Reactivity can be defined as a dog displaying an undesirable reaction to a trigger or stimulus.  A trigger can differ from one dog to another as can their reaction.  For example, the sight of a man in a hat could cause a dog to react by barking and air snapping.  The causes of reactivity can be various, but it is highly likely to be rooted in one of the following categories:

-  Fear

-  Lack of socialisation during critical periods of maturation

-  A traumatic event or incident

-  Learned behaviour from other dogs within its environment

-  Genetic influences

- Pain

During an episode of reactivity, the dog is caused considerable stress which triggers a hormone release this in turn impacts on the dog’s behaviour.  You may witness one of the following responses the dog uses to cope with the threat; fight, flight, freeze, fool around, faint or fornicate. For example, you may see a dog start to lunge and bark at the threat outwardly displaying a readiness to fight, or it may attempt to run and then hide from the threat.  Internally during this fight or flight response there are numerous physiological changes which the body makes to enable the animal to cope with this perceived threat (1).  This includes, but is not limited to, a raised heart rate and blood pressure and an ‘increased blood flow to the muscles’ giving the dog a surge of energy to facilitate its survival.[1]All in all it is not a nice experience for your dog or you so managing it iskey.

Living with reactivity is incredibly hard and upsetting as all we want is for our dogs to have a nice happy life enjoying themselves out and about. Sadly, reactivity can overshadow this and make going out with your dog stressful and worrying.  It is easy to say but when an owner finds themselves in the middle of a reactive episode, they must remain calm.  This can be difficult when your dog is behaving in a way that attracts judgement and comments from others.  This is where having an enclosed safe space can act as the ideal location to provide your dog with a stress-free setting where they can truly be a dog.

Really important points to remember when living with reactivity:

-       Using a quiet safe place, such as a dog field, to allow your dog to enjoy their exercise will help build positive experiences of being out and about.  It will also reduce the opportunities to rehearse the behaviour you want it to stop. The more your dog does react the more normalised this response becomes for them.

-       There are no quick fixes.  Working with reactivity is an extremely slow process and new neural pathways take months or even years to form.  Therefore, time, patience, and consistency are the key to changing behaviour.

-       If you are using a dog trainer to help with your dog’s reactivity booking the dog field between training sessions is crucial as it allows them to have a completely stress-free walk/run.

-       When you are out and about or during training keep an eye on his body language these signs indicate stress/fear: lip licking, tail down, head and body low and ears back. It is time to remove your dog from the situation causing stress.  

Distraction training can be useful when managing a reactive dog.  This may mean training your dog to ‘watch me’ or ‘hand touch’ or focus on a ball to pass an unavoidable trigger at a close distance. Training should start in the home, then progress to the garden, the dog field and then the public space by which time it will be solid.

-       Do not be afraid to ask other dog owners to put their dogs on lead if they are heading towards your dog who is reactive.  Alternatively use the dog field so you can avoid other dogs altogether.  For some dogs managing reactivity is the best way forward.

-       If you do decide to seek professional help you could always ask your trainer to bring one of their dogs to the dog field and work on desensitisation. Desensitisation is where the dog is continually exposed to the stimulus, initially from a safe distance, but gradually over time the distance is reduced, or the stimulus increased making the dog more familiar with the stimulus and less sensitive to it.  The dog fields are a large space where this can take place safely with a professional.

Finally, just remember that living with reactivity is one of the most common behaviour issues experienced by dog owners.  You are not alone.  Thankfully with the option of two fields there are ways of managing reactivity and enabling your dog to live their happiest life with you.

[1] Understanding the Dog’s Fight or Flight Response. Internet webpage available at: https://pethelpful.com/dogs/Understanding-the-Dog-Fight-or-Flight-Response - Accessed 31.12.23

[1] Ibid.