Reactive Dogs: Skills for Navigating Everyday Life

Learn to recognize what triggers your dog’s reactions and practice practical skills to help you and your dog navigate everyday life more successfully.

Reactive Dogs: Skills for Navigating Everyday Life is a 4-week class offered through The Rescued Pup's Safe For Life program, designed to help you better understand your dog's reactions and navigate everyday life together.

Dogs can react to the world around them for all kinds of reasons. Fear, frustration, excitement, uncertainty and past experiences can all play a role. Some dogs struggle when they see another dog on a walk. Others react to people, movement, barriers, unfamiliar situations or particular environments.

In this class, you’ll learn to recognize what’s happening before your dog reacts, understand what your dog is communicating, and practice skills that can help you navigate those situations together.

What We’ll Work On

Over the four sessions, we’ll introduce and practice skills including:

• Recognizing triggers & thresholds — learning what sets your dog off and noticing when they’re beginning to struggle
• Reading your dog — recognizing body language and early signs of stress, fear, frustration or arousal
• Creating space — learning when and how to increase distance before a situation becomes too difficult
• Attention & engagement — helping your dog learn to check in with you when something else has their attention
• Moving through difficult situations — practical ways to change direction, create distance and get out of situations when needed
• Working around triggers — practicing at distances where your dog can still think and learn
• Real-world management — making thoughtful choices about when to train, when to manage and when your dog simply needs more space

Because every reactive dog is different, what we practice may be adjusted based on the dogs participating in each class.

Who Is This Class For?

This class is designed for dogs who struggle in certain situations with behaviors such as barking, lunging, pulling, freezing, trying to escape or becoming overly focused on a trigger.

Reactive behavior can have many different causes and can vary significantly from one dog to another. Our goal is to understand your dog, the situations that are difficult for them, and the dog/handler team as a whole.

For that reason, participation in Reactive Dogs requires a Reactive Dog Questionnaire and a 15-minute phone consultation before registration.

This gives us an opportunity to learn more about your dog’s behavior, triggers and history, talk about what you’re experiencing, and determine whether this group class is an appropriate fit for you and your dog.

Some dogs may need more individualized support before they’re ready to learn in a group environment. If that’s the case, we’ll talk with you about other options.

Class Details

Saturdays at 4:00 PM

October 24
November 7
November 14
November 21

4 classes
$125 per dog/handler team
Limited to 4 dog/handler teams

Classes are held in Ramona, California. The exact location and address will be provided after registration.

One registration includes the complete four-session series for one dog and one handler.

About Safe For Life

The Safe For Life program was created around a simple idea: keeping dogs in the homes that already love them.

How We Train

Safe For Life classes use positive reinforcement and Fear Free/force-free training methods.

We’ll introduce concepts and skills to the group, demonstrate what we’re working on, and give each dog/handler team opportunities to practice at an appropriate distance.

Classes are intentionally limited to four dog/handler teams so we can manage space and create an environment where dogs have a better opportunity to learn.

Before You Register

Please make sure you can attend the scheduled class dates before registering. Missed group classes cannot be made up or credited.

After purchase, you’ll complete your class registration paperwork, provide proof of current rabies vaccination, and review and sign the required participation agreements.

Your spot is reserved when payment is received, but registration paperwork must be completed before attending class.