Are you exhausted scanning the horizon to prevent your dog's reactive behaviour ?

Scanning the horizon while out on your dog walk is a subject that came up recently in my Peaceful Paws Course & Community and I thought it might be something that could help every dog owner no matter where they are on their Dog Listening journey. It's so simple yet can make such a difference to how you feel on your walk.

Scanning the horizon makes perfect sense if you have a reactive dog and it looks like something "out there" can effect your dog. However, when we practice this technique to avoid problems we can innocently cause a problem.

Imagine the scene; you are walking along and you spot something that you "know" your dog reacts too. Immediately, no matter how hard you try to fake calm and relaxed, your dog has picked up on a change in you. They are now on hight alert wondering what the problem is.... there is now a good chance they will now react and a very good chance it will look like the thing you spotted. 

Imagine how much more relaxed you walk would be if you didn't have to do that and you have to do is listen to your dog.

Instead of scanning the horizon, keep one eye on your dog. Sounds too simple right?! 

I promise only having to worry about what your dog is feeling is way less exhausting than trying to scan for every potential problem "out there". 

This is the foundation of Dog Listening. Your dog will often speak to you via their body language and if you take the time to observe them all will become clear. 

Here are some specific changes in your dog's behaviour you can look out for: 

• Stopping and not wanting to walk forwards
• Their body freezing and going rigid
• Licking their lips
• Ears back
• Tail between their legs or very up and high

This is not an exhaustive list but will get you started. 

The  other thing I find really helpful is trusting you know your own dog and their energy, if something just feels off, it likely is. 

So now you have the information to know if your dog is feeling worried, or at the very least questioning where you are headed, check which way are they facing. Where does your dog see/hear/smell where the problem is, once you know that you can follow these guidelines: 

• If you catch them early enough and they are still listening you can whisper a little " thank you, I hear you" then move away in the opposite direction
• If they are already barking and lunging towards the problem, turn around and go the other way or if trapped place them behind you and wait for problem to pass
• If you dog calms down and relaxes you can continue your walk, but alway being guided by them and if you feel they are becoming more reactive rather than less it's time to head for the safety of home or the car

What not to do: 

• Distract/bribe them with a ball/treat.  This can work for some dogs some of the time, but for many dogs they are way too smart to be fooled by that kind of tactic. That said with this one, if it works for your dog and feels right then go for it. 
• Talk to them positively, making loads of eye contact when they are too hyped up and not listening properly. This just adds energy to a situation that you are trying to calm down.
• Talk to them negatively, again if they are too hyped up and not listening properly this just adds energy to the situation. Also giving them a row for in effect trying to protect you and keep everyone safe is just not kind. ( I am sure none of my lovely readers would do that! ok I may also have done it on occasion when feeling tired and frustrated but lets not advocate for that as a helpful strategy) 

If you do decide to give this a try, I would love to know how you get on, e-mail me on juliecluley@juliehelpsyouhelpyourdog.co.uk and let me know.  

Peaceful paws always, 

Julie x