Stimulation - something that arouses interest, inspiration, or incitement to action:
This morning we surprised a woman and her dog at the park. We were walking along the creekside; then headed up a hill and over. When we got to the top of the hill, there she was. Her dog immediately reacted and so did the she.
The guardian instantly yanked on her leash; yelled at her dog and made an abrupt turn and continued to yank.. The encounter caused the dog’s hair to go up from head to toe as it was clearly over stimulated by what unraveled by our presence. Too much stimulation (yelling, yanking, negative body language) can lead to things going south very quickly.
We were also startled by their presence; but I kept my chill on and reached into my treat pouch for a hanful of goodies.
Let me disect the actions of the other person and her dog.
Elsa, Riggs and I appeared over the top of a hill.
The other dog reacted immediately.
Guardian reacted to her dog’s reaction and choked up on her leash.
Prong collar engaged, delivering the message of pain at the sight of other dogs.
Guardian yelled at her dog, another message to the dog about what happens in the presence of other dogs.
Guardian made an abrupt u-turn causing another prong collar pain delivery.
All of this will cause the dog to react sooner or worse next time.
So the dog is left with an understanding of what happens when other dog’s walk by. This is such a common scenario and can be very difficult to fully explain and have guardians understand it. It is a step by step responsive negative association. So what was happening on our side of the situation?
We crested the top of the hill and saw the other dog and his guardian.
Witnessing what was unfolding, I immediately slipped into my “we don’t care,” mode.
I checked that I was giving off completely neutral vibes.
I immediately praised them for remaining calm. It is important to connect.
I reached into my treat bag to reinforce the calm “who cares?” vibe.
Both Elsa and Riggs looked to me for guidance.
In my best “chill Mom” vibe, they responded the same.
This is how you deal with reactivity. When we yank on our dogs, yell at them and panic; we are relaying the message to our dog’s that this is a panic situation. Having your dog’s back and making sure that they know that you have their back is important. They need to know that there is nothing to worry about; you’ve got it covered.
Of course there are different levels or reactivity which can require more time, more space and a multitude of tactics to get to the point that you are both calm in this type of situation.
If I see any response other than observing the situation from my guys; I will often laugh to ligthen the mood tenfold. “Look at that silly dog, he’s kind of funny,” I chime while giggling to my two. This not only helps them, but it helps you to remain calm. If you see that all dog’s are leashed; the other person seems to be physically capable of holding onto their dog, then relax.