Reactive Dogs

The Truth About Reactive Dogs

Does your otherwise great pup, loose his or her mind when they see a dog, skateboarder or delivery truck? These responses can include barking, lunging, growling, or aggressive behavior. If so, you have a reactive dog.

Reactive dogs often react out of fear, anxiety, or frustration, and their behavior can be triggered by various factors, including past experiences, genetics, and lack of socialization or training. Often these dogs lose out on activities with their people because they can be so difficult to manage, but it doesn't have to be this way.

When Dogs (Over) React

Reactive dogs can be fixed, but it takes a focused effort. Trying to fix a behavior at the end of the day when you're exhausted, distracted, or focused on other things doesn't work. Ideally, set up time to work on this when you're in the training frame of mind, a Saturday morning for example. Work in short intervals; 5-10 minutes in areas with lots of triggers.

And until you have the problem resolved, when you don't feel like training, walk-in places where you don't see the thing that triggers your pup (dogs, delivery trucks, etc.). If this isn't possible, walk with a Gentle Leader so you can control your dog's mouth and not have a bad situation.

Supporting Your Dog When They Are Reacting

Being with your dog is one of the most rewarding opportunities we have, unless your dog becomes overly reactive to certain things and can't be calmed down. Then it can turn into a nightmare. To address these issues, it's crucial to provide our dogs with a safe environment and actively work to change their associations with the triggers that put them on edge. Strategies to assist your dog in moving beyond reactivity are featured below.

#1. Move Past the Trigger

The initial step in assisting your reactive dog is to consistently prioritize your dog and the surrounding environment. When you're out and about with your dog and they become triggered, you can support them FIRST by:

Placing yourself between your dog and the trigger
Creating distance between your dog and the trigger—enough space for your dog to remain calm.
Distracting your dog. Achieve this by attempting the following training techniques:

Leave it (tell them what you want them to do)
Look exercise (works great for dogs with anxiety)
Give them a treat

Repeat this activity over and over again, each time tracking your dog's comfort level. The number of repetitions you'll need to do depends on the severity of the issue and your dog's personality.

#2 Teach Your Dog to Be Stationary

After your dog has mastered moving past the trigger, NEXT you can work on training your dog to be stationary while the trigger passes. This is tougher since there's nothing for the dogs to do with their excitement and anxiety. So it really helps to give them something to do with that building energy. You can teach your dog to become stationary by:

Getting enough distance and place yourself between your dog and the trigger
Having your dog sit. Then step on their leash (at a point where they can sit and lay down but not jump up)*
Distracting your dog again by using the following training techniques:

Leave it (tell them what you want them to do)
Treats!

*This can be tricky, so if needed, use something secure like the leg of a bench, a signpost, or a tree to help create distance between your dog and the trigger.

The goal is to provide support while gradually increasing challenges. If you find yourself struggling, you're too close! Create enough distance to make the situation easier. If your dog remains calm for 30 seconds, CELEBRATE!

Training Exercise Homework

#1 Teach your dog two behaviors: "Leave it" and "Look"

Once "Leave It" and "Look" LINKS behaviors are proficient, practice them in every room of your house, on every piece of furniture, whether you’re sitting, standing, or even upside down.Practice when you’re in various moods, like when you're feeling off or grumpy, or when the weather outside is rainy or windy. Next, move your practice sessions outside to places like the playground or the school—wherever you plan to go regularly. Keep practicing until your dog is completely comfortable, and it becomes second nature. Remember to practice in different environments and situations to ensure your dog is well-prepared for anything.

#2 Go to a controlled place

Find a place where dogs walk by, but where you can get some distance from them. You need a place or time that has enough dog traffic to give your dog some repetition, but enough room to not stress your pup out.

Practice "Leave it" and "Look" over and over and over again. Ideally until your dog looks at you as soon as they see a dog (ideally before you even say anything). Oh, and this is not the time to be stingy with treats! Tasty morsels every time your dog glances in your direction – don’t expect long looks here, we just need him/her to be able to take their gaze away from the other dog, even just for a moment.

#3 Practice in new places:

Once your pup automatically looks at you 50% of the time or more when they see another dog, it’s time to practice in different settings, with different distractions present and so forth.

REMEMBER! If your dog is struggling, you've made it too difficult. Just because you can't pinpoint the issue, chances are something isn't quite right. Either take a break or simplify the task. Set your dog up for success!

Dog Reactivity FAQ

What's the best thing to do when we're out walking and see another dog?

You have three choices available:

(1) Practice "Wait" and distraction behaviors (get as much distance as necessary and possible).

(2) Moving "Leave it!" walk past other dog (bodies between dogs).

(3) Emergency U-turns, turn into your dog and keep tension out of the leash.

My dog is great with other dogs, but freaks out if he sees them when he's on a leash.

This isn’t uncommon at all. Often the leash is the issue. Encourage your dog to come to your opposite side and either sit quietly or walk past appropriately. Distance from the dog is key here!

My dog is really shy, do you do anything differently for shy dogs?

Shy, anxious, fearful dogs often need something to focus on – at least initially. Teach your pup the Look behavior and then encourage it whenever they see another dog. At first they won’t be able to do it for long but with practice most will excel.

My dog barks at every dog that walks past the house.

To work on this, me and the pup go as far as we have to into the yard to be comfortable enough to take a treat when a dog walks past. The key to getting success here is to go slow and work in small increments. Also try not to let your dog get away with carrying on when you’re not there to manage the behavior. And be sure your pup is getting enough exercise.

My puppy loves other dogs and thinks they all love her back, how do I help her learn boundaries?

Set up a playgroup with a mature dog who will correct the puppy – appropriately. This can actually work well for many young adult dogs who also come on too strong. The key is finding a large and appropriate dog to interact with.

My dog gets out of control whenever he plays with others.

Some dogs, with the right playgroups and a lot of practice, can learn proper play techniques, others need to be managed to be sure they stay below threshold. Often the age, size, history, etc will affect whether or not this can be overcome.

My puppy loves other dogs and thinks they all love her back, how do I help her learn boundaries?

Set up a playgroup with a mature dog who will correct the puppy – appropriately. This can actually work well for many young adult dogs who also come on too strong. The key is finding a large and appropriate dog to interact with.