Example: Barking when confined When you put your dog in their crate or in a gated room, turn your back and ignore them. Once they stop barking, turn around, praise them and give a treat. As they catch on that being quiet gets them a treat, lengthen the amount of time they must remain quiet before being rewarded.
Remember to start small by rewarding them for being quiet for just a few seconds, then work up to longer periods of quiet. Keep it fun by varying the amount of time.
Sometimes reward them after five seconds, then 12 seconds, then three seconds, then 20 seconds and so on. Desensitize your dog to the stimulus Gradually get your dog accustomed to whatever is causing them to bark.
Example: Barking at other dogs Have a friend with a dog stand out of sight or far enough away so your dog won't bark at the other dog. As your friend and their dog come into view, start feeding your dog treats. Stop feeding treats as soon as your friend and their dog disappear from view. Repeat the process multiple times. Remember not to try to progress too quickly as it may take days or weeks before your dog can pay attention to you and the treats without barking at the other dog.
The reason most dogs become reactive is down to one of two things:. They bark and lunge towards other dogs to try and make them move away or leave.
The fearful dog is reactive on-lead, and either reactive or very scared and avoidant when off the lead. Sometimes, your dog is fearful and frustrated. The best thing to do now is work on how to change it. It may be that particular breeds, sizes, or sexes of dog make your dog react more intensely. This helps you understand how to make your dog more comfortable.
Instead of seeking out other dogs, walk at quieter times in quieter places to avoid meeting other dogs up close. It's also important to avoid high-intensity exercise like playing with other dogs, doggy daycare, and fetch.
These kinds of activities are intense and often release adrenaline, which can make it harder for our dog to relax and make good choices. Try this for the next 2 weeks and see if you notice a change. You should find that this helps your dog de-stress, lowering their adrenaline and cortisol levels so that they can cope more easily when they next meet another dog. As much as they need physical stimulation in the form of walks and playtime, dogs also need mental stimulation to help them manage their emotions and calm down.
When your dog becomes comfortable at a given distance, you can try getting five feet closer. If you move too close too fast, you may see backsliding. Be patient. Since you will be using a lot of treats during this process, break the treats into tiny pea-size pieces. The rate at which you give your dog treats, not the size of the treat, is what matters.
Feed your dog one tiny piece after another, and remember to reduce what you give him for meals. Many people take their reactive dogs to dog parks or large daycare centers and believe that their dog loves to play and has no problems in these off-leash settings.
However, when dogs become overly aroused, chemicals adrenaline and cortisol are released into their bloodstream. Those chemicals were once needed for survival, but now only serve to amp up our dogs. Dogs can go from arousal to aggression in an instant. At dog parks and larger daycares, you also have all sorts of dogs with different play styles chasing, wrestling, body slamming, biting.
Not all these styles are compatible. So you have dogs that are highly aroused and highly likely to annoy each other. It is not uncommon for dogs that go to dog parks or large daycares to become more reactive elsewhere. The more often a dog is in a state of arousal, the less tolerance he has for the normal stresses of everyday life.
Look at our dog park handout for alternatives that will both exercise your dog and provide mental stimulation. Remember that dogs bark because it works.
So, if your dog reacts more on one day than another, it could be because he had to put up with more that day. Any or all of that can push your dog over the edge. So, be aware of what stresses your dog and try to help him. For example, if you walk past a dog that always seem to be outside barking, change your route.
Remember that your dog is not being reactive to show dominance or to spite you. Here are some ideas to help you and your dog relax more on walks. Be sure to use them frequently, not just when you see another dog.
Avoidance The easiest thing to do is, of course, to avoid other dogs. It basically inserts a pause between stimulus and response, so they can do more thoughtful behavior. She provides a neat analogy, explaining that BAT lowers a dogs arousal levels much like meditation does for humans. It makes sense that a calm dog will likely make better choices. A Certified BAT Instructor can provide further guidance on the subtleties of this training technique. They can sometimes even bring along calm dogs to create controlled initial setups.
The distance you start working from is also crucial. Expecting your dog to offer immediate calm behavior in close proximity to another dog is asking too much. The goal is to teach your dog that calm behavior around other dogs results in rewards. This might be yummy treats, a toy they love, or the opportunity to, ultimately, socialize with the other dog. Timing is everything. Whenever your dog is offering calm behavior when they have another dog in their sights, you should immediately reward them.
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