Dog Behaviour Specialist
Reactive-dog walking and individualized behaviour work.
I built a paid service around reactive, fearful and sensitive dogs who often did poorly in standard group-walking routines or generic training conditions.
The problem
Reactive, fearful and sensitive dogs often did poorly in standard group-walking routines or generic training conditions.
What I did
I built an individualized force-free service around observation, thresholds and context, changing routes, distance, stimulation, reinforcement and task structure for the dog in front of me.
Where it ended
The service developed recurring paid work and referrals. In the six-month Roquefort case, the owners reported substantial improvement before I arranged continuity when the service ended.
Training base
Force-free dog training through Marker Training, starting in 2021
I completed the year-long course work but did not complete the final certification exams.
Operating evidence
By March 2022, the reconstructed schedule shows roughly 16 to 18 recurring walks per week across seven regular accounts, alongside other work.
01 · Individualized work
Working with the dog in front of me.
The work was built around observation and adjustment rather than applying one routine to every dog. Sometimes that meant reducing stimulation or increasing distance. At other times it meant changing the route, reward, timing or task while keeping the same underlying goal.
Working loop
Observe
Notice triggers, thresholds and recovery.
Change conditions
Adjust distance, route, stimulation or task.
Reinforce success
Use timing, rewards and achievable repetitions.
Expand gradually
Test the skill in harder real-world contexts.
I paid attention to what happened before a reaction, how quickly the dog recovered, which environments made success more likely, and which reinforcers or tasks helped the dog stay engaged.
02 · Roquefort
A representative six-month case.
Roquefort became the clearest preserved example. The work included calming routines, emergency recall, toy exchange and drop-it practice, environmental management and gradual exposure to situations that had previously been difficult.
Case progression
Regulation
Calming routines and environmental management.
Safety skills
Emergency recall and better response under pressure.
Exchange skills
Toy exchange and drop-it practice.
Broader exposure
Gradual encounters at a pace he could handle.
“Wow, thank you so much for the help!! We’re going to try changing our approach on walks with him.”
Itai · translated from Hebrew
In April 2022, an owner reported in Hebrew that Roquefort’s behaviour had improved substantially. Later in the process, after better regulation and improved eating, an owner reported that he was meeting many new dogs successfully as long as new encounters happened at his pace.
03 · Continuity
Building continuity when I left.
When I ended the service, I arranged a handoff rather than simply disappearing from recurring clients. That included passing on context about the dogs and what had been working so the next person could continue from a more informed starting point.
Shai Deutsch 