Advice Every Reactive Dog Owner Needs | LIVE Q&A

Hi everyone. I'll just wait for a few people to join on. Oh, there's 5 people here already. Hello, how are you guys? How's your day going? All right, well, I guess while we wait for some people to join in, you guys can hop in the chat. Let me know who you are. Let me know where you're from. Let me know what your dogs are. Let me know what problems you're struggling with. We've got an hour to chat tonight, so just like last week, I'll be answering as many questions as I possibly can within the hour. So if you want to make sure that yours gets answered, then just drop it in the chat now. Sorry if I look weird, like I'm looking here and then I'm looking there, because I have a screen here but I have a camera there. So, um, let me know how your week's going. Let me know anything. Just here to chat, guys. Um, for those of you guys that are here that don't know who I am, I'm Kelly. I am the owner of South Coast Canine Academy. So we work the same as YCA, just in the south where it's actually sunny. It was actually sunny here in Leeds yesterday, but today it's gone cloudy because it's Leeds. Um, and we run boot camps just like they do up at YCA. So we run the 5-day boot camps for reactive dogs. So if you guys have a reactive dog and you've got questions about your dog's reactivity, then ask away in the chat tonight. We'll give away some free advice. I'll try and help you as much as I possibly can. Um, who's that? 2 hours— someone was here 2 hours ago. 2 hours to go, or as Kelly measures it, 5 pints. Actually, I haven't had any pints today. I did have one. Did I have one yesterday? No, I did tinny yesterday, actually. Um, my dog really hates when people come to the house. Not friendly at all. Um, okay, well, what does that mean? Like, what does that look like when people are coming into the house? Is it Barking? Is it growling? Is it snapping? Um, what's your dog like with you? Does your dog enjoy affection from you? Are they that kind of dog, or are they that dog that would rather just be kind of off doing their own thing? I know for me, she's a hand grab. Does that mean teeth on hands, or What's happening? Barking and lunging. Okay, so if that's something that you are looking to stop, it's gonna need for you— she loves us to pieces. She's also a German Shepherd, I guess I should mention. Okay, so a bit of a genetic component to that one, right? Um, but in terms of stopping that behavior, that is going to come down to an effective means of punishment for that dog, which is something that, um, I won't get into online because it's very nuanced and dependent on the dog itself. But you really don't want your dog to be finding too much success in doing that prior to being able to stop that behavior. So it is going to come down to some kind of management in the house, so making sure that she doesn't get too many more wins in. You want to be keeping a lead on her. If you use a crate, I would use a crate to make sure that when people come over that she's away so she can't practice that behaviour that you don't like. When people have arrived, once they're settled down, you might want to think about getting her out but making sure that she's on a lead so she cannot go over to them and make the wrong choice. There will probably be a component in there in terms of stopping behaviour but also building her confidence around people in the house. So some counter conditioning going on there at some point. If she enjoys affection from you, like, what's she like with strangers after the initial meeting? Like, does she warm to people, or she's just your family dog, she likes you, she's not really interested in anyone else? Um, let me know what's going on there. But yeah, definitely some management, and you'll definitely want to make sure that you work with a professional to stop that behaviour from happening. Uh, best method to train out a bark after being petted for a few seconds randomly? Uh, okay, well, that also will be dependent on the scenario. So is that inside the house? Is it outside the house? Is the dog on a lead? Is the dog off a lead? And does that dog actually enjoy affection? I think sometimes a big mistake that people make is thinking that all dogs like affection and all dogs want affection, and being approached by a dog doesn't necessarily mean that they want to get pet. So like my dog Rue, for example, is in here somewhere. Oh, she's right here. She's asleep. You can't see her, but she She will come to me for affection, or she'll come to people that she knows and she likes for affection, but she is not a dog that will sit on your lap and get stroked. She isn't a dog that will even stay in your company for a particularly long time. Like, she'll come over to me, she'll get a pet, and then she'll wander off. Only Bernard likes attention. She likes attention from other people, or just from you guys? You'll want to be watching for the signs that the dog is starting to feel uncomfortable in the presence of that other person. Um, are they on a lead or off a lead? Like, do they have an out route so that they know that when they start to feel uncomfortable, they can move away from the person that's petting them? Or are they on a lead and they can't really go anywhere? Again, with something like that, I would probably want to work on some kind of counter conditioning with the dog to make sure that they know that their out for that situation isn't to bark to create space to make that person move away from them, that they can make space by simply taking themselves away, making sure that the person is taking a pause there. So like when they go over for affection, pet them for a few seconds stop petting, what does the dog do? Does the dog choose to leave or does the dog choose to stay? I'm guessing that you're pretty good at reading your dog, so making sure that you're watching out for those signs that the dog is starting to become uncomfortable and helping them out there. Yeah, like I said, Rue will go over for, for affection from people that she knows and she enjoys it, but she doesn't— she isn't the dog that wants to stay there for ages. So after a couple seconds, like maybe 10 15 seconds, she'll just choose to take herself away and she'll go sit somewhere else. So things like that are as much trying to make the dog feel comfortable as like knowing who your dog is and what your dog actually enjoys. Same with your Shepherd, really, to an extent. Like, they love their people, but do they love everyone that comes into the house? Like, we don't like everyone that we meet. They don't have to be forced into situations where they feel like they have to get pet or they have to get affection from other people. Um, I have a reactive dog that I'm trying to work with. I'm currently trying to recondition her to triggers. How can I counter-condition her to her trigger without reinforcing the reactivity by mistake? I think this is a trap that a lot of people fall into. And yes, like, counter-conditioning is a huge part because at the end of the day, when we're working with reactive dog we're trying to change feelings, right? So for whatever reason, that dog feels a certain type of way about whatever the trigger is. And if it's coming from a place of frustration, they're trying to get to it. If it's coming from a place of fear, they're trying to get the thing to move away. Um, so yes, there is an element of counterconditioning to help the dog start to change feelings, but there is also an element of being able to communicate with the dog and say, hey, don't do that. You can't lunge, you can't bark, you can't snap. Those behaviors kind of have to come off the table so we have a window whereby the dog can see, oh, I actually didn't need to do anything and the thing didn't kill me, or I didn't need to get so amped up about that thing being there. It's not this like insane thing that I have to go wild and pull and lunge to get to that person to get pet or to get to that dog to see that dog, like Depends, yes, on where the reactivity comes from, but there is much of an element of counter conditioning as there is to saying, hey, you can't do that anymore. So building that communication system with them to tell them when they got it right and tell them when they got it wrong and be able to give them that feedback is really going to help you. Um, my 2-year-old Labrador is reactive to some dogs Barks and lunges, but I know he only wants to play, but it doesn't sound that way. So is that with every dog? No, just some dogs. Um, a couple of things you're probably going to want to think about there in terms of like where that dog gets its fill. So if your dog is a Labrador, super happy, loves to play, but they only ever get to do that play when they're around other dogs and they can't be off lead because you can't trust them to come back because they bomb up to other dogs, then there's an element of fulfillment missing there for that dog. So they're looking to fill their boots in the environment, they're looking to fill their boots with other dogs because they only ever get that play and that outlet with other dogs. So making sure that you have a really good game with your dog so you have an outlet for that dog, but Also making sure that you're getting that dog off lead so that they can explore and they can use their bodies and be in the environment and drain that tank that way. All that reactivity is, is coming out because that dog likely doesn't have a way to drain the tank. In, in a way that properly fulfills them, and they look for it with other dogs, and they get frustrated when they can't get to the dog. So making sure that you're, you're able to give that dog those avenues. So that's one of the things that we really heavily focus on in our 5-day boot camps, is making sure that, yeah, we have that communication with our dogs, so we're able to give them the feedback. Like I was saying with the counter conditioning, we have an effective way to say to the dog 'Hey, that was right. I like that. Do that more.' 'Hey, that wasn't correct. Stop doing that. You can't do that anymore.' But also making sure that we're providing outlets for the dogs. So we work really hard, very quickly to get dogs off lead, get them that freedom to go and explore and move their bodies in the way that they were supposed to and be out in the environment and explore new places and smells and sniffs and all that good stuff. But also that we are able to play with our dogs properly, so it strengthens our relationship. Like, if you guys were on the live last week, or if you've watched any of my YouTubes before, you'll know how much I love teaching play, and I love the relationship that it gives with your dog. I love that it gives your dog such a good outlet for those behaviors that they were born with. There are certain things that certain dogs will really enjoy doing, and we find a game that our dog likes that we can just have fun together, then we can give them an outlet for that. They're not going to be looking for it, or they're not going to be looking for a place to put that energy, which typically comes out somewhere that we don't really like, AKA gobbling off at other dogs. Uh, my rescue dog has clearly been through something bad before I got her. How do I know if her activity is from that or just bad habits. Okay, not to say that it doesn't matter, but I do think a lot of people with rescue dogs really do get stuck in a trap where we focus so heavily on their past and their trauma and these things that have happened to them, which, yes, obviously if your dog has had a traumatic past or bad things have happened to them, it's gonna play a role in why they behave the way that they do now. But I think that we focus so heavily on it, keeps reactive rescue dogs stuck in this place because we want to help them, but we don't know how. We just try and tell them, oh, it's okay, and don't worry, and we try and keep them sheltered, and we try and keep them away from the things that trigger them. And for a while, yeah, that management is key while you're doing things like building your communication system, while you're working to help get that dog off lead. But the dog is never going to know that they can, that they are capable, that there is— the world could be bigger and you're capable of moving through it if we don't show them that they can. And I think we bubble wrap these dogs because we think, oh, they've had this horrible, horrible past and now I have to try my best to love them so much and give them this great life. And that, that great life sometimes comes out with 7 different beds in every room and 20 different toys and all this other stuff, which is lovely and amazing and it comes with the best intentions. But really the best thing that we can do for them is help to show them that they are capable and help them to move through the tough stuff and get get past it and show them that they can and that the world is actually not so scary. So yeah, they might have— their bad habits might stem from past experience, but try not to get stuck in that. Try and focus on now. Like, they're not living in that horrible life anymore because they have this lovely life with you and you care for them. So help focus more on what can I do to show you that you're capable. Exactly. Can't let the— can't let him off lead, so he doesn't. He has a flat pole to play. Oh, this is your Labrador again, Leanne. He has a flat pole to play hide and seek, etc., but not consistent. So getting that dog off lead will help massively. Because he's not able to run and be free and get out into the environment. So like I said, that's something that we focus really heavily on. So making sure that they've got that proper outlet, right? Like, we want to give our dogs the freest life possible, and that's really what our boot camps are all about, is helping give dogs agency to live the freest life they can possibly live, because that's ultimately the best life they can possibly have because they can be out in the world and they can experience things. And especially, you know, like for your, your rescue dog, with exploration and curiosity comes confidence and all that good stuff. So absolutely petrified as he has rubbish recall. So I would say to you book in for a call and have a chat to us. You could potentially be a really good fit for one of our 5-day boot camps. You know, he's only 2 years old, so if we can get him off lead, he's got what, 12, 13 amazing years off lead living his best life. You're going to be able to live a better life with him. He's going to be more free. You're going to be less, less stressed on walks. You're going to be able to give him more and you're going to be able to enjoy it more ultimately, right? I think like that's why we got our dogs. We want them to be with us. We want to go and experience life with them. We want to go down the beach and we want to take them with us to the pub and we want to do all these things. But there are certain things they can't do because we can't trust them. Well, that's exactly what we focus on, making sure that that trust is there because you have that clear communication system with your dog and they know exactly what I should be doing when, what I should be doing where, and your relationship is strengthened during those 5 days massively because the dog is— that, that clarity is there. The dog understands exactly what they're supposed to be doing, and we really focus heavily on things like play and relationship building and all that stuff. It all compounds on, on top of one another. But, um, yeah, you could be great for one of our boot camps. I think so. There is a link in the description of this live, I think. So, uh, whereabouts are you in the world or in the country, Leanne? So we've got— obviously we're up in Leeds, so if you guys are up north, Leeds could be a really good option for you. Or if you're down south, then you can come and see me. Norfolk? Okay, well, I guess you're kind of equidistant between Leeds and south. So obviously your dog is too, right? So you want to get it done as, as soon as possible. So just book onto a call and— ah, hi Helena! Helena says, go do a boot camp, best decision ever, not on commission, just happy and grateful. Thanks Helena. Um, yeah, Ziggy's off lead everywhere now and he's going actually on holiday. He came to one of our boot camps a couple of weeks ago. He's going on holiday with Helena. They're actually coming down to Camber Sands, So it'll be really nice to, to see him having a good time with his family. Yeah, Norfolk is equidistant between both, so I would say just hop on a call, get to chat to one of our team. We'll obviously make sure that you're a good fit for one of the programmes that we offer. And if you are, get on a boot camp, spend 5 days with us, spend the next 12, 13 years really enjoying your dog and taking them everywhere and having a really good time with them. That's what it's about, right? Um, I'm sure Helena will agree with that. She spent a long time hiding away from things, as a lot of people that come to our boot camps do. They're— yay, Ozzy's mom is back! Can you finish his story? Oh yeah, sure. Well, I guess I was kind of just about to go into it. So Ozzy came to one of our boot camps. For those of you guys that were here last week, I won't go I won't start the entire story again because for those of you that weren't here last week, I actually got cut off halfway through the story. So Ozzy came to us. He's a Border Collie. He was reactive to dogs and people. Um, he had put teeth on people before, and Helena had tried lots of different things because obviously Ozzy is their family pet and she loves him and she wants to do right by him. Um, she'd been to a few different trainers. Who had given her some conflicting information. She'd been told by a vet that Ozzy was too far gone, even though he's— correct me if I'm wrong, Helena, but I think Ozzy's like 2, right? Um, that he was severely aggressive, that they should put Ozzy down. Another trainer told Helena— 13 months now. Oh, sorry, I'm aging you out, Oz. So yeah, 13 months old, it seems Seems wild that that idea is going around, that we should be putting him down and not giving him a chance, um, because now he has a great life. So, uh, they went to another trainer. Helena was told that they should have him castrated, and if that didn't work, then they should really consider having him put down. Castration made a little bit of a dent in Ozzy's issues, but nothing long-lasting. And then Helena came and saw us. And Ozzy did amazing and Helena did amazing. And it's obviously nerve-wracking to, to come to us and to be in a group of people. But everyone that comes to us, I think the main thing that we really experience is like just such a nice community of people and everyone is there to support you. And I think Helena can probably attest to that. Like everyone gets it. You're in a room full of people that get it. They've been where you are, they do what you do, they're up at 5 AM, they struggle with their dogs. They have done for a certain amount of time. Only downside is now he's not reactive. I have to talk to the neighbors. You could just get headphones, Elena, and be like blissfully unaware. You don't even have to turn them on, just put them on. And then you— like, sometimes when I don't want to see people, I pretend I don't have my glasses on. I'm like, oh, were you there? I didn't see you. Sorry, now I've given away my secret. Now everyone's gonna know. No one I know watches this anyway. If I do that to you, I'm sorry, probably didn't see you. I probably want to see you if I saw you. Um, yeah, uh, I think that is one of the great things about the bootcamp, that you build this community and, uh, you stay with that community afterwards because the, the group, the chat groups that you're in stay open. People arrange meetups. We obviously have our socialization classes on Saturdays. We arrange back walks. There's opportunities for you guys to come back together, and it's really supportive. Everyone shares their wins afterwards. Um, we've had some great footage from Ziggy, uh, from Ozzy, and from the other people that were in Helena's boot camp that week, of just people enjoying their lives and celebrating together the things that they're doing now. So yeah, Ozzy's 13 months old, and now he's got the next 12, 13, 14, hopefully as many years possible, going and living life with Helena, going on holiday to Cambassans, going to the beach every day, swimming in the sea. That was one of Helena's biggest things, that she was thrilled that now he wasn't going to be at the end of a 5-foot long line, that she wouldn't have to get in the sea when it was freezing cold anymore, because Ozzy loves to swim, and she's obviously such a good owner, she wanted to be able to give that to him still. So she would get in that sea even when it was freezing cold. Now she doesn't have to, so that's nice. Um, but yeah, her world's bigger, his world's bigger, he gets to live a full life. So that's the, the whole point of everything that we do, is to make your dog's world bigger. And that's Ozzy's story. Um, my dog is fine off lead but goes absolutely mental on the lead. Why is the lead making it worse and what do I do about it? Okay, so first of all, do you ever get your dog off the lead? Because what quite often happens when dogs are on the lead is that they're, they're not knowing when am I going to get my free time to just go be a dog? Can I sniff there? Can I stop here? And the, the rules kind of getting consistent, right? Because you know you need to get your dog out, you want to take them out for an hour, but sometimes you don't want to stop and sniff every lamppost. Sometimes you don't want to stop right here, or you don't want to wait for long enough for them to finish doing whatever it is they were doing, so you shimmy them along. And they're not really clear about, okay, when am I walking next to you, and when am I not pulling on the lead, and when am I getting to do my own thing? And if they don't get enough of doing their own thing, they have energy to put somewhere, and it's going to go somewhere. And unfortunately, that's probably going to go somewhere that you don't really like because reactivity and barking and lunging and all that stuff eventually becomes quite fulfilling for the dog. They get a bit of a payout for it, and then they're like, hmm, that felt pretty good. And then you get this dog that as soon as you leave the house, then they're like scanning the environment, being like, right, what can I gob off at next? Because I like doing that, that's become a hobby for me now. And then it compounds on itself and gets worse, and then you think, well, I can't let it off because I can't trust them and they have no recall. And then the cycle continues. Also So if it comes from a place of your dog— I don't know where your dog's reactivity and going mental on the lead comes from, but if it comes from a place of fear, then we've taken away that option of flight for the dog. So some dogs that would naturally choose to see something they're not sure of coming towards them would be to make space on their own and move away, but if they're tied to the end of a to meet a lead, there's nowhere to go. So then they choose fight because they're like, well, I gotta get rid of it somehow because that thing might come over here and kill me. And then usually the thing stays away because they went mental. So they're like, huh, thank God I did that, I could have died, that worked, I'll do that again. And then again, it compounds on itself. So another reason why We are so big on getting those dogs off lead as soon as we possibly can, responsibly, because that dog has energy to put somewhere and we want to be able to give it to them. But in addition to that, you need a communication system with your dog. You need to tell them that, hey, some things are off limits, and going nuts on the end of your lead is one of them. But I'm, I'm going to be fair. I'm going to give you somewhere to put your energy because I know you need the outlet. You just can't put it there. I'm booked into YCA at the start of September with my 9-month-old Mali. Are the e-collars included in the price or do I need to buy one before coming down? No, all of your equipment will be included in your package. Um, if it's not, Jacob's gonna tell me off, but I've told it now. So we include the equipment in the price of our packages at South Coast. I'm sure Jacob does the same, and if he doesn't, you can just point him in my direction and say I said so. So we're not using the, the e-collars that we use of super high quality. We're not using just some random crap off of Temu or something that you just bought on Amazon, which I think is probably a common misconception that or why people don't have success using that kind of equipment because they're not buying good quality equipment. So the e-collars which we use are upwards of £250 each, so they are included and we get them in for you so that we know that they're correct and good equipment. And that is what we'll be using. So yes, when you arrive here in September, your equipment package will be ready for you. Someone will have prepared it and you will get it on Monday. So no need to buy anything. Who have we got here? 25 people. Hey, 25 people. If anyone else has just joined on and has missed a little bit, we've talked, we've talked a lot already about Off-Lead Freedom. We've talked a little bit about play. For those of you that have only just joined, there's a newcomer just now. I'm Kelly. I'm the owner of South Coast Canine Academy. So we work the same as Yorkshire Canine Academy in terms of what we offer. We offer a 5-day intensive boot camp specifically for reactive dogs. So we work with any breed, we work with any age. Um, if you're interested in joining one of our boot camps, then we don't we only commit to working with dogs that we are sure that we can help. So hop onto a call. I think there's a link in the description of this live. Um, have a chat with one of our trainers. We'll talk about where you're at. We'll see if you're suitable for one of the boot camps, and if not, hopefully you'll still walk away with some useful advice. So it's worth it. Um, My dog is scared and underconfident. She's 3 years old and redirects her bite at me sometimes. How to proceed? Get in touch with a trainer as soon as possible. Don't mess around with dogs that are coming back at you. That's dangerous, and it would be unethical of me to say that that is a problem that you can solve on your own if she's already had success doing that. Um, yeah, reach out to a trainer, reach out to one of us. We'll more than happily take a call with you and see if there is a program that we have that is suitable for you. Even if you're not in the UK, we've got our— or in Australia now, because we also have an amazing site where, um, Adam and Brodie are the owners of that site. They're both incredible people. Adam's an amazing trainer. Um, so yeah, if you're in Perth or near, or in Australia and willing to travel. Can you take dogs on flights there? Probably. Uh, get in touch with them, have a chat with them, see what they can do. If you are anywhere else in the world, then we also have an online-only course where you have access to trainers, you have access to a chat, we have weekly Q&A sessions. Um, And it's really helped a lot of people that haven't been able to see us in person. So definitely get in touch with someone. Please don't try and resolve that problem on your own. In terms of them being scared and underconfident, you're going to want— I'm from Asia, we'll check it out. Thanks. No problem. Yeah, definitely get in touch with one of us. But there's definitely going to be an element of building confidence there, of course. But doing that in, in a way that is specific to your dog. So you're really going to want help in being able to, like, read your dog, knowing when to push them and when not to, when to pare it back, what areas to push them in, and how to push them, whether that be through, through play or exposing them in terms of like counter conditioning and helping them move through certain situations, it will be really nuanced to your dog. So yeah, definitely get in touch with somebody. Um, my dog bites the hand while luring. How do you guys make it fun without getting bitten? Uh, how are you holding the food? Because if you're holding it in your hand where the food is here that encourages getting bitten. And then what quite often happens is the dog takes the food like this because you're holding it in the end of your hand, and because you don't want your fingers to get bitten, you go, ah, and you move your hand away. And then that makes it even more fun. So advice I can give you right now is to hold your food like you were feeding a horse, because people don't want their hands to get chomped on by a horse. Hold it in the palm of your hand. Hold your— I might have a cookie in my pocket. She's always prepared this one. I got a cookie and I got a poo bag. So you want to hold your food in your hand like that, so when you're luring, the dog can get their mouth in there, but you're not going to get fingers or anything bitten. And use like softer pieces of food that they can kind of nibble on, um, but also making sure that you have a way to tell that dog depending on how young it is, if it's really biting worse than just a nibble, that that is not okay and that they can't do that, and that isn't the gateway to having more fun with you. Um, about the e-collar, is the idea to use it permanently? Live in a country they are not allowed in? Okay, so the thing with e-collars is You'll hear our trainers say it all the time, you can use them to teach literally anything, but our primary use for them is to teach your dog a rock-solid recall. And the idea of them is eventually that your dog has that rock-solid recall there. Your e-collar is just there as your seat belt because your dog is a living, breathing creature. One day there will be something that presents itself to your dog when they are off lead, and they are going to be more motivated to go to that thing rather than coming back to you for their recall. So your e-collar is there so that you have that seatbelt to say, hey, no, recall is safety, you have to come back to me when I call you, and that is going to be how you get them back. So Dogs can become collar-wise, so there are certain collars that you can use, certain e-collars that you can use. They are more expensive where you are able to turn the stim function off, and simply wearing it can be enough. But obviously you can't— if you can't use it, then there is always the chance that the dog will find out, oh, even when the thing's on, I can still do whatever I want. So we can get you to a certain point in terms of like using an e-collar, but without being able to actually use it, there is no guarantee there that you can say, yeah, 100% of the time I know I can definitely get my dog back because you don't have that seatbelt, which is obviously why in the UK we as trainers and the hundreds of people, hundreds, thousands of people that have worked with us over the years, I'm sure will say the loss of the use of that tool would be detrimental to like the freedom that they're able to give their dog. Because if you don't have it, then yeah, you could have like 99.9% amazing recall, but your dogs are— your dog lives, breathes, has agency to make its own choice, and one day they will ignore you because they will. And if you don't have a way to get them back, then obviously that's not safe. So It's a bit of a rubbish one, to be honest, and probably not the answer you're looking for. I hold it with the thumb in a flat hand. Oh, okay, so with the luring. Okay, so you need to have a way to communicate to your dog via probably the means of punishment to say to them, hey, you can't do that, and when we won't be doing that, and doing that will end what we're doing. Um. Also think about like how razzed up you're getting that dog. Like obviously yes, you want luring to be fun, but if the dog is super jacked for doing that, they're more likely to be a bit nibbly. So try and be a bit less— not fun, like try and be a bit less like 110% with it. Get the dog a bit calmer and moving with you. And then you can build on that over time. If the dog's like giving it 150%, they're more likely to make that mistake and go for the hand because they're just so over-aroused. So try and bring that arousal level down to work with them first. Um, what do you do when she nips at the hand? Do you give a no or something else? You need to have a conditioned punishment marker because the no on its own dogs learn by consequence. That leads to that. So if no leads to nothing the dog really cares about, then they're not going to stop doing the thing. I think that's the trap that a lot of people get, get stuck in, is that they think punishment is retribution, and it's not that. It is literally, by definition, reducing the likelihood, frequency, or intensity of behaviour. So if you say no and the dog's like, sure, Jan, I'm just gonna do that again, I really don't care, then that's not punishment because it didn't do any of the things that it was intended to do. So you can say no if you want, but your no has to mean something to the dog, and it has to mean something in a way that the dog actually cares about. So conditioned punishment marker there. Why no glasses? I wonder where my phone is. I'll show you why no glasses, because I decided to trust Chance the other day, and now this is what my glasses look like. So I drove to Leeds in sunglasses because they are now my only seeing eyeglasses. I would also like to say that no Chance were hurt in the destruction of those glasses. There was a thorough checkover. It was a week ago. He didn't cut himself. I don't know how. And, um, yeah, I'm glasses-less thanks to my dog. So he's very lucky. He's handsome. Ah, get Elena because she doesn't want to see you. Um, what do you think about using bark collars Personally, I have seen them fail too many times in terms of, hmm, if you don't get a decent one, they can be set off by other noises or other dogs barking, and then your dog is gonna get an unfair consequence for another dog barking. So I would use an e-collar over a bark collar any day of the week. How many Rs in chance? As many Rs as I want there to be. Chance, because I'm from the South and I, you know, let me know in the chat, guys, chance or chance. I'm not from the North. Bath, B-A-R-T-H, not bath. Chance. Thanks. Thanks, Elena. Always my biggest fan. Chance. Exactly. So, hmm. We're posh in the South. It would be weird if I was just all of a sudden I was just Northern, but only when I say my dog's name. Chance. Chancey boy. Chansey. Um, also, just let it go. You keep bringing it up. Can have as many Rs in his name as I want. Um, all right, well, we've got 20 minutes still, so anyone else who's just hopped on, go into the chat. Don't ask me about my glasses. Don't ask me about why I add an extra R into my dog's name. Fun story actually about that is that I thought I was completely right until I realized that I had texted my nan about Chansey and she had spelt it back to me in a text with an R in it. And she knows how to spell Chance, so I don't even know why she did that. And she definitely doesn't listen to the podcast because she doesn't know how to use Spotify. Um, so thanks, Nan, for proving Ian right. Um, all right, well, hop on into the chat. Tell me about your dogs. Tell me about your day. Tell me about what you're struggling with with your dog. Ask me questions about what you want help with. This is free. You won't get free stuff very many places where you get decent dog training advice, so ask away. I feel like I've tried everything with my dog but nothing sticks. At what point is the dog actually beyond help? I would argue that you've tried a lot of things with your dog, but you haven't actually tried anything yet that was effective, and Today with like TikTok and all that other stuff, like we want instant results, right? But you'll hear dog trainers say it all the time, you don't go to the gym and hire a PT for one day and then all of a sudden you've got a six-pack. You have to work at it. And I think a lot of people get stuck in the trap of trying something for a few days, they don't get the magic wand instant results that they want, and then they're like, well, that didn't work, on to the next thing. They never really gave it a chance to stick. Um, so that's one part of the puzzle, but also not, not having that communication system there with the dog so the dog actually truly understands what it is that you're trying to tell them. Like, they don't speak English, they don't know what we're trying to convey to them. And most often we're trying to give the dog feedback so we can help them to be free, we can get them off lead, we can give them agency in life to, to move through it on their own without constantly having to be micromanaged with us, by us. So if that isn't there, then that's why training doesn't stick, because you're not able to give the dog feedback, to tell them that was right, that was incorrect, try something else. Um, so I would argue that your dog is not beyond help.. And most dogs aren't beyond help. You know, look at Helena, that if she had listened to the multiple people that told her that her dog was beyond help, Ozzy unfortunately wouldn't be with us right now, but he is. And she tried something and she found a way to make it stick because she has that communication system with him now. And he's living a great life. So yeah, I don't think there are many dogs actually that are beyond help. Um, after the boot camp, what other classes are available to attend, if any? There's loads. So at YCA, there is a socialisation class, there is a life skills class, they hold pack walks. And then at South Coast, at the moment we have a socialisation class which is free to attend for life. So when you've come to one of our boot camps Probably the way in which we are different to most trainers is that we don't just say, all right, well, you've done your 5 days, you've had your package, bon voyage, have a great life. We're there to help you through, and we want to keep seeing you progress, and we want to see what you're up to, and we want to help keep you moving and progressing through life with your dog. And also it's just nice to hang out. Like, you know, I was saying earlier, it's really nice that people build this little— we have these little communities of— you spent a week with people, you really get to know them, and they've been through a lot by the time they get to us. You all have. So you kind of have that bond. It's nice to be able to come back and hang out with them every once in a while. So we have our socialisation classes, we have our pack walks, but you also have access to trainers. So Yes, when you leave on Friday, you have the skills to go out into the world and start living your life with your dog the way you want to live your life with your dog. But in a year and a half's time, when life throws you a curveball and you're like, oh, I didn't see that coming, or this just changed, it's not like you can never speak to us again and you just have to go and find help elsewhere. We're there with you for life, so you have access to us. Reach out. We want to help you. Um, so there's lots available to attend. Um, Hi, drive dogs struggle with loose stool in your experience? Uh, don't know, not a dietitian, not my area of expertise. Don't know, but Um, good dietitian, hashtag not an ad, Sally, who is canine dietitian. I actually reached out for her, to her, for help with my dog. So I would reach out and ask her because that is what she specializes in. She is a dietitian, I am not. Um, does South Coast Canine Academy do any group classes for dogs that could benefit from training but don't need a full boot camp? Training classes around other dogs. Uh, no, we don't. We offer boot camps. We specialize in reactivity, so we are able to keep things as efficient as we possibly can to get the best results we possibly can. We focus our attention just on that one specific behavior so that we are able to continue giving our clients the best results we can possibly give them. Um, so that is the reason why we don't offer training classes surrounding other things like just basic bits like loose lead walking or stuff like that. We also don't really focus on obedience, to be honest. We focus on giving dogs free lives. So a lot of training classes probably are more obedience-based things. Um, we do offer masterclasses, however. So we do offer masterclasses on play, on e-collar, and one other one that I can't remember right now. But if that was, um, something that you were interested in, those are really fun. Um, not obedience-based, just about you building your relationship with your dog and getting your dog out there in the world. So If you are not into coming to a boot camp, then that could be a nice option for you. But again, just reach out to one of our trainers and make sure you're a good fit already for those classes. Um, we don't just want to be throwing dogs into situations like that when they're not able to already cope with them. Ozzy was on his last chance till I went to Kelly. If she hadn't worked, he would be over the rainbow bridge. Oh. Well, I'm glad that we met, and he's very lucky to have you because you knew that he was capable of more and he didn't need to make it over the rainbow bridge at the ripe old age of barely even one. What behaviors do you consider beyond help? Can you give more context? That is directed at you, SM2. How long does it take to see solid behaviour changes when working in reactivity? Is it dog dependent? To an extent it is dog dependent, but it is also massively down to your ability to give your dog feedback in a way that they do understand. So people coming to our boot camps generally tend to see, or do see, results after the first 2 days. They, at the end of those first 2 days, when we've built those solid foundations, clients are able to communicate with their dogs in a way that's actually effective, which is probably something that they have never been able to do before. And when you have that and you're able to give the dog feedback that's when you can really start opening up their world again and reintroducing things, because you're able to tell them, you got it right or you got it wrong. So to an extent, the level at which the dogs will get to quickly over the 2 days, yeah, is a bit dog dependent, but everyone after those first 2 days Notice this change. Um, I also remember Michael Ellis talking about how he doesn't correct or punish reactivity, but if the dog reacts, he marks with no and then uses the redirect into an alternate behavior. Thoughts? Um, he— I'm gonna hold my hands up and say I don't know exactly how Michael Ellis does it. He's a great trainer, but I I'm not going to comment exactly on that because I don't know for sure, but I would hazard a guess because he is a very good dog trainer that he has a conditioned punishment word with that dog. And as part of his conditioned punishment, he uses the lead to redirect back to him. Redirecting into an alternate behaviour will only strengthen the alternate behaviour. It won't make the behaviour that you are trying to stop go away. So if you are telling your dog to cut it out barking and then put them into a sit, then you're gonna strengthen your sit because you're just telling the dog what to do. Unless you have a conditioned punishment marker, then your dog is never able to understand what the incorrect thing was. So those are my thoughts, but I don't know exactly what he does. Um, it's a cult. It is a cult. Um, it's a fun cult though. Everyone here be happy. Uh, yes, but I also find they have gut issues due to diet or high metabolism and not enough fiber. I love dehydrated rabbit feet. The hair is like a sponge, so high in fiber. And coconut water. Yeah, I mean, um, I've got distracted by the comment that is beneath yours. Again, I'm not a dietitian, so I'm not going to comment on any of that because it's not my area of expertise, but I would definitely recommend reaching out to Sally because she is really, really good. Um, uh, Kelly must be a high drive dog. Tell us about the time you pooed yourself on your wedding day. Anyone who's listened to the podcast will know this story. And I sort of— it seemed funny to bring it up at the time is what I will say. And now it has escalated and I feel like the entire world knows. But, you know, we've got time left on this live, so I— can I swear on YouTube? I'm not going to. I assume that's why Jacob's written 'pood.' Um, I pooed myself on my wedding day. So I was getting ready on the morning of my wedding and I was in the Airbnb having a lovely morning. Chatting with my friend, and I did a fart, and the fart felt hot, and I was like, that's suspicious. I looked down and realized I'd shit myself. I'm not supposed to swear on YouTube, Poppy Cut. You can't cut lives, sorry. Um, and I was chatting away to my friend. She's still talking to me at this point, and I was like, gonna have to stop you there. I think I've just pooped myself. And she was like, such a good friend, and this is why she's a bridesmaid, was like, do you want me to check? And I was like, no, I'm pretty sure that's what's happened. Could you get me a towel? And then I had to shimmy myself to the bathroom and clean up. And that's what happened. And then right after I got married, Khan, my husband, was like, did you have a nice morning? And I was like, I pooed myself and he laughed and I was like, oh no, I genuinely pooed myself. And then I was too terrified to eat anything the entire day because I was so scared that it was going to happen again, which is probably in part why I didn't really drink on my wedding day either, because we all know I love a bev in a white dress. Just disaster. No one really wants that to happen. Thank God it wasn't in the dress. And I always say thank God it wasn't in my Skims because They are very expensive but also very good if you're looking for a good pair of Spanx. To be honest, worth it on the live just to find out about those. If you are about to get married, Skims are the one. Um, Jacob, where is this week's podcast? Such an avid fan. It was too inappropriate and had to be deleted. It really, it really was. Um, did you see Dylan Jones' 4.5-hour video of the Doodle case? Overall thoughts. Also, did you see Paws and Sniff Pets vs Zeus Punishment Reel? There's a lot of controversy on timing and intensity. Um, no is the answer to that question because I don't spend a great deal of time on the internet looking— this is gonna sound like a really— I can't even say the word because I can't swear on YouTube, but I don't really care what other people are doing too much. Like, I'm just over here— we just be over here trying to help dogs and trying to help their owners. So I don't really concern myself too much with what other people are doing. And no, I haven't seen either of those videos, and to be honest, I probably won't watch them. Um, resocialization. Just that, or you want to talk about resocialization? Why, why it's important, why we do it? Is that a topic of discussion? We got time left, so I guess I'll go into it. Resocialization, guys, don't just think that means throwing your ex or still reactive dog into the ring with a bunch of other dogs and just hoping it goes fine. Even if you have been through a program with us or with another trainer, it's not a case of just throwing your dogs in with other dogs and hoping for the best and being able to tell them to cut it out if things start going pear-shaped. You wanna— that was the third masterclass you forgot. Oh, okay, cool. So yeah, resocialization, guys, that's the other masterclass. Um, and aren't you glad I remembered about those masterclasses when I was saying that we don't do other things? Memory. But yeah, resocialization is very important, and it's very important that you do it in a way that you are able to tell your dog that they got it right and they got it wrong. And that is safe because you need to reintroduce them in a way that they are able to actually learn something from that interaction and not just go forth and conquer and have a free-for-all. And fingers crossed no one puts teeth on anyone else. Are the masterclasses in person or online? They are in person currently. The masterclasses are just at Leeds, but eventually they will also be at South Coast. Obviously we know, we all know if you've watched last week's and this week's I Love Play, so our first masterclass will probably be on play because it's something that I really enjoy teaching. Rue's getting real bored being in here, bless her. You can't see her, but it's almost dinner time, so if you're really lucky, within the next 2 minutes she'll probably start humping me. Um, yeah, they're in person, and if you are interested in them, then reach out to our team and have a chat, see if your, your dog is suitable for one of them first before you come. And if not, then maybe you'll want to go through one of our other programs, like one of our boot camps. Um, It's a good, it's a good fun day. It's just nice, isn't it, to just do something with your dog sometimes? Just hang out, spend time doing something productive with them. And I think that's the nicest thing about our boot camps, is that afterwards people come out on the other side of it and you get to start enjoying spending time with your dog again and finding, finding joy, finding other things that you like doing together, like going on hikes or playing together in a way that is fun for both of you. And I think a lot of people probably don't want to admit it, but when your dog's super reactive, it feels like a bit of a burden. Like, you're— I was chatting with someone today who was like, has been to one of our boot camps, and was like, life used to be like, oh, can't do that because we can't take the dog, can't do that because we'll have to be back for the dog. And it would cause arguments within the family because they couldn't go and do certain things or they were embarrassed to take the dog to certain stuff so their kids wouldn't go with them. And now they can because Brodie can go everywhere with them. And I think that's one of the biggest things that I love about our bootcamps is that it gives— starts to give people their life back and give people their joy back with their dogs. And that, as much as people don't really want to admit it, that bit of resentment goes away because you enjoy spending time with them again, because they're great and they can go anywhere and you can experience life together. And I don't really want to get into another subject because I got cut off last week, but suppose I should end these like a good date, eh? Leave you always wanting more. So if I do get halfway through a story, then you'll come back next week to listen to the other half. I'm just grateful that when I go on holiday, I don't have to have a week of KFC and McDonald's drive-throughs. Well, I do know that Ozzy does like a KFC, Helena, because I do recall you telling us that you shared one with him while you were on boot camp near the tail end of the week. So, shh. All right, what happens in boot camp stays in boot camp when it comes to giving your dog takeaway. Um, but yeah, like Helena just said, she doesn't have to hide away with Ozzy anymore. She can go out and do all the things she wants to do, and Ozzy can go with her. And she can go to the pub and she can take him, and she can go out for coffee and she can take him. My dog has made a lot of progress and is cool outside, but if he's on the couch and hears a dog walking outside, goes bananas. Is it normal for dogs who are previously reactive to other dogs to persist interritorially. Uh, if you have a way of telling your dog that that is off the table, then you need to make sure that you're consistently telling your dog that that behaviour is now off the table in all areas. Like, dogs are super bad at generalising, so, um, that's why a lot of people find that they go to their once a week one-to-one with their trainer and they're perfect with the trainer, or they're perfect in that hall, or they're perfect in that certain park that they always go to, but then outside of that they still revert back right to the old behaviour that they used to have, or the reactivity that they want to stop is because the dog is not good at generalising that that is off the table there. But then they get to the next place and they're like, and I can still do it here. It also— you'll want to be mindful of making sure that you're giving your dog an outlet. Once you take something off the table, the dogs, like I said earlier, often get a bit of a payout from doing the thing that you don't like. So when you take it off the table, you need to make sure that you have an avenue for your dog to put that energy down that is productive and is something that you approve of, that is a legal way for them to express that drive and that behaviour, because otherwise you're going to start playing behavioural whack-a-mole where you take it off there the table in one place, and either they don't understand that they can't do it anywhere, or they liked doing it so much and they don't have anywhere else to put that energy yet that they start putting it into other avenues that you don't like. So yes, if it's in the house, it could be territorial, but also it could just be your dog looking for somewhere to put that energy, and it's coming out in somewhere that you don't want it to be. Um, that was a good one. Any more for any more, guys, before my dog starts humping me for dinner? Because it is 6 PM. I'm gonna say go in once, go in twice. All right guys, that was great. Thanks for joining and, uh, really good chat, really good questions. I hope you guys all got something from this today. I hope that you— thank you, you're welcome. I hope that, uh, everyone that came that one had a question they wanted answered was able to get it answered. If not, then follow along on Instagram and we'll let you know when the next live is and you can ask it there. I'm gonna get out of here if I know how to end this live. Oh, the button's up there. Okay, thanks guys and have a good rest of your week. See ya!