First session with Zuma and Nala in Great Park, Newcastle!

Zuma is a nervous and anxious dog, especially around people and other dogs, while Nala is the complete opposite—she’s super friendly with people but extremely hyper and overstimulated when out and about. Her excitement means she’s never really processed the world around her, leading to some reactivity when she encounters new things, specifically dogs and cars.

To help both of them stop reacting to other dogs, our first step was calming Nala down. Today, we switched her from a collar to a harness, something she struggled with in the past. But by introducing it in a simple way, she quickly got used to it very quickly.

We then started working on calming techniques and teaching her to focus on her owners while out on walks. By the end of the session, Nala was much calmer—she didn’t react to other dogs or even the traffic around her!

There’s still a lot of work ahead for Nala. We’ll be focusing on giving her the outlets and exercise she needs at home, not just lead walks, and using counter-conditioning to help her process the world calmly.

Once Nala is more settled, we’ll turn our attention to Zuma. For now, though, Zuma is off to the vet to check a possible leg issue. We’ll be back soon with an update on how they’re getting on!

 A big well done to their owners for reaching out and doing so well in today’s session!

If this case sounds like your dog and you are having a similar issue, or a different issue entirely, book a FREE assessment call with us by clicking HERE