reactive dogs

Dog Aggression – Helping Dog Owners Other Trainers Failed

This is an old video being reposted.

A Rescue Dog Story – Good Intentions Gone Bad

Listen to these dog owners recount their story and experience having rescued the dog off the streets.

What it was like for them, trying to integrate the dog into their lives, an urban environment, full of distractions and other dogs.

Failed Attempt at Dog Training – Other trainers Claim Dog Cannot Be Helped

Another training school had told them that there was nothing they could do to help this dog and had relegated this dog to having to be boarded up behind sheets of plywood to keep it from trying to attack the other dogs in class.

Dog Training – Setting the Dog Up For Success

As much as I am not a fan of dog parks, we filmed this video in a local dog park in order to show the dogs ability to coexist around other dogs and humans.

Hopefully this video will reach those of you who are in need of help with your dogs and provide a glimmer of hope to not give up on your dogs, on your training and on your search for finding the right trainer to help you with your dog.

Dog Parks I Dirty Little Secrets

Should you take your dog to a dog park?

Dog parks are a popular place for dog owners to bring their K9 buddies. They get to romp around and get some exercise and social interaction. Montreal (and its surrounding areas) is a very dog friendly city and as such has plenty of dog parks. So do the surrounding areas such as the West Island, the south shore and Laval.

Montreal Dog Parks

Downtown Montreal has the well known Percy Walter Park. Westmount has Murray Hill, Landsdowne and of course the Summit. So many burrows with dogs parks for owners to bring their dogs to enjoy off leash freedom and playtime with other dogs.

The question is should you bring your dog to a dog park?

I am not going to outright tell you shouldn’t bring your dog to a dog park. It is of course your decision to make. However, I will tell you that after training dogs professionally for 3 decades the risks outweigh the rewards in just about any case you can imagine.

What are the risks of going to a dog park with your dog?

I’d invite you to read my emails regarding the impact dog parks have had on dogs who were previously social. Each day I receive emails telling me how a dog who previously was social is now terrified of dogs as a result of a fight, or an attack. In many instances just being overwhelmed by a dog or group of dogs who meant no harm but came on too strong. I also receive emails from folks who know their dog has issues with other dogs. Yet they continued to bring their dog to a dog park in hopes the situation would resolve itself. Despite their hopes – their dog has now left a path of destruction in its wake – infecting other dogs to mimic the behaviour they were exposed to.

Don’t forget that when you’re at the dog park, you are amongst other dog lovers. What that means is training your dog to not jump up is likely to be ignored by others who will find your dog “so adorable” for jumping and reward that behaviour amongst other behaviours you’re trying to discourage.

Of course it’s all done in the name of fun and they mean well but it comes at a cost and you need to understand how this impacts your training.

TRAINING YOUR DOG TO BE HYPER DOG FOCUSED AND DOG REACTIVE

You also must understand that this is teaching your dog that the ultimate high point of their day is playing with and engaging with other dogs then of course while you’re out on a walk, your dog is much more likely to be distracted by other dogs and your training is going to be much more challenging as a result.

Not to mention the fact that you will never be as interesting to your dog as the other dogs are because you train your dog that all play excitement comes from the outside instead of you.

Safe, confidence inspiring socialization between dogs @ the kennel during training and playtime

Various dogs in for training @ the kennel being well matched with similar dogs in terms of energy, playfulness, level of physicality during play. In other words: Well matched dogs who can be trusted together to be safe and have a good time and positive experience.

Becoming your dog’s real best buddy – means an investment of yourself in terms of time, energy and understanding/addressing your dog’s needs. Here are some suggestions you can use to take steps in the right direction.

Try playing fetch with your dog
Tug-of-war
Hide and seek
Train your dog in obedience or trick training
Nose games/scentwork?
Take up physical activity with your dog together, such as running/cycling, etc.

All of these things will help you form a bond and relationship with your dog that will only benefit you both for all your years to come. Have your dog interact with other known dogs who are safe and compatible as a complementary part of your lives and now you’ll have a much better relationship with your dog and still fulfill his/her need for a dog buddy.

Reactive dog training Vaudreuil

doberman learning to focus montreal board train reactive dog

Training reactive dogs brings its own unique set of challenges. Jack is a young male Doberman, who was incredibly dog reactive.

According to his owners, he would start barking, getting wildly out of control and lunging from well over 100 feet away from even a passive dog.

His owners brought him to Family K9 Dog training for a consultation in order to see what can be done to help Jack’s anxiety (as well as their’s) while out on walks together.

Training reactive dogs

It was apparent right from our consultation that Jack is a very trainable dog and just needed someone to harness his energy and focus.

Once his board and train program was complete, I taught his owners what they needed to know in order to maintain the training and they’ve been doing great ever since.

The Key to Dog Training: Teaching dog owners how to communicate with their dogs effectively

Here is some video footage of Jack in training, as well as Jack working with his owners for the very first time in our transfer lesson in which I brought out multiple dogs in order for them to practice with.

Dog Training necessities: focus and cooperation

I always place high emphasis on a dog’s ability to focus and his willingness to cooperate.

Take a look at Jack in this video both while he’s working with me (his trainer) as well as with his owner.

His focus as well as his cooperative, joyful nature is unmistakable.

Jack even bounces around a lot while he works, this is wonderful to see if any dog and we should foster our dogs love for working with us and understand what it symbolizes.

It really is the same thing like being a manager of a team of employees, and if they are able to be productive while whistling a tune. Why wouldn’t you want them to work happily?

I guarantee you that productivity will be up, when your employee (in this case the dog) is in amazing spirits and enjoying their work.

Wow! Nick has worked miracles with our dog. We opted for the board / train program, for our 4 year old Dobermann, and Jack has come back a changed dog.
Nick’s approach works wonders. He truly understands dogs and it shows in the results.
Highly recommend!!

-David Lambert

Training montreal reactive dogs

Dogs can be reactive for all sorts of reasons, ranging from over excite ability, and a lack of focus, being overly social and having learned bad habits early on in life to fear and outright aggression.

Over the years, I’ve worked with tons of reactive dogs, and every single case they can be taught to have better focus and control if we use the right techniques, and we are also respectful of their limitations.

Teach your reactive dog to focus on you

Sounds like a good concept and it is but your obedience and understanding of how your dogs mind works is going to need to be next level.

Nick can’t change a dog’s DNA, but he can help give you and the dog confidence to deal with anything

This is our sweetest little/giant boy, Rove. We adopted him from Lebanon about 8 months ago. We were told he was amazing with dogs/kids/people….turns out wasn’t so true. We found Nick and family K9 as a reference from a friend and let me tell you, this man does magic! We were so skeptical and worried to leave him for 3 weeks but Nick is so gentle and kind (and I happened to know his wife, who is just as sweet and lovely) so we trusted them. When we came to pick our dog up, the transfer lesson was a revelation. It was a DIFFERENT dog (yet the same sweet soul we know) but suddenly he’s listening to our commands, heeling at our feet while walking so calmly.

Remember, Nick can’t change a dog’s DNA, but he can help give you and the dog confidence to deal with anything. Rove is very aggressive towards other dogs and I am sure he will never change, but now we have the proper skills to correct his behaviour with confidence and to the point of him being able to sit and lie down near another dog (MIND BLOWING). If you have a problematic fur machine at home, Nick is your man. The follow ups have been so great too, anytime we have a question, his responses are so fast and informative. Worth every penny. Thank you, Family K9 <3

rescue dog Lebanon montreal reactive nervous timid dog

Matti McNicol

Perfect heel and it is much easier to manage her reactivity

Our extremely reactive doberman, Bailey, has been such a joy on walks ever since she did the 3 week train and board program. Taking her outside was once such a nightmare. I would get stressed thinking about the upcoming walk and tried to adapt by taking her out during unusual hours. We live in a neighborhood full of dogs so severe reactions were more likely to occur than not. Now I can’t wait to get outside with her. We can enjoy long walks without worrying about the other dogs around us. She walks in a perfect heel and it is much easier to manage her reactivity. Everyone that has seen her before and after Nick’s training is shocked at how well-behaved she is. Thanks to Nick, Bailey is happier and less anxious – and so are we! He’s also been incredibly supportive via email whenever we have questions.

Joshua Gordon

All beyond our expectations!

We were looking for a hero to help us with Indy, our collie/lab puppy. We were at the point of thinking we would have to re home her because of her extreme reaction to cars, bicycles, dogs etc. After meeting Nick for a consultation, it was clear, he was the hero we were looking for. Nick’s customer service, professionalism, dog training knowledge, passion, and his commitment to getting it right and getting results, was all beyond our expectations! Indy did the 3 week in kennel training and we couldn’t be happier with the results. He helped us to understand what drives our puppy and how to have a successful relationship with her. We are grateful and thankful to have found Nick and have recommended him with out hesitation to friends and family. Once again, thank you Nick.

Kathy Prophet

A+ teacher (both for dogs and humans)

We have a 1.5 year old goldendoodle named Saint who has a lot of adrenaline and was incredibly difficult to deal with. We were unable to walk him without him dragging us down, and his reactiveness to other animals (dogs, cats, squirrels) was very high. He spent 3 weeks with Nick and came back with a whole new set of fundamentals that have allowed us to gain his focus and manage his behaviour. It was absolutely incredible the change we saw in the dog, and the respect our dog had for Nick. During our transfer session, Nick showed us everything, and it felt like a tv show seeing how well trained and behaved our dog was.

Nick is a true professional in every single interaction you will ever have with him. He is diligent in his responses, he is always on time, he takes as long as needed to train your dog (and you) and he genuinely cares about your objectives for your dog. He gave me regular updates while my dog was gone, and he spent hours with us for transfer training over several sessions to make sure we had continuity.

What’s most important above all else is that Nick is an absolute wealth of knowledge. Speaking with Nick for a few weeks, and watching him engage with dogs taught me SO much that I never would have learned from any other source. He is an A+ teacher (both for dogs and humans) and I can’t imagine what more he could have done to help us.

montreal reactive golden doodle training

Alex barrett

Have a look at the dogs in these videos – all of them were highly reactive before training, and I, along with her owners are so pleased with their newfound focus and adaptability.

Dog reactive Husky training – Family K9 Dog Training Montreal & Vaudreuil Dog Trainer

Reactive Malamute mix – Montreal and Vaudreuil Dog Trainer Family K9 Dog Training

Montreal in kennel boarding and training for dog reactive, leash pulling golden retriever

Car chasing border collie – montreal dog trainer

Training a reactive dog – montreal dog training. Directing energy and focus in a positive way.

Montreal dog trainer – client from NYC -dog with Separation Anxiety and Leash Reactivity

Resource guarding, dog reactive sweetheart!

Playful puppies and reactive dogs focused heeling. Family K9 Dog Training Montreal Dog Trainer

Montreal dog aggression and reactive dogs – Family K9.com

Shelter told owner “Dog is Untrainable“ Family K9 Dog Training – Montreal dog trainer

Teaching your dog to heel and not pull on leash

Teaching dogs to heel goes far beyond the basics of them not pulling us around on leash.

Heeling in its purest form is symmetry, focus and communication.

Anyone can strong arm a dog into walking by their side if they are strong enough however, this is not a true heel.

Training dogs to have a focused heel and pay attention to their owners

In this video, we have two very different young dogs:

We’ve got Luca who is a young Italian water dog and a very bouncy one at that.

He is capable of great focus as you can see, and I’m even able to enjoy a cup of coffee while walking him in training, and then the other hand, I’m actually holding a selfie stick with a camera attached which is the camera that is following us around while we walk.

Dog number two is also a young dog, a black German shepherd named midnight.

Midnight came in as a very wild, untrained dog, and she was huge Lee dog reactive.

I purposely set up the video so that we would have a dog right near us, barking at her the entire time to demonstrate how cooperative and focused, even a very reactive dog can be after only two weeks of training.

Teaching your dog good manners

Boarding training in kennel training, Montreal

Reliable Dog Training

If you want to train your dog to listen reliably – especially under distraction and high levels of stimulation you need to develop a belief system as part of your training program.

What this means is that the dog believes in or trusts the outcome of the process to be favorable for him if he follow your rules of conduct.

This dog training video dives into developing a belief system as it pertains to helping Tabasco – a 4 year old rescue dog not jump up for petting or play.

This system can and should be applied to all we train our dogs to do. It is a cornerstone to having a dog who can function under stress/excitement, helps improve reliability around distractions and makes our training much more durable.

Working with Nick has truly been a life changing experience for us! Nick is professional, kind, and you can tell that he loves and values what he does. He’s been available for follow up questions and also is very quick to reply.

Tabasco spent 3 weeks with Nick and we were blown away by all of the progress he made! His leash manners are terrific, he is less anxious around people near our home, and we’ve seen improvement in all areas of concern. Would absolutely recommend Nick to all those looking for help and guidance concerning their pup, one of the best experiences we’ve had! 🙂

Kailin Sarrah