Luke was a high energy, working breed dog who just hit his teenager years. Adopting a dog like him would be a handful – even for a certified animal trainer and certified dog behavior consultant like Beverley McKee, Toronto Humane Society’s Public Training Services and Care Support Program Manager. But by taking a systematic approach to his training, Luke was able to overcome his challenges and has earned multiple titles in his favourite sports. Here is Luke’s training journey.  

Dealing with Leash Reactivity

Although Luke was a happy and social pup, but he showed some leash reactivity when he was around other dogs. Leash reactivity is common when dogs are frustrated, and a lack of training causes them to pull on leash as well which then contributes to even more frustration. Luke was hard to control on leash and was no fun to walk with when he was first adopted.  

To help Luke feel more comfortable while on a leash, Beverley focused on teaching strong loose leash walking skills without distractions and then introduced distractions incrementally. First, ensuring he could walk calmly with food and toy distractions, and then introducing stuffed toys as dog decoys.  

Once that step was mastered, Luke was introduced to Jynx, a small social dog owned by another one of Toronto Humane Societies certified trainers Louise Lawrence. Together they went on buddy walks. Their walks started at a distance from each other, and gradually they were able to walk on a leash beside each other.  

Positive reinforcement and association were used throughout Luke’s training. This gave him a positive conditioned emotional response to being on a leash around other dogs. He learned that if he disengaged from other dogs on a leash, he would be rewarded with his favourite, yummy treats.   

He also learned through a process of social facilitation. This is a process in which an animal learns through observation of another same species animal’s behaviour.  

Introducing Luke to Group Training Classes

Luke was enrolled in Toronto Humane Society’s Intermediate Obedience Skills class, and then in Rally Obedience and Scent Detection classes.  These were wonderful classes for Luke. Not only did he receive enrichment, but he was also able to “play” his two favourite sports while in the presence of other dogs. This served to further increase a positive conditioned response to other dogs. Luke learned that being in the presence of other dogs meant fun things would happen!