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Five Minute Dog by Personable Pets Dog Training
Quick, practical dog training tips in under 5 minutes—because training your dog shouldn’t take all day.
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With over 20 years of family dog training experience, this podcast delivers real-life advice you can actually use. From simple tips and clear explanations to common behavior scenarios, we’ll help you understand why your dog does what he does—and what to do about it.
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Five Minute Dog by Personable Pets Dog Training
#196 When Training Becomes Too Much: Rethinking Reactive Dog Walks
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Are you exhausted from constantly managing your reactive dog's behavior on walks? You're not alone. Many well-intentioned owners transform every neighborhood stroll into an impromptu training session, creating a cycle where neither dog nor human ever truly relaxes.
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The Problem With Training-Only Walks
Speaker 1When you have a reactive dog , it is tempting to turn every single walk into a training walk . You're out in the neighborhood , your dog sees a trigger , you start working on desensitization right then and there . But here's the problem If every walk is about seeing triggers , then your dog never truly gets to relax . They're always on , and honestly so are you , and that could be exhausting for both
Planned Desensitization Approach
Speaker 1of you . I like to treat desensitization as a planned event . Pick a controlled location where you know you can keep your distance from triggers and work at your dog's comfort level . These are your training walks , your desensitization walks . But then give your dog some off-duty walks somewhere you're unlikely to see a trigger . Somewhere you're unlikely to see a trigger that might mean an empty parking lot , a closed business , a closed school . Find a location and just let them sniff and explore and just be a dog without the stress of constantly seeing triggers
The Three-and-Through Rule
Speaker 1. And here's my rule during desensitization sessions Three and through .
Speaker 1If your dog reacts three times , that means he starts barking and lunging and hitting the end of the leash . That is your signal to end that training session . Why ? Because every big reaction floods their system with adrenaline and other stress hormones and you stack a couple of those reactions close together and they're no longer in a learning state . They're simply running off of adrenaline , which makes more reactions even more likely . So when you hit three reactions , call it . Either move somewhere with no triggers or head home and just let your dog decompress . You can always
Finding Balance For Productive Training
Speaker 1pick up the work again tomorrow when they're calmer and more ready to learn . Just remember not every walk should be a desensitization walk and not every desensitization walk should go on until your dog is frazzled . Plan your sessions , give your dog time off from seeing triggers and stick to three and through . So training stays productive and stress stays low .