Living with an overly-reactive dog can be an enormous task and challenge – from walks to playing fetch.
Giving your dog enough exercise can help them unwind, which may reduce reactivity. But exercise alone won’t solve their issues of hyperreactivity.
1. Avoid the triggers
Reactive dogs can be extremely frustrating. At first, when you adopted your pup, your dreams may have included walking them around the park, playing frisbee with them, or participating in dog sports like agility. Unfortunately, watching out for signs of reactivity makes these activities impossible, and living with constant reactivity can be exhausting and isolating.
Finding your dog’s triggers is the first step toward breaking their reactivity cycle. Each dog has a list of things they react negatively to, such as large dogs, men with beards, or other dogs. Once you know these triggers for your pup, work can begin on associating them with positive memories for them.
Start by taking your dog somewhere they can see their triggers but are far enough away that a reaction won’t occur. When they see one of their triggers, offer high-value treats when they see them – until they become completely distracted from reacting! With time, gradually move closer toward their trigger to ensure no reaction occurs.
Be wary not to overdo this process, as your dog could become overwhelmed if exposed to too many triggers in a short amount of time. Distract them with favorite toys or food; just be sure they use these methods safely and in moderation! Additionally, consult with an animal behaviorist or trainer to ensure you’re meeting their basic needs while managing their behavior safely – be patient while celebrating any small and large gains along the way!
2. Get your dog in the habit of walking on a leash
Reactive dogs typically respond out of fear or frustration. Triggers could include anything from people, other dogs, objects, and sounds to objects themselves; to overcome this behavior, dogs must understand that these triggers do not need to be scary or dangerous.
An essential step in this process is training your dog to walk on a leash with you at their side. To achieve this goal, lure your pet with treats (such as a piece of chicken) until they find the ideal spot on the leash; once this process has become part of their routine, gradually increase the distance between rewards until they walk alongside you without needing lures to do it themselves.
Your dog might benefit from adjusting his daily routine to reduce exposure to potential triggers. For example, if you live in an area full of other dog owners and owners of other canines, consider switching up walking times during night-time or on weekends when fewer dogs are out. When possible, avoid overstimulating situations, as these will only reinforce bad behaviors and perpetuate them further.
Once your dog is used to walking nicely on a leash, you can start introducing them to other people and dogs. Make sure the leash is long enough so you can easily control their movements; if they pull, gently apply pressure that is unpleasant yet not painful; if they continue pulling, stop training immediately and turn in another direction; lure them back with treats, praise them generously until eventually they are walking alongside you without needing rewards!
3. Give them plenty of exercise
Physical exercise helps dogs, particularly reactive dogs who struggle to take commands or follow cues during stressful episodes, remain calmer and focus better with their handlers. Exercise could include simple things such as walking your pup around your backyard or taking them to an off-leash dog park where no triggers are present.
If you plan to exercise with a dog that tends to become reactive during exercises, keep them on a leash and close by to prevent them from wandering off and getting into trouble. Doing this can help avoid running away and creating problems for both parties involved.
Use a reward-based training system to teach your pup that other dogs and people are not dangerous or scary. For instance, train them to look at you whenever you say “look” and give a treat for every time they comply – over time, your pup will associate other dogs associating themselves with the enjoyment they can find when playing with you!
Employ the services of a professional trainer experienced with helping reactive dogs. They can identify triggers and develop an appropriate training plan designed to make your pup more relaxed in situations that could provoke an episode.
Your reactive dog will thank you when socializing with them is complete! Socialization takes patience and dedication – no one enjoys being scared, including our pups!
4. Don’t rush the introductions
Reactive dogs can easily become overwhelmed when meeting their triggers, leading them to act out uncontrollably. Therefore, we must avoid placing our pups into situations they cannot complete; for example, pushing one over against another dog to say hello might send them reeling into panic mode and cause them to forget what was a positive event in the past and react negatively next time around.
Be mindful when setting up situations where your dog can be within the eyesight of their triggers but at an easily controllable distance from them. Reassociate the trigger with something positive, like getting treats or going for walks; the more you practice this strategy, the quicker your pup will learn to associate good outcomes with his triggers.
Fear-based reactions such as barking and lunging do not necessarily indicate aggression; fearful dogs may exhibit these behaviors due to feeling trapped, wanting out from an otherwise frightening situation, or needing assistance escaping it. Just like porcupines puffing out their quills as an indicator of anxiety, your help can make this anxiety go away quickly!
Some dogs become reactive due to bad experiences or a lack of socialization, including interactions with their mother or siblings as puppies or terrifying experiences in the past. Reactive behaviors could also stem from genetics or their environment of origin; their owners could contribute further by punishing their pets when they bark at other dogs while walking – this will only reinforce negative associations between people or pets, thus leading them down an increasingly negative path of behavior in later years.
5. Be patient
Reactive dogs may be genetic but often result from inadequate socialization or bad experiences. Reactivity can be modified with patience; working with a professional trainer or animal behaviorist to assist can make the change much quicker! Punishing a reactive dog for their behavior only compounds its severity!
Working with a reactive dog requires significant adjustments to your daily routine. You will need to recognize places, pets, and people that trigger them and train them not to react when passing other dogs or people; this may mean changing up walking routes or taking your pup to dog parks instead of the same route every time they go for a stroll through your neighborhood.
Reactive dog training can be challenging and require lots of practice, but if you remain committed to working with your pup and resist giving up, you will succeed!
Start by teaching your dog to look when you say the cue or even turn their head at hearing “look.” Once they can reliably turn around upon hearing this command, begin practicing outside your home in non-trigger situations, gradually decreasing distance to triggers while rewarding them with treats each time they don’t react (e.g., bark or lunge) to them (i.e., don’t bark or lunge). Stay persistent and patient; eventually, your pet will learn to enjoy walks and social interactions!
