Bridging the gap between ignoring triggers and interacting with triggers?
My reactive dog can, for the most part, ignore triggers - given there’s enough space and he’s distracted or “working”. However, as soon as he thinks they are about to interact with us, he reacts. He’s a 1.5 year old, intact Border Collie x Spaniel.
For example, we can go to our local sports ground which everybody uses to walk their dogs. He can play fetch with me in the middle of the field using a long line as dogs walk around the perimeter. As soon as somebody speaks to us or approaches in our direction, he barks, lunges (the full shebang). He can also walk around town, walk in heel and ignore people but, as soon as they speak to him, he barks and lunges. He still can’t pass other dogs unless he’s in one of his “safe zones” like the sports ground, town centre or vets (for some reason).
Does anybody have any tips for getting over the barrier from ignoring triggers to, processing them whilst staying emotionally regulated?