If you find yourself stressed out on walks with your dog and you’ve become fearful of encountering something that triggers your dog to start lunging and barking. Then you probably have a reactive dog.
Having a dog that displays these types of behavior and simply taking them for a walk can be frustrating and even embarrassing. It makes what should be a relaxing walk with your pup into a stress inducing experience and you may have decided to avoid walking your dog all together.
Very often, dogs that are reactive could be completely fine in many other situations but once they are around something that triggers them, everything changes.
In this article we’re going to talk about how to address this very common but uniquely challenging behavioral issue using Dog Reactivity Training.
What Causes a Dog To Be Reactive?
Reactivity, as I’ll be defining it, means that a dog notices things much more acutely than another less reactive dog might.
A dog with some level of reactivity is not always a bad thing, we want our dogs to react and interact with their environment to some degree, because if they weren’t they would never be motivated to get out of their bed.
The issue arises when a dog starts showing what some might call “aggressive” postures such as barking, lunging, growling, etc.
I refer to these behaviors as Threat Displays.
Just because your dog exhibits these behaviors doesn’t mean they are aggressive.
The cause of reactivity is very likely fear, insecurity or possibly frustration.
The use of Threat Displays is a conditioned response that your dog has likely learned as a way of coping with the stress/pressure in the presence of a trigger.
They need to be taught how to regulate their stress levels and to trust their owner.
So You Have a Reactive Dog Now What?
The unfortunate reality is that these problems rarely get better on their own. In fact, it is much more common for these issues to become worse if things stay the same.
How to approach the situation will vary depending on the cause, age, breed, temperament as well as a few other factors.
The idea is to diffuse your dogs intensity levels by desensitizing them to the triggers that cause these behavioral issues.
It is best and safest to get in touch with a Professional Dog Trainer who has a vast amount of knowledge in Dog Reactivity Training.
If you are unsure how to help your reactive dog, you are welcome to get in touch with us for a free consultation.
Dog Reactivity Training – The Process
Depending on the severity and age of your dog, behavioral issues can take some time to get under control and will require a systematic approach.
First you want to make sure the dogs’ obedience is on point.
This cannot be understated and there are a variety of reasons for this. To learn more about why every dog need obedience training see my other article here.
To briefly summarize, Obedience Training is going to complement Dog Reactivity Training. It will help your dog to develop good habits and good character traits you want in your dog.
Another important aspect is to learn how to read your dog’s body language. It’s much better to be able to anticipate your dog’s reaction than to let your dog get to the point where they are reacting.
Dogs will usually give signals that need to be recognized. These signals should be your cues to take an appropriate action so your dog doesn’t start reacting.
There is a lot of finesse here, you need to know when to remove your dog from the stressors and when to move forward.
There is no exact guide for this, every situation is going to be uniquely different.
The key is to learn how to spot the signals and act accordingly.
It is also important to determine the place, or situation where your dog reacts and avoid those triggers until the reactivity is easier to control.
The way to move forward is to work with your dog in a controlled environment and help them through the unwanted behavior.
One of the errors many less experienced trainers make is trying to use a one-sized-fits-all approach. This way of training rarely works.
If you choose to work with a Professional Dog Trainer, make sure they have a wealth of knowledge and experience and success working with reactive and aggressive dogs.
Every dog is different and every case needs to be handled accordingly.
Getting Your Dog’s Behavior to a Manageable Level
One of the goals with all dog training is to establish yourself as the leader in your dog’s eyes.
This is done through clear communication in a way your dog will understand. The key element is to build a relationship with your dog based on trust and respect.
If your dog trusts that you can handle situations that cause them fear or stress you are in a position to start correcting the behavior.
How to fix your dog’s reactivity is a highly individual matter. It will involve exposing your dog to the triggers that make them react.
Do not over expose your dog to a trigger that causes them to react. This will only cause them to be much more stressed.
The process is about showing your dog and teaching them how to behave appropriately around their triggers.
This can be a very gradual process and you will need to take your time.
If you are consistent with the training and keep up with it, you’ll begin to see improvements and your dog will continue to get better.
A Professional Dog Trainer that has a wealth of experience with reactive cases can make all the difference in the world. They can help you get your dog to a manageable level to where you can enjoy walks with your dog again.