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Field notes · Dog training in Angier & Raleigh, NC

How do I stop my dog reacting to other dogs?

Stopping the lunging is not the same as changing how he feels. Suppressing the behavior leaves the feeling underneath it. What you want is for the other dog to stop mattering.

Bun, episode 9. That's the only rule

Bun, episode 16. Let him run first. Then work.

In the trainer's words

You want an internal emotional change, because that's ultimately what you want.Kelton, Head Trainer, Angier K9 Consultants

Seen with 4 dogs: Bun, Kane, Finn, Reaper

39 recorded moments, each one linked to the exact second it happens in a full training session published unedited. Trainers call this internal emotional change.

That's the only rule 0:52
Bun · episode 9

That's the only rule

Let him run first. Then work. 4:49
Bun · episode 16

Let him run first. Then work.

The actual rule list 22:47
Bun · episode 27

The actual rule list

Insecurity, not disobedience 12:04
Bun · episode 54

Insecurity, not disobedience

Ears up, tail right, not reactive 44:01
Bun · episode 66

Ears up, tail right, not reactive

That was off nothing. No leash. No body language. No e-collar. 13:30
Bun · episode 81

That was off nothing. No leash. No body language. No e-collar.

Proofing the Down, and the nervousness beneath 0:25
Bun · episode 87

Proofing the Down, and the nervousness beneath

Investigative, not reactive 21:12
Bun · episode 98

Investigative, not reactive

Internal emotional change is the goal 23:19
Bun · episode 99

Internal emotional change is the goal

Distance, duration, distraction — all three 29:22
Bun · episode 101

Distance, duration, distraction — all three

Freedom is the reward 20:11
Bun · episode 111

Freedom is the reward

Pressure until the behavior, then relief, then reward 29:50
Bun · episode 115

Pressure until the behavior, then relief, then reward

The session changed. The learning continued. 0:47
Kane · episode 11

The session changed. The learning continued.

Reps depend on the dog's emotional state, not a number 25:53
Finn · episode 8

Reps depend on the dog's emotional state, not a number

Two seconds of sit, then release. That's enough 8:06
Finn · episode 37

Two seconds of sit, then release. That's enough

"It's just a state of mind" — change the associations, change the dog 6:08
Finn · episode 42

"It's just a state of mind" — change the associations, change the dog

Ten emotional states, tracked every session 13:20
Finn · episode 79

Ten emotional states, tracked every session

"I finally figured out a way to reward him" — you have to open him up before any reward can land 14:13
Finn · episode 80

"I finally figured out a way to reward him" — you have to open him up before any reward can land

Related questions

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Recognize your own dog in this?

Most people who call us have already been told their dog is a lost cause, or that they should manage it and hope. We train dogs in Angier, Raleigh and across the Triangle, and we take the serious aggression and reactivity cases that other programs turn down.

How it works: tell us what your dog is actually doing. We tell you honestly whether we can help, including when the answer is no. If we can, you leave with a plan and a start date.

What you get back is a dog whose world gets bigger instead of smaller.

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