Before I thought that I would be fine with just doing whatever at home, messing around and teaching some cool tricks, but now I've got the itch. And because I know that I won't have another dog for a few more years, Frodo needs to help me scratch that itch. Frodo and I have started seriously working on free shaping instead of me giving up and just luring, and I am having a lot of fun with it. Right now I am free shaping a pivot to heel and I am learning a lot about how to free shape in ways that help him to progress and understand. Doing the trick challenges have really been forcing me to work with Frodo and really focus on how he learns and how to help him learn.
So anywho, the bottom line is that I want to be in class. Even if we can't ever compete, I want to take classes, I want to be involved and learning. But I am scared of approaching trainers and asking about bringing a reactive (if well managed) dog into their class. I worry that I will end up being too much of a distraction to other students if he has a reaction, or making other students angry by bringing him to class. Part of me thinks I should definitely sign him up, especially after taking him to one of Silke's classes and having no reactions (well, we had outside ones, but that was due to movement and dogs playing rough), but the other part is scared that I am getting in over my head.
Any owners of reactive dogs have advice/suggestions/words of wisdom to share on this front?
PS: If any of this is jumbled, I blame it on my 10.5 hour crazy shift today and too much caffeine!
Come to MN, you can join our training group. You can come to A Great Dog Now. You know you want to compete and you know you can doooo it!
Scratching the itch is fun. :-)
I trial quite successfully with a reactive dog. :) It's possible.
The biggest thing for me is to watch my dog like a hawk for signs of stress- the things that happen before she reacts- and take steps to reduce the stress during class. That might mean something small like stopping working on the exercise and playing look at that for a a few minutes, or it might be bigger and stepping behind a visual barrier (like solid ring gates), briefly leaving the room, going outside for a potty break, whatever.
I do think it's important to alert the instructor ahead of time- that way they can help adjust the criteria for you!
As you know, Dante is reactive. Yet we train and compete in multiple venues, and most recently, he made me very proud by not having a single outburst at an agility trial with 150+ dogs. The key? MANAGEMENT. You have to learn to read your dog as best as you can and learn how to recognize triggers, how to redirect effectively, what are his thresholds etc. MANY people i know train and compete with reactive dogs, but when you see them work you could hardly tell! That's what hard work training and managing the issue can do! :)
Be upfront when checking out potential trainers and training groups to work with about Frodo's reactivity. A good trainer is willing and able to adjust and accomodate different dogs and different handlers dealing with various issues. As long as you show that you are a RESPONSIBLE and dedicated handler, a good trainer or training group should have no problems helping you out. On the flip side, stay far far away from so called trainers and people who dontè have experience with reactive issues or pooh-poohs it completely. Observe, ask lots of questions and listen to your gut ;)
YOU CAN DO IT!!! :)
I'll be in MN in a month and a few days Megan! Apartment hunting starts this week, woot!
And I DO know that I want to compete. I've always wanted to compete, now I just need to stop wanting and actually start doing! Not sure how early I will be able to get into classes though as finances are probably going to be tight for a while.
Thanks guys, I feel as though Frodo and I have come such a long way this summer in me learning how to read him and manage him, but there are still so many times where he will react and I sit there scratching my head for an explanation! Thanks for the words of encouragement!
Thanks
I have had all three of my reactive dogs in assorted classes, and nobody's ever given me a problem about it. I try very hard to not intrude upon anybody else's class experience- I try to be extremely proactive about heading off potential reactions, and I'm not afraid to take my dog and leave the ring if we're heading toward melt-down. There are a LOT of reactive dogs in this world. The one Novice Competition obedience class I was in had three dogs in it, and all three were reactive :)
As far as competing, definitely possible. It just takes time, training, patience, and the ability to roll with things if they get a little rocky. Rally is a great place to start- novice is all on leash and it's generally pretty low-key (at least compared to agility trials).
Thanks elegy!
I think one of the reasons that I am finally really wanting to get involved is because many of the dogs in the classes that I have been helping out with are worse than Frodo! If they can go, why shouldn't he?
Rally is what I have been thinking for him. I like the on-leash aspect and I know that agility would probably not be the best place to start with his previous reactions to fast moving dogs (even though I want to do agility so. darn. bad.) and very busy environments (even though I want to do agility so. darn. bad.). Plus traditional obedience scares the crap out of me!