Control yourself!

Impulse control is a vital skill that all dogs must learn but none are born with! This means that it’s up to us owners and handlers to teach our dogs how to control their impulses and how to wait for and follow handler direction before acting. Reactivity is a form of a major lack of impulse control so when dealing with reactive dogs not only do we want to correct reactivity head on but we also want to teach the dog impulse control in every other aspect of their life. If we allow the dog to act impulsively, even in seemingly benign moments (fyi all moments are important and tell our dogs about our ability to lead them) like busting out of the kennel, barking at the door, playing crazy with other dogs, getting distracted by every leaf and butterfly, etc. then the message we are sending the dog is that impulsive behaviours ok ... so, from the dog’s perspective, why isn’t reactively also ok?! Food for thought 💕