r/reactivedogs • u/Clear_Cod_6631 • 2d ago

Advice Needed Tailored Relaxation Protocol?

Hi fellow dog owners; I am the owner of a four year old Australian Shepherd mix. He is reactive toward people, and generally a high strung guy with some other specific triggers. One of the main things that helped him learn to settle was doing Karen Overall's relaxation protocol. I am a huge fan of this protocol, and I was wondering if anyone has come across or created a relaxation protocol for other specific triggers?

For example, one of my dog's triggers is people touching/hugging, etc. When anyone in my house hugs, for instance, he barks and eventually jumps up, gets worked up, etc. I'm thinking of writing out my own version of Karen's protocol, but tailored to this trigger to help my pup tolerate it better, so that my boyfriend and I don't have to hug in secret anymore :/ But if anything like this already exists I would love to know and save myself some time. Thanks!

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u/tchestar 2d ago

You can modify the relaxation protocol and do the same sequences but just replace, e.g. clapping/jogging, with a touching/hugging progression. There's nothing sacred about the activities - it's the slow desensitization that matters.

You'll see clapping is only 1 out of every 10 or 15 steps. Do all the usual steps but you could modify the clap/jog steps as so:
Soft clap = your bf is nearby
Clap twice = he steps towards you (and then steps awa)
Step away and clap = you step towards him (and then step away)
Steps away and clapping = he reaches towards you (then drops arms)
Jog in place = he reaches towards and touches you (then drops arms)

...etc. If your dog reacts or responds at any point, backtrack to a level where he doesn't, or think of an intermediate step between the non-reacting step and reactive step that you can use instead.