Here at Canine Kin, we specialise in canine behaviour and training; helping owners with reactivity and aggression. We help you spot the triggers and put measures in place to help reduce unwanted behaviour.
What exactly is dog reactivity though?
Reactivity is a result of our dogs feeling overwhelmed and is their way of coping with a situation.
This typically looks like this:
- Pulling on the lead
- Barking
- Screaming
- Lunging
- Whining
- Snapping
- Biting
Why do our dogs do this?
There are many reasons our dogs can react. This reaction will be driven by an intense emotion which is stressful. For example, our dogs may be scared – read more about understanding fear and anxiety in dogs.
Some examples of things that can trigger dog reactivity could be:
- Seeing dogs or people on walks
- Being left at home on their own
- Seeing a cat or small fluffy animal
Can canine aggression training combat reactivity?
Our one-to-one support and dog training classes in Evesham and the surrounding areas are delivered by our experienced dog behaviourist – also available online. We will assess what is driving your dog’s behaviour and build a bespoke plan to improve their behaviour.
What is stress?
Stress is our body’s reaction to pressure and our body will react to try and release that pressure. Take this balloon as an example:
As you can see, stress causes the balloon to fill. We have two types of stress: Positive and Negative.
We enjoy positive stress; we find it fun or exciting. This could be going on roller coasters or simply going to the pub or café with friends.
We find negative stress unsettling. For us, this could be going to the dentist while for our dogs this could be going to the vet.
As it is up to us what we find positive or negative our body will simply react to it all as stress.
What happens if the balloon keeps filling up?
If our stress keeps stacking up and up, we will eventually explode. This explosion is our mind desperately trying to release that pressure. This explosive behaviour that happens because of feeling overwhelmed is called aggression!
How do humans prevent this?
Something that we do, which is amazing, is we build daily habits to routinely empty our stress balloon. These activities are calming. Examples of calming activities we may use are:
- Meditation
- Yoga
- Going for a run
- Gym
- Going for a calming walk in nature
- Listening to music
- Watching TV
- Comfort eating
- Cuddling up to our dogs
But, my dog cannot do yoga – what about reactive dog training?
All these examples are great, but they do not apply to our dogs. Some calming activities that our dogs can do include:
- Chewing
- Ripping stuff up
- Barking
- Pulling on the lead
- Sniffing
- Being massaged
- Sleeping
It’s also worth considering support from a behaviourist, so your dog can stay calm and happy in every situation.
Want to know more?
If you would like to learn more about your dog and how I can help with reactivity training, be sure to book your behaviour support call with me by clicking the Discovery Call button below. You can see our range of support options in the Courses area of our website.
