Rethinking Reactivity with Jessica Wheatcraft

Caring for a reactive dog, or any dog that exhibits maladaptive behaviors, is hard. It often puts a high emotional toll on the person, who may already be struggling to meet their dog's needs while trying to juggle their own lives. And worse, so many go through this journey facing judgment from people who mean well, but don't truly "get it." If you have ever felt alone on this journey, this one is for you. 👉 In this episode, I talk with Jess Adam from Handlers and Humans about: What the ...

Alert barking. Territorial barking. Attention barking. Demand barking. There are many "types" of barking that occur inside of the home, but what is actually happening in these scenarios? Why do these types of barking occur so frequently, and why it so hard to get dogs to stop? In this episode we cover: - How to unpack barking to identify what is maintaining that behavior - How the environment is reinforcing your dog - Strategies for reducing barking towards foot traffic and delivery peo...

You might be wondering - what do free living dogs have to do with leash reactivity? Before the current life we have with pet dogs in Western countries, dogs were free living. And in many countries around the world including India, Turkey, and Mexico, you will still find tens of millions of free living dogs whose lives are drastically different than those of pet dogs in the U.S. What does it mean for a dog to have a good life? Is it the autonomy to move about as they please? Or is ...

Katrina wrote a really fantastic blog post called Why You Should Run From Engage/Disengage. Quick caveat, it's not because she doesn't like the protocol. In this episode, Katrina and I discuss: Contingencies in training - what they are and how to analyze themHow the execution of open bar/closed bar and engage/disengage can actually create unintended consequences for reactive dogsHow to determine whether or not your procotol is workingWhy and how high value food can be coercive for dogsA...

We're starting this new season with a discussion on ACE Freework. ACE stands for Animal Centered Education, and it was started by Sarah Fisher. Sadly, Sarah is no longer with us, but I know how much her work has meant to people and how impactful it has been for dogs, and I didn't want to miss an opportunity to talk about it. We're joined by the lovely Kim Palermo, who helps us break down ACE Freework, what it is, how it's beneficial, and so much more. Get on the waitlist for Reactivity ...