Sep 13
People are OK
Chopper never has to LIKE people; we just really need for him to be OK with people he meets. LIKING people will be the icing on the cake! He has learned to like and trust a number of people, including Ali, so we know it is possible. We just need it to be consistent.
In the sequence of pictures below you’ll see an exercise we designed for Chopper in our Saturday Reactive Dog Class.
Donna and Chopper are taking a walk and will soon come upon some people.
Jane, Ali and Sharon tossing treats to Chopper as he walks by, so he sees that good things come from people. But he has to check in with Donna for rewards before moving on to the next person.
Chopper wants to move forward to the next person for more treats, but Donna is holding back.
Chopper sees the people, and because he has been practicing this exercise for weeks, no longer growls when he sees the people, but rather, has begun to associate the people with treats being tossed for him.
Here is the hardest part….checking back in with Donna to get rewards from HER after getting treats from each person.
Donna is thrilled that Chopper finally checked in with her…he really wants to continue to get treats from the people, and often wants to approach the people. We are not allowing him to approach the people at this point because he is likely to get there, feel overwhelmed, and then growl. He is learning to just see that good things come from people.
This is a broader view of the exercise. You can see that he really wants to get to Sharon (because she has goodies!)
Chopper is eating a treat and searching for another one on the ground. Notice that all the people are standing sideways to him, but not avoiding eye contact. The people also talk to him, saying hi, and then tossing treats.
After lots of hard work and lots of treats, Chopper goes back to his car in the shade for a well-earned rest. Each week, we assess where he is at with this process. The next step will be to do some hand targeting with someone, and after the click, the treat will be tossed away.
Recent Reactive Dog Classes
