01/15/2021
It's interesting how similar it can be training horses vs. dogs. One of my favorite exercises, "Approach and Retreat" works wonders whether the animal is afraid, excited or just generally reactive.
Creating more distance between you and the "object" helps your dog or horse recover emotionally. As you approach and your animal seems stressed, retreat again. As you keep repeating this approach and retreat, the animal gradually becomes desensitized to whatever is creating the stress. You might get only inches or feet closer in any given session or you might be able to approach all of the way. It may take minutes, hours, days or weeks, depending on the level of stress.
Examples: a horse, afraid to load into a trailer, or a dog, excited to see their friends at the park.
