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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I think you need to be careful with the timing of treats - you don't want to end up rewarding your dog for bad behaviors.

We had a large poodle who lost his shit all the time with certain dogs (loved others). If on a walk and uncertain of what he'd do, I'd distract him, keep him on the side of me furthest from the other dog, I'd also get him to sit and then praise him for being so good. All the while with my back to the other dog, blocking my dog's sight of it. This works well and is not traumatic. [/quote]

You aren't rewarding bad behavior..you are changing how he feels about his trigger from negative to positive.  Ooh I get really good treats when I see this dog!  But he goes away the treats go away.  Maybe he isn't so bad after all!

It's called counter conditioning.  Perhaps with a trainer ypu can work with your neighbor/dog so he can learn how to ignore![/quote]

I think if that's what you're calling it, it needs to be done very carefully with a very good trainer, otherwise you are literally telling your dog "oh you're losing your shit, that's great, have a treat"[/quote]

Ok it is obvious you didn't understand what I wrote.  Dogs who are reactive have very big emotions based on fear and anxiety.  You want them to associate the trigger with something good happening. So at first every time you see the trigger you give the dog high value treats.  Then the dog will start looking at you for the treat.  When the dog is over threshold and is barking and lunging than it is too late.  My dog would refuse treats when he was in that state.  So there is no reward for 'losing your shit' as you so nicely put it.

The goal is to have the dog not react and therefore you are paying them when they do not react.   You then build in distance ( decrease the distance the dog can get to the trigger and duration how long they can be in the presence of the trigger)

If in the end, the behavior you do not want stops what is wrong with rewarding them?[/quote]

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