Apollo

Apollo’s owners came to me because they were struggling to manage the standard poodle’s behaviour at home and on walks. Apollo was reactive, mainly towards dogs but also towards some people. His reactivity came out in the form of barking, lunging and growling and he would pull on the lead continually, making walks very difficult and stressful for him and his owners. He would also bark whenever a person or dog walked past at home, which meant the family were living in darkness with the curtains shut at all times. 

We looked at strategies to build Apollo’s confidence as well as how to promote calmness at home. We spoke about how to respond to Apollo’s barking behaviours at home and how to set him up for success. We also looked at the equipment being used for Apollo’s walks and how different pieces could support him before teaching Apollo to focus on us and the value of walking to a heel. Additionally, we spoke about how to manage walks for Apollo to predict his triggers and prevent him from feeling like he needs to react.