No Big Reaction— But There’s a Lot Going On
Stopping to chat with a neighbour while walking your dog is usually pretty uneventful—unless your dog struggles in those moments.
Over the last few years, our neighbourhood has changed a lot.
We used to see maybe a handful of dogs all year. Now? You’re likely to pass someone on most walks.
Lucy hasn’t handled those situations well in the past.
We’re talking full scenes—barking, lunging, growling, even screaming.
In this clip, we stop to talk to a neighbour and her dog. No big reaction. But there’s a lot going on.
What You’ll Notice
Lucy looks stressed
Not over the top—but she’s not relaxed either. There’s tension in her body and subtle signals throughout.
I’m using food to support her
Food is something Lucy has a strong, positive history with.
She’s able to ignore the other dog
That doesn’t mean she’s comfortable—it means she’s managing.
Why This Matters
Walking past or standing near other dogs close to home isn’t something I’ve specifically trained for. It was never an issue before—because we just didn’t see dogs.
On the rare occasions we did, I avoided it. I turned around. I created distance.
I actually started to do the same thing here. But based on Lucy’s body language—and the fact that she didn’t immediately react—I made a different call.
I asked her to stick it out. But I didn’t just stand there and hope for the best.
This isn’t a training moment. This is management.
I leaned on what already exists:
food has a strong, positive association
the platform has a reinforcement history
staying with me has been built over time
Nothing bad has ever happened around food for Lucy.
So in this moment, it becomes the easiest option:
👉 stay with me
👉 eat
👉 watch from a distance
👉 wait until we move on
Lucy is not reacting. That’s a win. But she’s also not completely comfortable—she’s working through it.
And that matters because this is where your decisions matter:
how much pressure you add
how long you stay
whether you support or push
And these are the moments that give you the information you need to decide what to actually train next.
📍 Location: Waubaushene, Ontario
🌎 Environment: My neighbourhood
🐶 Focus: Managing reactivity
