Why Your Reactive Dog Still Isn’t Improving (And How To Fix It) | LIVE Q&A

Hi everyone, I'm on the ugly cam tonight because Kayleigh's not here, so I can't make the normal camera work. Neither can Owen. It did work for about 2 seconds and then it turned itself off, and now it won't be working again. You have to switch it off, switch it on. This is thrilling chat for everyone that's actually here, and that is a dreadful camera angle on this computer. That's making my ears look really big for some reason. I hate

to break it to you, Kayleigh, I

don't know if you can hear what just happened there. I've actually got really small ears. This is not what you came here to watch.

Yeah, but I love

it anyway. Welcome to another episode of me waffling on the internet. Oh, dear. For anyone who doesn't know who I am or why this is maybe not what you expected it to be, Kelly, I am the owner of South Coast Canine Academy. We are based down, shockingly, on the South Coast in Waddhurst, kind of near Tunbridge Wells, because no one knows about Waddhurst. Hi Helena, you expect what, my waffle or my complete lack of knowing what I'm doing if Kaylee's not here? No, that's charging, that one.

Are you sure?

Yeah, that one does charging. See, look,

it beeped though.

USB is not recognized. That's the one I put it in before, but I think you have to put it in when the camera's off. Someone said our favorite trainer, Waffle On.

Oh,

you're my new favorite person.

I'm a bit offended, GC.

Owen's also here and he's offended, but obviously—

I normally do the Sunday ones and now I'm offended.

I— we've lost her. You've lost me.

Oh no.

Can you still see? This is a disaster. Um, can anyone still see me? Just put a 1 in the chat if you can see me and hear me. My microphone says it's working. Owen is my favorite trainer too. Ozzy loves him.

I

said it because of him. Well, I'm presuming they can all see me. Am I on a lag? Actually, Helena, Owen might be here a week Saturday. Are you going to be here a week Saturday for socialization?

You tell me.

Yes, he will be. Um, right, I can't even remember where I left off. I keep going in and out. Am I in now? Am I on?

Chloe's just told me to turn you around so you look like a floating head. Oh,

floating head with big ears. Oh, that feels bright now. It feels like Now I feel like I'm in one of those like weird army interrogations. Tell me your name. I am Kelly. I am the owner of South Coast Canine Academy. Apparently at 4 minutes past 5, I'm a mess. I was 1 minute late. I can't get the camera to work. I can't do anything technical if Kaylee's not here. Kaylee's got leads, everything's sponsorship.

Has anyone actually asked you a dog training question yet?

No, nothing. Just Selena's here. No one— I'm not sure anyone comes here for the dog training questions even. Like, it's just me rambling and rambling and rambling. Right, shall we get to dog training? If anyone did come here for dog training, it's free for an hour to ask me questions or just tell me that I'm your favorite of all of the people at YCA. Um, anything that you want to know, chuck it in the chat and I will do my very best to spend the next, next 56 minutes— I think that's our battery, mate.

It's terrible. I had a message from Kaylee telling me to turn the backlight on.

Oh yeah, no, sorry Kaylee, I haven't charged that. You're not gonna go— honestly, mate, put it on the to-do list. You should have told me before you left. It's actually not your fault. Katie's brilliant. Every time you move that, I look worse. Honestly, it's not good. Um, right, let's all not pay attention to the fact that the lighting is awful. I can't get the good camera to work. There is no backlight, so it kind of looks like I'm in an army interrogation. But if you've got questions about dog training, that's what we're here for. So put them in the chat and I will do my best to answer them. And waffle. If anyone hasn't been here before, sometimes I go off on tangents. Like, when I say sometimes, I mean every time I answer a question, I go off on a tangent. So expect it. I will give you an answer, but it might take me a while to get there. We go around the houses. If anyone is here and is new here and after this intends to come back here every Tuesday, we put a story up on our Instagram every Tuesday morning, and then you can ask your questions there. If you have questions that you definitely want to get answered, chuck them in there. I always— well, when I say I always go through them first, I try and go through them first. But then I get sidetracked by the questions in here. Chuck them in there and I will make sure that those ones always get answered. I will do one of those first. I have a tiny dog. Will boot camp help? My first question to you is, what is it that you are struggling with? So at South Coast, and really, that's really going to make it look better.

Shocking.

Absolutely shocking. Nothing shows my tan. Every time you touch a light, I look worse and worse and worse. Um, first of all, I need to know what it is that you're actually struggling with with your tiny dog. At South Coast, also at YCA, if anyone's here from across the pond— some people show up from across the world to listen to me talk, which I find really shocking— um, we specialize in reactivity, so A boot camp can help your tiny dog if your tiny dog is struggling with reactivity. We specialize in reactive dogs, but they can be any breed, any age, any size. We have everything here from 1 week— we had, uh, Mali here. We also had a miniature pinscher here. So it doesn't matter the size, it doesn't matter the breed, it doesn't matter the age. Are

you serious?

I honestly wish you could see how bad the screen looks now. I look really red. Um, if you're struggling with reactivity, then we can help you. Doesn't matter the size of dog. So yeah, if you're struggling with reactivity with your tiny dog, then by all means, we can absolutely help you. My recommendation to you would be to get in touch with one of the team, booking a, um, a call. Again, they're free, they're half an hour long. You get to sit down and chat with a trainer. If nothing else, you could walk away with some useful advice. Um, but tell us about what's been going on and where you want to be, what your goals are with training, and we will help you to decide if a boot camp is going to be a good fit for your dog. We do have a money-back guarantee, so we only take on clients that we genuinely think that we can help. That's what those calls are there for, to make sure that, um, your dog is actually a good fit for the program. I will get some of these questions now. I am desperately distracted by how dreadful the lighting is making me look, so I hope, kind of hope, this episode of Waffling with Kelly on Tuesday falls off the internet and never comes back. Can you stop fiddling with them? Any tips on settling or teaching a dog to be calm? Tethering? Yeah, tethering is absolutely an option if you want to teach your dog to settle down. I think teaching a dog to settle and be calm is one of the things that people quite often overlook, like it's just expected that the dog will be able to do it. Um, and when the dog can't do it, rather than actually teaching them, what people quite often do is go for more exercise, more play, try and give the dog more, more, more in an attempt to try and tire the dog out. Um, but that will just create a very athletic dog, a dog that needs more, a dog that can go for longer, will go for longer, and often a more neurotic dog that's just constantly on the look for the next thing. So if you're struggling with settling, a good place to start can be the crate, especially if your dog is crate Trained. Once you've been out for a walk or you've been out with a play, help your dog learn that when you come up, then we go back down. So use your crate for that. After walks, after play, pop them in their crate for downtime. Help them to switch off when they're in the crate and you're helping them switch off. Don't be afraid to be living your life in the house. So don't put them in the crate and be like, shh, the dog's sleeping. Or like when people do that with kids— I'm not gonna comment because I don't have kids, but People do do that. My friends have done that with kids. Um, you have to be able to live your life. Your dog needs to learn to settle while things are going on around them. So crate is a really good place to start. Tethering can also be really helpful. So if you're going to be tethering, you always want to do it on either a flat collar or a slip lead. Don't leave the dog unattended when you're tethering them, and you'll want to tether them to an immovable piece of furniture. I wouldn't give the dog any guidance at that point. I would set them up for success in terms of having taken them out for a walk beforehand, making sure they've been played with, so they've been exercised, they've been played with, they've been fed, they've been to the toilet, all their needs have been met. Now it's time to settle down. Tether them to an immovable piece of furniture and let the dog work it out. So you can get up, you can sit down, you can look over there, you can spin around, but you've got this much space to do it in because that is how much space your lead will allow. Um, you can get up and do whatever you want, but nothing's going to happen. I'm not going to give you any input. I'm not going to come over and start petting you. I'm not going to give you treats if you start to settle down. I think that's one way. where some people do tend to mess it up ever so slightly, in that the dog settles down and then you go, good, and then you pay them for it. That just creates a dog that's constantly like, where's my next treat coming from? And you become a bit of a Pez dispenser. Now there's a fly in here. Honestly, this week and last week, I can't cope. Um, don't become a Pez dispenser. Let the dog settle down, and once the dog is settled, I would steer away from Interacting with them in any way. Like, the goal is to get them to settle down, so when they are in that state, let them stay in that state. Is it raining down south? Yeah, it's rough outside today. I actually am looking out the window right now and it's gone all misty. I can't even see across the car park. So is it raining up north? It was raining. We just finished boot camp today. We, we just took 9 previously reactive dogs all out together, out in the field trotting around, not a peep out of anyone. It was lovely. Um, will tiring out mentally and physically my GSD before taking him to a public park around people with treat, uh, with treats, will this help his reactivity towards people and other dogs? It might seem like it does in that the dog is tired, so It could work in your favor or it could go the other way. Basically, your dog could be really tired when they get there, and so they are less reactive. I think that's the trap that a lot of people fall into when you do like one-to-one sessions. You get to the end of the session and the last 20 minutes of it was great, but it wasn't because— I think it can be a false positive because you think the dog did amazing, but actually they're just knackered and they're bored of seeing the same dog. So they're fine. Um, it could go in your favor in that it could help you to get a lot of successful repetitions in around people. If your dog is reactive, I'm guessing people and dogs, Spicy. Um, it could also go the other way if your dog doesn't know how to settle down. and they're a bit mentally— they're a bit tapped because they've, they've played and they've gone out for a walk and now they're all the way up at the top of the mountain and they don't know how to come down, then they could go into that park more wired and they could be more reactive than they ever were before. I think probably the missing piece for you there is some form of communication system where you're actually able to give your dog feedback about getting it correct and getting it incorrect. Talk to me a little bit about exactly what it is that you're struggling with with your GSD. Like, what does that reactivity look like when you're out in a public park? Um, what are you currently trying exactly with that dog? What's worked? What hasn't? Tell me a little bit about it. Never seen Kelly in a coat, to be honest. It must be cold. Never seen me in leggings either, Helena. I've got leggings on today. Shorts are gone, too cold. Normally I hold out till about November. But to be fair, end of October, I've not done that bad. Um, yeah, coat's on, leggings are on, shorts are out. Can't even show off my tan anymore. These lights don't even make me look tanned anyway, so that's thrilling. You look great. Um, it's really like quite blinding as well. It's like sitting in full beams. Um, we've been doing lots of work on a long lead to get our Goldendoodle back from the garden, recalling, etc. Works great on a long lead. When we try off lead again, she completely ignores us. Probably the issue that you're having there is that your dog is aware that there is a lead on, and if your dog— if you— when you recall them, if the dog at any point has hit the end of the lead, your lead has become a reinforcer to come Back. They hit the end of the lead, they feel it, they know that means come back, um, and they are aware they are clipped on. Also, if you're only trying it in your garden where there are minimal distractions around, once you get outside your house, dogs are really very bad at generalizing. So you might be able to do it in your garden, but you're going to need to take it to a lot of different places. My recommendation to you Even if you don't work with us, is to find a reputable trainer that will help you work with an e-collar. Um, that is the ultimate tool for getting dogs off lead, so you have a communication system with your dog at distance. Once your dog understands pressure and release and you're able to teach them what that sensation means, that is what can give your dog true freedom, because you know then no matter what is in the environment. It could be another dog, it could be a rabbit, it could be a sirloin steak on the floor. Via the means of negative reinforcement, you are able to say to your dog, hey, no, when I call you, you have to come back. Um, so that is something that I would think about. You can get your dog's recall to 99.9% amazing, but every single dog At some point in their lives, there will be something in the environment that is more reinforcing for your dog to carry on going towards rather than coming back to you. And you don't ever want that to be running into a field of sheep, running up to the wrong dog, chasing a rabbit across the road. Those are obviously, yes, extreme examples, but Those are all things that could be detrimental to your dog's health, well-being, life. Um, getting them off lead safely and reliably is a priority. It's something that we really focus on with all of the people that we take on to boot camp. We start focusing on getting dogs off lead safely and reliably from the minute you get here on Monday so that we're able to give dogs that freedom to encourage that curiosity in the environment for them to move their bodies, be able to take them out to new places, because you know when you call your dog, no matter what the distraction, they're coming back to you. See, I told you I'd go around the houses. You asked me a very simple question there and I gave you about a 20-minute answer. I'm looking to be a first-time owner of a Staffie next summer. I would love a rescue, but many people have told me as an inexperienced first-time owner of a breed like That is wise. Your thoughts? Depends on the dog, to be honest, and what you're willing to do with them when you get the dog. Yeah, it depends like what the dog is, basically. Like, you could get a perfectly lovely secondhand staff, um, or you could get one that has a lot of issues. that you aren't equipped to deal with, but it's what you do with the dog. Find a decent trainer to work with if the dog has issues. You'll— you don't know what you don't know. But if you don't have the time and you just want that, like, dog that moves in and you do a bit of work on the basics, getting them off lead, maybe getting them walking nicely on the lead, Build in a reward marker, build in a punishment marker so you're able to tell them yes and no. Um, maybe don't get a dog that has issues, but any decent rescue will quiz you on your lifestyle. They should quiz you on your lifestyle, on your knowledge of training, on what you plan to do with the dog, on what you do in your day-to-day. And they should be— they should have a knowledge of their dogs and if they have a dog that is suitable to fit into your lifestyle and what your capacity is to care for that dog. So my personal thoughts, it's less about just going and picking a dog, and if you want to get a secondhand dog, it's about picking a responsible charity, that is gonna ultimately make you think twice about whether you want to rescue or not. Like, there should be an in-depth process there whereby the charity has a real interview with you, ask you questions, ask you to do the research, ask you the tough questions, um, so that they know the dog is going to a home where they will stay for life and they're not just chucking out dogs and hoping for the best. So my advice would be to find a reputable charity. Just because you get a dog from a breeder, you don't get— yeah, of course they're a responsible breeder, but like, people are like, I'll just get a puppy, it's a clean slate. Not always. If you don't get it from a decent breeder, it could be just as like risky to do that as a first-time dog owner. Staffs are all right, just need to make sure that you give them proper outlets. Make sure that you learn to play with that dog properly and give them what a dog needs. Get them off, get them around and about all the things that you want them to be able to do in life. Give them a full life, you'll be grand. Staffies are snuggables. They are cuties. Love a Staff. They're great, great, great, great little dogs. Um, my issue is when he reacts— oh right, we've gone back there. The Shepherd. My issue is when he reacts, he's so up there, hair is standing, he will even try and flip around and do a backflip. It's difficult to get his attention or correction at this point. Your problem is you don't have a foundational communication system there with your dog, and you're trying to work it out in front of a trigger. You need to go back steps, build the foundation first. And then start reintroducing triggers so that your dog understands a clear reward marker and a clear punishment marker that you have rehearsed away from your dog's triggers. Um, sounds to me like exactly the sort of dog that we get here every single week, and I would— Have a chat with one of our trainers. Talk to us a little bit more about what's going on, how long that's been going on, anything that you potentially have tried before. I think there's usually a link either in this chat or it will pop up under the YouTube live, or if you message me, I'm gonna put my Okay, that is my email. Yeah, send an email to that address and I'll get you booked in for a call if you wanted to have a chat. We'll talk a little bit more and just make sure that your dog is potentially a good fit for one of our programs, but absolutely the sort of dog that we work with every single week that we get off lead, back out into the real world, back out into life. Um, have a chat. I live in a school bus— fun— with a 1-year-old Doberman. I've been trying to tire him out through runs and play. I'm in better shape than I've ever been, but if I do any more, I'll die. We'll try tethering. So Sam, the other trainer here, I was actually just telling everyone this this morning, he used to walk Tria 5 hours a day. in an attempt to try and tire her out because she was so like on the go all the time. Now he's been able to teach her how to settle properly. She gets 2 hours of walks a day and maybe a little bit of play at lunchtime, or like an hour and a half of walks, a little bit of play, and she is a much more happy and content dog than she ever was when she was getting 5 hours a day. Um, so yeah, you're exactly right. Like, more, more, more is not the way to go. The more you give, the more your dog's gonna need. The more you run them, the more athletic they become. We actually had a Doberman in here. Um, when was Gunner in here? Maybe like a month ago now. Um, and his owner struggled Also really badly with his reactivity. But in order to get him exercise, she used to take him running every single day with her and run like 10 to 15K, I think. So that dog was super athletic, but then if he didn't get it, he was manic. She wasn't able to play with him properly because she didn't know how. Um, and now we've got her back on track where he is able to settle more and switch off. Like, Dobermans are a bit singy, a bit Mariah Carey with it. So do expect a bit of whining there. I would say be prepared for that, but just ride it out. Um, play with them properly. Make sure when you get your dog— this is especially important for the person that was considering getting a Staffie— when you get your dog, decide how much exercise is feasible for you to give that dog a day. Obviously it needs to be a reasonable amount. You can't be like, well, I just want to walk them 20 minutes. Dogs should be getting an hour, an hour and a half a day. Make sure they're getting the correct amount, but that it also fits in with your lifestyle. So if you're not going to continue to keep walking your dog for 3 hours every day, don't start that because you'll get yourself in bother. Um, do the correct amount that is right for you, fits in with your lifestyle, and stick to that. and work from there and work on settle training. In an ideal world, where would you put a tether— the tether mount? I can put it on a bus wall, high or low, directly behind the dog. I would put it behind the dog. Uh, it will need to be like— I'm not sure how big your Doberman is, um, but it needs to be, uh, To something immovable that the dog obviously can't rip out. Doesn't really matter whether it's high or low unless the dog is likely to chew the lead. Um, making sure obviously that the dog's got enough lead, so if you're gonna put it up high that they're not just strung up and then they can't lay down. Just like a normal height, like when I used to tether Chance. When I first got him, he was really bad at settling down. He would just like be on the go all the time, constantly whining. Um, I used to tie his lead to the sofa leg and just let him work it out. Um, so something like that. Also, where would you place a cue? Do you mean like putting it on a cue to settle? If you're gonna do tethering, I don't personally use a cue. I just put the dog on the lead and let that kind of become the cue. Like, this goes here, that means you settle down. Because then when I sit and I'm like sat down next to them, or I'm in the pub, the lead's on, we're not doing anything, you settle down. Potentially, if you want, if you were desperate to have a cue on it, I wouldn't put a place cue on it. I would maybe work on some conditioned relaxation. If you come to one of our boot camps, it is something that we cover during the week. Having a cue that tells your dog to start taking it down a level, um, can be really helpful. But personally, I wouldn't worry about putting a cue on it. Just make sure that you're setting the dog up for success. They're doing it when they've had all of their needs met. Bring them home, have them on the tether, let them work it out. I'll send you an email to get a call booked in when I can. I'm Bradford from West Yorkshire. I'm starting from scratch and he's half Dutch Shepherd. My goal is have a dog I can take anywhere. Maybe invite the dog then. Um, what do you mean by punishment? Is it just— it isn't. Oh, I don't know if this is going to cut out because I've just had a sign come up at the top of the screen saying your connection is unstable, we're trying to reconnect you. I think I'm reconnected. There is no sign at the top of the screen. I don't know if it cut out. It didn't my end, but that doesn't mean anything. Um, we used to have a great Skylink here. And the internet used to be amazing and it wasn't mine, but Leeds made us give it back. Kirkie made us give it back and now our internet sucks. So I'm going to have to pay for my own, which is horrid and it's ruining everything. And I wish they forgot about it still and we could have kept it. I was just about to answer a question about punishment. What do you mean by punishment? Is it just scaring the dog? No, it's not. I think people have a very big problem with the word punishment because they think punishment equals retribution, which is kind of, I'm guessing, what you think punishment means. Just do what I say or else, and squashing the dog and making them comply because they are scared to do anything. That is not what punishment is. Punishment by definition just means reducing likelihood, intensity, or frequency of behavior. It's not yeeting the dog on a slip collar or a prong collar, or smashing them into next year on an e-collar, or hitting them over the head with a rolled up newspaper. All of that stuff is retribution. That amount of force is unfair, and if that is what you are currently doing, I would not be doing that. Or if that is what you presume punishment will be on the internet, or you've seen it done that way, then I wouldn't touch those trainers with a barge pole. Punishment needs to be conditioned to a word eventually. The goal of all training, or the goal of our training, or goal of a boot camp, is to give your dog agency to make choice at liberty so that you're not constantly micromanaging the dog. For that to be a thing, we aim to get all your cues on a verbal so that your dog understands feedback on a verbal cue that yes, that was correct, I like that, do that more. No, that was incorrect, don't do that again. So that the dog can go and be free because you can trust them at liberty to make choices for themselves, knowing that there's just a handful of things that are off the table. If you don't include punishment as part of your training program. Personally, I just think it's unfair to the dog because you're leaving them in this gray area where you've paid into all this good behavior, but there are hundreds and hundreds of correct things a dog could do. There is only really a handful of things that dogs shouldn't do— gob off at people and other dogs. Put teeth on other people and dogs, um, pick stuff up off the floor if you haven't explicitly told them that they can, chase livestock. I don't know, like, those are the 4 main ones I'd say. Like, is it not just easier to have a punishment marker so that you're able to capture the exact moment that your dog got it incorrect? in a way that they are actually able to understand and learn from, so that you're able to then take them back and say, want to do that again? And they're like, nah, I, I picked something else. And then we start paying into that rather than just only paying around the stuff that you like and leaving the dog guessing, really. Like, well, is that okay? Is that okay? Is that okay? And then if you're not willing to tell them something is not okay. They, they can't fully understand. Like, we have the luxury with kids of just simply telling them that there are certain things that are off the table. Like, you can't just walk out into the street and punch someone in the chops because you'll get arrested. When you cross the road, you have to look both ways, otherwise you're going to get hit by a car. We don't have that luxury with our dogs. We have to show them. And I think if you're missing that element Just because you're afraid of the word punishment, you're not being fair to the dog, and you could be giving them a much fuller and freer life if they just knew those 4 things— can't do those, go and pick anything else. Um, very short question, very long answer, probably completely unnecessary, but I hope that was a— that was a response that, uh, helped you in some way, shape, or form. Take a trip to Yorkshire, steal it back. I'm gonna tell Kaylee and Harrison to bring it back because they're up in Yorkshire this week. What is boot camp? It's a 5-day boot camp where you go with your dog to them. We will talk more in depth on our call about what exactly boot camp is, but Basically, boot camp is 5 days, Monday to Friday. Each of the days is 10 till 4. You are here with your dog for the entirety of it. You will be training your dog for the entirety of it. It is very rare that you will ever see one of our trainers pick up the lead. You will be training your dog with guidance from us, but the reason that we don't step in and take the lead or train your dog for you is because Your dog is not our dog. We don't live with your dog. The reason that our boot camps have longevity and that people go home and the results continue to progress and get better and better and better over time, and it doesn't fall apart when people go home, is because you were the one holding the lead for the entire time that you were here. So we get you out and about in real life situations as much as we possibly can. all the current things that your dogs can't deal with, all the things that curveballs that lie at you— getting rushed by an off-leash dog, close proximity passings going down a high street, sitting in a cafe or a pub when dogs are wandering around, traffic, wildlife— so that when you go home on the weekend and you get back on Saturday, you've navigated all those situations by the time you get back, but you were the one that did it. So you're not like, oh, not really sure what to do here because I've never actually held the lead before. It's all well and good someone telling you what to do, but I'm sure most, 99% of people would agree, if you haven't actually practiced it and done it yourself, it's very hard to apply what you've been told because you've got no muscle memory there. So That's kind of what the boot camp is. I think that kind of answered the question, probably. If not, ask more questions about the question. I've been teaching a well-needed enough, so grateful for your tips and hard work. Oh, you're welcome. Good. How's your enough going? So essentially, teaching an enough is like punishment is reserved. It Exclusively for crimes, because once a dog has a very clear understanding of a punishment marker, punishment is very powerful. But we don't just go throwing it around willy-nilly for anything that we don't particularly like, because it's just for crimes. Things like whining or Like even barking at the doorbell, like that's a startle response, that's not a crime. So that's where we would teach an enough cue. We would build your play so that you have a cue that starts your game and a cue that ends your game. Once you've got that nailed and your dog understands when you say enough or finish, whatever you want it to be, that, that thing you were doing, we're not doing that anymore. Then you're able to transfer that out into other areas for non-criminal offenses, just things that are like, yeah, right, I get it, you're doing the thing, but like, we're not doing that anymore, so enough now. Like barking at the door or, um, whining, whinging. That's what you would use your enough cue for. Play is super, super powerful, and I think it's a lot of something that people really sleep on in training, like Play isn't just taking a Chuckit Stick down the park and launching it to the other end of the field until you think your dog's exhausted. Play is something that you and your dog should do together, and it should fill, uh, a void for the dog. Like, every dog will have a desire to do something. We can give them an outlet for that through play. So that they're not looking to put that energy into other areas of life, which eventually you probably will find annoying or will be socially unacceptable, like gobbing off at people and dogs or putting teeth on people or dogs or chasing livestock. We can give dogs outlets for their drives. Through play. And it's also just something that is fun for you. It should be fun for you and your dog to do it together. Like, find a game that your dog actually enjoys, that you enjoy doing with them. It can be fun, it can be silly. Like, it shouldn't be this like, out, down, get it, come bring it back, like this military operation thing. It should be something that you and your dog are actually enjoying doing when you're spending time together. Um, I love play. We have a whole workshop on play during our boot camp— boot camp— during our boot camp. Um, and it's my favorite day of the week. I love teaching play. Um, I just love watching people Enjoy spending time with their dogs. It's just nice, isn't it? Back to my questions. I don't understand the different types of reactivity. Please help. Reactivity comes in many different forms. For a lot of dogs, reactivity comes from a place of fear. The dog. Thinks that they needed to do the thing. At some point, they used aggression to get the person, the dog, the thing to move away, to create space, and it paid off. They got space because of it. And for lots of dogs, especially when they're reactive and they bark, they get some kind of intrinsic reinforcement from that because Barking is very intrinsically reinforcing for dogs. So not only are they getting this huge, like, like, God, I did that because otherwise that person or that dog might have come over here and killed me, they also get a bit of joy from doing the thing. And what you quite often find with dogs that are reactive from a place of fear, it started coming from a fearful place, and then very quickly, because then they are reactive, so then you can't take them very many places, and then they can't see very many things, and then your world starts getting smaller and smaller and smaller and shrinking down, as does the dog's. Then, because the dog gets reinforcement and payout from doing the thing, you then quickly get a dog that starts looking for stuff to shout at and gobble off at. Because they get payout from it and it becomes their new favorite hobby. So then they used to only bark at intact male dogs, then it was bigger intact male dogs and little intact male dogs, then it was also female dogs, then it wasn't just in the park, then it was on the street when you leave the house. Now they bark out the window too if you're not watching them. And it starts bleeding out into all these areas of life because it becomes the dog's favorite hobby. And then the more they do it, the more their world shrinks. So the more they do it and the more their world shrinks, and it becomes this very vicious cycle. Dogs also can be reactive from a place of frustration. So if they're not having needs met, or if, for example, Hmm. Your dog has always found a lot of joy when they were younger. Perhaps you've got a very big dog now. In my example, let's say you've got like a big dog, Corso. Let's say you've got a Corso. When they were a little puppy, they used to run around and play with other dogs all the time, and it was great fun and they loved doing it. But now they're bigger, now they can't do that anymore because some dogs are too small for them to play with. Or you don't have the, the time that you had when they were a puppy because you took time off work when they were little, but now you've got to go back. So now you're walking down the street to the park, and they used to be able to go up and say hi to everyone because they were all little and cute and everyone loved them. Now they're a big dog and no one really wants to say hi to them anymore, but now they still want to. And then you're holding them at the end of a lead and saying, no, you're not saying hi to that person, we're going to the park. And you're not going over to say hi to that dog because I've got to go to work today and you're too big and that dog's too small. The dog doesn't understand that. They're just hanging off the end of a lead and they want to get over there because dogs are the only place that they ever get like fun from outside the house. Then they start getting reactive because they're frustrated if we don't give them an outlet for the play and they only ever found it in other dogs. Or chasing stuff— birds, squirrels, whatever. And now we're saying, now you can't do that anymore because when I recall you, you don't come back, so I can't trust you and you're too big to play with those dogs. Then they get more and more and more frustrated, and then they're stuck on the end of the lead and there's nowhere for that energy to go. It's going to bleed out into somewhere you don't want it to go. So as much as we work— when we're working with reactive, with all reactive dogs, to take that behavior off the table, we have to focus on building dogs back, changing feelings, changing emotions. Like, you're not doing that anymore, but when you don't do it, you didn't die. It's actually not so bad. And you got paid for it. And we start changing feelings about stuff. But you can't— I think that's the limitation when you are only going down a force-free avenue, especially with a fearful dog. If you're not able to take the behavior off the table, the dog is never given the opportunity for real learning, for, um, to get prediction error. where they can see because they're not allowed to do the thing, they didn't do it, then they're able to see they actually didn't need to do it. No one was coming over here to kill you, that dog was just going to walk by anyway. Maybe you didn't need to do it, maybe you were wrong about that thing, and now I can help you start feeling better about it. Also taking that behaviour off the table when they come— when it comes from a place of like fear, that's where we have to make sure that we don't just start trying to squash a dog down and suppress it, because you will end up playing behavioral whack-a-mole. That behavior will come back somewhere you don't want it to be if you don't give your dog an outlet, which is why we really focus on getting dogs off lead and out there and back out into the environment, but why we also focus on play and getting your dogs an outlet for those drives, for those needs, for the desires that they have to express themselves in an appropriate way. Again, very short question, very long answer. Just wanted to know about different types of reactivity. I hope that answered your question. If anyone is finding any of this remotely useful please let me know in the chat because I kind of just feel like I'm waffling into the ether tonight with like horrid, horrid lighting, and I can't look either way because it's blinding. Hi, how do you handle your dogs on a hike? My dog is so nervous she can't walk there without pulling harness in those situations. On a hike, I don't have my dogs on a lead. I have my dogs on e-collars. So that they are free to explore the environment and they are free to be curious in the environment. Obviously, when I'm on a hike, if I'm walking through a field and it's livestock, then I'm going to call my dogs back, um, because that'd be the law. But my dogs are off lead. I don't really have my dogs on lead very much. The only reason that my dogs walk on a lead would be if we were walking through like Town center, or like when I take them away, if we've got to go from like A to B, if we get from the car to go to the pub or something like that, most of the time my dogs are off the lead. Um, and if your dog pulls into equipment, then you need to teach them not to pull into equipment. Your dog needs to understand what pressure means. So making sure that your dog understands when they feel pressure on any equipment— and I wouldn't recommend doing this on a harness— that they know that means yield to it, come back to you, not keep putting pressure into it and keep going forwards. I would really focus with your dog there on getting them off lead Breeding curiosity with a dog like that, letting them be in the environment and feel free to explore. Often when you get really— when dogs are a bit nervy, they want more space, um, but they're trapped on the end of a lead, and then that makes them more conscious. They don't have the freedom to just simply move away from something if they want to, and then that makes them more nervy. I wish I could use the e-collar. I have the flexi lead. Are you in the UK or are you overseas? If you have a particularly nervous dog, it is something that I think would be really beneficial. I think it's beneficial for all dogs. But especially for more like nervy dogs. But the Flexi gives a bit of pressure when she walks normally. Is that bad because she likes pressure? Uh, I wouldn't ever let her learn to pull into the equipment that you want her to walk on. Uh, Switzerland, is e-collars banned there? That's a shame. Um, I would get her learning pressure and release on a particular piece of equipment and maybe not using a flexi lead. Maybe I would use a long line instead. The problem that you'll get with flexi leads is unless they're like locked out and more like a long line, there is always going to be a little bit of tension on the flexi. Um, just because it is a tense line. So potentially using a long lead for that, that you can like let drag, and then when she feels pressure, she's learned to yield to it rather than there being constantly a little bit of pressure on any piece of equipment. But teaching that dog pressure and release is going to be really important, especially if you, um, Can't get her off lead because you can't use an e-collar and you can't trust her at distance. This is why we can't let e-collars be banned. Is accommodation included with the boot camp? Uh, no. We can send you a list of accommodation that we recommend in the local area. We've got like a whole document on it, so Typically, if people are traveling for like anywhere from like up to about an hour and a half, sometimes maybe even 2 hours, people will travel in and out each day. Someone came here last week— sorry, um, someone came last week from Southampton every day. That's like 3 hours, which I think is fucking wild, and didn't get accommodation. They just drove in and out. I wouldn't recommend doing that, but if you want to do it, you go forth and conquer. And we've got a list of accommodation that we can send out to you, so there's stuff on there for like under £100 a night— hotels, Airbnbs, some with gardens, some without, lodges, campsites, caravan parks. Like, it just kind of really depends what you're after with your dog, but everything on the list is dog-friendly. I love all the bandanas. I have these. So a few have floated away in the sea. Oh, you need to get him like a little buff for the winter because it's like cute and fashion but also functional. Um, I'll have a look online and see if I can find some cute ones for you, Helena. Sorry I keep yawning. It's been a very long It's been a long week and it's only Tuesday. Um, also like the night's drawing in really like throw me off now because I feel like I should be going to bed in a bit, but it's 5 to 6 and I'm nowhere near going to bed. Uh, that's what I meant, thank you. So better the long leave then because I can't use equal here without being a monster. Yeah, wild that, isn't it? It's just mental to me that Those things can get taken away from people, but yet they help hundreds of thousands of dogs to live a life that is free and off lead. And if people actually learn to use them properly, your dog would have a better life and everyone would have more control over their dogs because everyone would be able to recall their dog. Mental. Yeah, I would go down the use of a long lead. Uh, we're traveling 5 hours to see Auntie Kelly and Uncle Sam and Uncle Owen next week. Ozzy's excited, wants to give you a cuddle. You're gonna stay here for the whole weekend, Helena? We should go and get a pub lunch or something afterwards, take Ozzy down the pub. Um, also, if you come to our boot camp, the reason Helena is coming back is because every Saturday we have a socialization class at the center It's free for your dog to attend for the rest of their life once they have been to a boot camp. I think sometimes when people go home, socialization, or getting your dog around lots and lots and lots of other dogs, is something that people really struggle with. Like, people constantly say, like, when I used to take them out before when they were reactive, there seemed like there were dogs everywhere, every corner, everywhere I turned there was a dog coming towards us, and now we don't see them. Um, but it is important to like keep getting your dog around dogs after a boot camp so that your dog doesn't find like novelty again. I think that's what our classes can be really, really helpful for because normally here we get anywhere between like 15 to 25, um, dogs here every Saturday in Leeds. Do you have a free socialization class anywhere in West Yorkshire? You've got Leeds. It's West Yorkshire, nearly. It's my geography shit. Can't be that far from you if you're in Yorkshire. Um, YCA have one every Saturday as well. I think they're a bigger center, so they normally have probably about 30 dogs there every week, I'd say. Um, but it's a really good opportunity for you post-boot camp. Oh, next to Leeds. Well, maybe Leeds would be a better option for you than unfortunately coming down south, although I would say that it is way more of a vibe down south. So if you wanted to come down here, we can talk about it on your call. Um, but yeah, they do have a free socialization class in Leeds as well, and they're obviously a bigger center, so they get more dogs up there. But once you've been to any of the academies, so if you've been here or if you've been up in Leeds, then you're free to go to either or. So if you went to a boot camp in Leeds but you live closer down south and you want to come here, the class is free down here. Similarly, if you came to a class down here but you find yourself up in the north— I don't know why you would personally because it's always raining up there— but if you ever find yourself up in the north, you'd be free to go to that class too. So it's nice to have options either end of the country and a nice opportunity to get yourselves around lots and lots of dogs. Coming down Friday, going back Saturday evening— that is dedication. You're coming down Friday day or Friday night, you'll be knackered on Saturday morning. 5-hour drive. Um, and then we usually come in here after our socialization. Sorry, I don't mean to keep yawning. Come in here after our socialization and we do like a little cafe setup. So we all have like sausage sandwiches, coffee together. It's a nice opportunity for you to like have a chat with trainers, chat to other bootcampers, make friends. Like there is honestly nothing more heartwarming after a bootcamp than watching people like make friends with one another and stay friends after bootcamp. We've had so many messages come in from ex-bootcampers over the last few weeks that They've had meetups and they've gone on walks together, and a couple of them went away together for a little night away. Those 2 dogs both used to have an issue with people and dogs, and they stayed in an Airbnb together with both the dogs. They went on walks together, um, which I just think is really sweet and nice. So It's not just about the week. Everything that comes after it is really sweet too. Like, once you're with us, you're with us for life. And I know it sounds kind of cheesy to say, but it is really like a community of people. And I think that's what's really nice about the end product of it. It's not just you do it and then you leave and then you never hear from anyone again. Like, your WhatsApp group that you're in will stay open for The rest of your life, or as long as What's That stays a thing. Um, you have access to come to socialization classes for the rest of your dog's life. You also have access to the trainers for the rest of your dog's life. Like, once you're with us, you're here forever. If you have a problem like a year and a half down the road, you know, like things happen, life changes, like maybe you have a baby. Oh, that's so cute. Or you move house, I don't know, something changes in your life and your dog has a little bit of a setback, we're here for you. We want to help you, just reach out. Um, anymore for anymore? I feel like these lights are like not hot, but they're really hot. I'm going so red. I feel like I'm getting sunburnt from these lights. Do I look red on it? I'm so like, I'm hot but I'm also cold, just like I'm red in my face. I hate this lighting, it's awful.

It's the most spicy I've ever seen you get.

Huh?

It's the most spicy I've ever seen you get. Even when I was in here, you looked like you almost had a heart attack.

Stop moving the lights around. No one wants to look ugly on the internet. Like, these videos stay up for God knows how long. Anyone can watch them. You don't look red, they're winding you up. You're a really good layer, Helena, but I know that this lighting is making me look dreadful. Do you do nose work with your dogs? Because I play with my dog but she smells around for cats. Maybe I can find an outlet for that behavior. Um, I actually want to do scent work with one of my dogs because I tried to get her into GRC and she's a bit of a nerd and she just liked the obedience side of that. Didn't really— she's not super, super into play. Um, so I do want to do scent work with her, but yeah, could be great for your dog. Nice. Just something nice to do together, something fun for you, something nice to do for the dog. But don't feel like finding outlets for your dogs has to involve you going to a scent work class 3 times a week or Finding a sport for your dog to do. Play can fulfill those drives. Um, it doesn't need to be something that you go out and pay for and that you have to invest a bunch of time in. 10 minutes a day, perfect. Anyway, on that note, unless anyone's got any other last-minute questions— Can you replace a job with play? What do you mean a job? What kind of job you mean for your dog? Um, could do anything with play, it's great. Uh, let me know what you mean if I don't get to or you don't reply before I head off of here, then we'll talk about it on your call, which would be fun. Um, even though I have a sneaking suspicion that you will end up going to Yorkshire anyway instead of Nosework, for example. Um, yeah, for sure. Just need to— you need to make sure that you'll find it, especially you've got a GSD, so absolutely you can. You just need to make sure sure that you're finding the game that your dog actually enjoys and finding what your dog actually wants to do and not trying to square peg round hole them into something that you think they enjoy. Um, but like I said, we do a whole play workshop at boot camp, so definitely something that we would cover. Ideal training session time? Hard, not all dogs are the same. Depends what you're training, mate, to be honest. Um, short and sweet, like keep it 5-10 minutes max. Dogs get bored of doing the same thing over and over and over again. Like, training sessions don't need to be an hour long. Um, but yeah, it depends what you're trying to train. Like, if it's something new, I'd even go shorter than that— 2 or 3 minutes, a couple of times a day. How would you outlet her strong cat smelling with play? But you could do some like scent work games, some like bits where they have to find food. You could use food and play for an outlet for that. Probably going to south, to be honest. The change of scenery would be nice. Oh great, well now I'm even more excited for our call because I was going to say if you do end up going to Leeds, then I'll be wanting an update on how you get on with your dog. Um, I am gonna get out of here because I have run over, because I waffled, and because I turned up a little bit late. But, um, I'm here every week, so if you guys didn't get your questions answered, then come back next Tuesday and listen to me yap on for an hour. Hopefully the lighting will be better and I'll figure out how to use the camera properly. I probably won't, but Kayleigh will be back next week, so everything will be as good as it is when she's not here. I don't even know what I'm saying anymore. Basically, Kayleigh will be back next week, everything will be fixed, and, um, I'll be back again. So see you then. Thanks for joining. Have a great evening. Thanks, guys. Speak to you soon. Bye. Bye.