Does this sound all too familiar to you?
🤦♀️Your dog barking, lunging & squealing at the end of the lead as you struggle to hang on.
🤦♀️Being dragged into bushes, across roads & down muddy tracks.
🤦♀️Having your arm yanked & shoulder wrenched out of it's socket
All at the mere sight, sound or smell of a small furry creature (or large furry creature)
On lead big reactions to wildlife are a common challenge for many adopters of Romanian rescue dogs (and other overseas rescue dogs & dogs in general of course!) and as many of these dogs often have to stay on a lead or long line for safety reasons, it can mean rather a lot of unpleasantness on your walks.
I hear you! I've been there! I had my very own 37 kilo's of barking, lunging, screaming dog at the slightest hint of a furry critter in the vicinity!
Pheasants, partridges, mice, rats, squirrels, rabbits, hares, muntjac, deer, even birds in the sky! Tramp had very big feelings about them all.
So I know firsthand just how frustrating and unpleasant it can be, walking a dog who is hugely activated by wildlife. I received a fair few injuries from Tramps insanely quick reactions to wildlife when he was younger and it's not fun I know.
Which is why I am more than excited to have put this step-by-step program together for you, walking you through the whole process I have used personally with Tramp to reduce (and if you stick with it) eliminate those big explosions to our fabulous countryside creatures.
Now don't get me wrong, this is not a magic wand, there is no quick fix here - let's face it, we're trying buck mother nature!
But if you work through the steps in this program, apply what you learn and commit to being consistent & practising at every stage, then you can learn how to teach your on lead wildlife triggered dog to remain calm & self-regulate when they see wildlife out on walks.
Whilst this isn't a program that goes into great detail in addressing off lead prey driven chase behaviour, I have included some of my top tips on that at the end for you as well, but, this on lead overreactive behaviour to wildlife is the first thing you need to master if you ever want to stand a chance of preventing chase or prey drive behaviour when your dog is off lead.