# How do you teach reactive dogs to ignore?



## kenzandel (Feb 28, 2017)

Our dog is incredibly reactive to other dogs- barking, hair stands on end, etc.- but acts more fearful than aggressive. She's never snapped or lunged at another dog, but it's very clear that she wants nothing to do with them. Our goal is to reach a point where she can be around other dogs and ignore them or be neutral instead of being so reactive. Does anyone have any experience or advice on how to get there? Anything helps


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## Chip18 (Jan 11, 2014)

kenzandel said:


> Our dog is incredibly reactive to other dogs- barking, hair stands on end, etc.- but acts more fearful than aggressive. She's never snapped or lunged at another dog, but it's very clear that she wants nothing to do with them. Our goal is to reach a point where she can be around other dogs and ignore them or be neutral instead of being so reactive. Does anyone have any experience or advice on how to get there? Anything helps


Aw ... finally, I no longer choose to participate in the, I wanna make my clearly D/A GSD a "Dog Park" kinda dog thread. Fitting a Square Peg into a Round Hole kinda thing ... for those folks ... most likely find a "real trainer" and call it a day is the best advise. 

But for those who's goals are more "modest/realistic" it's a bit "simpler." Lot's of info here and see the "Video Clip of "Ty The Dog Guy." In the first post, my guys were never allowed to go over the top so I did not do that but it's a pretty standard practice. 

Teach your Dog to ignore other dogs.  - Boxer Forum : Boxer Breed Dog Forums

Something I did also that I did not realize I was doing??? First step a dog must be able to walk well on a loose lease before you can start working on "Reactivity Issues." And that is best done in a "Distraction Free" environment. You can't "Fairly Correct" a dog for doing something wrong if he does not "understand" what he's suppose to do ... Walk nicely on a loose leash. So that is step one.

Then add these ... "Sit on the Dog" and "Train Place." Once they understand those ... then your ready to go find dogs to "ignore" and with "Sit on the Dog" that's what you do. Find a good distance and you "Sit!" That's it no interaction required you just "Sit" on the leash and "observe." And once your dog has a bullet proof "Place Command" (Two hours) you could practice that "OUTSIDE" the confines of a "Dog Park." It need be for "Two Hours" there, but if he already can do a "Two Place "then" outside a dog park for a 15/30 minuet or so "Place" should be no big deal. 

Those two techniques are here.:

Fearful, Anxious or Flat Crazy "The Place CommanD - Boxer Forum : Boxer Breed Dog Forums

Ask questions and welcome aboard.


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## car2ner (Apr 9, 2014)

My boy was about a year and a half when I signed up for basic obedience classes. He thought that any dog he saw he ought to go over and meet. So I told the director that my dog already knew the commands, he just needed to be with a bunch of dogs nearby to practice focusing on me and realizing that he can be near other dogs without expecting to go to them. I spent the first two classes in the corner reminding my dog to "look at me" and rewarding his attention. By the end of the classes, 7 in all, once a week) he could do his thing in the room knowing that he wasn't going to go meet and greet. 

He is three now and interested in seeing what other dogs are doing but knows not to expect to go over to them. I think age and practice help.


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## LuvShepherds (May 27, 2012)

How it's and hours of exposure from a distance. Reward when your dog isn't reacting, move away when she is. Consistency and time.


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## Chip18 (Jan 11, 2014)

LuvShepherds said:


> How it's and hours of exposure from a distance. Reward when your dog isn't reacting, move away when she is. Consistency and time.


I worked it "slightly" different but .. yes.


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## LuvShepherds (May 27, 2012)

Chip18 said:


> I worked it "slightly" different but .. yes.


I meant to write "hours and hours."


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## Chip18 (Jan 11, 2014)

LuvShepherds said:


> I meant to write "hours and hours."


Oh I did not notice the "Hours and Hours" bit ... I take no notice of "time." I'm not on a clock so however long it takes ... does not matter to me ... not big on the "years of time" thing to make changes however. No the "difference" in our "approach" is much more subtle than that. 

But you know ... if people hear something "slightly" different ... they tend to have a cow??? Nuances in "approaches" are no longer "debates" I chose to engage in. If anyone is curious they are free to "PM" me. People telling me I can't do what I do ... gets old! Just had a ... "old school" GSD guy explain to me "how difficult" it is to train a "Dog to Ignore other dogs" ... news to me as I've been doing just that for uh years???

Most likely the only reason "Rocky" got "Nailed" recently is "becasue" I'm good at what I do??? But ... whatever??? The OP "here" is not trying to make her "GSD" a" Lab or a Golden" good enough.


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## kenzandel (Feb 28, 2017)

Thanks so much for the advice so far you guys!! Quick question: what would be a good environment to start her out in? Take her in to town and hope we see another dog so that we can work with her? Or take her to a petsmart and burst everyone's eardrums while we train?


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## mycobraracr (Dec 4, 2011)

kenzandel said:


> Our dog is incredibly reactive to other dogs- barking, hair stands on end, etc.- but acts more fearful than aggressive. She's never snapped or lunged at another dog, but it's very clear that she wants nothing to do with them. Our goal is to reach a point where she can be around other dogs and ignore them or be neutral instead of being so reactive. Does anyone have any experience or advice on how to get there? Anything helps




There are many methods to this. Are you working with a trainer? You can try using LAT (Look At That). This isn't the video I was searching for, but you'll get the idea.


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## kenzandel (Feb 28, 2017)

mycobraracr said:


> There are many methods to this. Are you working with a trainer? You can try using LAT (Look At That). This isn't the video I was searching for, but you'll get the idea.
> https://youtu.be/EdraNF2hcgA


This is really interesting! We have worked on using distractions before, but so far nothing gets her attention other than leaving the area and trying again when she is quiet. Our problem is that she isn't particularly food motivated, so using a clicker and a treat can be difficult. We are working with a trainer in a basic obedience course, and we are starting e-collar work soon as well. We will have to give LAT a try!!


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## mycobraracr (Dec 4, 2011)

kenzandel said:


> This is really interesting! We have worked on using distractions before, but so far nothing gets her attention other than leaving the area and trying again when she is quiet. Our problem is that she isn't particularly food motivated, so using a clicker and a treat can be difficult. We are working with a trainer in a basic obedience course, and we are starting e-collar work soon as well. We will have to give LAT a try!!



Make sure your trainer is experienced in this type of stuff. It's easy to make it worse. An e-collar wouldn't be my go to for this. Again, just not my preferred tool for reactivity.


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## Chip18 (Jan 11, 2014)

kenzandel said:


> Thanks so much for the advice so far you guys!! Quick question: what would be a good environment to start her out in? Take her in to town and hope we see another dog so that we can work with her? Or take her to a petsmart and burst everyone's eardrums while we train?


Right now "Petsmart" is the last place you want to go! If you don't understand why I would say that ... then "right now" it's best not to go. 

Your trying to put a whole crap load of carts before the horse?? Distractions, click and treat, where do I go to find dogs to ignore and now "apparently a trainer and an E-Collar??? That much "stuff" makes my head spin??? 

Back when I knew "nothing" the only tool I used was a leash and a regular collar and I took my dogs on walks ... where ever I happen to be. "We" were not on a "mission" to "find" dogs to ignore?? If dogs happened to be there ... they were ignored. Now that I understand more ... the only tool I use is a "Slip Lead Leash" so technically ... I've gone down a tool as with a "SLL" I no longer need a collar. 

If you surround yourself with stuff ... the goal gets lost??? All you "need" is a dog a leash and a place to walk. I like to "KISS" that (also) works been there do that. If it does not "seem" like it will work for you "complicate away."


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## islanddog (Jun 27, 2016)

If she's "bursting everyone's eardrum" she is no state to learn anything, that's not a moment to be training.
Is she food motivated indoors, at home, in your yard? If yes, then her lack of food motivation is a sign that she is over-threshold.
google BAT , it will help you.
Training with aversives, e-collar, prong, choke chain, etc. can help you get her behaviour under control in situations that dogs (her triggers) cannot be avoided.
BAT & LAT can help her feel less anxious around dogs.
I'd start with the positive 1st, see where it takes you. BAT requires a set up that can be difficult to find, but fenced dogs at a sufficient distance are a good place to start.
Petsmart will be exam or graduation day.
And don't forget to have fun with your dog


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## Jenny720 (Nov 21, 2014)

Good information and it is good you found a trainer to help you with timing, body language - yours and reading your dogs. What works for myself and my dog is a very slight leash correction and the word "leave it" before any focused behavior towards the other dog starts. The command 'leave it' has been practiced and a conditioned response before using and having success with it in a dog reactive scenario. The leave it command is a another tool to have in your tool box - not to sound hoakey -and can be used for many things Also training exercises, looks at me , tossing treats on the ground to search for, turning around and change direction when you can not break the hard stare /focus are all things that will help redirect your dogs attention back on you.
https://youtu.be/asVQYYSWPJc


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## dogma13 (Mar 8, 2014)

In it's simplest form,what you are going to go for is stopping the behavior before it starts and giving her an alternative behavior.Once a dog gets amped up and excited you've missed the window of opportunity.


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## Deb (Nov 20, 2010)

You can also try using a toy if food doesn't work.


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## kenzandel (Feb 28, 2017)

Chip18 said:


> Right now "Petsmart" is the last place you want to go! If you don't understand why I would say that ... then "right now" it's best not to go.
> 
> Your trying to put a whole crap load of carts before the horse?? Distractions, click and treat, where do I go to find dogs to ignore and now "apparently a trainer and an E-Collar??? That much "stuff" makes my head spin???
> 
> ...


Please remember that we're new at this! We're doing our best with the suggestions we've been given! Distractions and a clicker were only brought up by another member, they weren't something that we were currently trying. I asked where the best place to train would be because there are very few other dogs in our area, so just "taking her for a walk" is pointless in the aspect of socialization and reactivity training. Yes, we are working with a trainer, and I don't think that that's a negative thing because she has helped us immensely so far. She is teaching a basic obedience class, not a socialization course. We haven't started the e-collar, but we will soon to begin her off-leash obedience work. The only thing that is currently taking place in Ellie's life is obedience class, once a week. Definitely not enough to make any of our heads spin. Again, I appreciate the advice!


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## kenzandel (Feb 28, 2017)

dogma13 said:


> In it's simplest form,what you are going to go for is stopping the behavior before it starts and giving her an alternative behavior.Once a dog gets amped up and excited you've missed the window of opportunity.


I definitely understand what you mean. Once she starts, it's almost impossible to get her to focus again. How do you usually stop the behavior before it happens? For us it's almost instantaneous, so there's no really a window of time to work with!


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## kenzandel (Feb 28, 2017)

Jenny720 said:


> Good information and it is good you found a trainer to help you with timing, body language - yours and reading your dogs. What works for myself and my dog is a very slight leash correction and the word "leave it" before any focused behavior towards the other dog starts. The command 'leave it' has been practiced and a conditioned response before using and having success with it in a dog reactive scenario. The leave it command is a another tool to have in your tool box - not to sound hoakey -and can be used for many things Also training exercises, looks at me , tossing treats on the ground to search for, turning around and change direction when you can not break the hard stare /focus are all things that will help redirect your dogs attention back on you.
> https://youtu.be/asVQYYSWPJc


This is SO helpful. Thank you!!!


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## LuvShepherds (May 27, 2012)

kenzandel said:


> Please remember that we're new at this! We're doing our best with the suggestions we've been given! Distractions and a clicker were only brought up by another member, they weren't something that we were currently trying. I asked where the best place to train would be because there are very few other dogs in our area, so just "taking her for a walk" is pointless in the aspect of socialization and reactivity training. Yes, we are working with a trainer, and I don't think that that's a negative thing because she has helped us immensely so far. She is teaching a basic obedience class, not a socialization course. We haven't started the e-collar, but we will soon to begin her off-leash obedience work. The only thing that is currently taking place in Ellie's life is obedience class, once a week. Definitely not enough to make any of our heads spin. Again, I appreciate the advice!


Advice you get here is going to be varied and contradictory. We all come to this with different experiences and ideas. When you find a trainer and method you like, if it works for your dog, stick with it. None of us can see you or your dog interacting, so we don't know what is best.


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## Chip18 (Jan 11, 2014)

kenzandel said:


> Please remember that we're new at this! We're doing our best with the suggestions we've been given! Distractions and a clicker were only brought up by another member, they weren't something that we were currently trying. I asked where the best place to train would be because there are very few other dogs in our area, so just "taking her for a walk" is pointless in the aspect of socialization and reactivity training. Yes, we are working with a trainer, and I don't think that that's a negative thing because she has helped us immensely so far. She is teaching a basic obedience class, not a socialization course. We haven't started the e-collar, but we will soon to begin her off-leash obedience work. The only thing that is currently taking place in Ellie's life is obedience class, once a week. Definitely not enough to make any of our heads spin. Again, I appreciate the advice!


My bad ... sorry. 

It's just that an area with no dogs??? Sounds kinda "alien" to a lot of us??? On the other hand some members wonder where a lot of us live, that we are always being uh ... "accosted by unconstrained dogs" ... "ambush predators." Fifteen successful defenses for me ...number Sixteen did not work out so well ... could have been worst but that's another story. 

If your working with a "trainer" with the "E Collar" that you trust ... then it's all good. AFAIK ... "off leash first" is how they start??? E-Collar is not my thing but that's what I hear? But just taking her for a walk ... is important ... for her ... not necessarily for you. 

But the she reacts to quick thing ... time and experiance ... signals are there before she goes over the top ... your just not seeing them. But if your working with a trainer anyway ... I'd not "stress" to much over the dog thing. If it's a serious issue ... they will spot it.


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## kenzandel (Feb 28, 2017)

Chip18 said:


> My bad ... sorry.
> 
> It's just that an area with no dogs??? Sounds kinda "alien" to a lot of us??? On the other hand some members wonder where a lot of us live, that we are always being uh ... "accosted by unconstrained dogs" ... "ambush predators." Fifteen successful defenses for me ...number Sixteen did not work out so well ... could have been worst but that's another story.
> 
> ...


No big deal at all! Just a lot of new information for us to take in  Being in a rural area is nice at times, but not always so helpful when you need to socialize your pet, haha! We haven't started with the e-collar yet, we will when she's done with her basic obedience course next week! I didn't mean to come off as rude- I sometimes forget that nobody can hear my intended tone when I type!! Thanks for all of the help you've given us so far!!


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## kenzandel (Feb 28, 2017)

LuvShepherds said:


> Advice you get here is going to be varied and contradictory. We all come to this with different experiences and ideas. When you find a trainer and method you like, if it works for your dog, stick with it. None of us can see you or your dog interacting, so we don't know what is best.


Good advice  It's definitely a lot of information to sift through, but everyone here is much more experienced than we are! We appreciate all of the advice we are getting!


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## Julian G (Apr 4, 2016)

kenzandel said:


> This is really interesting! We have worked on using distractions before, but so far nothing gets her attention other than leaving the area and trying again when she is quiet. Our problem is that she isn't particularly food motivated, so using a clicker and a treat can be difficult. We are working with a trainer in a basic obedience course, and we are starting e-collar work soon as well. We will have to give LAT a try!!


To get her food motivated don't do any feeding from the bowl. All her food comes from your hands, I like to use boiled chicken cubes or cut up hot dogs because they can chew and swallow it in 2 seconds and you can keep clicking and treating for good behavior. I also had problem with dog aggression, the best thing to do is don't let it begin in the first place. I was one of those people who pretty much forced my puppy to meet and greet every dog passing by because I thought this was "socializing" her. In fact, I was causing trauma. You want to have your pups just pass by other dogs and not interact with them. With an older dog who's already dog aggressive you just need to expose them to other dogs from a distance and work on engagement. Obedience classes with other dogs present can be great.


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## Chip18 (Jan 11, 2014)

kenzandel said:


> No big deal at all! Just a lot of new information for us to take in  Being in a rural area is nice at times, but not always so helpful when you need to socialize your pet, haha! We haven't started with the e-collar yet, we will when she's done with her basic obedience course next week! I didn't mean to come off as rude- I sometimes forget that nobody can hear my intended tone when I type!! Thanks for all of the help you've given us so far!!


Ah well sometimes I get confused?? 

And instead of taking 24 hours to contender (inside thing) before posting ... I go all "Boxer" like and gun blazing and then it's often ... Oh, Oh I did it wrong??? Most likely I hold the record for the most online apologies given. 

Still I often get members to bring out "details" they neglected to mention or ... I did not see??? To wit ... now we know you live in a "Rural Area" and that being the case "Where to walk??" Does not seem so odd!

I went from "City Dogs" to my first country dog as it were. With my Boxers, Boxer/Breed who shall not be mentioned and BullMastiff/Lab/Breed who shall not be mentioned, they were all raised in the big city. And met lots of people day in day out ... only requirement was folks had to ask me first, if they could pet them and "especially" with my "Boxer" the answer was "always" yes please do!! Course she managed to take that "people friendly" bit over the top at home ...but that's another story. They were all great "people dogs." Having company over was nothing to think about. 

Then when we moved to the "Desert" things changed ... life got quieter, fewer people less company and I changed breeds. My first OS WL GSD was quite content with "fewer people" in fact ... uh no people (company) was good with him??? 

Leaving out some details ... I had to go out of way to rehab him and his people issues and to do that ... I now had to go out of my way to find people for him to "ignore!" So that kinda speaks to your point of well ... where to walk. 

Most likely I should have gone into town??? It just never occurred to me?? I "still" however did the "Who Pets My Puppy or Dog Thing" except with "Rocky" my answer was pretty much "NO" instead of "Yes" to may I pet??? Exposure to people instead of Socialization with people. Worked out fine he's safe in public and safe enough at home (he's still not a fan of company at home) and he's nothing like my other people luving dogs were?? But ... good enough, perhaps if I would have taken him to town to "ignore more people" ... he would be a bit better?? 

Oh well my point is if you are that isolated ... then yes ... take him to town but he does not need to meet and greet everybody. You can over do that bit also ... Boxer 101 there. :laugh2:


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## dogma13 (Mar 8, 2014)

kenzandel said:


> I definitely understand what you mean. Once she starts, it's almost impossible to get her to focus again. How do you usually stop the behavior before it happens? For us it's almost instantaneous, so there's no really a window of time to work with!


Yes,timing is critical!Watch your dog closely and you will begin to see her signals.Maybe she stiffens up,her tail may go up instead of hanging relaxed,head pops up and ears go forward.She may close her mouth instead of the usual half open with tongue out posture.
When you learn to read her it becomes second nature to you to catch her before she goes off.


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## kenzandel (Feb 28, 2017)

dogma13 said:


> Yes,timing is critical!Watch your dog closely and you will begin to see her signals.Maybe she stiffens up,her tail may go up instead of hanging relaxed,head pops up and ears go forward.She may close her mouth instead of the usual half open with tongue out posture.
> When you learn to read her it becomes second nature to you to catch her before she goes off.


Thinking back, all of those signs ARE there beforehand. I just need to do a much better job of recognizing them and reacting faster. Thanks for the info- this is really helpful!


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## kenzandel (Feb 28, 2017)

Chip18 said:


> Ah well sometimes I get confused??
> 
> And instead of taking 24 hours to contender (inside thing) before posting ... I go all "Boxer" like and gun blazing and then it's often ... Oh, Oh I did it wrong??? Most likely I hold the record for the most online apologies given.
> 
> ...


The difference between the two breeds is so funny! I grew up with Labs, so going from "I WANT TO MEET EVERYONE ALWAYS" to the GSD personality is a huge change! We actually live in a college town, so meeting people has never been a problem, but other dogs are pretty rare unless we purposefully go somewhere to "find them"- petsmart, dog park, etc.- but I worry about putting too much pressure on her if we dive right into those environments. I'm not a fan of dog parks as it is, and I know Ellie wouldn't be either!! So it's just a matter of finding a "happy medium" for us! Easier said than done, and kind of frustrating when you have a dog to socialize  I definitely don't expect anything from her that I would have expected from our Labs- I wouldn't ask her to meet any new dog, it would just help my sanity if we can get her to ignore them!!


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## MustLoveGSDs (Oct 31, 2008)

You need to work with a qualified trainer that has experience with those challenges and can provide proof and references. I work with a ton of reactive(people and dogs) dogs. I teach attention based methods with the remote collar, I don't work off of corrections, and I graduate dogs and their owners into group class within 3-4 weeks. No matter what kind of training you do, timing and how/when you reward are extremely important. You can make a reactive dog worse with a clicker and cookies too. It can be done and you can enjoy your GSD in public around triggers, just go to a trainer that knows how to properly work with your dog and teach you. The time it takes to make progress depends on the methods, trainer skill level, and your commitment.



3 of these 5 GSDs are either human or dog reactive or both and the muzzled GSD is very people aggressive.





The same muzzled GSD working through group without a muzzle


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## LuvShepherds (May 27, 2012)

Please don't mess around with your dog's food or use an ecollar. Your dog should be evaluated in person by a legitimate trainer. Otherwise you are setting yourself up for resource guarding or handler aggression. Evaluate trainers carefully. I saw you don't have many options, but you might have more than you know.


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## kenzandel (Feb 28, 2017)

LuvShepherds said:


> Please don't mess around with your dog's food or use an ecollar. Your dog should be evaluated in person by a legitimate trainer. Otherwise you are setting yourself up for resource guarding or handler aggression. Evaluate trainers carefully. I saw you don't have many options, but you might have more than you know.


We aren't planning on doing anything differently with her food, and the e-collar is not for her reactivity issues. Like I said, it's just the next step in starting her off leash obedience training. We evaluated several trainers before choosing ours- it was not a decision made lightly, but we are paying her to teach a private obedience training course, not a reactivity session. Hopefully we will be able to find someone to work with us on her reactivity issues, but the area that we live in really doesn't have much to offer (and neither does our budget). That's why I wanted to try to beat it by working with her at home instead!


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## Blitzkrieg1 (Jul 31, 2012)

Contingent Punishment. Takes a few days for serious cases or a few hours for a minor one.

Blog- Shield K9


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## kenzandel (Feb 28, 2017)

Blitzkrieg1 said:


> Contingent Punishment. Takes a few days for serious cases or a few hours for a minor one.
> 
> Blog- Shield K9


This is so incredibly helpful, thank you!! This is actually what our trainer told us when we spoke to her about the issue. Right how we are focusing on the obedience portion of this, but we were told that after she has that down, her manners in public will start to follow. Our obedience training approach matches this almost completely- consequences for everything: praise for good behavior and a correction for anything otherwise. So reassuring to see it in writing


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## Blitzkrieg1 (Jul 31, 2012)

Sounds like your in good hands.


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## mycobraracr (Dec 4, 2011)

Blitzkrieg1 said:


> Contingent Punishment. Takes a few days for serious cases or a few hours for a minor one.
> 
> Blog- Shield K9



This is a great write up!


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## kenzandel (Feb 28, 2017)

Hello all, just wanted to give a quick update on our progress thus far. We introduced Ellie to her e-collar a few weeks ago in order to begin her off-leash obedience training. While our intention in using the e-collar was not to correct her reactivity, that seems to be exactly what has happened! We have not had a single problem with her reactivity since she started on the e-collar. Again, she's never been corrected for reacting, but she is given a correction if she breaks her heel/sit/etc. in order to do so (keep in mind that the correction is given on level 10 out of 140 possible settings, so just enough for her to know she's out of line-she's ok!). We are now able to take her in public without worrying about her behavior, and she even initiated play with other dogs when she was taken to the dog park for a training session. We could not be happier with our girl. Thanks to everyone for your help! We appreciate this community more than we can say.


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