Walking reactive dogs requires being observant of as many things that can go wrong as possible so that I can get a piece of food in their mouth on time and make them happy.
One of the best active games I have learned was finding as many ways possible to offer distraction treats when walking my reactive dogs. Distraction treats are rewards for not being reactive when passing another dog. Some dogs that I care for will bark, jump or rush at others so I give my dog food to relax. I have to be observant, have good timing and a positive attitude whenever I walk dogs that I know may get too excited whenever they see another dog.
Distraction treats are an active game because you can give treats while asking your dog to shake paws, or go to a center, sit or down position, Doing these dog activities as a game increases the repetition of practicing sitting calmly at any time on a walk. After enough repetitions we are successful in changing the reactive attitudes of several dogs on our solo walks. When I ask the dogs to do one of these other active games that I usually reward them for they will focus on getting food and not the ebike or strange dog on the sidewalk.
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