Max and Julie, from Tempe, called us about their mini poodle mix, Ricky, when he started barking excessively at other dogs while on leash after being attacked by another dog when they were in Canada visiting family. Ricky was traumatized by this event, but so were Julie and Max. Not one of them felt confident or comfortable to go out and walk on leash again and when they did Ricky was in the leadership position, which only helped to fuel his reactivity to other dogs. Along with the walking being a problem, Ricky stopped listening to commands everywhere, even inside their home where he should have felt the safest and calm.
We discussed in detail all the training techniques and ways to help them feel more confident and how to get Ricky into a follower position instead of a leadership one. This would help to stop Ricky’s over reaction to other dogs while on leash and how working with him at home on commands would help to make the reactions less and eventually stop them altogether.
When Max and Julie signed Ricky up for our Unlimited program they, at first, were not sure how training would go. They wondered how Ricky would overcome his fears of other dogs and how they felt about handling any situation where another dog might be off leash and reacting to Ricky. We taught Max and Julie how to handle other dogs off leash to give Ricky the space he needed to overcome his anxieties. This also helped him to see Max and Julie in a leadership role, where he began to believe that they could handle any uncomfortable situation and build his trust and confidence in them.
Now, Max, Julie and Ricky are back in Canada feeling more secure in their knowledge of training their dog and managing other dogs that they don’t hesitate to go anywhere, including around the neighborhood where the initial attack occurred.
