your instinct might be to hide | Gallery posted by cockapoogeorgie | Lemon8

your instinct might be to hide or avoid people/high traffic areas when you have a reactive dog, however it’s still important that they get proper socialization!

here are some tips for proper reactive dog socialization:

1- recognize their triggers. whether it’s dogs, certain genders, skin tone, etc it’s important to realize what gives your dog big feelings. in the beginning, when you’re first training them, it’s best to try limiting these triggers and focus on socializing in smaller more controlled environments.

2- avoid the triggers. you may need to adjust the time of day you walk (ie: less traffic areas), or the places you walk (going on trails instead of public parks). reactive dogs may also not do well at dog parks and should remain on leash until fully trained. once you have basic training down, you can work on being around your dogs triggers slowly and building up their tolerance to things.

3- be proactive! It’s your job to protect your dog and others while they work through their feelings. this means being alert to other dogs and people, keeping your dog on leash and working routinely on behavior modification to help your dog be the best citizen they can be!

good luck and have fun. let me know if these tips help.

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