243 | Do This First When Your Dog is Reacting

Hey Dog Lover 🐾Your dog sees another dog.And suddenly they’re at the end of the leash barking, lunging, pulling, jumping around, completely losing their you-know-what.And you’re standing at the other end thinking:“What the heck am I supposed to do right now?”Do you ask them to sit?Tell them to look at you?Offer a treat?Turn around?Keep walking?Get the heck out of Dodge?When your dog is reacting, it’s really easy to start running through every training technique you’ve ever learned, desperately trying to figure out which one is going to make the behaviour stop.But before you do any of that, there’s one question I want you to ask yourself:“Am I even in this conversation?”Because your dog can be physically attached to you and still have absolutely nothing to do with you in that moment.And if you’re not part of the conversation, you’re going to have a very hard time influencing what happens next.In this episode, we’re talking about the very first thing to do when your dog reacts, and why it has less to do with finding the perfect technique and more to do with figuring out whether you and your dog are actually communicating.We’ll talk about:🐾 The first question to ask yourself when your dog starts reacting🐾 Why holding the other end of the leash doesn’t necessarily mean you’re part of the conversation🐾 The important difference between physical control and influence🐾 How to recognize when your dog is still able to communicate with you🐾 What to do when your dog is so overwhelmed that you have no influence in that moment🐾 Why creating distance doesn’t have to mean running away from the problem🐾 How your body, movement, position, leash, and communication can help you get back into the conversation🐾 Why there isn’t one right answer for every dog in every situationBecause sometimes you absolutely need physical control.Sometimes you need to hold that leash.Sometimes you need to get your dog out of there.But I don’t want you to confuse:“I physically stopped my dog from getting there”with:“I was able to influence my dog.”Those are two very different things.So the next time your dog is barking, lunging, pulling, or completely overwhelmed, before you start asking:“How do I stop this?”Start here:“Am I in this conversation?”If the answer is yes:Can I influence it?And if the answer is no:What needs to change so that I can get back into it?Because you cannot influence a conversation you’re not part of.And if you’re wondering HOW to become part of that conversation, how to use your body, movement, communication, and influence when your dog is struggling, that’s exactly what we’re going to be exploring together inside the free CALM DOWN, DOG! Bootcamp, happening October 20th, 21st and 22nd.I really think this is going to help you.Hope you enjoy this one!Tracy xoxoxRESOURCES🐾 Join me for the FREE CALM DOWN, DOG! Bootcamp!BeyondObedience.ca/bootcamp🐾 Take the Quiz!Dogonality Quiz🐾 Read the Blog!Beyond Obedience BlogCONNECT WITH ME!Contact → info@beyondobedience.caPodcast → Beyond Obedience PodcastConnect → Living Beyond Obedience Facebook GroupResources → Dogonality QuizMerch → Beyond Obedience Store🐾 NEXT STEPS 👣Step 1: Join the free Living Beyond Obedience community and connect with other dog owners who are learning to lead through trust, relevance, and understanding.Join Living Beyond ObedienceStep 2: Take the Dogonality Quiz to discover how your dog's unique personality shapes the way they learn, communicat