07/10/2026
🐾 TRAINING TIP: Be proactive, not reactive
So much dog training happens after the problem has already started.
The pulling has begun. The barking has started. They’ve already taken off. They’re completely focused on the distraction.
But often the easiest time to train is before any of that happens.
I did exactly this with Azmin when she was younger.
She had never shown any interest in chasing cars, but her mum was a car chaser and, being a Border Collie, I knew it was something that could potentially develop.
So whenever we saw a car coming, I would scatter treats onto the footpath.
She learned:
Cars = food appears on the ground
Rather than:
Cars = something exciting to chase.
I wasn’t fixing a car-chasing problem - I was trying to prevent one before it started.
I’ve written more about proactive training in this week’s blog, including ways you can use the same idea with pulling, barking, recall, visitors and puppy behaviours.
👉 Read the full blog: Be Proactive, Not Reactive
https://www.shinepets.co.nz/blogs/news/be-proactive-not-reactive-preventing-problems-before-they-start
And this is the start of a new little training series too - clicker training, luring vs shaping and some weekly training challenges are coming next 👀 🐶
