Notice the “Question Mark” Above Your Dog’s Head
#6121: Tracie and Carol Borden talk about what causes a dog to fall short of our hopes and expectations, which can lead to a service dog “washing out” of her training program. But Carol believes many reactive issues with dogs can be nipped in the bud if noticed early enough. You can overcome a dog’s doubts and “answer that question” they seem to be asking when they recoil from something. “Bridging” is her solution. Touch your hand to the feared object, touch the dog’s nose. Repeat this exercise multiple times, never restraining or pulling the dog closer to the object. Before long, she’ll go right up and sniff it.
