Rainy Day Activities with a Reactive Dog
Rainy day activities with a reactive dog: go outside and let him enjoy freedom because everyone else is safe inside!
Linus in front of Mt. Diablo
One of the trickiest challenges I have discovered in having a dog with reactivity AND a lot of energy, is how to safely fulfill his exercise needs. Linus is mixed with husky, german shepherd, cattle dog, border collie, pit bull, and a few other breeds according to his Embark DNA test. So needless to say, running is in his DNA!
It has been raining a lot where we live lately, so while it is not ideal for the humans, it is great for hiking with Linus!
I bought a full-length poncho and waterproof hiking boots.
I try to find trails that are more rocky than muddy.
It is rare to see anyone else on the trails on rainy days, so it is the best opportunity to give Linus a little more freedom than he can normally handle.
If the trail is wide open with good visibility, we practice some off leash skills, like recall and following. We also work on impulse control, such as refraining from eating cow poop or chasing squirrels, giving Linus the opportunity to practice making great decisions, even when he is off-leash.
Knowing that it's highly unlikely to encounter other dogs out in the rain, a weight is definitely lifted off my shoulders! Good thing Linus doesn’t mind baths!
A couple other rainy day activities I like to do with Linus are:
Car skills-Linus is great on car rides and will happily sleep on the floor. But when he is in a parked car with lots of activity around him, he is on high alert, constantly looking for the things that can trigger (mostly other dogs) a reaction. So we park in busy shopping areas and practice calm. Honestly we both struggle in these situations because neither of us are great at sitting and doing nothing.
Errands-I also take Linus on different errands such school drop off and pick up and shopping at dog friendly stores. These day to day, calm activities in the human world are challenging, but rainy days are a good time for us to practice.
Working with a reactive dog like Linus can be frustrating and discouraging at times, but as we consistently strengthen our relationship through activities like big rainy day hikes or simple errands around town, we discover more effective ways to support Linus, and he, in turn, learns more and more to look to us for guidance.
© 2024 by Clair
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