How we helped a rescue dog become calmer and more responsive on walks (Buddy’s story)

Buddy came in with a mix of challenges that a lot of owners will recognise.

Recall was unreliable.
He pulled on the lead.
Traffic made him anxious.
And around other dogs, he’d get overexcited and rear up on the lead.

Not aggressive — but overwhelmed.

And that’s an important distinction.

What was actually going on

From the outside, it can look like “bad behaviour”.

But with Buddy, it was mostly about emotion.

traffic = uncertainty
other dogs = overexcitement
lead = frustration

So when everything stacked together on a walk, it spilled out as pulling and rearing up.

Trying to just “correct” that behaviour wouldn’t have fixed it.

It needed a different approach.

Where we started

We didn’t jump straight into busy environments.

First, we focused on giving Buddy and his owner tools that would actually work outside.

That included:

building a reliable response to his name
rewarding calm check-ins
creating space before things escalated

Simple, but crucial.

Because without that foundation, nothing holds up in the real world.

Introducing LAT (Look At That)

One of the biggest turning points for Buddy was using LAT.

Instead of trying to stop him noticing other dogs, we flipped it.

👉 He looks at a dog
👉 We mark it
👉 Then move away and reward

This did two things:

reduced the intensity of his reactions
gave him something clear to do instead

Over time, he started to notice dogs… and stay calmer.

Why this worked

We weren’t trying to suppress behaviour.

We were changing how Buddy felt in those situations.

Other dogs stopped being overwhelming.
They became something predictable.

And when that happens, the behaviour starts to shift naturally.

What we saw over time

Across the sessions, things started to click.

less pulling
less rearing up
more check-ins
better responses when it mattered

Walks became more manageable… and more enjoyable.

Not perfect — but a clear, steady improvement.

And more importantly, his owner had a plan to keep building on it.

The key takeaway

A lot of dogs don’t need more control.

They need:

clearer guidance
better timing
and the right level of challenge

Buddy didn’t need to be “told off”.

He needed help navigating situations he was struggling with.

If this sounds familiar

If your dog is:

reactive or overexcited on the lead
struggling around other dogs
or hard to focus outside

you’re not alone.

This is exactly the kind of thing I work on in 1–1 sessions, out in real environments where it actually matters.