ARE YOU CREATING REACTIVITY?
How to stop creating dog reactivity!
Let’s start with the counter question... What is the best way to make your dog reactive on leash?
Well, where do I begin?! Because I see this one going down DAILY while I’m walking dogs and it’s entirely preventable!
Allowing your dog to meet other dogs and people on leash, to practice uncorrected over excitement [mental arousal] and rude behaviour, to create an opportunity for your dog to have a bad experience with another dog or to be overwhelmed by a person are just a few of the ways you can ensure that your dog becomes rude, volatile, impulsive and horribly reactive on leash! Yes, I’m being sarcastic here to point out that reactivity can easily be prevented by teaching your dog the skill sets for calm obedient behaviour on leash AND by advocating for him by not allowing people or other dogs into his personal space on the structured leash walk.
But what all too often happens is that owners get their dogs worked up ‘Look, a dog! Look, fluffy!! Want to meet? Want to meet?’ and then allow them to frantically pull towards one another on tight leashes until BOOM they are face to face and conflict erupts.
So what do you suppose these two dogs will learn from this situation?
1/ other dogs are a source of over excitement and danger
2/ my owner wants me to pull, get over excited and behave rudely and impulsively
3/ I can’t trust my owner to guide me or to keep me safe because they let me get assaulted by another dog [person, etc.]
So what is a better way to handle such a situation?
ADVOCATE FOR YOUR DOG!
Correct your dogs over excited mindset and obedience when needed, tell the oncoming person you don’t want to meet/interact, make space away from the oncoming dog/person, and then heel on by without issue and without conflict. If you want to enjoy a better behaved dog and a better walk, give it a try!
Question: How does my dog meet another dog on the walk?
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Answer: THEY DON’T
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Two of the most common reasons why dogs become leash reactive towards other dogs is 1/ They are encouraged to get mentally aroused/excited about/seek out meeting other dogs on leash without being taught how to heel calmly and properly and how to stay tuned into the handler and not fixate on distractions (other dogs!) 2/ When they have been enabled/allowed/encouraged to excitedly seek out other dogs on leash that ‘meeting’ has gone horribly wrong.
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The way to avoid creating leash reactivity is through calm and polite leash training, advocating for your dog, holding them accountable for their calm and polite leash manners and saying ‘NO’ to on leash meetings.
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Advocate for your dog when someone tries to let their dog approach your dog without your consent. This is SUPER common and a lot of folks struggle with how to advocate for their dog without conflict. The vast majority of the time, you’ll encounter reasonable and understanding people who will graciously disengage and control their dog. But, sometimes people aren’t so understanding and they believe that their sense of entitlement to interact with your dog is more important than your wishes or dog’s well being and in those cases you will have to be more assertive in advocating for your dog. (I’m a fan of ‘My dog doesn’t want to meet, thank you!’ And then I simply walk away.). Being a strong leader for your dog isn’t always easy, but it is always necessary and sometimes it requires some broad shoulders to carry the unpleasant stuff so that your dog doesn’t have to.