Three pieces of equipment to use when walking your reactive dog.
Taking your reactive dog out for a walk is never a guaranteed experience. It can be something that is relaxing and enjoyable, or it can be pandemonium.
In the reactive dog community, we talk a lot about managing our dog around triggers - walking in quieter places, or at times of day when we are less likely to encounter distractions - but what about how we are walking our dog?
Heading out prepared and with the right equipment can be the difference between chaos and calm, so today, I want to share with you the equipment I would recommend for anybody with a reactive dog.
Treat pouch
Having easily accessible treats on hand is a must for any dog, but especially a dog who might struggle with distractions in the environment.
Treats are a quick and easy way to reinforce good behaviors (and behaviors you want to see occur more frequently), and can be used as a tool to redirect or re-focus your dog if you are in a tricky situation.
Every interaction with you, or the world around you, is a potential learning experience for your dog. If we miss out on reinforcing our dog’s calm, cool behavior around a trigger, you miss out on a learning experience that might help with your dog’s reactivity training. Worst case scenario is that you bring treats and don’t need to use them, but gosh will you be relieved when a situation pops up and you are armed and ready.
Treat pouches are designed to be worn around your waist with a belt, or clipped to your pants. They have a large opening, allowing you to readily reach in and extract treats without the fumbling you might experience when treats are stashed in your pockets.
Bonus: treat pouches usually have extra pockets for carrying pop bags (which is a must when out walking your dog).
My absolute favorite treat pouch is the Terry Ryan Bait Bag.Body harness
I’m a fan of body harnesses for all dogs, but especially those that have a tendency to pull or lunge towards distractions in the environment. It’s important to use equipment that is safe, secure, and in good condition to prevent injury to the dog, and ensure you are able to keep a handle on them, no matter what.
I recommend a body harness for several reasons:Does not interfere with the dog’s normal gait - not all body harnesses are created equal, so this bullet point is not true for all harness styles or brands.
I would recommend looking for a “Y” shaped chest piece on the harness, versus a “T” shaped chest piece, to ensure that there is no restriction of the dog’s shoulder range of motion and thus their gait.
My favorite harness brands are Ruffwear (Front Range or Flagline) and the Blue 9 Balance Harness (I have no affiliation with either brand, I’ve just used them both and love the fit and function of their products!)Protects the vital structures in the dog’s neck - if your dog pulls when wearing a harness, that pressure is going to be distributed over the entire harness, versus entirely on their neck as it would in a collar.
The dog’s neck houses their jugular veins, trachea, and esophagus, all vital structures that can be damaged by chronic pressure of pulling or trauma from a leash correction (which we don’t recommend nor condone regardless of what equipment your dog is wearing).
Long line
This is not a recommendation that is going to work for every dog, every walk, or every situation, but when safe to do so, using a long line can make for a fabulous outing.
Not only do long lines give your dog ample room to explore, without being off-leash and potentially out of your control, but long lines can help reduce a dog’s reactivity in cases where they may be experiencing barrier frustration. The longer leash gives the dog more room to move and behave in the way they might desire, which can result in them feeling less restricted.
Prior to using a long line, I would ensure you practice leash handling (gathering up the excess line, and letting it out) until this is easy for you to do, and would consider teaching your dog an emergency U-turn and/or strong recall behavior, in the event that you are startled by a trigger and need to get your dog out of a potentially sticky situation in a timely fashion.
4. Muzzle
I know the title of the blog says “three things,” but since a muzzle might not be necessary for all dogs, we’re going to count this as a bonus suggestion.
If your dog has a history of snapping or biting at dogs or people in the environment, we need to ensure safety measure are in place.
A properly fitting basket muzzle (yes, basket muzzles only - a mesh/fabric muzzle is not appropriate for duration use or use during exercise) can prevent your dog from biting onto things, keeping everyone in the environment safe.
Having said that, using a muzzle does not make it acceptable to put your dog into a position where they are likely to bite. While a muzzle prevents a dog from biting, it does not do anything to change the reason behind the bite - whether that’s from fear, frustration, excitement, or aggression.
Using a muzzle to prevent bites is the responsible thing to do, but it is also crucial to avoid and remove your dog from situations where they feel the need to bite in the first place to ensure they feel safe and secure.
Choosing the right equipment prior to heading out on a walk can not only provide you with peace of mind, but can ensure safety and security should you find yourself faced with a trigger or conflict during your outing.
Keep your equipment clean, in good working condition, and in a spot that is readily accessible so that it’s easy to throw it on, and head out on your next adventure with your dog!
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 Pet Services, 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.