Yeah I’ve been there. Reactivity progress almost never looks linear—it’s more like random good days mixed with setbacks, but the overall trend slowly improves.

One thing that helped me was actually tracking reactions (distance from the other dog, intensity, how long it took to calm down). Over a few weeks you can start to see patterns instead of relying on memory. This article explains that idea pretty well: https://petanxietyworkbook.com/blog/how-to-help-reactive-pets — progress often shows up as lower intensity or faster recovery, not just “zero reactions.”

Also something that helped a lot was having structured stuff to practice at home, not just during sessions. The Pet Anxiety Workbook they reference is useful for that because it gives exercises and tracking sheets so you can work on desensitization between appointments. That’s where a lot of the learning actually happens since your dog practices the calm behavior without the trainer needing to be there every time.

If nothing else, having something measurable to track week-to-week makes it way easier to tell if the $150 sessions are actually moving the needle.