Why working with reactivity online gets the best results

With Janet Finlay, Reactivity Specialist

Working with reactivity can be challenging, but with the right approach, it's possible to achieve incredible results - especially online!

I have been working with reactivity for over 20 years and launched my first fully online dog training course back in 2013, long before the pandemic made it mainstream! Drawing from my experience as a professor specialising in online courses, I recognised early on the potential of virtual training. 

I'm a huge advocate for the benefits of using technology and online resources to support learning. And contrary to popular belief, I've found it incredibly beneficial for reactive dogs and their guardians. 

In this article, we’ll break down the benefits of online training for reactivity and share why I have found this to be the BEST way to get results for sensitive and reactive dogs.  

Online dog training works tremendously well (if done right)

Online learning is not just about dumping people in front of a screen and making them watch videos. Of course, demonstrating and teaching via video is part of it,  but it’s just one element. 

The point of virtual training is that it solves problems faced by both ends of the lead and by you as a dog trainer too. 

When you take your training online and harness the power of technology, you can support your students fully, provide a wealth of resources, and do so with flexibility and community at the heart of it all.

Living with reactivity can be emotional, isolating and thankless. However, when you bring your students into a community that understands, the support and progress they experience is phenomenal.  

Why online training is best for reactive dogs

Reactivity is often rooted in fear or discomfort, so providing a safe environment for the dog is absolutely critical if you want to make progress. 

One of the greatest advantages of working online is that dogs can learn in the comfort of their own home, away from triggers and stimuli which increase their stress levels. When the dog doesn’t have to contend with unfamiliar environments or strangers until they’re ready, you can fast track their progress by boosting their sense of safety.

When the dog is learning in a safe and familiar environment, they can develop their core coping skills in the comfort of their home without having to contend with external factors before they’re ready.

Often, when you're going into somebody's house, you are introducing a stressor for the dog. However nice you are, however considerate and gentle you are in your approach, you’re still introducing a stressor. 

And that is problematic for reactive dogs and can slow down their learning. 

Increasing safety for reactive dogs 

Online training allows us to work at a pace that suits the individual dog. This approach helps minimise stress and ensures the dog is progressing at a speed that is comfortable for them.

The human can judge what the dog is capable of and how the dog is learning, and they can progress at whatever pace works for their specific dog, which, again, reduces stress for everyone involved. 

Rather than slowing things down, this actually allows the dog to feel more at ease - lowering their cortisol and putting them in a position where they’re cognitively capable of learning. 

Online reactive dog training is better for guardians too

Reactive dog guardians often struggle to focus during in-person sessions because they're preoccupied with managing their dog’s behaviour. Online training gives them the opportunity to absorb information without the added pressure of controlling their dog in a new environment.

It also releases them from shame, embarrassment, and helps them see what their dog is truly capable of when not exposed to triggers. This sense of safety is equally important for the human end of the lead! 

They can focus on what you’re teaching

When a reactive dog guardian can learn and work with their dog in their own home, they can focus and take everything in.

When they come to a class or work 1-2-1 with you, they’re feeling under pressure, and their focus is on keeping their dog under control, which means they can’t be attentive to everything you’re teaching. 

If you are working with reactive dogs in person, it’s vital that you provide online resources to enable your students to access what they need in an environment in which they can learn. 

Detailed feedback at regular intervals 

One of the biggest factors that will influence the success of your student’s training is personalised and detailed feedback. 

When you work in person, this often means you only see your students once a week or even once a fortnight. In the space between sessions, they’re practising what they’ve learned, and potentially, their practice needs a little tweaking, but it’s been ingrained for a long period before they see you again. 

With virtual training, you can encourage students to film and share what they’re doing, so you can offer regular and detailed feedback, which helps your learner develop their skills significantly.

In a class environment, that’s much harder to do because you've got more than one person to pay attention to. And with 1-2-1’s, you still have the problem of your student retaining all the information accurately. 

Students learn core skills in a comfortable environment 

When you lay the foundation skills with your guardians before they leave their home with their dog, you are setting them up for success. They are not trying to learn new concepts and skills whilst also trying to manage their dog or contend with external factors in the environment. 

When they begin progressing their training outside of the home, they are more confident and clear on what they are doing. 

Communal learning and a sense of belonging

One of the biggest benefits is bringing your students together in a community where they can learn from each other. 

Couple this with mutual support and understanding, and the experience of being in an online or in a hybrid dog training programme is astounding. 

The community is critical to people's learning, feelings of belonging, and people feeling good about themselves and their dogs. 

Flexibility and relief from stress

Sometimes having to travel somewhere or work your schedule around training sessions can be the difference between doing something and not doing so. This applies even more so if you share your life with a reactive dog. The emotions that go with taking your dog out in the world to somewhere new can be the deal-breaker that means you don’t access help. Online dog training takes all of that away. 

Benefits of online dog training for trainers

Training online frees up your time so you can focus on coaching individual clients on how to apply training in their context, rather than repeating over and over how to do a certain thing. 

The fundamental how tos are taught using video, which allows you to give more detailed and precise feedback on the specifics, dramatically increasing your student’s understanding and progress. 

Gives a clear and impartial picture of the dog’s life

When you conduct your assessments and training online, it allows you to see the home environment as it is normally.  You can see how they're interacting on a day to day basis, which reveals a lot more than a scheduled face to face assessment. 

Ask students to video certain things without telling the client necessarily what you are looking for. By removing this level of influence, you get clarity which can transform your understanding of their life and enhance the support you can give.  

You can see how the human and dog interact, whether there are issues around food, inadvertent reinforcement of unwanted behaviours and so on. By addressing these early it helps you to empower your students before they move into working within more challenging contexts.

Learn more about conducting assessments for reactive dogs virtually here. 

Deliver better results

Generally, when you work with a client face to face, you may only work with them for a relatively short time. However, when you train online, you work with clients for longer, which means you can follow through with things and review and tweak them as you go. 

Students have the opportunity to learn something, take it out and practise it, and then come back and get feedback on it. And they can repeat that over and over, which cements their learning and improves their training skills immeasurably.  

They don't get the chance to mistakenly get into bad habits with something they're practising before they see you again.  

You also access a global reach, a wonderful client community, and you don't travel for work. So you have more room for your own life while also serving people greatly. 

Why hybrid learning changes the game

While online training is powerful on its own, combining it with in-person sessions can create an even more effective hybrid learning model. This approach accommodates different learning styles and extends training to the entire family. Guardians can revisit online resources at their convenience, reinforcing what they’ve learned in person.

And that in person support can offer much needed physical and emotional support as you progress outdoors and into situations which have previously been very challenging for both ends of the lead. 

Hybrid learning allows all students to take what they need, accounting for different learning styles and extending education to the wider family unit. 

Online dog training doesn’t have to be complicated

We know that one of the big concerns for some dog trainers is dealing with the technology. But, in reality, it doesn’t have to be costly, complicated or overly techy.

We all use technology every day, whether that’s Facebook, Zoom or WhatsApp. 

You can literally do an online course in a Facebook group, and you could provide all the resources through that platform. It doesn't have to be fancy. 

Don’t get hung up on all the tools available. Instead, choose one you feel comfortable with and that you can guide your students to use, and you can get your online training up and running with ease. 

Try not to get hung up on tech failures. Things can and do go wrong whether you’re working online, 1-2-1 or in groups. Your students don’t care, don’t sweat it! 

Your students care about feeling supported, understood and accessing help. 

Focus on the learning, your community, and communication. For those are the things that truly matter. 

And if you want or need help with pulling the tech together, take a look at our toolboxes designed to relieve you from all the stress and time sucks of creating your own resources.

Discover the Reframing Reactivity Toolbox

❌ Myth Busting: This isn't what clients want

The biggest story around why a trainer can’t work online with reactivity is that it’s not what clients want. That's actually a myth. 

Firstly, be aware that there are hundreds of 1000s of people buying online dog training programmes. There are clients out there that want to learn in this way. 

Secondly, a client may say that they want to work face to face, but a lot of the time, it is because they don't understand what online learning is. So it’s not actually a problem with online learning. It’s an enrolment issue. 

Consider how you talk and feel about online training. Are you convinced it is a viable and successful way to work? 

The first person that needs to be enrolled in online learning is you!

When you believe in it and you are fired up about how it will benefit your students, you will be able to explain it in a way that allows your students to feel positive and excited about it too. 

Remember, your client base is much wider when you train virtually. The world is quite literally your oyster!

Conclusion: Embrace the Future of Dog Training

Online and hybrid training models are not just trends - or a second best when we are prevented from working in person. They are powerful tools that can transform how we work with reactive dogs and their guardians. By embracing these methods, you can deliver better results, create stronger connections with your clients and expand your reach beyond geographical limitations. 

I have been at the forefront of reframing reactivity and putting the wellbeing of both dogs and humans at the core of how we structure and deliver support they can access. 

If you’d like to work with me and learn how to best support reactive dogs and their humans, our flagship Reframing Reactivity programme is available with instant access.

Take a look at Reframing Reactivity for Pros