Meet Dexter the Staffordshire Terrier Cross

Dexter's owners contacted us to help with Dexter who was struggling during his daily walks due to dog reactivity.

Assessment

During his assessment, it was found that Dexter just loved other dogs, so much that he would get so excited he would rush in. But this rush-in would mean that other dogs would tell him off, causing some anxiety for Dexter. This led to a cycle where when walking on the lead he would be frustrated as he wanted so desperately to greet and meet other dogs, but also unsure how they would react to him. This led to a big outburst of barking and lunging.

Treatment plan

We introduced a lot of self-control tasks for Dexter to help him with his impulse control. we also introduced some muzzle work to help with his confidence. This worked in conjunction with redirection training with other dogs being around him. Ron loved his training with food and his owners were amazingly committed to his new training plan.

Ongoing

Dexter made a lot of improvements during his training plan. He was also able to have offlead time with a longline with dogs in the same field. He can sometimes get a bit over-excited with other dogs, however, he can control his impulses and reactions much more successfully.