Why you need to get off the fence
We share some of the amazing feedback we’ve had from previous courses to help you decide whether our newly renamed Resetting Reactivity course is the best option for you and your dog
Are you unsure about joining our Resetting Reactivity course?
If you’re still not sure , then here’s what some previous clients have said:
“R was very reactive towards other dogs when on lead. He is a 5-year-old Labrador, who we rescued earlier this year. We are his third home and he has spent a lot of time in kennels. R’s reactions were quite extreme; jumping, lunging, running, barking, yelping, etc. Having completed the course, we have gained lots of useful games to both calm him down and to use to deal with potential triggers on our walks. We have enjoyed being able to watch videos of the games being demonstrated, and it is great to have ongoing access to these to look back on. It has been really useful to gain an understanding of how to ‘read’ R’s body language and spot the little signs that are potentially leading to a reaction. It has also been great to get such reassurance from the group, as it’s a long road to improved behaviour, and to know that it’s ok for him not to change overnight! The ongoing support, knowing that Carol is able to answer queries after the course has finished adds great peace of mind, as we know R has a long road ahead! I would whole heartedly recommend training with Down Dog, whether that be online or in person.”
Are you concerned about the commitment needed?
“We feel very grateful to have found a trainer who is so knowledgeable, motivating, empathetic and compassionate, who doesn’t only go into dog psychology but also helps manage stress and emotions that go along with owning a reactive dog. The ‘don’t beat yourself up’ approach was certainly refreshing and much more motivating for us than the usual ‘it’s not the dog, it’s the owner’ statement that we kept hearing. We loved the videos that showed examples of canine communication and it certainly helped us read S better. We have also enjoyed the group being small, an option to send in videos and get feedback as well as all the extra sessions during each week. We have been following the advice as much as we can and we are seeing huge improvement with S’s reaction to people. We are very thankful to Carol and the Downdog Team”
Do you wonder if I can really help you and your dog?
“I had spoken to my vet about my increasing concerns about B’s reactivity and I asked her advice re a behaviouralist and she said Carol was one of the best. B is now three and had gone from loving all dogs to being what I perceived as unpredictable and bad tempered. It started as him pulling towards some other dog, to growling, lunging and latterly snapping. Dogs off the lead were a particular issue and on one recent walk on the beach, a dog came close and before I had a chance to intervene, he had lunged and bitten the ear of this dog. The other owner was understandably upset and I was devastated thinking I had an aggressive dog (which I had caused), which was reinforced when the other owner said he should be muzzled. I spoke to my family and vet about this but otherwise I was too upset and embarrassed to tell anyone else.
The course has been a Godsend from start to finish. It has given me an understanding of both B’s and my own reaction to triggers. Although he may come across as aggressive at times when he reacts, I did not understand or respond to the signs of this building or how vital is it to decompress after an incident. I used to think this was bad behaviour and pull the lead sharply and tell him off and as his tail would be up after an incident, I interpreted this as satisfaction and thought he was potentially a bully. This course has taught me to read those signs and manage them. I have learned that he is frightened of a lot of things and on alert due to this. In hindsight, the trip to the beach that day was highly stressful for him with the amount of people, kids, dogs and noise and therefore I could have predicted a reaction by his behaviour to the surroundings. The course has been a bit like therapy for me, I was able to identify a lot of unhelpful thoughts and develop more realistic expectations for myself and B…we need to take a deep breath, focus on basics, practice dealing with one thing at a time and don’t pay attention to the negativity of others or myself. Carol is an excellent teacher, she is calm, knowledgeable, non-judgemental and reassuring in her approach. I would have sworn she was a psychiatrist in a former life. I would recommend this course to anyone who has any concerns re reactivity.”
Resetting Reactivity is now bigger and better. It will give you a thorough understanding of why your dog reacts so strongly and what you need to do to help them, all with me guiding you step by step.
You get plenty of personal support as well as that precious support from other dog owners who are going through the same difficulties and uncertainties as you.
Let me leave you with these final words:
“We made absolutely fantastic progress with B today. We took him outside his comfort zone to go meet friends at Tollymore. Apart from a few excited barks to see our friends and their dog who he just had a wee sniff and walked away we set of on our very wet walk. We walked past 2 dogs in the car park and he did react slightly but carried on walking after he realised he wasn’t getting near them. I was using the harness plus head collar just for slightly extra control as we were somewhere new and wanted to be prepared for any possible triggers. I had been working with the head collar during the last few weeks to make him more relaxed with wearing it. After that we did walk past several people and dogs of lead during our walk and Bu quite happily trotted past not even looking for treats. Plus I was able to let my daughter walk him which is a first that anyone else has been able to walk him. Unfortunately it was far too wet to try to get videos to show off his good behaviour. Thanks again for all your help as without it I would not have got this far.”
If you have a dog who you struggle to walk, or even like, because of his lunging, barking, manic behaviour, please look at when our next Resetting Reactivity course is running.
It’s no fun dreading walks, visitors, or panicking about other dogs, on or off lead. Reactivity only gets worse over time unless you do something about it.
Join us, we’d love to see you there,
Carol
