Reactivity is one of the top reasons for people requesting behavioural help but is also one of the most difficult things to resolve. Why? Because there are usually deep rooted emotions behind the reaction you see on the surface and there’s a lot of incorrect advice circulating about how to resolve it. When your dog is reactive it makes going for a walk extremely unpleasant for you because you never know what other dogs are going to appear and how your dog might react.

‍Some common myths you may have been told about dog reactivity:

‍🐾 “Your dog is like this because of your anxieties”

Although the behaviour of the owner can have an impact on a dog’s behaviour this is not usually the reason why a dog becomes reactive in the first place. It’s perfectly natural to feel anxious or stressed if you don’t know how your dog is going to react when faced with another dog.

🐾 “You should have allowed them to play with other dogs more when they were a puppy”

Although socialisation has an impact on a puppy’s future behaviour this often isn't usually the root cause of a dog’s reactivity. Often too much mixing with other dogs as a puppy can lead to reactivity and I meet far more dogs that have become reactive after group sessions where there was unregulated play.

🐾 “Your reactive dog just needs more training”

Training can play a part in rehabilitating a reactive dog but it’s just one small piece of a big puzzle and certainly not the first thing to look at in the majority of cases. Training is the process of learning new skills. Reactivity is a behaviour problem as a result of an emotional response. Learning new skills is unlikely to resolve an emotional response as a standalone solution. You may have considered taking your reactive dog to training classes; unfortunately this risks making the problem worse because repeatedly putting your dog into situations they cannot cope with will make them feel worse, not better.

🐾 “You need to take control and show them you are the boss”

There are a few ways to look at this comment. It’s definitely important to be an advocate for your dog by not putting them into situations they cannot cope with and this could be considered a way of taking charge of the situation. But that’s probably not what people mean when they make comments such as this. By exerting more physical control over your dog you are likely to suppress the behaviour seen on the surface but make them feel worse at an emotional level. This means the problem is still bubbling away underneath while giving a false sense of being fixed; resulting in a more explosive reaction further down the line and an even bigger problem to resolve.

‍Reasons behind reactivity

It’s complicated! There is not a standard as to why dogs become reactive and there’s usually a combination of reasons. Some people end up with a confident and well socialised adult dog from a puppy that had a poor start and poor socialisation….some people have done everything right but still ended up with a reactive dog.

Here are some factors to consider:

🐾 Breed specific traits

Some breeds are designed to pay more attention to what’s going on around them, respond to changes and to be more suspicious in general to unfamiliar stimuli. Many of the herding, terrier and guardian breeds have these traits and can be quick to respond when dogs appear in the environment. Many small breeds can be easily frightened by other dogs and due to their size tend to use more overt body language and displays in order to be understood and keep themselves safe.

🐾 Genetics

Reactive, anxious, frustrated or fearful parent dogs are likely to produce puppies that are reactive, anxious, fearful or frustrated; It’s not all in how you raise them! You cannot change the genetic components to a dog’s behaviour. Also, any stress that the mother experiences when pregnant with the puppies will pass onto the puppies making them predisposed to stress which could lead to reactivity.

🐾 Early socialisation

It’s actually quite difficult to get socialisation right. Greeting too many dogs can lead to frustration when they can’t, not meeting enough dogs can make them inexperienced or fearful when they do. Puppies begin learning about how to behave around other dogs from the age of 3 weeks and by the age of 12 weeks they should have had a range of positive and appropriate experiences with other dogs in order to set them up for success. Negative experiences teach puppies that they need to be wary around other dogs and can set them up for being reactive. 

🐾 Adolescence

From around 5-6 months of age dogs go through adolescence; this is a stage of brain development that can bring problems. When dogs are going through adolescence they struggle with feelings of frustration, are more emotional and therefore more easily stressed. Negative experiences during adolescence can have a huge impact on their future behaviour. Couple this with adolescent surges of independence, risk taking and changes in hormones; it’s easy to see why dogs frequently become reactive during adolescence. 

🐾 Fear and negative experiences

If you have a negative experience you are keen to avoid it happening again in future. Dogs are no different.

It may not always be obvious to you when your dog is not enjoying a social interaction, sometimes they keep very still until it stops. Many dogs that are approached by overly friendly dogs become reactive, as do dogs that have been attacked previously. Only the dog can decide what is scary to them.

🐾 Frustration 

Not all dogs are reactive because they want to keep other dogs away; some are reactive because they want to approach the other dog but cannot because they are being held back by the lead. Not all dogs that are frustrated in this way will greet in a friendly manner because it can make them feel angry when they cannot access other dogs and this can become conditioned to the sight of a dog. Sometimes dogs want to approach others to ‘get in there first’ or because they are socially inept and need to gather more information but don’t actually want to greet. Dogs that were oversocialized often come into this category, sometimes there can be too much of a good thing or sometimes puppies are exposed to too many dogs but did not actually enjoy those interactions. 

‍🐾 Pain, discomfort or health problems

When dogs are in pain they become fearful of the things that may cause them pain. Imagine if you’re a small dog with a sore back and a young bouncy dog approaches you. Dogs like this can often react defensively in an attempt to keep themselves safe. Some health problems affect their daily mood making them more prone to stress; such as epilepsy or thyroid problems.

‍Signs

A dog that is reactive to other dogs is often described as having an ‘out of proportion’ reaction when they see another dog. Most people realise there is a problem when their dog is barking, lunging towards and growling at the other dog but the problem was probably there before these obvious signs were shown. The behaviour you see on the surface is just a symptom of how your dog is feeling.

Signs to look out for:

🐾 Vigilance

🐾 Unable to respond to you

🐾 Unable to eat food

🐾 Fixating on the other dog

🐾 Tail: may go right down or may go stiff and upright, sometimes it will wag (this does not only mean friendly intentions) or sometimes it will stay still

🐾 Ears: may prick upright causing wrinkling to the forehead or they might be lowered and flattened against the head

🐾 Mouth: if the dog is not barking this might be clamped closed. Your dog may lick their lips

🐾 Coat: the fur may stick up on the back of the neck and shoulders, also down the spine or by the base of the tail

🐾 Some dogs may bark while trying to move away, these dogs tend to keep looking back towards the other dog, they may also jump up at you for reassurance

🐾 Some dogs will bark, growl and lunge forwards towards the other dog appearing aggressive. The reaction may seem frenzied

🐾 Some dogs will bounce around and spin, their bark may be higher pitched, they may pant excessively and have their lips pulled right back at the corners, the tongue may become a spatula shape

🐾 Many reactive dogs will go still and quiet during any actual greetings, or appear to greet appropriately when they are off the lead

🐾 Usually when dogs are ‘in the moment’ and reacting they are no longer in control of their emotions; the reaction is involuntary.

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‍What you can do

Firstly please understand that your dog is reacting this way because of the way they feel about other dogs. They are not a bad dog, not trying to be the boss or attention seeking, and not deliberately trying to make your life difficult. 

It can be hard on you to live with a reactive dog. Your walks might feel stressful and you may have received harsh judgement from other dog owners that have no idea what you or your dog are going through. People with reactive dogs often feel upset that they have not ended up with the dog they hoped for, worried that they did something wrong to cause this, unable to lead a normal life or go the places they wanted to with their dog. 

It doesn’t help when other people can be so judgemental and negative towards your dog’s behaviour but reactive dogs are good dogs too!

My advice with behaviour problems will always be to seek help from a suitably qualified professional. Helping a dog with reactivity is not a one size fits all approach and your individual situation deserves a thorough evaluation in order to address all of the potential cases and come to a detailed plan for you to follow.

Having said that, there are plenty of things you can do to help right away!

🐾 Vet check and thorough pain assessment: 

‍The most important step! Did you know that the majority of dogs with behaviour problems have a health problem, discomfort or pain of some sort? It’s often not obvious when a dog is experiencing discomfort, so don’t assume that because your dog appears to enjoy walks, eats their food and doesn’t limp; that they are fine. Quite often the only symptom of discomfort or pain are behaviour problems; this can (and frequently does) present as reactivity towards other dogs.

🐾 Change your walking locations or routine: 

If you are taking your dog places where they are frequently seeing and reacting to other dogs; you’re not going to get on top of the problem. Repeating the behaviour makes it more difficult to resolve as it turns into a default reaction and becomes deeply entrenched. I usually advise people to avoid popular dog walking hotspots, avoid places where you are likely to encounter off-lead dogs and choose quieter times of the day. Some dogs require a stress holiday where all walks are avoided for several weeks to allow for a ‘reset’.

🐾 Introduce some activities into everyday life that make your dog feel good:

When your dog is reacting to another dog this causes a stress reaction within the body. This stress builds up, so by doing things your dog enjoys that does not involve seeing other dogs; this can help reduce stress. Easy scent work, providing tasty chews, food enrichment activities and trick training are just a few ideas.

🐾 Give your dog space:

If you do come across another dog and you know your dog will react; think about how you can prevent or minimise that reaction. Many dogs just need more space and time to process the other dog from a distance

🐾 Avoid telling your dog off

Imagine you are scared about something trying to keep yourself safe and your person gets angry with you? You may stop reacting but you won’t feel better you’ll actually feel worse. Reactivity is based on emotions and by ignoring this you risk making the problem worse in the longer term.

‍🐾 Using Martham Paw Ground

The fields are absolutely perfect for reactive dogs by allowing you and your dog to have safe and stress-free time together. This is important for not just your dog’s well-being but yours. Living with a reactive dog is stressful. Use your time at the field allowing them to be a dog, they can run free to do the things they enjoy.

If you would like more information about dog reactivity please get in touch.

Blog written by Claire Mcknespiey of Educating Paws

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