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If you haven\u2019t read Part 1 of this blog, you can do so here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Owning a reactive dog will suck the life out of you\u00a0\u2013 quickly!\u00a0With 34 years of experience in veterinary medicine, I thought I was prepared to take on a dog like Polo, but I was\u00a0wrong.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n There are as many types of reactivity as there are dogs in the world. A dog might be\u00a0triggered by\u00a0people who come to your door, but not\u00a0those\u00a0he meets outside. He\u00a0might be triggered by big dogs, small dogs, or cats wearing\u00a0roller-skates. Every dog is unique, and if your dog is reactive, I bet\u00a0you\u2019re\u00a0familiar\u00a0with his or her triggers. I\u00a0would also bet that if\u00a0you have\u00a0lived with your dog for\u00a0very long,\u00a0you\u2019re\u00a0also triggered by those things by now!<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Let me explain.\u00a0When we first got Polo, he was triggered by\u00a0doorbells. We\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0have a working doorbell, but if he heard one on TV,\u00a0he would get very agitated and start barking\u00a0and running from room to room.\u00a0Since I came to associate doorbells with my dog getting upset,\u00a0if I heard a doorbell – even at a friend\u2019s house or\u00a0in\u00a0a movie theater \u2013 my heart would start pounding,\u00a0and\u00a0I would brace for the barking dog.\u00a0A\u00a0moment\u00a0later I would\u00a0realize Polo\u00a0wasn\u2019t\u00a0there\u00a0and I\u00a0needn\u2019t\u00a0get upset!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Reactivity in dogs can be the result of a previous traumatic experience. Trauma causes hypervigilance, which means the dog is always nervous that something bad is going to happen. If you yourself have a history of trauma, then your dog\u2019s trauma can cause a similar hypervigilant response in your body.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Hopefully, you feel a little more supported after reading this blog. In Part III<\/a>, <\/span>I\u2019ll<\/span>\u00a0share the t<\/span>ips and tricks<\/span>\u00a0that have worked for Polo and\u00a0<\/span>I<\/span>\u00a0to help reduce his reactivity!<\/span><\/p>\nTriggers<\/h4>\n
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<\/p>\nResources<\/span><\/h4>\n
Here are some things that helped me alleviate that response:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h5>\n
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