Risk’s Success Story —

“[When we joined the RRP] we were just learning about our puppy, but we knew he had issues.  We were just finishing up a puppy training course at our local trainer, who had been the first person to tell us we had an anxious/reactive dog and that he was flooded.  Risk had chronic intestinal issues, resurgence of worms and diarrhea that we were having trouble fixing.  

Risk was triggered by people, the TV, noises, dogs, really just about everything all the time.  He would bark lunge and jump at his triggers.  He would constantly pant so that we thought he was just getting too hot all the time.  We kept cutting his hair shorter and shorter and I got a bunch of different types of water bottles for him that we would fill with ice before outings.

We were still trying to figure out what our limitations were and were putting him in lots of situations that he was not ok with out of our ignorance.

We have a much better relationship with our dog and now there is a back and forth between us.  He is still very reactive, but he is not flooded and has learned to occasionally choose to flee rather than to charge and bark at every trigger.

He regularly chooses to direct his building up energy attacking and playing with abandoned water bottles, or a tennis ball if he can’t find a bottle, as long as we are able to keep +10 feet of distance between us and the person(s) walking. 

We can play soccer on long line, which is not as good for exercise as off leash, but SO much safer and less stressful for me.  Through the RRP we also found enrichment for him at home, including yoga, doggie yoga, hide and seek, chase with toys down the hall etc.

• Risk’s stomach is a clear indication of when he has been over stressed.

• Risk asks to go on walks, and adventure further and further around our condo.  We also ask him if he want to put on his harness for our evening walks.  If he pops his head in we go, if he shies away, looks away or backs up, we pass for the night.

• Risk initiates play with us and does not frustration bite us during play.

• Risk can tell us if he doesn’t like something or doesn’t want to do something.  If Risk really does not like something, he will put his mouth on my wrist with eye contact to ask me to stop and I listen.  😊  He does the same with the leash when it is too short during outside play in the world.

• Risk snuggles on our feet and is able to calmly watch tv (with limitations).

• As long as we keep appropriated distance from triggers, when Art and I see him as reactive on our training walks, to the casual observer he now looks like a dog playing very vigorously in the grass with us.

• When Risk is starting to get stressed, he will lean his shoulder against my leg for comfort.

We have a relationship that I did not even know we could have with him, where we are truly able to communicate with him actively on walks, around the house etc.  There is still the mystery barking, but we really are so much closer to our dog.  😊  And we have TRUST!

Our lifestyle has improved in that we have the enrichment to meet his needs so that at night when we are ready to unwind, so is he.  Additionally, we can now watch some TV or play some games on the TV.  On occasion we can have either the front or back door opened, but we are only a month into open door 

Our biggest takeaways were, Permission to Pet (we use that for everything), the breakdown of prey drive. 

I do have to say everything came together for us cumulatively as well.  Trust the process, was our phrase for the whole first while, and it was true.

We are so grateful for this program.  Over the years I have owned 4 dogs prior to Risk.  None of them were reactive, but the lessons we learned from this program explained different little things I remember about them and would have made me a better dog guardian for them too.

We loved working with Jenna.  She was patient, responsive, supportive, and even did some research and provided us with scientific articles to read through on certain issues.  

This program was an empowering program that taught us to know our dog and think for ourselves.  It pushes independence over permanent dependence on someone else.  Also, this was more of an immersive program, in that not only are we learning, but we are learning together with other trainers.  I think the fact that we all go through each other’s questions together in the video calls and then all support each other in the FB group adds in a support group feature.

What would you say to someone who wants to join the RRP but is on the fence at the moment?

The program is life-changing and worth all the work and every penny.  We will never go back to seeing the dog/human world the same after this experience.  Also, we have a relationship with our dog now that I don’t think I have ever had with any pet.  😊