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The term "leash reactivity" usually indicates that a dog tends to show varying levels of frustration/aggression/fear around stimuli such as dogs or people when they are specifically on a leash.
Dogs learn this behavior for many reasons but usually due to under-socialization, improper equipment usage or fitting, pain, general frustration or other reasons. As time goes on, this behavior becomes a habit. Then, these dogs become somewhat addicted to finding triggers to react to. It essentially becomes not only a bad habit but a way of thinking and a vicious cycle.
Why does this behavior occur?
Many reasons but here are the most common:
1) Under-socialization: When a dog has not developed the proper social skills to know how to confidently and properly handle social situations such as when approaching or interacting with other dogs, some dogs, certain people, strange/new stimuli OR as an act of being protective around specific resources such as the person holding the leash. We really need to be allowing for as much dog-to-dog, dog-to-people and dog-to-stimuli interactions as possible from birth to 6 months old or this becomes very difficult to correct later on. Some dogs have always done this, so they always will, until we teach them the correct way to act around these triggers, how to be social.
Click HERE for more info about proper socialization.
2) Equipment issues: We may be using collars or harnesses that are causing discomfort or frustration, which can show outwardly as signs of aggression, stress, fear or other undesirable behavioral changes. We want to AVOID using choke chains, prong collars, shock collars or other harsh positive punishment type of equipment, at least in the very beginning. These methods and collars cause a painful or uncomfortable action to occur at a moment when the pup is experiencing a heightened emotion such as excitement, fear or frustration from wanting to go see the dog or stimuli while being stuck on a foreign and unnatural item like a leash and collar. Pair the discomfort of restraint with the aggravation and you get leash reactivity. Then, this issue gets worse and perpetuates. Now we have a fearful dog who only knows to react negatively. We have yet to actually TEACH them the appropriate way to behave and feel in those moments.
*The correct equipment can be found HERE.
3) Hasn't been properly taught what good leash manners and etiquette are: Leash manners means the dog has learned to "give" the leash to the handler, NOT pull on the leash. They learn that pulling does not get them anywhere, literally. Instead, we want them to feel safe, comfortable and calm on their leash so they're more likely to walk nicely along side of us and feel confident in dealing with the stimuli they may encounter in the world. Teaching the "heel" cue is another aspect of leash manners we want to teach them. Leash manners is only one piece of the leash reactivity puzzle though, as dogs with great leash manners can STILL be triggered in moments of reactivity.
*Details about teaching proper leash manners can be found HERE.
Steps to manage and correct leash-reactivity:
This will vary from dog to dog since each dog has specific triggers and has a different history.
To begin, we want to keep a log of what triggers this behavior, when and where, over a 2 week period. (small dogs, men with beards, skate boards, dogs within a 10 foot radius, only certain parts of the walk, only when certain people are walking the dog/who's holding the leash etc.)
Once we understand the specific triggers, we can begin to form a specific plan. Click HERE to enroll in private training to get a custom plan!
Step 1- Prevention:
*Get your dog interacting with other dogs and people as much as possible, as young as possible!!! The best scenario is to have them interact one-on-one with calm, confident dogs of similar age and size at first, then gradually increase variety and group size. Keep sessions short and positive. Interrupt and separate when things escalate. Doggie play dates with family/friends dogs, one-on-one with neighbor dogs, small group at a dog park, doggie day camp etc. While there is always a risk and worry about bites, injuries and fights, more and worse injuries/fights are likely to occur if we DON'T do this integral part of the process.
Click HERE for doggie play guidelines about what's normal, when to separate and what body language to look for.
Important NOTE: If your dog already has a history of fighting, biting or aggression then you should consult with me first so we can implement safety measures.
*Work on the dogs leash manners at home, with lots of treats and praise for simply wearing their leash and collar, and being calm while on leash around the house. We can disconnect the association of the "leash/collar" from the "reaction" this way.
Step 2- Management:
*Make sure we're using the correct equipment, click HERE.
What NOT to use!
*Choke chains
*Prong collars
*Shock collars
*Retractable leashes
*Uncomfortable harnesses that are too tight or cut across the shoulders in an uncomfortable way.
*Praise for loose leash ALWAYS during your entire walk. Pay attention during walks to these calm moments that are easy to over-look- because they're behaving. Say "good easy" if not pulling and give a treat. Or say "good heel" if also right by your side and calm. If they're not pulling, they're less likely to feel the associated frustration.
*Go on a few short observation-only walks. This is where you take very high value treats like small pieces of string cheese, lunch meat/chicken, tony hot dog pieces and go to an area around your house where you can do some focus and down practice at a distance from the stimuli. You can bring a blanket and sit there, practicing focus and sit and down, while simply observing the other dogs, people, bikes, cars, sounds and other stimuli that might trigger a reaction. When they look at or notice a stimuli, say "yes" calmly and offer a treat. In that moment, we are making a big statement, we are saying "I see it too, good job paying attention to me when I say yes, while I hand you this treat, INSTEAD of you getting fixated, upset and ignoring me like usual." Repeat this until your pup starts to anticipate a treat when they notice a trigger. ALWAYS reward when they do this, even if it seems like they're "doing it for treats". You have replaced the trigger with a treat. These training sessions all count toward a less reactive dog over time.
REHAB- Depending upon the severity, the disposition of the dog and the situation, this can take weeks, months or even years to truly overcome. Consult with me for a specific plan for your dog!
Helpful websites:
CARE for reactive dogs https://careforreactivedogs.com/start-here/
Dogs In Need Of Space (DINOS) https://dogsinneedofspace.com/
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