Your idea of going for a nice walk with your dog is often not the same as the idea that the animal has. You’re picturing your furry friend slowly walking by your side until you reach a park, where you possibly let it off the leash, allowing it to run around, sniff the flowers and possibly make some canine friends. Reality, however, is often much different.

This is what it could possibly look like. Your walk to the park is a nightmare, as your pet is constantly pulling you in one direction or another, reacting to all the stimuli coming towards it. If another dog tries to approach it, it may react aggressively or hide behind you, potentially even try to jump in your arms. At the park, instead of exploring the area and sniffing the flowers, the animal is more concerned about staying by your side, growling at everything that comes its way. This is a reactive dog.

I know that this is frustrating and I know that you probably have periods of wondering if the problem will ever get resolved or if you should stop going on walks altogether, to save yourself the trouble. But, trust me on this. No matter how frustrating this is for you, the dog has it worse. It is the animal that has a problem here, and it is most likely acting out of fear.

The great thing, though, is that the issue can undeniably get resolved. To put it simply, your pet can be trained to be less reactive, and your walks and park-time can definitely become quite enjoyable. Expert trainers have been working hard on developing various methods to deal with this kind of behavior, and they have had much success in correcting it. So, there is absolutely no doubt that this problem can be fixed for you.

That is, of course, as long as you find the right trainer to work with your reactive dog. This is the trickiest part, because the skills of the trainer will have a direct impact on the possible resolution of the problem. Therefore, what you have to do is figure out how to actually find the right expert for you. Whether you’re located in Littleton, Colorado, or anywhere else for that matter, you’ll undoubtedly get to find a lot of different professionals offering dog training services, and your task will be to choose one of them to work with on resolving the reactivity problem.

Understand the problem better: https://www.dognerdly.com/behavior/what-is-a-reactive-dog/ 

So, if you are looking for a trainer in Littleton, here is what we are going to do. Below I am going to share some tips that will take you through the processes of both finding and choosing the right expert for you. Then, once you read through those tips, you should remember them and use them to hire the perfect professional and finally get the reactivity issue resolved once and for all.

Search Local Directories & the Web

Local business directories may be of help in the initial stages of your research. Through them, you can find a few trainers that work with reactive dogs. Of course, you should spread your search online as well, because most of these experts will be online nowadays. Use these two steps to make a list of potential professionals, but don’t go choosing one of them just yet.

Get Suggestions from Your Vet and from the Pet Stores

While creating the list of candidates, you should also remember to get some suggestions from your vet. Chances are that the vet you’re visiting will have some connections with reputable trainers in Littleton. Furthermore, you can look at the bulletin boards at the local pet stores and grooming saloons, as you could find some trainer ads that way. Plus, the experts working at the stores and saloons may also be able to give you some suggestions. 

Check for Certifications

Once you’ve created the list, thanks to the steps above, you’ll be ready to start exploring the different professionals in more details. For starters, check if they are properly certified by reputable organizations. After all, you don’t want to entrust your pet to an uncertified trainer that may not know exactly how to resolve this problem. You can use the Internet to check for certifications, or you can ask about this when you get in touch with the different pros you’re considering.

Check Qualifications and Experience

Qualifications are also quite important, and you can check them online as well, by visiting the official websites of the trainers you’re considering. Moreover, when you come across Jon Langdon or any other qualified trainer, you should take time to check their specific experience as well. The key is, as you may have guessed it, in finding those professionals that are not only qualified enough to work with canines, but that also have enough experience when it comes to the reactivity problem itself.

Find Online Reviews

Would you like to find out how happy the past clients have been with the services they have received from specific Littleton trainers? Sure you would! Well, you can easily do that by finding online reviews and reading through them. People will be honest about their experiences and they will let you know not only whether the reactivity issue has been resolved, but also what the professionals did to resolve it.

Have Interviews to Discuss the Training Approach & Plan

Speaking of what the professionals did to resolve it, that is another thing you should always check before entrusting your pet to one trainer or another. Basically, you should have a few interviews with the candidates you have in mind and discuss the overall training approach, as well as the specific training plan for your furry friend. By discussing that, you’ll be able to assess the quality of the training approach, as well as to check whether your pet will be treated fairly and nicely during the process. Once you check all of this, you’ll be ready to choose your Littleton trainer and discuss the logistics, so that you can finally start resolving the reactivity problem.