Reactivity

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Leash Greetings Are Problematic For Leash Reactive Dogs

Have you seen dogs that bark and lunge out in public? This type of behavior can occur seemingly out of nowhere. What we do know is that dogs have a natural resistance to physical pressure, which is called an opposition reflex. The tension that pulling on a leash creates can cause frustration, as the leash limits your dog and hinders natural exploration. This is why poor leash manners and leash reactive behaviors are so common! Because of the barrier frustration that builds on leash, it would never be an ideal scenario to have your dog meet another dog during a walk. Each time a dog meets another stranger dog, the first thing that is assessed is whether or not this other dog is a threat, which can sometimes make an initial greeting tense in the first few seconds. When it comes to meeting others, you always want to set your dog up for a proper and appropriate interaction, so it is best to accomplish this off leash in a secure area. Also, not all dogs enjoy being approached by other dogs on a leash. Even if both dogs are otherwise sociable, this doesn’t always translate to instances where there is a barrier involved. Oftentimes, leash reactivity or barrier frustration is not an indication of whether or not a dog would be friendly off leash. Again, these spontaneous behaviors can manifest as this is simply just a reaction to some form of restraint or obstacle.

Your dog is better off engaging with other dogs without a leash obstructing the experience because this will allow space for the dogs to move freely and investigate one another. Without a leash, a greeting is more natural and loose, and considered more polite than what would be a much too direct greeting on leash. Good social skills and leash skills can be compatible if you teach your dog that the walk is the time to be neutral towards others. If you can establish this expectation, you will have a much more pleasant walk because your dog will be more focused on you instead of anticipating saying hello to other pedestrian companions! When it comes to the walk, always work towards keeping your dog more indifferent than excited or frustrated by distancing yourself from others and limiting other dog encounters!

Leash Reactivity

We understand the emotional journey of owning a reactive dog. The unpredictability of your everyday environment can amplify the stress and the constant looming fear that your dog could have a meltdown at any moment. We can help you and your dog develop an entirely new behavioral repertoire to navigate such unpredictability, and as a result, filling the void that was once occupied by reactive responses. Our ultimate goal is to arm you with as many tools and skills to endure all inevitable situations with confidence, and strengthen your human-dog relationship so that your dog can make better choices rather than firing off aimlessly at their triggers.

Do You Have A Leash Reactive Dog?

There could be some key things that you are doing or NOT doing which is making their reactivity even worse!

- You aren’t managing or protecting your dog’s bubble. Always keep a safe enough distance from their triggers to avoid tipping them over threshold. The prevention of this behavior is crucial to their progress.

- You aren’t giving them enough information. Does your dog understand what it is that you want from them exactly? It is important that you are proactive enough to not let the reactivity escalate, which means rewarding your dog for incompatible behaviors to the reactive sequence. This typically requires your dog to have good engagement and relatively strong obedience in public with distractions!

Never Do On Leash Greeting On A Walk!

The modern dog owner spends a lot of time thinking about their dog’s social skills. While exercising doggie social skills can be important, it is more important that instead your dog practices maintaining composure when near other dogs. This is especially crucial during the walk, as allowing your dog to meet other dogs during this time will interfere with achieving good leash skills. The tension that pulling on leash creates can trigger a dog’s opposition reflex, resulting in barrier frustration; not an ideal scenario for a proper and appropriate interaction! Also, not all dogs enjoy being approached by other dogs. Even if both dogs are usually very sociable, it doesn’t always translate to instances when they are leashed. Always work towards neutrality by social distancing and limiting on leash encounters as much as possible.

Best Way To Gauge A Reactive Dog Socials Skills

Here are a few things to consider when it comes to barrier reactivity and dog/dog sociability:

- Your dog may otherwise be social and friendly with others WITHOUT the barrier present, and all that frustration could very well melt away when off leash. This is what we talk about when we describe textbook reactivity -The frustration has a lot to do with the barrier itself, but usually isn’t how we would gauge whether or not a dog is off leash social.

- Your dog is experiencing big emotions when in a reactive state. This is not something you want bleeding over into their greetings with others. They need to be SHOWN how to greet other dogs appropriately, as not setting up for a proper interaction could result in a fight.