Some success stories

Belle

Belle’s caregiver was dreading walks as Bella immediately would go into the red zone and bark and lunge at other dogs. This made walks stressful for them both. Bella was a small dog with big feelings. She loved people, but was scared of dogs and would bark and lunge to tell them to clear off.

After a 5 week course with other dogs, lots of commitment by her caregiver and some extra sessions in a group reactivity session, Belle is using displacement activities when she is nervous. So now if she wants to avoid another dog, she sniffs the ground rather than barking at them. She was given the skills to do something else that was incompatible with the barking. She was able to relax and feel calmer knowing that not every dog is a threat. This has made walks a lot less stressful and much more enjoyable.

Popper

Popper was a rescued dog who would bark and lunge at other dogs she saw in the park. Again, she was a small dog with big feelings. After 7 one to one sessions that focused on engaging her, working within her threshold and giving her the choice to move away if she wanted to, her caregivers have seen great successes! She now check’s in with them when she is unsure, or sniffs the ground. The barking has hugely reduced and Popper’s wiggly relaxed body language has increased! I’m so proud of her!

Ben

Ben was barking and growling at other dogs and people. When he heard a noise he would immediately start to shake, tuck his tail underneath and try and back out of his harness. Extreme reactions can be indicative of pain, so I took a video of Ben moving and reported it back to the vet. On examination they found that there could be some hip dysplasia and further investigations are underway. A lot of the time, pain can be contributing to problem behaviour, and because pets mask pain so well, it’s not always obvious. That is why I always work on vet referral for behaviour cases.