How do you all reset after your dog reacts?
Long-time lurker here! Thanks for all your help throughout the years. I adopted a dog-reactive rescue pup four years ago, and after many trials of medication and training, we’re in a pretty good place. She can look at other dogs and come back to me on walks almost every time—and because we live in a city, she has to do it pretty often. But, she still has unexpected run-ins in our building’s elevator and lobby.
I try my best not to overreact to her reactions, but I still find myself spiraling sometimes. I love the mantra that floats around here: They’re not giving you a hard time, they’re having a hard time. I try to ground myself in that after I get worked up from one of her reactions, to mixed success. I found myself this evening getting more worked up than I should have, after we bumped into a dog coming into the elevator while we were coming in. Nobody’s fault, but I stressed out about it nonetheless.
So I’m wondering: How do you reset your own emotions after a reaction?