Can I fix my dog’s leash reactivity?

A question I hear on a regular basis as a certified professional dog trainer is, “can you fix this?” While this question might sound straight forward, the answer is quite complex.

When we talk about “fixing” a dog’s behavior, it implies that the dog is “broken,” which is rarely the case, in my experience. More often than not, behavior that is causing a problem for us humans is the result of an unmet need, outlet, or the dog’s way of communicating something with us.
Whenever I analyze a dog’s behavior, I generally start by asking myself “why is this behavior happening in the first place?” When talking about leash reactivity, we need to first determine what your dog is reactive to and why, before we can determine a solution for the problem. Let’s dig in!

What is reactivity?

Last week I talked about what the label “reactive dog” means. Really, we should be referring to these dogs as “over-reactive” as they are usually reacting to something in the environment in a way that is considered over-the top, given the context or situation. These dogs might be barking, growling, lunging, or snarling at a “trigger” in the environment, such as a person, dog, vehicle, or sound."

A dog might be reactive for a variety of reasons including fear, excitement, frustration, or aggression. Unfortunately, it’s not always easy to determine the motivation behind our dog’s reactive behavior, but figuring this out is important to successful behavior modification.

Let’s talk about feelings.

All behavior happens for a reason. Your dog reacts or behaves a specific way for a purpose - they are trying to accomplish something. Before we can have a chance of changing behavior, it is important to determine and address the function of the behavior, including the emotions that are the driving force behind.

When we address and change the dog’s emotions, behavior change will follow.

Let’s consider a dog who is barking and lunging at a person because they are fearful of that person. This dog is likely reacting this way to move that person to away and get more space.

If we start with the emotion, the fear, and we change that fear to confidence (or even nonchalance) the dog will no longer need as much space as they are no longer afraid of the person’s proximity.
When we address that fear and help the dog feel better in this situation, we are going to see a reduction in the reactive behavior, as it no longer serves the dog.

Sounds simple, right? Not necessarily.

Changing how your dog feels about something can take time and requires a thoughtful plan. We cannot simply tell our dog that strangers are safe, nor can we put a timeline on emotional changes. The dog tells us when they are feeling better, braver, and are ready for a bigger challenge in their training.
Working with a certified professional is highly recommended to help determine how your dog is feeling, why they are reacting (or the function behind their behavior), and to create a behavior modification plan.

First, the emotions. next, the behavior.

Once we have the dog feeling better about the presence of their triggers, then we can start to teach them a different way of behaving around that trigger.
“Instead of X I want you to do Y.”

Once again, we need to have a plan that sets our dog up for success and makes this learning process smooth and successful. This generally involves teaching an alternative behavior outside of the problem context first (at home is a great place to start), and gradually introducing triggers into our training setups, before bringing our dog back into the previously problematic context.

What is the end goal?

Whenever I meet with a new dog guardian, I always ask what their training goals are for their dog.
In your ideal world, what would the outcome of training be? What does ‘fixed’ look like to you? This answer is going to be highly individual.

Maybe you simply want to be able to walk your dog past other people on a walk without all the theatrics.
Perhaps you are wanting strategies to introduce your dog to new people.

Whenever we are setting goals for our dog, we need to consider if the goal is conducive to what the dog wants, not just our own agenda.
For example, if your goal is to have your dog greet new dogs without growling and lunging, we need to determine if this is what the dog wants as well.
Is your dog reacting because they are excited or frustrated due to lack of access to other dogs? In this case, you two may share the same goal - greeting other dogs.
On the contrary, if your dog is reacting because they are fearful or upset about other dogs, meeting new dogs may be the very opposite of what your dog is trying to accomplish, and in this case, your goal is setting the dog up to fail and is overlooking their needs.

The motivation (and emotions) behind how our dog is behaving is valuable information in determining how we will proceed moving forward.

Once we have determined a goal that supports both parties involved (dog and guardian), we are ready to get training. A training plan will be required to ensure we are setting the dog up for success, and ensuring they are not stressed out by our training set-ups. This is where a certified dog trainer can be incredibly valuable - we are trained to make personalized training plans for dogs to support their needs, and work towards your specific training goals.

So, can reactivity be fixed?

Leash reactivity is a behavior problem that can be greatly reduced through proper management and training.

Will these dogs be 100% reactive free at the end of the day? Likely not, but this would be true about any dog (any animal, in fact.)

There is always going to be some limit to what your dog can tolerate successfully, and certain things that will elicit a bigger reaction than others (regardless of if we label our dogs ‘reactive’ or not.)
We all have our “good days” and our “bad days,” when we are more sensitive to stimuli or conflict in our environment, and our dogs are no different.
We can do our reactive dogs a service by addressing their feelings about their triggers (and help to improve upon these), to teach them skills and behaviors that will help them to confidently and successfully navigate their triggers, and to demonstrate to them that we understand their boundaries, and we have their back!

Boring leash walks can be your reality!

Stay awesome,

Vanessa

Vanessa Charbonneau, is the author of Dog Care for Puppies: A guide to Feeding, Playing, Grooming and Behavior. She owns Sit Pretty Behavior & Training, employing force-free training techniques to work with companion dogs and their owners. Charbonneau lives in Prince George, BC with her husband, two daughters, and one dog.