Today Ava started her Reactive Rovers class at Canine Craze Performance Center.  Our obedience instructor suggested that we enroll in this course because of Ava’s high state of arousal when there are barriers between her and other dogs (leashes, gates, windows, etc.).  She does great off-leash and loves to visit the dog park, but she does look pretty scary when we take her out to the bathroom and other dogs are outside!

The course is based on Pat McConnell’s book, Cautious Canines, and we work on several skills including relaxation techniques, impulse control, and four training steps: blocking, distancing, desensitization, and counterconditioning.

Our first class was pretty stressful; Ava was barking and pulling non-stop, trying to get to the other dogs.  I felt like I spent most of the class running around practicing the “blocking” technique with her.  This is where you stand between her and the distraction and walk towards her, forcing her to increase the distance between her and the other dog.  You’re feeding her the entire time, rewarding her for moving away and helping to calm her down.  Of course, we practiced lots of other things too, and this class is one heck of a work out!  I just hope that Ava and her owners will benefit from these techniques and make some improvements by the end of the class!