Training your dog isn’t always easy, and in particular it can be difficult to know how to get it right when they struggle with reactivity.
It can be easy to put off training if you’re not looking forward to your sessions, but at the same time, you’d be forgiven for training too much – which could leave your dog exhausted even if they’re enjoying plenty of the best dog treats!
Finding a balance can be tricky, and that’s where expert trainer Carolyn Martell, the founder of Good Dog Training, comes in. In a recent Instagram post, she explained how often we should train our reactive dogs, and it’s really eye-opening!
“You can train more or less, whatever you prefer,” Martell begins in the caption. “Some dogs do better with more downtime in between this training, and others do fine with daily exposure to their trigger.”
She adds in the post, however, “To work on reactivity, I generally recommend about 3-4 times a week, roughly every other day. This allows your dog to have some easy days without having to be around their trigger.”
Meanwhile, it gives you a break, too. As she says, “It can become overwhelming and stressful trying to do training walks daily with a reactive dog.”
On days when you aren’t engaging in reactivity training with your pup, you could go for a quiet walk, play in the yard, set up some exciting scent games, or work on their foundational skills.
“So – if you don’t want to train reactivity every day,” summarizes Martell, “You certainly don’t have to. Breaks can be a nice way for you and your dog to regroup and recharge.”
It’s sometimes thought that when there’s reactivity in dogs, these pups will need more training and exercise, with the logic being that the more tired they are, the less energy they’ll have to react to their triggers. It doesn’t quite work like this, however, because your dog can still react to triggers no matter how tired they are!
It’s important to train our reactive canines, but rest is vital, too. And while every dog is different and some may need more rest than others, depending on factors like age and breed, it’s worth finding a balance that works for you and your pup.
If you’re finding training your dog when you’re out and about, you might find this article useful: Owning a reactive dog is hard. Here's how I navigated the social challenges with my pooch. You might also find this article insightful: My reactive dog impacted my entire household, here's what I did about it.
