22/10/2026
Ralph – 6-year-old Dachshund – Session 2
Ralph has been fearful for most of his life. Like many dachshunds, he can be loud and quick to bark.
In our first session, Ralph was very frightened. He was trembling, wouldn't take food, and at one point had a panic attack. We gave him space and time to recover rather than pushing him.
Today he made big progress. He met me at the door with only a few barks, and as soon as he went quiet, we rewarded him with food. We then worked on:
• Desensitisation to the hoover, at a level he could cope with
• Bed and stay, building calm behaviour on his bed
• The marker word "yes", so he learns that "yes" means a reward is coming
It's a big step forward from 3 weeks ago, and a great sign that Ralph is starting to feel safe and build trust.
