From Spinning to Self-Regulating: Kaya’s Journey to Calm

From Spinning to Self-Regulating: Kaya’s Journey to Calm

You’ve tried everything. The endless walks, the new toys, maybe even a special diet. But still, your dog struggles with anxiety, turning everyday situations into a whirlwind of stress for both of you. You dream of calm walks, confident greetings, and a happy pup who can relax by your side. If this sounds familiar, you’re in the right place.

At Summit Dog Training, we believe in empowering adventures for dogs and their humans through positive reinforcement. We know firsthand the challenges that come with a dog who struggles with big emotions, and we're here to share how we helped Julianne and her sweet Mini Aussie, Kaya, transform their lives.

Ready to see how positive reinforcement can help your dog thrive? Contact the Summit Dog Training team with your dog training questions today!

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From Spinning to Self-Regulating: Kaya’s Journey to Calm

Meet Kaya, a Mini Aussie with a heart full of big feelings. When Julianne first came to Summit Dog Training, Kaya was a whirlwind of excitement and anxiety. She struggled with self-regulation, often "spinning out of control" in various situations. Life with Kaya before training was a constant challenge. Julianne described her as, “a ball of constant anxiety with destructive tendencies and uncontrollable on walks.”

Julianne's goals for Kaya were clear: 

1. A dog who could focus, even with distractions like other dogs, people, or fast-moving vehicles.

2. Kaya to be able to self-regulate her anxiety and not have to rely on Julianne 100% of the time.

3. For Kaya to be able to walk calmly on a leash. 

The Summit Dog Training Approach: Tailored Support for Big Feelings

At Summit Dog Training, we understand that every dog is unique, and their training journey should be too. For Kaya, we designed a comprehensive training plan utilizing several of our key services, focusing on building her confidence and teaching her valuable coping mechanisms. Julianne engaged in both group classes and individualized guidance to address Kaya's specific needs as she grew from a young dog to a confident adult:

• Private Lessons: First, Julianne utilized Summit’s online private lessons for guidance during Kaya’s transition of being adopted and in a new routine. The first step in every training journey is asking for help! During our online lessons together, we learned more about Kaya’s behaviors and assisted Julianne with management ideas in her home while they settled in together. 

• Smells Like Teen Spirit: This Level 1 group class is specifically designed to help adolescent dogs navigate their "teenage phase" with confidence and self-control. For Kaya, this was crucial in addressing her over-excitement and anxiety, teaching her foundational behaviors like polite greetings and how to handle "big feelings" in various environments.

• Loose Leash Walking: In this Level 2 group class, we worked with Julianne and Kaya to teach Kaya to walk politely on a leash, fostering a more relaxed and connected walking experience. 

• Agility Foundations: Agility is a fantastic way to build focus, body awareness, and a strong bond between dog and handler. The foundational skills and mental stimulation that come from agility work provide a structured outlet for Kaya's energy and help her learn to channel her excitement into productive tasks.

• Educational Workshops: Julianne also took initiative to teach herself how to support Kaya by attending multiple workshops and events at Summit Dog Training. 

The Transformation: A Calmer, Happier Kaya

The dedication of Julianne and the expert guidance from the Summit Dog Training team led to an incredible transformation for Kaya. Today, life with Kaya is dramatically different and much more peaceful:

• Anxiety under control: Kaya's anxiety is now manageable 95% of the time! She has learned invaluable self-regulation skills, demonstrating a remarkable ability to process her feelings.

• Calm and collected on walks: Loose leash walking is now the norm, making walks enjoyable for both Julianne and Kaya. The pulling and lunging that once made walks a struggle are largely gone.

• No more destructive behaviors: The pacing, indoor accidents, and destructive chewing are a thing of the past. Kaya no longer needs constant supervision to prevent unwanted behaviors.

• Polite greetings: While she still gets excited when people visit, Kaya has learned to sit for greetings, allowing for calm and enjoyable interactions instead of jumping and overwhelming guests. 

• Improved barking control: Her barking is much more controlled, and Julianne has developed effective strategies for calling her away from distractions like people walking by the fence.

Julianne's heartfelt testimony speaks volumes about the impact Summit Dog Training had on their lives:

"Summit is extraordinary!!! I’m not sure where I’d be had they not been there for me. The trainer's expertise in working with dogs with trauma and high anxiety is absolutely incredible! Every trainer we worked with gave me more skills to use. Thanks to Summit, Kaya has learned how to deal with her feelings and has become a wonderful dog!!! I am forever grateful to them for all of their help. I find myself recommending them often to people I run into on our walks. Thank You!"

Your Dog’s Adventure Awaits!

Kaya's story is a beautiful example of how positive reinforcement training can empower dogs to overcome challenges and truly thrive. It’s about more than just teaching commands; it’s about understanding your dog’s emotions, building trust, and providing them with the tools they need to navigate the world confidently and calmly. We believe that with the right support, dogs can learn to manage their "big feelings" and enjoy a more fulfilling life alongside their human.

If you’re a dog parent facing similar challenges with your furry friend, know that you’re not alone, and there is hope! Imagine enjoying peaceful walks, confident greetings, and a deeper bond with your happy, well-adjusted companion.

Ready to start your dog’s transformation journey? Whether it's a specific group class or if you're seeking more personalized guidance, contact the Summit Dog Training team today to discuss your training needs and discover how positive reinforcement can help your pup live their best life!

Resilience Rainbow Case Study - Osha

Resilience Rainbow Case Study - Osha

By Benah Stiewing

The Resilience Rainbow is a framework developed by Bobbie Bhambree and Dr. Kathy Murphy. Resilience is an animal’s ability to recover after experiencing a stressful event. Bhambree and Dr. Murphy created a system to build a dog’s overall resilience and increase their ability to reach their baseline. To learn more about the Resilience Rainbow, you can click here. In this piece, I am going to cover the application of this concept with one of my dogs, Osha the 2 year-old Border Collie.

Osha is a stable, friendly-neutral, and confident young dog. She was raised with careful attention to neutrality around other dogs because she lives with another Border Collie who is fearful of other dogs. In January 2023, Osha was attacked by another dog. I use the word “attacked” lightly, as there were no injuries and it was a friend’s dog who rushed Osha. We frequently go on group walks with friends and their dogs, and this was one such walk. A new friend was joining us that day, and her dog rushed Osha as soon as she noticed her. Osha started showing appeasement signals (ears back, low tucked tail wag, rolling over to expose her belly) which only escalated (growl deepened, flipped Osha onto her back, snarling with lips curled back into Osha’s neck) the other dog’s behavior. The entire interaction lasted about 8-10 seconds before they were separated. After they were separated, Osha was clearly extremely stressed. After that day, we went on a 2-week break from engaging with any other dogs as she recovered. During and after this initial decompression period, Osha did not show any signs of increased stress around other dogs. She did not develop any reactivity, and continued to practice lovely skills around unfamiliar dogs we encountered out in the world. 

However, I had a gut feeling that something was off about Osha. As the weeks and months passed, I could not put my finger on it. By April, I finally had a realization that Osha no longer engaged in play with other dogs. Before the event, she was a moderately playful dog and would engage her dog friends in appropriate play both inside and outside of the home. I began to realize that while she was still neutral and appropriate with other dogs, there seemed to be a lack of joy and excitement. These are anthropomorphizing words, but there is no better way to describe it. She simply didn’t enjoy her interactions with other dogs anymore. 

It’s important to state that this is not an odd or abnormal behavior for a mature Border Collie to develop. It’s very normal for a mature Border Collie to become less playful with other dogs, and interested in other activities. I wondered whether the event had simply coincided with a natural development, but I had this sneaking suspicion that it had not. I spoke to my friends who are also professional dog trainers and behavior consultants, and shared my thoughts. We discussed putting Osha on behavioral medication to explore whether the lack of play was natural or not. If a medication helped ease enough anxiety, would she engage in play again, or still be more interested in other pursuits? I ultimately did not use medication with Osha, simply because she started improving before it happened, but it’s definitely something I would have brought on board with the support of our veterinarian.

While I was considering these options, I started intentionally building Osha’s resilience. I had always been extremely particular about the dogs I allowed to interact with Osha, but I began being even more selective. I only had her around other completely neutral dogs who would not invite her to play or engage at all, beyond a friendly sniff. I didn’t want her to practice the behavior of turning down invitations to play, so I exclusively had her around dogs who wouldn’t ask. If another dog was present, my other Border Collie was always away in his crate or left at home. While he can safely co-exist around most dogs, it’s not something he enjoys and I didn’t want her to observe any stress around other dogs, even the most mild. While I make it a regular practice to play with my dogs everyday, I started incorporating new behaviors into our play routine together. Instead of mostly tugging, we would also play chase where Osha would run after me and catch me, and hide and seek where Osha would have to come find me. After our play sessions, we would lie on the ground together while I stroked her legs and feet, taking deep breaths. 

After just a few weeks of implementing these changes, Osha engaged a Rhodesian Ridgeback friend in play. It lasted only about 15 seconds, but it was the first time I’d seen her play with another dog in months. A week later, she engaged a Border Collie friend in play, and it lasted a few minutes this time. Within weeks, she was back to her normal self, playing and having a ball with her dog friends. I was thrilled to see her happy around other dogs again. I can’t say for sure what exactly caused this shift in Osha. Perhaps my attempts to increase her security and stability around other dogs helped her feel safe enough to invite play, or maybe this was a natural progression she would have made anyway. However, I do believe that my integration of the Resilience Rainbow framework helped restore Osha’s trust in me to be her advocate and protector, and feel relaxed enough to once again let loose around other dogs. 

I am thrilled that Osha has regained her confidence around other dogs, and is once again able to engage in play and enjoy social interactions. However, I am still extremely careful about her interactions with other dogs, and am cognisant that one brief moment of fear and/or conflict could really set her back. Just like human variances in resilience, some dogs can experience an event like the one described above and shake it off (literally and figuratively!), while dogs like Osha may be heavily impacted by a stressful event. Even though Osha’s symptoms of anxiety have shifted, I still take the same precautions to ensure she feels confident, secure, and relaxed around other dogs. I carefully select her canine friends, and structure the experiences to be what she needs to feel comfortable. Knowing that the steps I’ve taken to relieve Osha’s anxiety have been effective, I will continue to do them for the rest of Osha’s life so that - to the best of my ability - I can preserve her confidence and continue to build resiliency. 

Summit Dog Training offers group dog training classes & private lessons in Fort Collins, Colorado, as well as online self-study courses & online private lessons for education on how to live the best life with your dog!  If you are looking for more training support, please don’t hesitate to contact us! We’d love to help you and your dog get ready for any adventure.