If your dog suffers any aggressive or nervous behaviour and you need extensive bespoke help check out my online course: the-dog-guardian.teachable.com/p/dog-aggression-and-nervousness-course Thank you all for watching.
I just came back from a super stressful walk with my dog and wanted to just cry. She is a nervous dog and walking her is such a struggle now when it didnt use to be. Shes constantly pulling and darting left to right. She normally leanrs with treats but once we are on a walk she doesnt care about treats anymore. I know all these issues are probably my fault but i never know what to do. On a whim i just checked yourube and found your video. This is everything! Im going to take the steps you mentioned in this video and try a whole new approach. Thank you for actually showing your doggo having reactive moments and correcting it with a correct technique
Hi Deidre, sorry to hear how stressful this is for you. I totally understand. Please know you're not on your own. Be sure to watch the whole series for more tips. Hope it goes well. Best, Nigel
I'm curious, how's your pup been doing since you saw this video? I have a new 3 month old border collie and she's such a nervous walker. All the noises of cars, people, dogs barking, birds etc while walking almost paralyze her.
Thank you for the sound advice and will definitely help our rescue over come her anxiety by boosting her self confidence and start with the basics as you pointed out on the way forward helping her overcome her fear. Great video thank you.
This is pure gold. I just watched the video on getting a dog to walk to heel and then this. I ask myself why none of any of the trainers I've paid a fortune for have started with these techniques. I now have an anxious 18month old Rotty, but I'm now confident I can really make a difference, with these techniques, approaches, way of thinking. So much of this is common sense, yet so easily overlooked. Can't thank Nigel enough for doing these videos.
Thank you so much for this video (and others in the series). I have a 20-month old rescue Kelpie X, who has recently become very nervous of walks that she was fine on in the past. She has started lunging and barking at other dogs, cats, scooters, and sometimes even people, which makes walks very stressful. Your videos have helped me so much to see things from her perspective and go back to taking things slowly, building confidence. It helps so much that your videos are 'real' - not just in an empty field, showing the gauntlet we all must run every time we go out for a walk, and unexpected dangers that might occur. No other trainer has helped me as much!
Thank you for these videos, I've adopted a Romanian street dog. He was found alone on the streets at 10 weeks old. He's incredibly fear aggressive of dogs, strangers and cars. He's now 7 months old but is still very reactive.
I'm happy that I found your channel. Thank you so much. I'm getting ready to start with our new 4 year old puch. She is an angel at home, but is soon is she outside she behaves like Dante. She is a rescue from California. We are her 3rd family. Nobody cared for her and it looks like she wasn't train to walk on the leash. She pulls from the moment we are outside. Barks, trembles and shakes, looks like excitement at first, but when she sees the dogs she snaps... I'm very stressed too. Walks supposed to a bonding time between us, fun and joy...not yet. But I'm happy that we found YOU! ❣🙏😊
Cheers Sir, a very practical, well explained, none punitive and totally realistic approach to dealing with this most difficult issue. You certainly get my thumbs up.
Wow. By far the best video I’ve seen on training a rescue dog!!! I am sooo glad I found this AND your channel. I adopted a rescue Jindo from South Korea last April (she went from a plane trip to Toronto, then to a neighbouring city with a foster, and then finally to me only two weeks later, she was unbelievably stressed when I got her. Poor pup. She is now about 2 yrs old). , so about an year ago, I still have significant challenges when walking her on a lead. I’ve tried other techniques but none of them show the stages and address the emotional intelligence aspect of it all. I can’t wait to begin these newfound strategies!!! Thank you so much Nigel!
I have an American Bulldog puppy (1 year) and more than anything else your "change of direction and try again" approach has proven really successful for us. It's so nice to have a non punitive strategy that is really effective..Thanks Nigel
💯 Definitely an on point tutorial on all concepts. Your dog needs to have confidence in you that you will take lead in protecting it so the dog can relax more
I miss your training videos. There are lots of videos available on You Tube but I don’t like their approach. I have used your methods since my Hungarian Vizsla now 3yrs old from a puppy. Most trainers use corrective action methods. Your methods work. The only real thing I have not managed to train my dog to do is loose lead walking. He doesn’t pull excessively but to track the smell; nose always to the floor; he is not interested in treats. But when told to wait, he spins round to return to me. But this is nearly continuous. Recall off the lead is fine. Mum and Dad are real working gun dogs. Thank you for your help; and come back. Gordon Bishop’s Stortford Hertfordshire
Absolutely love these vids. These are so helpful. They helped so much with my germ shep. Now got a little rescue pup found in a storm drain, so we're starting all over again 😂😂
I’m adopting a rescue dog. I found your videos most helpful and very informative. I’ve tried couple of things and it seems to really help. It helps me to understand and correct her in the best way. Thank you for your videos ☺️
Gosh - peoplepple actually thumbed down this video. I seriously don't understand why anyone would do that. Thank you yet again for sharing so generously Nigel. Dante is very lucky to have investing so much time in him. Can I ask how much time daily you spend walking Dante outdoors like this? My trainer says that anything more than 10 mins on leash is too hard for a dog (maybe she's just referring to my own)
Hi Karen, you're very welcome. Thanks for watching. I do about an hour and a half a day but it is not too intensive. Dante could probably do more though. Best wishes,
*Thanks for watching. For the next episode on how to perfect your dog's recall check out ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-spHdbMzUm3I.html
I'm loving this series. I have an anxious dog myself. Most of the times with treats and praise it's good enough, although I have to be with my radar paying attention all the time and it makes it very difficult to relax and enjoy the walk. She's also very stubborn, so occasionally she doesn't want to walk anywhere, so I have to correct her all the time, making it misery for her. I can tell how sad she gets when we go back home from those walk. I don't know what to do. I've tried with more discipline and she gets really sad to the point that she stops wanting to go outside. And I've tried to give her more freedom but she's anxious so she barks and lounges a lot, and becomes a mix of a diva with the stubbornness of a mastiff guardian dog. When I've been trying to implement more discipline on the walks she gets so sad that she stops wanting to cuddle at home. Just by correcting her and forcing her to follow my lead. You would think I hit her or something, she's so sensitive. So clearly I'm doing many things wrong. She was socialized a lot when she was a puppy, but she got bitten so many times that she ended up like this. She's awesome, she's the sweetest dog, and although she lounges barking she's never bitten anyone, despite her getting bitten a lot. But it's almost impossible to relax and enjoy the walks. Anyway, I'm loving this series. Great practical advice and great editing.
If she doesn't want to go out I wouldn't take her - just toilet breaks on those days. It's a tricky balance and I know exactly what you are talking about. It sounds like you constantly reflect and try and do better. Respect. So if you keep looking for answers `I think you'll get there. Best wishes on your journey. Glad the series is helping.
I'm not a trainer, and actually I'm having trouble with my own rescue. But from what I gather by watching hundreds of training videos like those, it's best not to force a dog. There may be a fear issue. Try making walks fun first. Go someplace quiet, with no distractions. Play with her during the walk. Wait and see if she begins to look forward to the walks. When you do resume training, keep it short. 10 minutes or less for a while. I feel for you.
Dear Nigel, thank you very much for this video! This exactly what we needed to support our training with our dog Molly, who is also a rescue dog. I have one question: How do I handle the pulling outside while we‘re still at stage one (teaching in the appartement). I get that getting her to be confident in us as leaders, her environment and other dogs takes time, but i can not not go outside, I mean three times a day I have to go to the park with her... Do I just ignore her lead pulling and barking? Or is that giving her the feeling she needs to handle the situation herself? How can I train her confidence at stage 1 if i have to go to stage 3 a few times a day which is far off where we are right now? Thank you very much for all of your videos, they are by far my favourite dog training videos on the Internet, I even bought and read your book in english (and I rarely read in english, but your training philosophy is so worth it!) Greetings from Germany, Klara with Molly 🐶
Hi Klara, I'm not sure I understand your question of how do you handle pulling outside when you're in the home (stage 1). And I would never suggest you ignore barking and pulling so I am little confused - apologies for not understanding. I always talk about teaching in stages but you're saying you go to the park 3 times a day so I feel it would take a long time to explain my ideas so please look at my services if you need bespoke extensive help. Very best wishes,
@Nigel Reed Hi Klara, I think you're saying that you are need to take your dog out 3 times a day into situations where she reacts & pulls, so how do you handle that whilst Nigel's advice was to train in the home? I also have a reactive rescue very much like Dante, and we were advised at first to stop all walks and just work inside. We couldn't actually do this as he needed to go out to toilet 3 times a day, so we did the next best thing and we only walked him on the same small patch of road close to the house - repeatedly - for weeks! That way we avoided what scares him (mostly dogs but in his first week it was dogs and people) and allowed him to habituate to, and relax in, the area near the home. During this time he grew confident around people when we would see our neighbours and stopped barking at them, and it allowed our bond to develop. My advice to you would be to do the same, and stop the visits to the park unless you can go at times when it's empty i.e. very early in the morning or late at night, until you've built some of the skills such as u-turning, and then slowly build up getting closer to the park again, but don't just go diving into it as that's a very heightened place to go. Hope that helps and good luck! Naomi
@@naomiharvey7223 Dear Naomi, thank you so much for your answer! That's exactly what I meant! I got kind of frustrated since I had the feeling we had to start over and over again everytime she needs the toilet, but this seams like a reasonable solution! :) Since it's getting warmer here in summer it might be better to go very early/at night anyway so that's two good reasons to try! Thank you so much for your help! :) Klara
Brilliant series of videos. Can I ask is it a similar principle for a dog who lunges and barks at people. Mine does this if people approach her and try to coach her or talk to her. She also does it if strangers approach me to talk to me. It’s very embarrassing and despiriting.
Hi, I was practicing this today on our walk. He did fabulous considering it was raining and there were loud cars on some of the route. I have a question: is it confusing to the dog if I allow him to stop and sniff? I don't want to give him mixed signals, but also, I don't want to rob him of his time to sniff and mark! He's terrible with dog reactivity, so spends all his life on lead outside of secure fields, so sniffing and exploring is one of very few luxurys he has!
No you can stop and let him sniff depending on how much he does it. If for example he was doing it loads and was trying to sniff out dangers then it wouldn’t be ideal.
So happy I found your channel. Any tips to stop my puppy from biting the lease every time I put it on. I have tried just leaving the lease trailing and ignoring it, also distracting with a toy but she keeps going back to biting it. She is nearly 12 weeks, maybe I’m expecting too much. Im just aware I want to start her getting used to it ready for loose lease walking 😊
Great video thank you. I try that on my young Viszla , he walks beautifully when you change direction, but goes straight back to pulling when we continue on our course! 🙄 I suppose it's an ongoing training project! Thanks again.
Just a quick question Nigel if I could. Should I allow my dog to stop at lamp posts etc to have a sniff or is it better for me to maybe stop at a few 'popular' lamp posts! Is it important for dogs to have a good sniff? Thankyou for your recent videos.
Hi Dave, you have ti strike a balance. A few stops on a five minute walk but of they stop too much I would discourage it. Pleasure - glad you like them.
Okay before even getting started in the house, what can I do to help my dog relax when I put his leash on? He thinks I'm going to leave without him (even though thats never happened) but barks and yells and whines, he's a chihuahua mix, maybe a little more in control than i thought i dno
These videos have helped. I still have a ways to go. My question is one of my dogs gets excited becasue he wants to run up and say hi to other dogs he doesn't know. I think what you're saying is that is still based on anxiety of the unknown instead of just wanting to say hi?
Hi Bill, I couldn't say without being there. I do feel the word 'just' to describe a behaviour is rarely correct and overused. There are often mixed emotions and motivations in behaviour i.e control, feeling unsafe, wanting to play, fearful, see off, dominate etc etc. These emotions and motivations are also on a spectrum which makes it difficult to be definitive with what is really going on. There indeed is a good chance your dog has internal conflict with other dogs and wants to play but also may feel he has to control and check out situations as there is perhaps, underlying anxiety issues.... But it's not bad enough to be obvious to the layman yet. Best wishes, Nigel
Very good. How about talking about..... WHO IS YOUR DOG ? as the first task to understand your dog's emotions so you base training for him or her specifically. All dogs are different
Hi Nigel, my 7 year old dog is very anxious during walking. And she pulls like mad (in a flight state like she’s running away) when she’s afraid (I’m still unable to identify what is she so afraid off on certain roads). Should I allow us to run off together in this state? Also no amount of treats can get her to listen at this point . Need some guidance :)
Would you do one stage a couple times a day to build them up instead of ‘normal’ walks? My whippet pup is really anxious on walks and didn’t know if it would be better to stick to our street walking then increase distance little bit by little bit to build her confidence up
My dog is 3 years old He listens to me as i train him but whenever my parents or any family member take him outside for walk or for peeing he acts very anxious type with them Scaring every other people on the road and all the dogs by barking them and pulling the leash which puts my family at huge risk of falling and or loosing the leash or maybe attacking the other people on road What should i do I have an american akita, he is strongly powerful which scares me more whenever i go for any trip or even nightstays as his protective instinct turns aggressively on when other family members takes him out
Hi: I like what you have to say. I have been a dog trainer 3 years & I know most of this stuff about loose leash BUT I have a 2 year old cockapoo just so anxious there is rarely a moment she is not pulling me to the end of the leash. She is SO anxious & unsocialized. Bad mannered but she does try. She is the highest anxiety dog I have trained - any good tips? Thanks
If you go from your house to the end of the street with your dog in a heightened state then you have just conditioned that. Each stage is only complete when the dog is in a calm state.
I have a rescue dog that has suddenly become scared to go for a walk. I manage to lead him away from the house but as soon as he realises we are returning he pulls badly to get to the house. I have tried your suggestions over the last few weeks but it makes no difference he still pulls me all the way home with his ears back and tail between his legs. I have a halti and a harness but this also has not helped. Any other suggestions would be really helpful, thanks.
The lessons need to be much shorter Liz. I.e go in about for 10 secs to condition the dogs to state to be calm with each outing. Then build up the time. There is obviously lots more to it so if you need extra help check out my online course. the-dog-guardian.teachable.com/p/dog-nervousness-and-aggression-course Best wishes, Nigel
@@nigelreed Things have got a lot better now and although I still struggle to get him out on the actual walk he is loads more calmer. Thank you so much for your help.
@@nigelreed Things have got a lot better now and although I still struggle to get him out on the actual walk he is loads more calmer. Thank you so much for your help.
My dog is skittish in that he is easily scared or startled ---- for example, we are walking in the house and I bump into an object, he will startle and duck down or if there is an unexpected sound he will startle. He has been like this ever since he was a puppy, now he is 4 years old. How do you suggest I address this easily startled behavior?
Try youTube desensitizing videos for dogs theres a few good ones with all kinds of noise s on a loopplay them when dog is having dinner or playing or relaxed .read instructions and good luck
Thank you, we have 11 month houdini of a collie, been watching your video and trying to put it in to practice , he's so like the German Shepherd he's strong boy and still growing.
Only a total simpleton would ignore the context of the video and come out with that fantastically stupid comment. Congratulations you’ve taken rule based stupidity to another level.
