You might be having difficulties walking your dog down the street with a leash. Sometimes, you might meet another pet lover who also wants an afternoon stroll with their pet, and all hell would break loose.
You find your canine transforming and barking excessively, and they may even lunge at the other pet. The craziness doesn’t stop until the other owner turns around and walks in the opposite direction disappearing into view.
With this kind of intense reactive response, you might want to see if a trainer in Orlando, Florida, can help. For those who are first-timers, the reactivity can be a frightening experience, but fortunately, you can stop this kind of behavior. See more about canine reactivity on this site here.
The first thing that you need to do is to determine what your desired outcome with your pet would be. Reactivity can harm another dog or a human, and it can pose a threat if you’re unable to address it. The size of your pet should matter because a Great Dane will need more professional attention than a chihuahua.
Not that the latter doesn’t need any help, but the larger breeds can cause the most harm, as well as the medium-sized ones if they are very aggressive, so consider getting help while it’s early.
Definition of a Reactive Dog
Professionals have used the term reactive instead of aggressive to describe various behaviors that they were able to observe during their training professions. It’s more appropriate because labeling your pet as aggressive when it hasn’t bitten anyone can be unfair. Instead of gearing themselves to fight, most canines react because they are afraid of something.
Outbursts are meant to scare other humans and animals, and these send them messages to go away or not come near. Others can run free at playgrounds and interact well with other dogs, but they suddenly become harsh and turn into barking canines when they are on a leash.
This can be frustrating for both the pets and the owners because this is similar to pets throwing a tantrum. They might feel a lot of mixed emotions, and they can’t relax when they are having issues controlling their impulses. See more about controlling a dog at this link: https://www.wikihow.com/Control-Your-Dog.
Some puppies are perfectly fine with being on a leash while others are going to be quite problematic. Many believe that this fear stems from a pup’s life experiences and genetics whereas other breeds just have a more excitable behavior.
Poor health and inappropriate practices can also worsen the problem, and even maternal stress can have a huge impact on a small pup if it experiences these kinds of behaviors even before they were born.
Consulting a Trainer for Help
While you might want to watch videos or read articles to address the problem, you might want to call a professional trainer in Orlando for advice before going into the DIY route. This involves asking them if they have a program in place and how much they are charging for training.
If you think that it’s reasonable, you can attend a few sessions to see if there’s improvement with your pet. These professionals are often animal behaviorists or consultants, and they are going to follow a set-up that has worked on countless other dogs.
They often see what the triggers are and observe the overreaction from a distance. Others, like Matt Smith, may offer puppy training, off-leash controls, and basic obedience in both private and group classes depending on your preferences.
You can also schedule a free consultation with them to see what they have to offer. The end goal is to have a well-behaved pet that will not act aggressively wherever you go, and this can be an opportunity for them to learn something new that can prove to be useful in the future.
Set-ups may also involve trainers in Orlando utilizing toys and treats to reward your pets if they display good behavior. Since you might be unsure of when a trigger will start, you might want to establish a more predictable environment that will be perceived by your pup as their safe zone.
They can begin their training to become desensitized to the triggers, and they can change their emotional responses from being threatened to ones that are more pleasant or positive.
Showering them with small pieces of hot dogs, cheese, or chicken can be good. What doesn’t work is going to be punishment, and this will only increase their anxiety. Remote hikes may also be effective for the pets to decompress from a stressful environment, but you may also try the ability of the trainers to read the emotions of dogs before choosing the DIY route.
Also, the trainers in Orlando Florida, will strive to build a good relationship between pets and guardians, and this can increase their resilience and trust in each other, which are beneficial for everyone involved.