Reactive Dog Services
At Canine Einstein, we have a soft spot for reactive dogs and the struggles that owners may experience. Reactive dogs are good dogs with big feelings, and it can be especially tough to own a reactive dog in a city like Milwaukee.
Milwaukee is very dog friendly. Many stores, bars, and patios allow dogs. We have dog parks galore and plenty of dog friendly events all year! This is great if you have a social dog, who loves people and other dogs. It can be tough if you have a dog that is fearful, nervous or reactive to other dogs or people. For many dog owners, the thought of taking their dog for a walk past dog friendly patios, or beer gardens in local parks is stressful and overwhelming.
We understand this. Our team at Canine Einstein have created and developed several programs and services for reactive dogs!
You Have a Friend- reactive dog program
One of the very first programs we created here was our You Have a Friend Program. This program incorporates pattern games and management to help dogs learn to feel more comfortable with other dogs around them.
The goal of the program is not to create social dogs- we very much want to meet dogs where they are at- but rather to reduce the stress that happens when a fearful or nervous dog sees triggers (such as other dogs, people, etc). The sole focus of the program is to build your dogs confidence. We also focus on items like learning your dogs body language, advocacy for your dog, and management techniques.
This program can be done as private training or in a group class. Group classes are small in size to allow the dogs enough room and space to feel comfortable. When dogs graduate from the program, they are then invited to our You Have a Friend Group Hikes
You Have a Friend Reactive Dog Group Hikes
A natural development from our You Have a Friend Program (YHAF) was our group hikes! Held monthly, these hikes give dogs and owners a chance to practice the skills learned in YHAF without any social pressure.
Each owner is encouraged to give their dog the amount of space needed to keep them comfortable. Dogs are asked not to greet one another and to allow other dogs the needed space. Owners understand the struggles of owning a reactive dog, so there is no pressure or judgement from them. We find that our group hike participants provide each other with a lot of support and encouragement.
The dogs who participate often become much more confident and comfortable around other dogs. Once both the dog and the owners have been with the group hikes for a while, and show confidence with their skills, they are invite to the advanced You Have a Friend Reactive Dog Group hike.
These hikes change locations and introduce more difficult scenarios to help dogs and owners continue to grow their skills!
Reactive Dog Private shopping experience
One of the things I love doing with my current puppy is taking him stores to pick out a treat or toy. Watching him sniff and explore until he finds the perfect little treasure is such a joy for me. When I had my Murphy, I didn't get to do that and it always made me sad.
Reactive dogs don't often have the opportunity to sniff and explore and look for the perfect treat or treasure. So we decided to offer a private shopping experience for reactive dogs!
When a client schedules a shopping experience, we welcome them into the retail area of our gym! The dog is given 15 minutes or so to shop. To prevent the dog from feeling stressed or nervous, we lock the door and hang curtains so they can shop in peace without pressure. This allows owners to relax as well, knowing that they will not encounter another dog in the store!
Parallel Pals Training Sessions
Parallel pals training sessions are mini sessions in our gym. We have one trainer for each dog/handler team and no more than two dogs per session. These are perfect for dogs who need practice working in the vicinity of other dogs, but for whom group classes are too much!
These sessions are by invitation only- so talk to your trainer if you are interested!
Reactive Dog Meet Ups
These meet ups for reactive dogs are free and held monthly. Since we want the meet ups to be a great experience for all who attend, we do require registration and will send out an email a few days before telling registrants where to meet.
We limit the number of dogs who attend so we can have enough staff to assist dog/handler teams if needed. Please note that dogs are not permitted to actually meet and greet each other. The meet ups are to help reactive dogs feel better and more neutral with other dogs in their presence.
BARC Club and Support Group
Our BARC Club is for all Bashful, Anxious, Reactive or Cautious dogs! For a monthly subscription of $20 BARC club members receive guaranteed access to our monthly meet ups, plus invitations to our monthly activity! It could be a training session in a public location, or a group hike, etc. Each month will have an activity that our BARC club members can participate in. THese events are not open to the public- only our BARC Club Members will get invited!
In addition, we realize how hard it is to be the owner of a reactive dog. For that reason, we hold a monthly support group at our gym. BARC Support is for dog owners only- we ask that dogs remain home for the support group so you can focus on taking care of you during this time! It's important, as owners of reactive dogs, that you feel supported and cared about too!
I have a 1 1/2 year old Rottweiler that is very reactive to other dogs. He is very strong and we’ve been working with him to stop lunging and barking like crazy at other dogs. Although he has gotten better, I’d love to be able to take him on walks or just even be outside without constantly having to be on guard of other dogs in the area. I did sign up for the September 24th meet up. Do you think this would be a good fit for him or should we start with something else?
Hi Tina! I would actually suggest that you do a few private training sessions with us before joining the meet up so we can give you tips and techniques to be successful. Our meet ups generally have 15-20 dogs, which can be overwhelming for some dogs. That said, with some tips and practice, you should be able to join the September meet up with no issues!
I have a 13 month American staffordshire terrier/American pitbull terrier mix who is fear reactive, was socialized and friendly as a puppy but saw me get attacked by 3 big dogs and is now fear reactive.. we’ve been working on it for some months and it’s been getting better but I really wanna train him in groups because there’s not many people willing to train around us because of the fact that he’s a pitbull.. he’s good with cats and livestock and loves our younger puppy I really want to help my baby live a life not in fear.
Hi Mariana! We would be happy to help you out! We have a special place in our hearts for reactive dogs! You can reach out to us via the contact us form on the homepage!