Adopting a reactive dog can be a daunting challenge and feel like a burden sometimes. The stress of walking your dog, having to always look out for potential triggers, and not being able to go to the dog park is a lot, even for an experienced dog owner. But maybe you have a huge heart and made a life decision to give your love to a dog that might otherwise have a difficult life, and you now want your rescue to experience all the joy in the world.
Take hope. Reactive behavior can be overcome with patience, dedication, and unconditional love. A mantra that may help: don’t overdo it, have fun, and pick your dog’s happy hour. There are many things you can do to help your new friend be calmer and happier on their leash, in their yard, and beyond.
What exactly is reactive behavior?
The definitions can be similar and confusing, but reactivity and aggression are not the same. The keywords are “excessive” and “overreaction.” A dog who barks at the doorbell would likely be displaying a normal response. A dog barking excessively at non-threatening humans or other dogs – or anything else notable and abnormal – would be reactive.
The two types of reactive behavior are fear and frustration. Fear typically includes a risk of aggression and is demonstrated by dogs who were not well socialized and/or experienced negative life events, such as abuse. For example, a dog might be overly afraid of losing something, like their human, toys, or food. Dogs may also be aggressive when feeling unsafe, like when an unfamiliar person approaches.
In contrast, frustrated dogs will desperately want interactions with other dogs and with people but are prevented from doing so by restraint. The dog may be so overly enthusiastic about engaging that they bark and lunge out of frustration at not being able to get to that object of attention. These dogs may run up to another dog and happily engage in appropriate ways if released from their leash, but not every time. Sometimes the intensity of the frustration was already to the breaking point and they may unexpectedly aggress or even attack. Even in fairly positive encounters, the object of this emotional attention may feel threatened by such aroused behavior and act defensively. In either scenario, it’s critical for reactive dogs to learn more appropriate responses.
What can someone do with a dog in a triggering situation?
A lot of reactivity originates in discomfort. The most common reason for negative behavior is being stressed and scared. Some dogs retreat and some choose confrontation. This does not mean they want to attack, but rather it can feel like the only option.
Scolding can often make a dog even more anxious. If you scold a reactive dog, they can take it as a sign that the situation really is as life-threatening as they thought. That’s why it’s best to stay calm and confident, take control of their leash, and move away from the situation. Then, they can calm back down. Start by trying to coax your dog away from the object of their attention using happy tones. You can also put a treat nearby and see if they will follow it. If that doesn’t work, the safest way to move your dog is to clip a leash on their collar and bring them to another area. If these methods don’t have an effect, it is crucially important that you turn around and walk away briskly, as fast as possible. Every second spent in a highly stressed state can do damage to all the progress you’ve made together.
With frustration, the motivation for reactivity is very different because these dogs want to play and feel thwarted. This behavior can result from routinely allowing your reactive dog to quickly greet other dogs and humans while on a leash. Each time a dog is allowed to approach others right away to ease their frustration, the behavior is positively reinforced.
When you run into a triggering situation, there are many ways to counter negative reactions. You have the power to alter some of the strong emotions linked to these situations. One easy way is to try and give them something they love every time they see a trigger. That way, they learn that the trigger produces their favorite treats and toys.
How does management help with the training process?
Management means setting a dog up for success. It means preventing exposure to the trigger stimuli and applies to both types of reactivity. You’ll need to take notes on how loud, how close, a person’s gender, what dog breed, and anything else that caused an abnormal reaction. Figuring out what specifically and consistently frightens or excites the dog will make it easier to avoid those encounters and allow you to be more successful at modifying behaviors.
For example, to break the habit of reactivity at home, you might need to make some household changes. Window reactivity is common and problematic because it’s rewarding. The dog thinks their barking made the stimuli go away, so they repeat and repeat that behavior. The best way to stop this is by using a tie down, which is a leash 2-3 feet long and attached to an immovable object. It is then attached to your dog’s buckle collar. A tie-down trains your dog to stay in a certain spot and not go to the window. You can also use baby gates to keep them away from windows.
Another form of reactivity at home is backyard reactivity, which is similar to window reactivity. It is very rewarding and will bleed into other areas of the dog’s life. If your dog is a fence fighter or a fence runner, one thing you can do when you are home is walk them around the backyard on a leash. Make sure you establish good recall so if they become riled up, you can get their attention and calm them down. If you aren’t there to teach your dog right from wrong, then you must confine them away from the hot spot area in your yard. This may mean getting rid of your doggie door, confining them inside the home, or creating a dog run for the backyard where they don’t have access to the fence.
Training, on the other hand, is necessary for your long-term goal of reducing or stopping reactivity altogether.
How to get your dog ready for walks, parks, and play
Here are just a few tips, but this list is not exhaustive!
Try keeping your dog on a long leash when they want to interact with other dogs. It sounds counterintuitive, but reactive dogs on a short leash might feel stressed when they can’t use social cues in a normal way. Restricting the dog’s movement could make them feel like the only way out is to attack. Keep dogs at a distance at which they can still listen to you and take treats, but aren’t lunging. Your dog should be allowed to act naturally and move without restriction.
Start at a large distance from the other dog and slowly work your way up to being closer. If your dog is so on edge that they will not eat your treats anymore, you need to increase the distance or use a more high-value treat. Learning is better when stress levels aren’t pushed too high. Otherwise, it’s possible that all the dog remembers from training is fear. A dog in the “red” will not be able to acknowledge cues any longer. Look out for a rigid body, stiff tail, stare you can’t interrupt, inability to respond to easy cues, and straining on the leash. Demonstrating these behaviors on walks means they are too stressed for your training to be effective. You definitely don’t want to put them in these situations again and again because it can make reactivity worse.
Does your dog love to chase and fetch? Use it to your advantage! The more time your dog focuses on a favorite activity, the better. Playing games is wonderful for you both. Just be patient. You might want to scold them when they don’t pay attention or don’t fetch at the specific time you want them to play. But, remember, you want playtime to be the most fun thing in their life. Stay as upbeat as possible. They will have times of the day when they are more alert than others. Pay special attention to the messages your dog sends throughout the day. You might need to wait for them to show you they’re ready.
After playing in a remote location until your dog gets that crazy/happy look when they see their frisbee or other favorite toy, you can move to a more crowded place, like a park. Just make sure you have physical control by attaching a long leash. The long line is still there for safety – we do not want to approach any people or dogs so closely that our dog gets worked up enough to charge to the end of the leash.
Now you can play just like you did at home or other remote locations. For some dogs, it’s really useful to just get them out of the car, run to the place where you will play, and play even for only five minutes. Then, race back to your vehicle before they lose interest.
Over time, your dog will associate the fun they have with you and their frisbee with the park and perhaps even the people and/or dogs in the distance that they used to worry about. At minimum, they will learn that they can have fun in public and that it’s possible to tune out distractions.
Happily ever after together.
Modifying your dog’s behavior won’t happen overnight. You will need to have realistic expectations. Your dog might never be completely comfortable with all types of situations, even ones that seem common for other dogs. But with patient training, you should see a big difference in their behavior and find a calmer, more confident dog who deserves a happy life as much as any other pup.