Making training accessible for reactive dogs

The irony of scentwork being so beneficial for reactive dogs, but often inaccessible in group settings is not lost on us. Group classes are often not set up for dogs that struggle with triggers like other dogs or people, and 1-1s can be unaffordable as a long-term solution.

Scentwork doesn't have to be a formal affair - a study found that dogs exposed to lavender showed lower long-term heart rate variability (Amaya et al, 2020). Not only that, when beginning scent detection specifically, we build a strong positive emotional connection to a scent, meaning that when we're out and about in new situations, we can introduce something familar to help them regulate and relax.

When dogs graduate our reactivity course, we typically go into a tracking session or course - a group one! Often it's a mix of reactive and non-reactive dogs, and you truly wouldn't know which is which to watch them.

The key part of making group classes accessible is making sure we've built strong foundations that provide clarity, positive emotional links and confidence to deal with and recover from stressfull situations (good or bad!).

So does that mean you can never do a class inside? Of course not! We have lots of our reactivity dogs join our scent detection course groups and love it. We make it accessible by:

• Offering plenty of breaks

• Visual barriers if they need them

• Marker words to continue rewarding calm behaviour around the other dogs

• Strong foundational behaviours and confidence building to ensure they know what is expected and feel confident and happy offering that

Having a reactive dog can be isolating, but it doesn't have to be! We can help you integrate your dog back into doggy society and even make a friend or two.