Lil' Rascals Dog Training

Before we could work on Stormy's reactivity during walks, we had to change how the walk began.

The second the leash came out, his adrenaline spiked. By the time the front door opened, he was already bypassing the porch and charging onto the front yard, pulling like a freight train, scanning the neighborhood, and looking for something to bark at.

That isn't the state of mind where learning happens.

So we didn't jump straight into walking past triggers.

We taught him how to pause first.

Leash on.

Pause.

Door open.

Pause.

Stand on the porch.

Breathe.

The goal isn't to avoid his triggers forever. Our goal right now is to help Stormy start the walk with a calmer nervous system so he can actually process what we are asking of him once those triggers appear.

When a dog starts the walk at 100 mph, every squirrel, dog, and passing person has a much bigger impact.

Sometimes the first step in working through reactivity isn't working through reactivity at all.

It's changing everything that happens before the walk even begins.

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