EBD146 Trigger Exposure is the Worst Way to Help Reactive Dogs

How can you truly help your reactive dog? I feel really passionate about this topic. Why? Because I hear so many stories of dog moms and dog families struggling with reactive dog training that just doesn’t work for them. Often, the advice from the dog training world isn’t helpful. It can result in dog moms feeling demoralized, guilty, or even like failures. But I want you to know that it doesn’t have to be this way! In this episode of Enlightened By Dogs, Kathy shares a new approach to reactive training and the story of Ros and her two reactive Vizslas, Phoebe and Myrtle. Ros thought she was doing her best to help them with traditional training, but it was only when she took a more contemporary approach that they could truly live a safe, calm, and happy life together. In this episode: A BPA member's journey from reactive to safe, calm, and happy The challenges of life with a reactive dog Why reward-based trigger conditioning training fails How your emotions affect your dog's behavior What embracing trust could do for your partnership Read the blog post on this topic. Quotes: “Creating a circle of safety and trust is what helps our dogs to accept all things.” “Exposing our reactive dogs to their triggers is the worst way to help them.” “When we stay calm, present, and are a loving leader and a solid role model, our dogs seem to magically respond by calming down and following our lead.” “I want to inspire you to rethink the old, outdated methods around repeated exposure, hyper-vigilance, and getting dogs used to things that trigger them by distracting them from how they really feel.” Want More of Kathy? Brilliant Partners Academy Dancing Hearts Dog Academy Website Facebook Community To read the blog post on this topic and to explore other episodes, click here.