06/03/2026
When I first met Finn, he was on a harness and a high dose of Prozac. He was an anxious guy, not easily trained with food, and very reactive despite his handler doing all the things she was instructed to do. Finn is a smart guy and definitely wanted to please his handler, but the methods suggested weren’t working.
Together with his owner, we did a complete overhaul of his behaviour. Starting with a clicker, we created very specific associations and revamped his communication. We taught him how to manage the leash, and how to turn the pressure off. In conjunction with the vet, we came up with a plan and began to wean him off of SSRIS gradually (it can take up to a year to slowly taper high doses and reduce withdrawal symptoms). Once the drugs started to wear off, Finn came back to life! His interest in food, training relationship and toys increased. Reactivity decreased.
Finn lives in a very busy city. Dogs, bicycles, people, squirrels are all around him. The triggers are everywhere and unavoidable, and when surprised, Finn still struggled. Together, his handler and I decided to try a training collar. Since he already understood leash pressure, he took to it right away. Again, we saw another leap in his progress. This allowed Finn access to enjoy the world! Now, his handler could safely expose him to previously inaccessible places like the public beach, the boardwalk, parks and hikes. This created so many opportunities for reinforcement, which built Finn’s confidence. His reactions continued to decrease and this built the handlers confidence that she could control him. Additionally, exercise and movement is so important to recovery from reactivity and SSRIS, providing both dopamine and serotonin. Pictured is Finn’s first sunset at the beach. His smile says it all
Our final goal is off-leash reliability. Over the winter, we have been conditioning Finn to respond to low level stimulation and vibrate. This has also turned out to be very helpful to address his leftover fixation on dogs, as he now willingly engages with his handler instead.
The results are undeniable. Finn is happy. His owner is happy. Balanced training saves lives.
