Woofology - Trainers Academy, LLC - Dog Training and DayCare

 Trainers Academy, LLC supports
The Yellow Dog Project

Click on the ribbon above to learn more


This video, by Drayton Michaels (Academy for Dog Trainers graduate), is excellent.  Gain the understanding of your dogs on-leash reactivity you need, and learn how to maximize success on walks for both of you, starting today!  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMLrYaoxNOs

Help! My dog barks & lunges on leash

Here's an article from 4PawsU outlining a very common mistake people make when encountering a "trigger" while out on a walk with their reactive dogs: 4Paws University - Timeline | Facebook 

Read the 2-part blog post by Dr. Jen Summerifeld for excellent information about on-leash reactivity, and a training plan!:



Is your dog's reaction to another dog really a problem?
Click http://wildewmn.wordpress.com/2013/08/20/is-reacting-really-reactive/ to find out! 

 Aggression or appropriate response?!
 http://suzanneclothier.com/pdfs/He%20Just%20Wants%20To%20Say%20Hi.pdf

Reducing Leash Reactivity. See the following link for excellent suggestions, and a plan: http://www.clickertraining.com/reducing-leash-reactivity-the-engage-disengage-game

Visit the C.A.R.E site http://careforreactivedogs.com/start-here/ for everything you need to understand and do, to help your leash reactive dog. 


Barking at dogs behind fences on walks: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3n_fPKPLA2g&feature=related

Video of David the Dog Trainer teaching a dog to stay calm when cars pass, instead of lunging: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y55fiFfMZ28&feature=player_detailpage 

Thresholds! Keeping your dog below their limit when working through it! An important concept for you to understand when working with your leash-reactive dog is the concept of thresholds. Thresholds dictate where your dogs limits are, and how much he can effectively handle when exposed to something that triggers a reactive response. Putting your dog into situations that expose him to a "trigger" to an intensity that forces him beyond his threshold/limit (usually means you've gotten too close to the trigger!) will only serve to cause greater stress for your dog and for you! So for starters, be sure to only expose your dog to whatever it is that's causing the reaction, from a distance away that is well below your dogs reactivity threshold. Click the following links to learn more about thresholds and how to control your dogs environment more effectively: 

 
After you've read the above on thresholds, click on this link http://www.successjustclicks.com/trigger-stacking-but-hes-normally-fine/ for a terrific article from a human perspective about what happens when too many anxiety producing events occur at the same time. A concept within the realm of behavior modification known as "trigger stacking". 

Here is another link to a technique called Behavior Adjustment Training (BAT). BAT helps dogs learn to use calm behavior, rather than reactivity (lunging, barking, etc.) to satisfy the reason they use the reactive and or aggressive behavior in the first place, which in most cases, is to increase distance away from something they're worried about. This technique combines reinforcement and desensitization to help the dog learn to make better choices in behavior. Click https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1lVAFHlhGA for a video and more information.
 
Also consider joining the BAT yahoo group. Click the link below to take a look! You'll find a community of people using this technique to help their reactive dogs.  It's a great source of support!https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/functionalrewards/info?soc_src=mail&soc_trk=ma
 

Excellent for any dog, but especially the reactive dog, this video provides a step-by-step video tutorial for teaching Leslie McDevitt's "Look at That!" Game -  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdraNF2hcgA  **Click Control Unleashed to learn more about the book by Leslie McDevitt