{"id":5583,"date":"2021-08-25T10:16:20","date_gmt":"2021-08-25T14:16:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/companyofanimals.us\/?p=5583"},"modified":"2023-10-17T05:10:34","modified_gmt":"2023-10-17T09:10:34","slug":"how-to-train-a-reactive-dog-on-leash","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/companyofanimals.com\/us\/how-to-train-a-reactive-dog-on-leash\/","title":{"rendered":"How to train a reactive dog on leash"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Coping with dog aggression can be difficult, especially when it\u2019s triggered by fear and nerves when out on a walk, so we have listed a few tips on how to make your situation easier and your walks more enjoyable. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If your dog is showing regular signs of aggression, it is important to understand your dog is not being \u2018naughty\u2019 and they do not<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> want<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to behave this way. The reaction will simply be because your dog does not know how to behave or cope with a situation where they feel fearful and perhaps threatened. This guide is designed to help you begin the journey towards a happier, more confident pet.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We would always recommend seeking professional advice before starting a new retraining routine, <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">especially when walking an aggressive dog<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. As with all behavioral issues, resolving it correctly without compromising trust takes time. Chances are that your dog did not develop the problem overnight so is unlikely to \u201cunlearn\u201d it overnight either. In reality, it is a process of managing the behavior and ensuring that all interactions are positive and at a level that your dog can cope with until they become more tolerant.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Whilst avoiding the scary situation all together will not resolve the issue; it will not be making it worse either, so it is best to avoid head-on scenarios until you are able to manage your dog\u2019s behavior effectively and your dog is better equipped to cope.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When starting out we would recommend you take steps to protect your dog, yourself, and others by simply saying \u201cno&#8221; to requests to meet your dog, equipping your dog with an \u201cI need space\u201d jacket or lead cover and introducing your dog to a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/companyofanimals.com\/uk\/brand\/baskerville\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Baskerville Muzzle<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> with plenty of positive reinforcement training at home. You can learn more about how to muzzle train here:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"How to Introduce Baskerville Ultra (Pre 2019 version)\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/1563seA5Njk?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It may also be worth keeping a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/companyofanimals.com\/uk\/brand\/pet-corrector\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pet Corrector<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> at hand on your walks to break up any altercations, injury, or emotional trauma.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If your pet\u2019s aggressive behavior is predominantly targeting other, intact males, it is worth considering neutering your dog. If there are no distinctions between the catalysts, then it will most likely be due to a territorial issue and needs to be <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">addressed <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">by a behaviorist.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s also important to remember that social skills are acquired, not assumed, or inherited and so, just as you can train a dog to be aggressive (guard dogs, police dogs etc.) you can untrain them. It simply takes time, patience, space, and positive reinforcement.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Expert tips for walking an aggressive dog:<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Telling off your dog will not help and may make the <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">aggressive<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> behavior worse!<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Teaching your dog to just be calm when leaving the house can go a long way to help you address other issues that may occur during a walk. If your dog is pulling, barking, or lunging as soon as you leave the house then the chances of them responding well to another dog or strange person are dramatically reduced.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Plan your journey. Take notes about what triggers your dog so you can think about how to retrain in a controlled manner and safe environment.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Take your time and take breaks. Distance is good, and duration can be short at first. You can, very gradually, get closer and stay longer when your dog starts to feel more comfortable.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Keep it positive. Rewarding calm behavior with high value treats, favorite toys and comforting praise will help your pet associate the scary \u201cthing\u201d with something they enjoy. It\u2019s important not to give the reward when aggression is occurring as this will reinforce that negative behavior.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Regularly rehearse your \u201csit\u201d and \u201cstay\u201d commands to ensure you have control and can calm your pet<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Coping with dog aggression can be difficult, especially when it\u2019s triggered by fear and nerves when out on a walk, so we have listed a few tips on how to make your situation easier and your walks more enjoyable. If your dog is showing regular signs of aggression, it is important to understand your dog [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":5585,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/companyofanimals.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5583"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/companyofanimals.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/companyofanimals.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/companyofanimals.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/companyofanimals.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5583"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/companyofanimals.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5583\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19803,"href":"https:\/\/companyofanimals.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5583\/revisions\/19803"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/companyofanimals.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5585"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/companyofanimals.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5583"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}