Episode 117. How to Turn Your Dog’s Reactivity into Resiliency with Grisha Stewart’s BAT Training

Have you ever struggled with your dog’s reactivity?

Whether your dog is reactive to other dogs, people or something in the environment, Grisha Stewart’s Behavior Adjustment Training (BAT) may be what you’ve been looking for to help your dog lead a more comfortable life.

Grisha developed BAT training while dealing with her own dog, Peanut’s, reactivity. Despite doing everything “right” – according to the dog training advice available at the time – she was she still struggling.

Grisha shares with us the principles of BAT and how BAT is based on positive reinforcement, but without the use of food. Focusing on resiliency and empowering your dog, BAT builds your dog’s confidence, communication and trust.

What about those times when we face a setback and our dog does get reactive? We’ll learn about the choices we can make to best support our dog from the human end of the leash, as well.

Grisha & I discuss:

How a childhood experience may have led to her interest in dog training;
Her career path that has always included an element of teaching;
Following all the “right” advice still led to adopting a dog with challenging behaviors;
Realizing that none of the current dog training methodologies could help Peanut’s behavior issues and how BAT came to be;
Understanding why our dogs are reactive and what their behavior is trying to communicate;
The importance of your dog’s body language;
The evolution of BAT 1.0 to 2.0 to 3.0;
The 3 principles of BAT;
Giving your dog choices;
What to do in those times when our dog goes over threshold;
Grisha’s online community;
Understanding the reactivity and nervous system activation at the human end of the leash;
Other projects Grisha is passionate about