Dear Dunbars, thank you for this! I actually had to hold back the tears whilst watching this because that is me, a ball of anxiety when l’m out with my 20 month old Australian Cattle Dog who from a very young age was reactive with certain other dogs and a bully with puppies 😳 He has been involved in about 10 fights, never any blood, even lying down next to the dog he had a run in with after the fracas ended … and l just want to burst into tears because l find the fights so traumatic. His play style is very rough and he herds other dogs (being a heeler). I felt anxious from moment we got him, far from a calm gentle leader. I took him out for a good long walk and run after watching this video and as the sun came out l started humming and singing and congratulating him on walking so calmly. We met about 6 dogs off lead at the park and he was well mannered with all of them, chased his ball and lay in the shade with a new doggy friend he met whilst we were there. Learning to change my attitude will change his life. Now l have to master the on leash encounter without fear. Thanks again, Suellen
Oh wow, that's wonderful. Thank you so much for taking the time to write this comment. Yeah, you've got to lead by example and show your dog there's nothing to be afraid of, even if you're anxious on the inside. That's where setting up training encounters with friends and familiar dogs can be a real confidence booster. Best of luck on your journey!
Dear Dunbars, thank you for this! I actually had to hold back the tears whilst watching this because that is me, a ball of anxiety when l’m out with my 20 month old Australian Cattle Dog who from a very young age was reactive with certain other dogs and a bully with puppies 😳 He has been involved in about 10 fights, never any blood, even lying down next to the dog he had a run in with after the fracas ended … and l just want to burst into tears because l find the fights so traumatic.
His play style is very rough and he herds other dogs (being a heeler). I felt anxious from moment we got him, far from a calm gentle leader.
I took him out for a good long walk and run after watching this video and as the sun came out l started humming and singing and congratulating him on walking so calmly. We met about 6 dogs off lead at the park and he was well mannered with all of them, chased his ball and lay in the shade with a new doggy friend he met whilst we were there.
Learning to change my attitude will change his life. Now l have to master the on leash encounter without fear. Thanks again, Suellen
Oh wow, that's wonderful. Thank you so much for taking the time to write this comment. Yeah, you've got to lead by example and show your dog there's nothing to be afraid of, even if you're anxious on the inside. That's where setting up training encounters with friends and familiar dogs can be a real confidence booster. Best of luck on your journey!
A great deal of food for thought in this. Thank you. Can't wait until the next installment.
Glad you enjoyed it! Yeah, we've got lots more coming, stay tuned!
Nice job. Quite informative.
Glad it was helpful!
Thank you so much. for your generous information !
Glad it was helpful! Yeah, Reactivity and Anxiety are such complex and fascinating topics that cause a lot of trouble in dog training...