The term "reactive dog" can mean so many things to so many people...which can make talking about this subject quite challenging. In this podcast, we attempt to better define this term, outline the types of dogs who may be included in this category, while also talking plainly about which dogs specifically should not be competing at Scent Work trials at all (ie. aggressive dogs).

We also touch upon the need for everyone to be an advocate for their own particular dog and how we can all be more understanding and use a bit more empathy toward one another. Definitely a large topic to try to tackle, but hopefully this podcast can at the very least spark some meaningful discussions and thoughts on this thoroughly sensitive subject.

----more----

Scent Work University is an online dog training platform focused on all things Scent Work. SWU courses and webinars are not only for those who are interested in competiton, but also for those dog owners who are simply looking for something fun and engaging to do with their dogs. Check out Scent Work University today!

Interested in another dog sport, or looking for help getting your dog to learn some manners? Dog Sport University is sister online dog training platform, give it a peek and see what it has to offer you and your dog.

PODCAST TRANSCRIPT

Welcome to the All About Scent Work podcast. In this podcast we'll be talking about all things Scent Work. This includes a behind the scenes look for how trials are conducted, what your instructor may be going through, training tips, and other helpful information that we can provide. In this episode, we're gonna be discussing the topic of reactive dogs in Scent Work. Most importantly trying to nail down what the real definition of what a reactive dog is, and helping you make a better determination of whether or not you should be competing with your dog at a Scent Work trial.

Before we dive into the podcast itself, allow me to do a very quick introduction from myself. My name is Dianna Santos. I'm the owner and lead instructor for Scent Work University. This is an online dog training platform where we provide online courses, webinars, and seminars to help you achieve your Scent Work goals. Whether it simply be just playing the game at home, or also preparing for competition. So without further ado, let's get started within the podcast.

One of the most common things that I've encountered throughout my time with being a professional instructor and trainer is the lack of understanding of what a "reactive dog" actually is. There is a very broad understanding as far as which dogs would actually fall in that category. When we're talking about Scent Work in particular, particularly in the realm of competition, many of us may be referring to completely different dogs as far as how they present behaviorally, but we're lumping them all into the same category of a reactive dog. The purpose behind this podcast episode is to try to help us have a better understanding of what that word actually means.

Whether or not our dogs are indeed reactive, and if they are, would it to suitable for us to be competing with them? And if we were going to be competing with them, where we may want to compete. It's a fairly large topic, but I'm hoping that it'll provide some clarification, because there does seem to be a lot of confusion around this word. It's only been exacerbated over the years. I don't think that it's been clarified much. There's people who use this term interchangeably with other things that I just don't think is very helpful.

Again, for my purposes, my goal anyway, is to help clarify at least what I believe a reactive dog would be behaviorally speaking, to try to put a little bit more meaning behind that term. And then as a community we just need to determine if maybe that term is fairly useless at this point, and if we need to maybe find some other ways of describing what we are trying to say a certain dog may be presenting as behaviorally.

For myse