Recently, I stumbled on this reddit post where a parent of a reactive dog wrote:
“You will never understand what it's like to have a reactive dog until you have one yourself.”
This post broke my heart because the parent described something many people experience but often feel too guilty or ashamed to talk about. Over the years, I have worked with many reactive canines. One of my current rescue dogs, Arthur, is prone to being reactive. So, I think it’s worth discussing to offer some hope and guidance about what to do.
Content:
- What Is a Reactive Dog? Reactivity vs. Aggression
- Causes of Reactivity in Dogs
- Types of Reactivity: Leash, Barrier & Dog-to-Dog Reactivity
- Living With a Reactive Dog: Socializing, Walks & Daily Management
- Conclusion
What Is a Reactive Dog? Reactivity vs. Aggression
Think of a reactive dog as a dog whose nervous system is overwhelmed. When they see a trigger, such as another dog or a stranger, they go into ‘fight-or-flight’ (or freeze). This is not the same thing as aggression, where a dog has the intent to harm. Rather, it's an extreme stress response caused by a surge of cortisol and adrenaline.
It’s worth noting that reactivity can result from any strong emotion. A dog can become reactive from extreme excitement as well. In short, any emotion that overwhelms or overstimulates them and makes it impossible for them to behave calmly can lead to reactivity.
More than anything, reactivity is a stress response. The dog's goal is usually to escape the situation, increase distance from the trigger, or relieve overwhelming frustration.
Signs your dog is reactive:
Degrees of reactivity vary, but when you see it in public, it’s usually an upsetting sight. A reactive dog might:
- Freeze and stare at the trigger
- Lunge
- Bark incessantly
- Pull or thrash around the leash
- Try to run away
Or just become generally uncontrollable. In severe cases, a reactive dog may redirect their feelings onto their owner and bite. Although this is quite rare.
Causes of Reactivity in Dogs
The important thing to understand is that reactivity is not naughtiness. It’s simply more stress than your dog knows how to handle. People sometimes assume it’s a sign of trauma or abuse. In some cases, it can happen that a dog becomes reactive after a bad experience. For example, a well-socialized young dog might go to the dog park and be attacked by another dog. This experience can definitely cause them to become reactive later if they see a strange dog.
However, this isn’t always the reason. Dog reactivity can sometimes have a genetic component, with some dogs being more prone to hyperarousal than others. But the most common reason is a lack of early and consistent socialization.
Veterinary Behaviorist, Dr. Bonnie Beaver writes:
"The lessons of socialization will need occasional reinforcement during the juvenile period and afterward, or they can be forgotten within 6 months. If the original learning did not occur, the dog will be socially handicapped throughout the remainder of its life.”
This social handicap can mean that a dog becomes overwhelmed in new environments, or by strangers and other dogs, and becomes reactive.
It's also important to remember that triggers can stack too. A dog in a new environment, after a stressful car ride, with loud noises, and several exciting encounters during a walk can all add together until your dog reaches their limit. A dog that ignored another dog yesterday may react strongly today simply because their stress bucket was already full.
Types of Reactivity: Leash, Barrier & Dog-to-Dog Reactivity
A dog can be reactive anywhere they feel overstimulated, unsafe, and trapped. Sometimes this happens at the vet, for example. Sometimes this happens when dogs are in new environments, and overwhelmed by too many new things, or passersby. A dog that has never gone for a walk before may become reactive when cyclists pass by.
The most common reactivity I see is dog-to-dog. Dogs who distrust other dogs, or who have dog aggression, or are just unsocialized with other dogs are most likely to become reactive when they see another dog. In fact, this is a fairly common behavioral problem.
A compounding factor, when a dog is reactive, is any kind of physical restraint or barrier. When a dog sees a trigger, the leash blocks their ability to move toward or away from the trigger. Remember, the trigger could be another dog they are afraid of, or something that makes them overwhelmed with excitement.
Regardless, the restraint from the leash causes either panic or frustration, and leads to a reactive outburst.
Even more common is barrier reactivity. This is the kind you might see everyday. When walking your dog, you might have many other dogs barking, lunging, growling etc. from behind their yard fence. The funny thing about barrier reactivity is that often when you remove the barrier, the same dogs who looked ready for a fight moments ago, turn into sweethearts.
How to Train & Calm a Reactive Dog: Step-by-Step Strategies
Training your dog to stop reactivity is a relatively simple process, but it does take a lot of work and consistency. Let’s break it down:
Step 1
The key is to first identify your dog’s triggers. Whether it’s other dogs, or people or crowded areas. You need to know exactly what sets them off.
Step 2
Know your dog. This sounds like a no-brainer but you’d be surprised how many people try to use food to bribe a dog that has a low food drive. Every dog has their own “drive”. Figuring out what motivates your dog is your best tool. For my reactive dog, it’s his ball. Playing fetch is more important to him than anything else, including food, which he will ignore when he’s excited.
Your dog may have a high food drive. That’s great. But if they don’t, look for anything that you can leverage to keep their attention on you. This could be a tug toy or a ball. Spend time with your dog at home building high value and engagement with a toy or through hand-feeding so that they want to focus on you.
Step 3
Learn where your dog’s threshold point is and start well below it. This means, if your dog starts pricking their ears and fixating on another dog 50 feet away, then start 100 feet away from where they can see other dogs. They need to be far enough away that the trigger doesn't set them off. Make sure those dogs can’t get closer either.
Step 4
Keeping your dog secure on leash, begin working with your dog at a safe distance from their trigger. Use whatever they value most to keep them focused on you. Practice obedience and mix in some fun games, with lots of rewards. If their attention drifts to their trigger, put a bit more distance between your dog and it.
Step 5
As your dog learns to focus on you with their trigger in the distance, gradually close the gap. This can take weeks or months. If you start working with them 100 feet from a nearby dog park and they no longer seem to notice, then move to 90 feet. If they show signs of getting overstimulated, move away before they are overwhelmed. Always stay calm.
Over time, the aim is to get to a point where you can walk right past your dog's triggers while they stay focused on you and neutral to the problem. Remember, the aim is never to force your dog to play with strange dogs. It’s to teach them to safely ignore them without a reaction, with safety measures in place.
If you’re looking for extra support, the Petcube App can help you monitor behavior changes, track triggers, and also gives you 24/7 AI health guidance and chats with licensed vets.
Living With a Reactive Dog: Socializing, Walks & Daily Management
It’s important to be realistic about your dog’s reactivity. Even after months, or years, of work, you will likely always need to be vigilant. In case of dog-to-dog reactivity, you will probably never want to let your dog off leash at a dog park. Even if they become friendly with some dogs, one bad or stressful experience can put you back at square one.
So, while it’s important to work towards neutrality, and being able to pass triggers safely while keeping your dog’s focus on you, there’s no reason to take risks.
My reactive dog, Arthur, can safely walk past other dogs now on leash without reactivity. Even so, I am always careful. This means I never go anywhere where we may meet off-leash dogs that come up to say hi. I adjust our schedule to either walk where other dogs are also on leash, or to go to empty parks and areas where it’s safe for him to be off leash.
I also make his focus on me a daily practice, whether it’s with training, play time, or practicing recalls on hiking trails. This keeps him conditioned to focus on me, rather than on his triggers.
Conclusion
Management and prevention is always better than risking an incident with reactive dogs. My dog’s life can still be rewarding with plenty of hikes, walks, and activities, without forcing him into uncontrolled situations with strange dogs. This, together with structured desensitization allows us to walk calmly on leash past triggers, and save the fun stuff for when we have a safe area to ourselves.
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