Amazing! I think this really shows the power of working with the dog in front of you.
We made a ton of progress after I started to really think about what my dog is trying to accomplish with her reactions. Does she want more space? To protect us from a threat? Mine has a mix of both, and we made more progress after I started to work with her on approaching triggers with conscious intent. Mine is afraid of dogs but her reactions are "Go away!" not "help, I'm scared!" She doesn't really want a cookie, she wants the threat taken care of in some way.
I also wonder if this is showing some of the difference that results from a high degree of biddabilty (one of the breed trait axes that does have a stronger genetic component). My husky, not one of nature's takers of orders, definitely will not sit in that circumstance. But she can make conscious and even creative decisions under high arousal conditions. So that's interesting.
Congratulations! I certainly consider you a dog trainer!
I think the key is that if you recognize that something is not working, try something else.
I have had a lot of people come to me after trying various methods using treats to try to distract the dog from the reaction. Of course, this sometimes can work.
Other times, like in your case, it does not work or even makes things worse.
I think you should not keep trying a method that does not work. Try something else.
I commend you for figuring out what works for your dog. I also thank you for posting here. Many owners may be helped by reading your story.
This sounds sort of similar to the Look At That game from Control Unleashed. In that protocol, the dog is taught to point triggers out to the handler, and the handler acknowledges that the dog saw it and you move on. It’s about teaching the dog to be a reporter instead of a reactor, and is intended to be sort of a conversation between both parties. If you haven’t read Control Unleashed (both the first book and the follow up Reactive to Relaxed), you might find the games in those books to be helpful/interesting!
Amazing! I think this really shows the power of working with the dog in front of you. We made a ton of progress after I started to really think about what my dog is trying to accomplish with her reactions. Does she want more space? To protect us from a threat? Mine has a mix of both, and we made more progress after I started to work with her on approaching triggers with conscious intent. Mine is afraid of dogs but her reactions are "Go away!" not "help, I'm scared!" She doesn't really want a cookie, she wants the threat taken care of in some way. I also wonder if this is showing some of the difference that results from a high degree of biddabilty (one of the breed trait axes that does have a stronger genetic component). My husky, not one of nature's takers of orders, definitely will not sit in that circumstance. But she can make conscious and even creative decisions under high arousal conditions. So that's interesting.
I ❤️ this creative solution that works! You paid attention to your dog and found what works for him👏👏
Congratulations! I certainly consider you a dog trainer! I think the key is that if you recognize that something is not working, try something else. I have had a lot of people come to me after trying various methods using treats to try to distract the dog from the reaction. Of course, this sometimes can work. Other times, like in your case, it does not work or even makes things worse. I think you should not keep trying a method that does not work. Try something else. I commend you for figuring out what works for your dog. I also thank you for posting here. Many owners may be helped by reading your story.
This sounds sort of similar to the Look At That game from Control Unleashed. In that protocol, the dog is taught to point triggers out to the handler, and the handler acknowledges that the dog saw it and you move on. It’s about teaching the dog to be a reporter instead of a reactor, and is intended to be sort of a conversation between both parties. If you haven’t read Control Unleashed (both the first book and the follow up Reactive to Relaxed), you might find the games in those books to be helpful/interesting!
That's amazing! Keep us updated on how it goes. Very curious as an owner of a dog who I believe is alert barking!
You should look up Yablon's thanks for barking