Ever been on a walk and felt your heart race when another dog approaches?

Then as it all begins to unfold, your dog starts barking, lunging, and all you want is to dig out a human sized hole in the floor to disappear under and only come back out once these barking problems have resolved.

We’ve all been there. It’s tough, right?

What I tend to find can happen too, is that we hang onto those moments, much more than we should 

There’s something called negativity bias and it affects 100% of people at some point in their life. 

Negativity bias is a survival mechanism our ancestors needed to remember dangers, to stay alive. But now we don’t have masses of use for it, it makes us dwell on the bad stuff 

Before you know it, one bad experience can overshadow ten good ones and suddenly, that’s all you can think about.

But today, I want to kick that bias to the curb… 

I want you to imagine a different walk.

Imagine stepping out with your dog, knowing you’re in full control of each and every situation that you encounter 

No barking, no lunging. Just calm.

I want you to close your eyes (after reading this of course!)

…and picture your dog trotting along beside you, relaxed and happy.

You’re passing by other dogs and your dog stays cool, looking back up at you for guidance and you reach in, give them the treat and carry on.

Use this image to help if you struggle to visualise.

Ok… you can open your eyes again now.

Now, if you’re someone who lives in a negativity bias world, here’s what you might think, say or perceive on the matter

’’Huh, wouldn’t that be nice!’’ or ‘‘yeah right, if only’’

But this is not a fantasy *|FNAME|*. 

It can be your life.

How Do We Get There?

For some, it’s going to be an easy transition, it really all depends on several factors, such as who you are as a person and who your dog is. 

Then we need to take into consideration how long you and your dog have been performing these habits and behaviours for. 

But, what you need to know right now is, there’s good news ahead. 

With the right approach, you can change this current state of embarrassment and despair into hope, happiness and plenty more quiet behaviour when you’re passing those distractions. 

I will warn you though, I am not like most dog trainers. 

I don’t come with a massive ego needing to prove anything to you. I already know my training works and all I need to do is take the horse to the water. 

I refuse to use anything that will cause pain to your dog, because I’m skilled and knowledgable enough to not need to use anything like that (there really are kinder ways) 

And I won’t BS you. 

I call things as I see them, so the main forewarning is that you’re going to need to be able to listen and take a bit of constructive criticism if we work together, because ultimately it’s not your dog I’m really going to be working on. 

Ready to change your walks?

Let’s make those dream walks a reality.

Your dog can be calm. 

You can enjoy those precious moments without worry!

Join our Reactive Dog Training family and see the difference.

Best,

Claire Lawrence
Head Trainer for Reactive Dogs