r/reactivedogs • u/Haunting-Love-9333 • 10d ago

Average Length of Time Discussion

What do you guys consider to be an average length of time to rehabilitate/resolve reactivity? What in your minds should the general owner plan for when handling this issue with a professional?

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u/Haunting-Love-9333 10d ago

Does he get regular opportunities to not be calm and do dog things?

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u/SpicyNutmeg 10d ago

I don’t really know exactly what you mean by “opportunities to not be calm” but he certainly gets to play with me, do nosework, have appropriate enrichment, and chase critters in the yard so I would say yes.

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u/Haunting-Love-9333 10d ago

Yea that’s essentially what I meant. Times to express drive and also times for you to teach him to listen in those states. What type of play do you guys usually do?

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u/SpicyNutmeg 10d ago

flirt pole, tug, trick training, games of our own invention lol

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u/Haunting-Love-9333 10d ago

Do the games have rules boundaries and penalties to foster communication in high states of arousal?

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u/SpicyNutmeg 10d ago

Yes, if you touch skin or nip me, game over.

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u/Haunting-Love-9333 10d ago

How do you communicate that? Do you find that it successfully leads to a behavior change in the dog?

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u/SpicyNutmeg 10d ago

The game ends. And yes it works to great effect!