Blog — Reactive Dogs
When You Listen to Your Dog, Your Dog Listens to You
When you listen to your dog, your dog listens to you... But what does this actually mean? Your dog is like an outer manifestation of your nervous system. When you listen to your nervous system and practice good habits of self-care and self-regulation, your nervous system receives cues of safety. When you listen to your dog and respond to their need for connection and co-regulation, your dog receives cues of safety. Cues of safety calm the dog just like they calm your nervous system. Now we have a positive feedback loop. You are calm, your dog is calm, and...
Your Dog Is Your Mirror
Of course it's normal to get irritated, frustrated, or even feel disappointment when we work with our dogs. Dogs do not speak our language, so it can be frustrating trying to communicate with them. In addition to this, I would say MOST dogs have some quirky behavioral issue that gets on their owner's nerves. Some dogs even have severe emotional traumas that cause them to be fearful, reactive, and even aggressive. The question I want you ask you, is: Can you love your dog exactly the way he is, RIGHT NOW? Can you love your dog with all his flaws,...
Your Dog is Talking Smack and You're Not Doing Anything About It
The Problem: Your dog is talking smack at my dog, my dog reacts, your dog gets even more amped up, the neighbor's dog notices and starts barking. Now we have two lunging/barking dogs and a whole neighborhood bark party going on. But WHY must it be like this? Things We Must Understand: 1. Dog's read body language from far away! Before getting anywhere close, they have assessed the posture, tone, tenseness, quality of movement, and intention of another dog (or person). This happens in an instant! 2. Your dog is better at reading body language than you are. Dog's are...