Dodging reactivity grenades

Every time I take a dog out into a public place or on a field trip and we run into other dogs, there are almost always some extremely reactive ones which are lunging, snarling, growling, barking, straining at the ends of their leashes and directing all of this intensely toxic ‘hate’ towards the dog minding his own business and heeling politely by my side. It’s incredibly tough for our trained dogs to ignore these kinds of unwarranted hostilities but it is possible and (more importantly) reasonable to ask our trained dogs to do so IF we help them with their mindset, create an appropriate amount of space away from the hostile dog, advocate for our dog and keep our dog in command at all times so that he always knows exactly what to do and what not to do. Today was no exception in the waterfront as Oscar (the formerly reactive Valley Bulldog!) and I heeled past dozens of reactive dogs without missing a step or blinking an eye! I’m so incredibly proud of Oscar’s progress through training and the great behaviour he’s capable of when he has firm handler guidance, structure and leadership which helps him to be the BEST version of his adorable self! Check out the video!