are much more calm sitting still looking at the other dog instead of trying to get them to keep walking. Joel you are a rare gem! 🐾❤️
This helped so much! I know my little one is slightly anxious, but it never came to my mind, not to be hardcore with corrections, especially with the correction of him, just exploring. Thanks a lot for the free insights you'Re giving to this community!
I'm glad you put this out today, I've been doing this with my dog, looks like Luna, she's also a German Shepherd and is also afraid of everything and is anxious. I wasn't sure if I was doing it right but Im seeing you walk luna and it encouraged me to keep doing what I was doing . Thank you for this video really helpful.😊
Joel your stopping pulling by having them calm down in the house and not letting them bolt out the door and standing back and side popping the leash was the BIGGEST help to my Aussie I had even got him a prong collar and he would still leave me. It wasn't until I tried this method of yours about a month ago that I saw a difference. Thank you so much ❤
This is a great video to watch to illustrate fear reactivity, our 7 month old female GSD is exactly the same way at the minute as the fear has kicked in an its like she is seeing everything differently! We keep taking her out an just letting her experience things at her pace but she will still freak out to most other dogs.We went on a pack walk at the weekend though with 35 other GSD's which she did fantastic on, even managed to get her to a point where she played with another dog. Which is the first time that she has done other than with our older male GSD
Some really helpful stuff in here for my pup turning 1 year old shortly. He gets weird little fearful bouts with skateboarders, cars on dirt roads, etc. Thanks!
This is great, my dog experiences the same kind of FEAR reactivity we are working on. I haven't seen anybody do videos on it, its great to learn and distinguish from such a different case.
THIS!! THIS here is EVERYTHING!!! What I think would be helpful for people is also highlighting the dogs body language that let you know how she was doing. EG.Hair standing up (which you mentioned), ears back, rear of mouth panting (that’s just what I saw on her) A truly excellent video, excited to try some of these tips so my dog is more comfortable.
Thank you SO much for this video it is the one I needed to support my 9 month old rescue, your explanation of why and how is spot on. You have shown me that I am doing the right thing with her and how to progress,she seems to be very much like Luna. More of this sort please x
Thank you for this video, this totally answered my question about “what if another dog is barking at your leash reactive dog?” We are not finding dogs so nice as the one you found. Thank you again!
Your videos are just so detailed and awesome. Most trainers just give a gist of how it is done when I watch any RUclips videos. But yours are so detailed keep it up. And best part your methods work. Just loving it.
I have to admit that the more that I watch your stuff, the more I respect and admire your insight. This is yet another vid of yours that reinforces that thought. Just to put it in perspective, I am 100% of the positive reinforcement "camp" and totally against aversive (or balanced / integrated or whatever the latest terminology may be). That does not stop me realising that each "camp" can still learn a lot from each other and where we can touch bases is that the majority of us want what is best for the dog so that it can have a happy and successful life.
More videos like this would be great. My dog has huge fear leash reactivity. Just the sight of another dog 50m away, or walking near a house where she knows a dog lives, and all the fur on her back stands up. If the other dog ignores her she's fine. If the dog looks at her she'll start trying to strain on the leash. If the other dog barks or tries to get to her she lunges. I've been having a lot of good progress with the 'stopping and decompressing' stuff you talked about. Sometimes her fur just stands up for no apparent reason and as soon as it does everything goes out the window and it's like she forgets I'm even there. She starts darting across the path, pulling to get to stuff she wants to sniff. Then we stop, I calm her, and she's a totally different dog afterwards. It's really hard to snap her out of the fear when another dog is around and as soon as she gets into that state all the training goes out the window. I've been trying the leash 'pop' correction you've explained but it's hard and feels cruel because she wants to listen to me, she's great at home, very responsive, listens to every command, but when she gets into that fear place it's all over. It feels like on top of being terrified I'm just adding stress to her with the corrections. She's a 30kg Bull Arab so definitely need to get these behaviors under control.
I have been using your method with my young pits anxiety and reactive. It’s is working! I’ve tried so many things. I can tell it’s not a one and done thing so we work at it a lot now but I’m enjoying walk more now
Thank you! I have a 9 month old dog and his leash reactivity could be a mix of things, thanks for giving me a plan for how to work with whatever portion of it that might be based in fear. It's always helpful to have examples for how to work with "softer" dogs too. Thank you!
This is the video I've been looking for ages for. Very few videos outline fear-based reactivity towards dogs on a leash (and I'm so grateful you did this with a female GSD). I have this exact same issue with my now 13 month old GSD, but she's been fearful and a submissive around dogs from 4months to now. Huge improvements from then to now - I always get discouraged when she does her GSD barks out of fear, but I need to step back and look at all the progress that's been made. This takes time effort, and a lot of patience on the owners part, but this video is helping me not to get discouraged just give my girl some time to desensitize to the world.
.....This video changed my life man!! After watching this video, I used all of these methods before walking my high energetic stubborn huskador. When I say night and day opposed to what he was used to!!!...I mean my arm doesn't hurt anymore from walking him, and I feel much more in control now. What really helped me was seeing Joel retrain a regular dog owner having the same issues as most have. I mean these methods are 15 mins old to me and we still have some ways to go, but at least I know that I'm not training 4 legged son the wrong way. Big ups Joel!!
This is the most useful video for me personally. I have a fear reactive St. Pyrenees who is reactive on leash. I have found that I need to be softer and that the best thing is to set him up to realize what he is scared of isn't actually scary. After that he is fine. The funniest reaction I've had is barking at an empty bag of McDonald's 🤣
Absolutely awesome video. Honestly. I'm won over. Explains what's happening, explains what to do. Directly cuts to the chase. I'm assuming no different than what a pack of dogs would do if they were over it.
Thank you so much for this video. My new rescue dog is like this. I know he is not aggressive despite his report which would suggest otherwise. Like this dog he has had no opportunity to socialise or learn. I love this channel! So much common sense about how to manage our dogs so they are safe to be around other people and dogs. My dog learns quickly but has selective hearing and the constant feeding of treats just won't work. These are such effective, realistic and achievable methods. Thanks and please keep doing these fantastic videos.
I have a 4 year old leash reactive Dutch shepherd. He has been to training a couple of different times but still reactive to other dogs. Yesterday and today I loose leashed walked him, following your methods, and he stayed by my side 2 of the 3 times we were near other dogs. I’m thrilled! Thanks so much for your videos. We both needed your insight and training methods. I hope to take him hiking with me again.
This was top notch Joel, really great content with Luna. This really shows, that if you can be clever on your walks to seek out good dogs & work with your dog creatively & organically it makes the most impact. If neighbors open their door to give you the "are you a weirdo" look, I just say "you have such a good dog, I'm hoping it rubs off on mine. How'd you do it?" You never know, it might open more doors. What better time to make new connections!
Oh my goodness this is exactly what I have been needing!! Thank thank thank you!! I have been working with my shepard dog since I rescued him from being lost way up a mountain side in the prickle bushes. He amazed me from the first instance by following the sound of my voice to find his way out. I thought, I got a smart one here!! Fast forward to now at 7 months he knows the basics but two things.. being in the mountains he just wants to smell everything as the scents of nature is so very intriguing (can't blame him, we all love it too) so that means pulling on the leash. I have been training that but this your method speaks to me... I will start first thing in the morning for our walk.. My goal is to be able to walk him off leash and have him come everytime I call no matter what!! I feel enormously lucky to have found you. Thank you for doing this amazing video!! Bless up
I’ve been utilizing several of your methods. Especially the exiting the house. This has helped tremendously. She was fearful as she as not exposed to anything for over 6 yrs. But she still flips out at other dogs.
Great dog to be used as an example. 6:00-such good leash advice I have to remind myself on daily. Btw my 11 month old dog is doing so well thanks for all the helpful videos!
I need to watch this one again but my pit is similar age and of course similar issue, your videos are always spot on. The one thing with my dog is I try the hip flip and for the most part he ignores it and his face never turns, occasionally he'll get it so maybe its the stuff before we get there that needs more work on those times I just havne't figured it out yet. Either way its another great video showing me exactly what I can do to help me do better for my dog.
I'm in for an answer ro your question. We just got a 1 1/2 year old 100# chocolate lab who is absolutely terrible with other dogs and he is really good at ignoring me too regardless of hip flip or super harsh leash pop corrections.
@@mysiflyby I feel like its mostly about me having patience with my dog and I have to work on more of the random stops like he did at the end of his driveway. I also go back and forth with taking him on walks with a gentle leader to help him understand when I'm correcting him its for him to look my way and he has started checking in more when not on the gentle leader. We have so many squirrels and a couple neighbors that either have dogs free in their yard who cross the street to try and bark at us on our walks or we have one that has an electric fence so I try to get multiple passes on that one if I can because I know those dogs can't roll up to us and it helps my dog look but not go after them just because they bark at us.
I hadn't heard this before, but sort of figured this out on my own. So I like hearing this as it reinforces my dog paying attention to me and encouraging him to manage his energy.
Your videos are so educational. You are well spoken when trying to get your key points across. I appreciate how you stress and repeat key corrections to dogs specific issues. Also like addressing the common problems expected during age ranges and the intensity of correction required. Any hope or suggestions for training older dogs?
Great example Joel!! Interesting to see…my young dog is very bossy but (fortunately I suppose!) foe wildly friendly play and attention, not fear or aggression. So it’s good to see how your methods for handling varies for a case that’s not straight aggression!
I wouldn’t have believed it if I didn’t do it see it for myself. My 35 lb border collie who I run with three other pups is like a Mac truck… I swear she could win any tractor pulling contest. She ignores other dogs while running because she is so so so focused on running as fast as possible…. She would wear a “no pull” harness which was a joke except she wouldn’t choke herself out… I used the gentle leader today… and except for having a little adjustment on my part, she was patient.. struggled a bit but was more interested in the hot dog bits… I did the loose walk and if she “hit the end of the leash” I corrected and turned…that took me a minute, but she got it! She got it… after the couple of corrections she was looking at me rather than the world she wanted to get to… walked beside or behind me consistently for 20 minutes or so… did sit stay commands in a corner with eyes glued to me… I feel like it’s a dream! And that it was just her joking with me … I’ll work with her alone for the next week walking and running and then add the other pups for a run..we have only been doing off leash at the dog park because I was afraid to be pulled down… by a 35lb pup! She is that strong…I live in walking distance and would run just praying that I didn’t trip… “ I’d get looks from EVERYONE!” “ who’s running who?” I’d hear… I know this is long but I am amazed! I’m working with a behaviorist for my “household dog” aggression from my cattle pup. That’s going well and I have applied your “I’m the boss” attitude without letting my emotions get in the way. I am learning to trust my pups that they can and want to do “the right thing”! Thanks so much!!!
She’s so stinkin cute! I feel for these scared dogs… I’ve never had a dog go through a fear period or be anxious. Maybe a little ADHD lol, but not nervous or scared. Ur awesome Joel, how you know to be understanding with scaredy dogs🥺💕
Ok so my Luna looks exactly, I mean exactly like this dog. She was fearful too about 10-12 months. She is much better now (with me, but hubby still hasn’t figured he’s the boss of her). Luna is now 16 months old. I use your technique when we go out the door. Works wonders. She is also hardheaded and liked to blow me off when I would tell her to come. Started using your technique of going to get her and bringing her back to where I want her to be. After a couple of times she “felt the energy” in my arm and figured I was nit playing. Not completely fixed but on her way to being a great dog. Thanks for the tips.
Thank you for mentioning her fear stage. I had never heard of that! My 12 month old pitbull/lab mix suddenly began to stop two houses down during our walk and refuses to go any further. If I try to make him, he lies down and shows fear. So we start home and he runs home like a madman. He also seems afraid to retrieve his toys when I throw them in the kitchen. He just won't do it. I'm hoping this is from the fear stage (which I googled and seems to fit his behavior). Anyway, thanks for mentioning it-I was really beginning to be concerned.
This is totally our dog, Wyatt. We got him at about 8 months and he's a little over a year now. He was a rescue and was on the street as a pup, in a shelter from about 6 months prior, and was scared of people and dogs when we first got him. He used to pull like crazy from being scared and anxious but now with time, more walks, socialization, and these few tips he's come a long way and is about at the speed of this dog now. I let him lead like that most of the time because he's most comfortable there and will not pull but will walk slowly and check in every now and then. Luna's reactions reminds me a lot of him and I can only see him getting better.
Great video. I have an amstaff that is the same way. He’s 9mo now and gets nervous and anxious on walks specially when he sees other dogs. This helps. Thanks you. Hope you can make more of these.
I have a rescue black mouth cur, not sure of age or history but the vet thinks she is between 3 and 4 yrs. She seems to be very sheltered and has had no socialization. We have gotten past the fear of people for the most part but dogs are by far the hardest thing for her. I use all your loose leash methods and it has helped a lot. This video is close to what I am dealing with except when she sees another dog she barks and DOES NOT STOP. The only thing that seems to work is to really widen the distance between them. The closer she gets to another dog the worse the barking and it even changes from a Yelp to a deep throated aggressive bark. I have taken her almost daily to big parks to just let her see other animals, once a week to a class where there are many other dogs and we are the ones who have to stay 50+ft away or she goes crazy. Please please please make a video about this! She is an exceptional dog otherwise and I want to help her get past this.
Fully understand what you are going through, have a rescue two year old wire haired german pointer. Taken six months just to get him to be able to see another dog without flipping out. Working with him in safe environments ( no distractions ) teaching him not to leave and also a lot of fun engagement work ( toys, sticks, funny noises!) have made him finally able to view another dog and have a greatly decreased reaction. He still wants to but the training kicks in an I am able to engage him enough that we can walk away. It's tough but he's mine and we'll keep working for as long as it takes. Don't give up, you'll get there I'm sure.
@@nailsb2119 thank you for the encouragement! I want to use Beckman's methods by first using a chain link fence, then progress to a muzzle and leash when she seems to get it. But I am hoping he will read this and maybe give some more tips to add, especially just helping her to not bark obsessively and make my neighbors hate me lol. He talks about how it can be instinctual and you cant harshly correct it, and I believe this to be the case with her. I can put her in a sit/stay and she will continue to bark while looking all different directions as if a switch got turned on and she is powerless to turn it off.
Luna is just like our boy so this was really helpful. He is 4 but before coming to us a year ago, he hardly saw the outside world so everything and everyone is scary for him. Seen a great improvement to last year but understanding his nervousness more really helps and must master the butt flip!
So I have a 6 month old dog and we adopted him at 2 months and some change at the end of Dec last year. Foster did amazing, had him crate trained and potty trained as well as socialized with dogs. We're thinking there's a mix with German shepherd, malinois, and collie. He's incredibly smart. We can go through home depot, home good, Michael's, and petsmart. He does great in all of those places. However one thing I've noticed is more of the fear like in this video. I actually have been working with him doing very short block or two walks just to set us up for success. I watched this, went and grabbed the leash and did a few corrections on our block. I realized I needed to go slower and give him more time. He's very food motivated but I had to hardly drop any food with your method.
I have two 9 month old husky girls, one is overly confident on her walks in which I struggle when she pulls and the other is a little more timid and has trouble socializing with people and dogs, as much as I wanna put them under training I can't afford for it at the moment but I have been using some of your methods and has help a little along the way.
Great video! Thanks Joel for posting! I frequently encounter dogs behind fences that don’t settle down while my Rosie wants to sit and stare at them. I also don’t approach the fence of those dogs bc i don’t know the owners. I am unsure about how to handle that particular situation. We usually just move on.
Just a thought, I know that you are not doing this, but it made me think a little bit. I wouldn't recommend bringing your dog up to someone else's fence to meet their dog. You don't know what they are dealing with on the other side. I have a dog that's fence reactive and if someone brought their dog up to my fence without me knowing and it being in a controlled situation, let's just say I would be very upset. Too much to post here, but Joel it might be something worth speaking too! I know it would be great for all of us to get more time around other dogs, but going up to people's fences without them being right there and aware might not be a great idea. Actually why I am here, I had a fence reactive dog that wasn't trained as well as she should have been. I know that now. Dog on the other side of the fence caused a fight between her and my smaller, older dog. It was a horrific tragic event that I know none of us following this channel would ever want to see happen with dogs in the neighborhood we might want to 'use' for our own training!
@@asp1213 thank you for sharing your thoughts and I’d have to agree with you on not approaching for reasons you mentioned. I’m sorry to read about your horrific encounter. I certainly don’t want anything like that to happen to my or someone else’s dog.
@@dianna9283 it's really tough trying to find the dogs to get your dog around right? Sigh. Joel gets it, he mentions it a lot, that people come to him just for that access. God knows I would too if he wasn't on the other side of the US!
@@asp1213 I agree! I have a Rottie who is a sweetheart and trained but bc of her reputation, people are very leery. I too wish there was a place like Joel’s to get my dog with others in a controlled environmental off leash or one where I live!
we have one leash reactive (too excitable, some guarding) and one fear reactive who we adopted a month ago. He can play with other dogs, but is a bit of a nervous Nellie at times. He def feeds off the reactivity of our other dog, so I’m actively working with that one (while he walks loose leash, he wasn’t always checking in, which meant he’d lunge & not pay any attention to us when seeing a dog) using your quick pop method which is working great, thank you. And I’m actively working the same with the other (though not quite as strict, since he’s more fear, just want to make sure he understands he needs to pay attention to me so he doesn’t get into danger like the street..he’s learning fast!). I do have to walk them separately for now, or they feed off each other’s energy & reactivity & it’s like I’ve got 2 sled dogs. The hardest part is our newer dog is 60 pounds and I can barely hold onto him if he lunges, so getting this stuff sorted is top priority
Thank you so much for this video. I rescued Daisy 3 weeks ago and she was so afraid of everything. She is part Sheppard and has that same bark. She barks from fear and because of her bark she sounds mean but she isn't.
Love these videos. We have a 8 year old rescue that’s fearful but it may be from abuse according to our vet and other trainers. I started easing off the corrections because I felt bad if he does have ptsd.
Hmm maybe there is some Caesar Milan you could watch. Corrections are not abuse and they can actually make a dog feel comfortable because they know you are in control therefore they can relax, as well as letting them know what’s expected in the situation. It can cause anxiety for people too when they don’t know what’s expected
Joel - How can you really be sure whether it is fear reactivity or simply leash reactivity? Our GSD can play all day long off leash but on leash he seems very anxious. He does seem to be a lot better with verbal inflection and encouragement when he gets uncomfortable on leash so we are trying not to be hardcore with him when he goes over threshold.
My Great Dane was like that on his leash at first and all it was was that he wasn’t sure what he should be doing. Once he figured out that the leash meant “follow my lead” he was totally comfortable. It’s possible that you might not be giving your dog clear enough signals to let him know what you want from him. Body language, voice commands, tone…all of that makes a difference. Hope that helps. Just sharing my thoughts that came from reading your comment.
YES! I'd love to hear advice too on how to tell if it's fear reactivity or just leash reactivity. I honestly feel like my dog displays characteristics of both.....
Thank you so much Joel! This is exactly what my 4 month old GSD does! We haven't had him around too many dogs (just based on circumstances and our living arrangements) but we're working on getting him around more and more. It's good to see how to handle when he does the typical GSD bark, as you call it. It's uncanny how similar he and Luna are just watching their body language. He is great with people now, just need to work with dogs. Can dogs be in a fear period at 16 weeks? He just seems overly stimulated/fearful lately, like he'll bark once or twice if he hears trees rustle in the yard, or sees the trash can at the end of the driveway.
I have been practicing all of your methods with my two pits. Today I called "Josie Come!" In the backyard. Josie, who is fence and leash reactive, started to come to me. Suddenly a little dog barked, not far away. Seriously her whole body jolted like an electric shock when that dog barked. She turned her head, but continued to come to me. Absolutely amazing. She got a lot of love at the finish of that recall. Your methods (and I'll give myself some credit for time and effort) are literally changing our lives for the better!
👍👍👍👍
Great to hear- similar experience here. I used to describe it as an electric charge that would run through him upon hearing another dog bark. From that point on I would basically have no control over him because he would launch into full tactical alert. In six months he has gotten so much better- he still looks around but he doesn't go out of control anymore like before.
Many, many congrats ... you can relax and really enjoy your dog.... very proud moment 👏 ❤ 😊
Give yourself all the credit you deserve! You're doing the work. 👍
Of course, Joel helped a bit. 😊
I know! Isn’t it amazing? I had never had a dog from a puppy and I pretty much adopted 1plus yr old pups that luckily seemed pre-trained… at least good enough for me… I always thought that being extremely well trained took a long time and required a trainer whom I’d have to pay thousands of dollars to, I did hire trainers for each of my 5 pups ( one passed so I have 4 now) when a specific issue would arise, and it worked, but I didn’t gain the confidence or learn any techniques that I thought I could do. With Joel’s techniques I can now get all four pups to sit and wait while the door is open, the. Sit at the gate open till I tell them to go. They used to just bolt out the door, jump up onto the fence gate and go crazy running up to the car…. It took me three days, actually on the third day all I had to do was start the hand motion to back up and they scrambled to do that! And I could open the door and they didn’t move… it blew my mind! And the gentle leader for my collie… wow… that was a miracle to say the least. It’s so much more fun, and I loved running or walking my dogs anyway, but that edge of stress that I didn’t feel completely in control is gone… the other day at the dog park someone even said “wow, your pups won’t take their eyes off you!” I had come running down a hill to the river and instead of running into the river, they stopped with me until I told them to go… that they did all by themselves… I never made them stop before. Crazy smart… I can feel how happy you are in your comment… and I ditto that feeling😊
Your "pause at the door" method really helped us today. Our front door was left open by mistake and our 2 huskies that were trained to pause at the front door did NOT bolt out. They just stood there looking out. Your methods really work. Need to work on our Golden though - she merrily walked out. THANK YOU.
Your comment made me chuckle 😆
Great visual- the huskies waited and the Golden sauntered out! Good job 👍
Golden merrily says yay open door! See ya!
I wish my two huskies would do that. I shall start practicing.👍
This was a great example of balanced training, especially with a dog that's not yet an adult. I haven't seen a demonstration quite like this, in any of your videos thus far!!!
People, stop wasting your time and just follow what Joel is saying to help you, help your dogs. This guy has got dogs figured out. I like all his recommendations mostly “loose leash walking”! I have been using a lot of his techniques before I saw Joel on RUclips, his techniques WORK!
There is nothing worse than a misbehaving dog, or child…. Dogs are like kids, they want to see how much they can “get away” with, before they are corrected. If I communicate effectively with my 65 mix breed, he knows what’s expected of him and 95% of the time is great. Thanks Joel!
This looks exactly like my dog’s behaviour. Thank you! I was trying to figure it out.. this sheds some light.
Love this video! My dog is definitely a better dog when we walk....still reactive to other dogs but not as bad as before :) I also talked to my dog just like Joel when he did good thing on leash...I know a lot of people on the streets did look at me like "what up with this woman?!" But I don't care! I want my dog to be a good dog!!!!!
I also do the same talk to my dog! This is cool thing, my friend!
Oh my gosh! This is so helpful! My Catahoula is eleven months old I'm dealing with exactly this. I have been to harsh, too exact, I will back off a bit. Seeing how you deal with an outburst and work to get things relaxed and let the dog decompress after is so very helpful. I see also that, for now, I need to set up for success and not get in situations where our proximity is too close to start, to work up closer. This will help my fearful girl. Thanks.
This video is so helpful for working on fear reactivity with my dog. With your methods we went from intense reactivity to peaceful walks with no reactions in just a couple weeks! Thanks Joel! It would be so great to hear your advice for fence reactivity as well.
Other than having a flawless 100% recall, I would love to hear Joel's advice on fence reactivity!
This vid helps me SO much. I need to stay sensitive to the fear period
that my 9-month GSD is in. She is like Luna, slightly nervous, on "alert"
all the time, to everything within 360 degrees of all of her senses.
"This dog needs latitude." I so needed to hear that, and will remember it.
Thank you.
One of the bestest videos so far in my opinion! You are simply a master in reading the needs of the individual dogs! 👏👏👏 Brilliant! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Really helpful with fear/anxious mixed in w/ reactivity. More please:)
Great video. I still have a tough time with leash reactivity from nervousness/anxiety and it feels embarrassing when we're in public. We keep working on it using your methods and we've had successes, but this morning I had some smug dog owner with an off-leash dog who had 'perfect' behaviour criticize my dog and my lack of training ... what a horrible experience. I deeply empathize with people who choose 'off times' so they never have to walk their dogs around other dogs or people...
I loved the "this a meet-more-dogs reactivity". Going through exactly this with my 3mo gsd. Great insight.
Your methods are amazing. You changed the way I think about my dog. Unfortunately I fell into FF emotional manipulation and lost precious time of development of my dog tiptoeing around him and created stupid issues along the way aka dog reactivity. With your leash walking technique I got my dog to think before he reacts. Now I’m onto letting him meet as many random dogs as possible. He gets more and more comfortable and confident, his reactivity turned into curiosity and desire to experience and discover things. He has no problem with passing dogs going crazy at the fence. We still struggle with passing dogs on a walk on a narrow pavement, but getting there. Thanks to so many of Joel’s videos I know where the problem is - my mistakes.
To all that are not sure about this. It ain’t looking pretty at first, but it’s worth it. It looks like the dog is on the ride to the worst trauma ever, but it’s not. That’s how dogs work
@ Ewa Starosta great comment!
I so love and look forward to your videos! I feel like I am in school learning how to be the best owner to my pup! Thank you for continuing to post!
This channel is growing so rapidly!
Makes me happy 😊
If he is on that same walk again and he says he doesn't remember that dogs name.
Carly wrote: It's Chester! Lol
@@User7688.--_ haha lol ikr!!?? 😆😂
He cracks me up
Oh how I wish I had found your channel when our boy was young!!! Our boy is so frantic 😔. He was bitten by 2 dogs (at 9 and 15 weeks, the first time by a dog on a retractable lead and the owner wasn't paying attention coming around a corner and the 2nd time a dog busted out a front door around some kids). I'm taking in as much information as I can from you about dogs with fear issues!!! Thank you for sharing!!!!
GSD are very alert to their surroundings and extremely smart which makes them great SAR dogs. I like your butt tap move and the long lead.
Totally! When you’re talking about how you want to let dogs out are more that are nervous & explore a little more that is spot on! It’s like that was horses to. You want a horse that is inquisitive, curious and thinking. You DON’T want a horse that is scared, nervous, being micromanaged by there human and and fight, flight or freeze mode. You want to encourage the curiosity.
Everyone is his favorite person
You really give me hope that I can learn to help my Aussie. He had a bad experience with a large dog at 5 months ( was trying to play with my dog but essentially ended up feeling like he was being chased by a bear) and ever since he is so scared of dogs. Thank you so much
I liked what you said about the nervous system. Very helpful.
Such great modeling and sharing nuances and reasoning! I always appreciate how you show and offer how to customize the training to and for the dog. I like that you talked about letting the dog acclimate and assess. Thanks and heaps of best wishes!
This is an awesome video! I've never seen a session like this before. My GSD is nervous / territorial around other dogs especially in my neighborhood and this demo really helped me see where I should correct, and where to help guide her through her anxiety. I've definitely been too harsh and not balanced enough. Thank you, Joel.
Me tooo! The main things I always learn is to have more patience. It's work. It's to set everyone up for success
Thanks for posting. She's the same of my 6 month Border Collie.
I love your training methods, straight to the point, no-nonsense.
I have a 3 year old German Shepherd who is leash reactive but it’s a work in progress for us both. We were attacked by a pit bull a little over a year ago and now him and I both have some PTSD when seeing other large dogs on our walks.
Thank you for your content!! I am using your methods all the way in Texas!
Thank you for explaining just stopping and letting the dog take in the world on the loose leash! My dogs are much more calm sitting still looking at the other dog instead of trying to get them to keep walking. Joel you are a rare gem! 🐾❤️
This helped so much! I know my little one is slightly anxious, but it never came to my mind, not to be hardcore with corrections, especially with the correction of him, just exploring. Thanks a lot for the free insights you'Re giving to this community!
Thank you for another really good video. I can’t wait to try this with my dog and dealing with random dogs behind fences in our neighborhood
I'm glad you put this out today, I've been doing this with my dog, looks like Luna, she's also a German Shepherd and is also afraid of everything and is anxious. I wasn't sure if I was doing it right but Im seeing you walk luna and it encouraged me to keep doing what I was doing . Thank you for this video really helpful.😊
Joel your stopping pulling by having them calm down in the house and not letting them bolt out the door and standing back and side popping the leash was the BIGGEST help to my Aussie I had even got him a prong collar and he would still leave me. It wasn't until I tried this method of yours about a month ago that I saw a difference. Thank you so much ❤
This is a great video to watch to illustrate fear reactivity, our 7 month old female GSD is exactly the same way at the minute as the fear has kicked in an its like she is seeing everything differently! We keep taking her out an just letting her experience things at her pace but she will still freak out to most other dogs.We went on a pack walk at the weekend though with 35 other GSD's which she did fantastic on, even managed to get her to a point where she played with another dog. Which is the first time that she has done other than with our older male GSD
Some really helpful stuff in here for my pup turning 1 year old shortly. He gets weird little fearful bouts with skateboarders, cars on dirt roads, etc. Thanks!
Awwww excellent video Joel. Im at this stage and the orientation thoughts are brilliant, Thankyou.
This is great, my dog experiences the same kind of FEAR reactivity we are working on. I haven't seen anybody do videos on it, its great to learn and distinguish from such a different case.
I learn from your videos every day. Thank you Joel!
So much value in just one video thank you, you’re doing a great service for people out here
THIS!! THIS here is EVERYTHING!!!
What I think would be helpful for people is also highlighting the dogs body language that let you know how she was doing.
EG.Hair standing up (which you mentioned), ears back, rear of mouth panting (that’s just what I saw on her)
A truly excellent video, excited to try some of these tips so my dog is more comfortable.
Thank you SO much for this video it is the one I needed to support my 9 month old rescue, your explanation of why and how is spot on. You have shown me that I am doing the right thing with her and how to progress,she seems to be very much like Luna. More of this sort please x
Thank you for this video, this totally answered my question about “what if another dog is barking at your leash reactive dog?” We are not finding dogs so nice as the one you found. Thank you again!
This is the perfect video for me.
My dogs only 6 months and does exactly this. Thank you for emphasizing patience w my nervous/fearful dog
Your videos are just so detailed and awesome. Most trainers just give a gist of how it is done when I watch any RUclips videos. But yours are so detailed keep it up. And best part your methods work. Just loving it.
I have to admit that the more that I watch your stuff, the more I respect and admire your insight. This is yet another vid of yours that reinforces that thought. Just to put it in perspective, I am 100% of the positive reinforcement "camp" and totally against aversive (or balanced / integrated or whatever the latest terminology may be). That does not stop me realising that each "camp" can still learn a lot from each other and where we can touch bases is that the majority of us want what is best for the dog so that it can have a happy and successful life.
More videos like this would be great. My dog has huge fear leash reactivity. Just the sight of another dog 50m away, or walking near a house where she knows a dog lives, and all the fur on her back stands up. If the other dog ignores her she's fine. If the dog looks at her she'll start trying to strain on the leash. If the other dog barks or tries to get to her she lunges. I've been having a lot of good progress with the 'stopping and decompressing' stuff you talked about. Sometimes her fur just stands up for no apparent reason and as soon as it does everything goes out the window and it's like she forgets I'm even there. She starts darting across the path, pulling to get to stuff she wants to sniff. Then we stop, I calm her, and she's a totally different dog afterwards. It's really hard to snap her out of the fear when another dog is around and as soon as she gets into that state all the training goes out the window. I've been trying the leash 'pop' correction you've explained but it's hard and feels cruel because she wants to listen to me, she's great at home, very responsive, listens to every command, but when she gets into that fear place it's all over. It feels like on top of being terrified I'm just adding stress to her with the corrections. She's a 30kg Bull Arab so definitely need to get these behaviors under control.
Just think of the leash pop as a help for your dog to focus on you.
Instead of shouting like with a child a dog needs non-verbal cues.
@@FutureChaosTV this: a leash pop is like a non verbal "hey! Pay attention!" to your dog. You're not hurting them, only startling.
Really impressive work Joel. I so wish I had your videos to help me when I got my dog 12 years ago. He would have been so much more settled.
I have been using your method with my young pits anxiety and reactive. It’s is working! I’ve tried so many things. I can tell it’s not a one and done thing so we work at it a lot now but I’m enjoying walk more now
Thank you! I have a 9 month old dog and his leash reactivity could be a mix of things, thanks for giving me a plan for how to work with whatever portion of it that might be based in fear. It's always helpful to have examples for how to work with "softer" dogs too. Thank you!
This was a good one for the younger dog and fear periods. 👏🏻
This is the video I've been looking for ages for. Very few videos outline fear-based reactivity towards dogs on a leash (and I'm so grateful you did this with a female GSD). I have this exact same issue with my now 13 month old GSD, but she's been fearful and a submissive around dogs from 4months to now. Huge improvements from then to now - I always get discouraged when she does her GSD barks out of fear, but I need to step back and look at all the progress that's been made. This takes time effort, and a lot of patience on the owners part, but this video is helping me not to get discouraged just give my girl some time to desensitize to the world.
.....This video changed my life man!! After watching this video, I used all of these methods before walking my high energetic stubborn huskador. When I say night and day opposed to what he was used to!!!...I mean my arm doesn't hurt anymore from walking him, and I feel much more in control now.
What really helped me was seeing Joel retrain a regular dog owner having the same issues as most have. I mean these methods are 15 mins old to me and we still have some ways to go, but at least I know that I'm not training 4 legged son the wrong way. Big ups Joel!!
This is the most useful video for me personally. I have a fear reactive St. Pyrenees who is reactive on leash. I have found that I need to be softer and that the best thing is to set him up to realize what he is scared of isn't actually scary. After that he is fine. The funniest reaction I've had is barking at an empty bag of McDonald's 🤣
Absolutely awesome video.
Honestly. I'm won over.
Explains what's happening, explains what to do. Directly cuts to the chase. I'm assuming no different than what a pack of dogs would do if they were over it.
Amazing. You are changing my life with my dogs. Thank you.
Thank you so much for this video. My new rescue dog is like this. I know he is not aggressive despite his report which would suggest otherwise. Like this dog he has had no opportunity to socialise or learn. I love this channel! So much common sense about how to manage our dogs so they are safe to be around other people and dogs. My dog learns quickly but has selective hearing and the constant feeding of treats just won't work. These are such effective, realistic and achievable methods. Thanks and please keep doing these fantastic videos.
I have a 4 year old leash reactive Dutch shepherd. He has been to training a couple of different times but still reactive to other dogs. Yesterday and today I loose leashed walked him, following your methods, and he stayed by my side 2 of the 3 times we were near other dogs. I’m thrilled! Thanks so much for your videos. We both needed your insight and training methods. I hope to take him hiking with me again.
Thank you! This is just what we need right now. 😊 So grateful for your insights and methods.
This was top notch Joel, really great content with Luna. This really shows, that if you can be clever on your walks to seek out good dogs & work with your dog creatively & organically it makes the most impact.
If neighbors open their door to give you the "are you a weirdo" look, I just say "you have such a good dog, I'm hoping it rubs off on mine. How'd you do it?"
You never know, it might open more doors. What better time to make new connections!
Love the response to the owner! 👆
I sure wish I had your training 6 dogs ago....... Thanks again and again.
Excellent video(as usual) Thank you for posting (UK) 😊
Oh my goodness this is exactly what I have been needing!! Thank thank thank you!! I have been working with my shepard dog since I rescued him from being lost way up a mountain side in the prickle bushes. He amazed me from the first instance by following the sound of my voice to find his way out. I thought, I got a smart one here!! Fast forward to now at 7 months he knows the basics but two things.. being in the mountains he just wants to smell everything as the scents of nature is so very intriguing (can't blame him, we all love it too) so that means pulling on the leash. I have been training that but this your method speaks to me... I will start first thing in the morning for our walk.. My goal is to be able to walk him off leash and have him come everytime I call no matter what!! I feel enormously lucky to have found you. Thank you for doing this amazing video!! Bless up
I’ve been utilizing several of your methods. Especially the exiting the house. This has helped tremendously. She was fearful as she as not exposed to anything for over 6 yrs. But she still flips out at other dogs.
Omg- I sound just like that with my dog meeting new dogs. ‘That’s your friend!’ , ‘he’s so good!’ With that puppy voice! Lol
Really enjoy this video!! It’s real and practical!! Thank you!!
One of your best videos Joel, thanks for sharing!
Great dog to be used as an example.
6:00-such good leash advice I have to remind myself on daily.
Btw my 11 month old dog is doing so well thanks for all the helpful videos!
I need to watch this one again but my pit is similar age and of course similar issue, your videos are always spot on. The one thing with my dog is I try the hip flip and for the most part he ignores it and his face never turns, occasionally he'll get it so maybe its the stuff before we get there that needs more work on those times I just havne't figured it out yet. Either way its another great video showing me exactly what I can do to help me do better for my dog.
I'm in for an answer ro your question. We just got a 1 1/2 year old 100# chocolate lab who is absolutely terrible with other dogs and he is really good at ignoring me too regardless of hip flip or super harsh leash pop corrections.
@@mysiflyby I feel like its mostly about me having patience with my dog and I have to work on more of the random stops like he did at the end of his driveway. I also go back and forth with taking him on walks with a gentle leader to help him understand when I'm correcting him its for him to look my way and he has started checking in more when not on the gentle leader. We have so many squirrels and a couple neighbors that either have dogs free in their yard who cross the street to try and bark at us on our walks or we have one that has an electric fence so I try to get multiple passes on that one if I can because I know those dogs can't roll up to us and it helps my dog look but not go after them just because they bark at us.
@@koloblician5330 you're right. I just need more repetitions with my dog.
I hadn't heard this before, but sort of figured this out on my own. So I like hearing this as it reinforces my dog paying attention to me and encouraging him to manage his energy.
I actually find it's worse with a GSD as they are hyper alert.
Great to see this - learning so much from your videos - thank you!
Your videos are so educational. You are well spoken when trying to get your key points across. I appreciate how you stress and repeat key corrections to dogs specific issues. Also like addressing the common problems expected during age ranges and the intensity of correction required.
Any hope or suggestions for training older dogs?
Great example Joel!! Interesting to see…my young dog is very bossy but (fortunately I suppose!) foe wildly friendly play and attention, not fear or aggression. So it’s good to see how your methods for handling varies for a case that’s not straight aggression!
I wouldn’t have believed it if I didn’t do it see it for myself. My 35 lb border collie who I run with three other pups is like a Mac truck… I swear she could win any tractor pulling contest. She ignores other dogs while running because she is so so so focused on running as fast as possible…. She would wear a “no pull” harness which was a joke except she wouldn’t choke herself out… I used the gentle leader today… and except for having a little adjustment on my part, she was patient.. struggled a bit but was more interested in the hot dog bits… I did the loose walk and if she “hit the end of the leash” I corrected and turned…that took me a minute, but she got it! She got it… after the couple of corrections she was looking at me rather than the world she wanted to get to… walked beside or behind me consistently for 20 minutes or so… did sit stay commands in a corner with eyes glued to me… I feel like it’s a dream! And that it was just her joking with me … I’ll work with her alone for the next week walking and running and then add the other pups for a run..we have only been doing off leash at the dog park because I was afraid to be pulled down… by a 35lb pup! She is that strong…I live in walking distance and would run just praying that I didn’t trip… “ I’d get looks from EVERYONE!” “ who’s running who?” I’d hear… I know this is long but I am amazed! I’m working with a behaviorist for my “household dog” aggression from my cattle pup. That’s going well and I have applied your “I’m the boss” attitude without letting my emotions get in the way. I am learning to trust my pups that they can and want to do “the right thing”! Thanks so much!!!
@Trix On Life 👏👏Congratulations! Good work ✨
She’s so stinkin cute! I feel for these scared dogs… I’ve never had a dog go through a fear period or be anxious. Maybe a little ADHD lol, but not nervous or scared. Ur awesome Joel, how you know to be understanding with scaredy dogs🥺💕
Another amazing video! Thanks Joel🐾❤️🐾
Ok so my Luna looks exactly, I mean exactly like this dog. She was fearful too about 10-12 months. She is much better now (with me, but hubby still hasn’t figured he’s the boss of her). Luna is now 16 months old. I use your technique when we go out the door. Works wonders. She is also hardheaded and liked to blow me off when I would tell her to come. Started using your technique of going to get her and bringing her back to where I want her to be. After a couple of times she “felt the energy” in my arm and figured I was nit playing. Not completely fixed but on her way to being a great dog. Thanks for the tips.
Thank you for mentioning her fear stage. I had never heard of that! My 12 month old pitbull/lab mix suddenly began to stop two houses down during our walk and refuses to go any further. If I try to make him, he lies down and shows fear. So we start home and he runs home like a madman. He also seems afraid to retrieve his toys when I throw them in the kitchen. He just won't do it. I'm hoping this is from the fear stage (which I googled and seems to fit his behavior). Anyway, thanks for mentioning it-I was really beginning to be concerned.
Yeahhh.....between 7-12 months, your dog is basically an awkward weird teenager going through all kinds of weird changes...
@@St3veWK Silly pooch!
This is totally our dog, Wyatt. We got him at about 8 months and he's a little over a year now. He was a rescue and was on the street as a pup, in a shelter from about 6 months prior, and was scared of people and dogs when we first got him. He used to pull like crazy from being scared and anxious but now with time, more walks, socialization, and these few tips he's come a long way and is about at the speed of this dog now. I let him lead like that most of the time because he's most comfortable there and will not pull but will walk slowly and check in every now and then. Luna's reactions reminds me a lot of him and I can only see him getting better.
Great video. I have an amstaff that is the same way. He’s 9mo now and gets nervous and anxious on walks specially when he sees other dogs. This helps. Thanks you. Hope you can make more of these.
Love watching you and your training.
I have a rescue black mouth cur, not sure of age or history but the vet thinks she is between 3 and 4 yrs. She seems to be very sheltered and has had no socialization. We have gotten past the fear of people for the most part but dogs are by far the hardest thing for her. I use all your loose leash methods and it has helped a lot. This video is close to what I am dealing with except when she sees another dog she barks and DOES NOT STOP. The only thing that seems to work is to really widen the distance between them. The closer she gets to another dog the worse the barking and it even changes from a Yelp to a deep throated aggressive bark. I have taken her almost daily to big parks to just let her see other animals, once a week to a class where there are many other dogs and we are the ones who have to stay 50+ft away or she goes crazy. Please please please make a video about this! She is an exceptional dog otherwise and I want to help her get past this.
Fully understand what you are going through, have a rescue two year old wire haired german pointer. Taken six months just to get him to be able to see another dog without flipping out. Working with him in safe environments ( no distractions ) teaching him not to leave and also a lot of fun engagement work ( toys, sticks, funny noises!) have made him finally able to view another dog and have a greatly decreased reaction. He still wants to but the training kicks in an I am able to engage him enough that we can walk away. It's tough but he's mine and we'll keep working for as long as it takes. Don't give up, you'll get there I'm sure.
@@nailsb2119 thank you for the encouragement! I want to use Beckman's methods by first using a chain link fence, then progress to a muzzle and leash when she seems to get it. But I am hoping he will read this and maybe give some more tips to add, especially just helping her to not bark obsessively and make my neighbors hate me lol. He talks about how it can be instinctual and you cant harshly correct it, and I believe this to be the case with her. I can put her in a sit/stay and she will continue to bark while looking all different directions as if a switch got turned on and she is powerless to turn it off.
Luna is just like our boy so this was really helpful. He is 4 but before coming to us a year ago, he hardly saw the outside world so everything and everyone is scary for him. Seen a great improvement to last year but understanding his nervousness more really helps and must master the butt flip!
Could we please have more of this and the different aspects/techniques of fear reactivity?
So I have a 6 month old dog and we adopted him at 2 months and some change at the end of Dec last year. Foster did amazing, had him crate trained and potty trained as well as socialized with dogs. We're thinking there's a mix with German shepherd, malinois, and collie. He's incredibly smart. We can go through home depot, home good, Michael's, and petsmart. He does great in all of those places. However one thing I've noticed is more of the fear like in this video. I actually have been working with him doing very short block or two walks just to set us up for success. I watched this, went and grabbed the leash and did a few corrections on our block. I realized I needed to go slower and give him more time. He's very food motivated but I had to hardly drop any food with your method.
Great video. Please show more videos about the 'Fear Stage'. You can't really find stuff like that anywhere. Please!
I have two 9 month old husky girls, one is overly confident on her walks in which I struggle when she pulls and the other is a little more timid and has trouble socializing with people and dogs, as much as I wanna put them under training I can't afford for it at the moment but I have been using some of your methods and has help a little along the way.
What you just did is something my trainer calls "stress innoculation." Very effective.
One of your best vids 🤩 Thanks a lot 🙏🏻
Great video! Thanks Joel for posting! I frequently encounter dogs behind fences that don’t settle down while my Rosie wants to sit and stare at them. I also don’t approach the fence of those dogs bc i don’t know the owners. I am unsure about how to handle that particular situation. We usually just move on.
Just a thought, I know that you are not doing this, but it made me think a little bit. I wouldn't recommend bringing your dog up to someone else's fence to meet their dog. You don't know what they are dealing with on the other side. I have a dog that's fence reactive and if someone brought their dog up to my fence without me knowing and it being in a controlled situation, let's just say I would be very upset. Too much to post here, but Joel it might be something worth speaking too! I know it would be great for all of us to get more time around other dogs, but going up to people's fences without them being right there and aware might not be a great idea. Actually why I am here, I had a fence reactive dog that wasn't trained as well as she should have been. I know that now. Dog on the other side of the fence caused a fight between her and my smaller, older dog. It was a horrific tragic event that I know none of us following this channel would ever want to see happen with dogs in the neighborhood we might want to 'use' for our own training!
@@asp1213 thank you for sharing your thoughts and I’d have to agree with you on not approaching for reasons you mentioned. I’m sorry to read about your horrific encounter. I certainly don’t want anything like that to happen to my or someone else’s dog.
@@dianna9283 it's really tough trying to find the dogs to get your dog around right? Sigh. Joel gets it, he mentions it a lot, that people come to him just for that access. God knows I would too if he wasn't on the other side of the US!
@@asp1213 I agree! I have a Rottie who is a sweetheart and trained but bc of her reputation, people are very leery. I too wish there was a place like Joel’s to get my dog with others in a controlled environmental off leash or one where I live!
The beginning of the walk raises concerns on the energy, the daily practice and routine of the owners... Good luck to them.
we have one leash reactive (too excitable, some guarding) and one fear reactive who we adopted a month ago. He can play with other dogs, but is a bit of a nervous Nellie at times. He def feeds off the reactivity of our other dog, so I’m actively working with that one (while he walks loose leash, he wasn’t always checking in, which meant he’d lunge & not pay any attention to us when seeing a dog) using your quick pop method which is working great, thank you. And I’m actively working the same with the other (though not quite as strict, since he’s more fear, just want to make sure he understands he needs to pay attention to me so he doesn’t get into danger like the street..he’s learning fast!). I do have to walk them separately for now, or they feed off each other’s energy & reactivity & it’s like I’ve got 2 sled dogs. The hardest part is our newer dog is 60 pounds and I can barely hold onto him if he lunges, so getting this stuff sorted is top priority
I'll be doing this today
Thank you!
Thank you so much for this video. I rescued Daisy 3 weeks ago and she was so afraid of everything. She is part Sheppard and has that same bark. She barks from fear and because of her bark she sounds mean but she isn't.
Same here, and my girl is also named Daisy, lol. Shepard husky X 💗
Did all that good stuff, Joel!
I have two German shepherds. My two-year-old male is just like Luna so this video is great for me
love your content! learning a lot. we have a 3 month old GS. You should do some videos on young puppy walks. 😊
Love these videos. We have a 8 year old rescue that’s fearful but it may be from abuse according to our vet and other trainers. I started easing off the corrections because I felt bad if he does have ptsd.
Hmm maybe there is some Caesar Milan you could watch. Corrections are not abuse and they can actually make a dog feel comfortable because they know you are in control therefore they can relax, as well as letting them know what’s expected in the situation. It can cause anxiety for people too when they don’t know what’s expected
Joel - How can you really be sure whether it is fear reactivity or simply leash reactivity? Our GSD can play all day long off leash but on leash he seems very anxious. He does seem to be a lot better with verbal inflection and encouragement when he gets uncomfortable on leash so we are trying not to be hardcore with him when he goes over threshold.
My Great Dane was like that on his leash at first and all it was was that he wasn’t sure what he should be doing. Once he figured out that the leash meant “follow my lead” he was totally comfortable. It’s possible that you might not be giving your dog clear enough signals to let him know what you want from him. Body language, voice commands, tone…all of that makes a difference. Hope that helps. Just sharing my thoughts that came from reading your comment.
YES! I'd love to hear advice too on how to tell if it's fear reactivity or just leash reactivity. I honestly feel like my dog displays characteristics of both.....
Your videos are awesome yessir
Thank you so much Joel! This is exactly what my 4 month old GSD does! We haven't had him around too many dogs (just based on circumstances and our living arrangements) but we're working on getting him around more and more. It's good to see how to handle when he does the typical GSD bark, as you call it. It's uncanny how similar he and Luna are just watching their body language. He is great with people now, just need to work with dogs.
Can dogs be in a fear period at 16 weeks? He just seems overly stimulated/fearful lately, like he'll bark once or twice if he hears trees rustle in the yard, or sees the trash can at the end of the driveway.
Fear periods are up to 16 weeks old....then a second fear period kicks in around 7 months. Basically the teen phase....
I have a female GSD just like that and in the same age... good exercises!
You're awesome! Thank you for all you do!