Leash reactivity in dogs is a severe problem that is often misinterpreted and misdiagnosed by several dog owners. In a nutshell, leash reactivity is when a dog reacts in an undesirable manner towards a certain trigger on his walks. This trigger could range from another dog to a person to a bird or squirrel or even a flying chocolate wrapper.
Signs that your dog is leash reactive
- Your dog barks/ whines/ pulls excessively towards/ lunges at another dog/ person/ moving objects etc while on leash on walks
- This reactivity translates to biting the leash and sometimes jumping and other undesirable behaviors towards the owner/ handler
- Your dog shows other forms of barrier frustration, ie, vocalization from behind the fence, backyard, window etc
- He acts crazy on the leash but is absolutely fine once he gets to interact with the trigger
Leash Reactivity does not necessarily mean leash aggression
Reactivity means overreacting to certain situations. Reactivity can include behaviors like fixation, barking, lunging, whining, pulling and basically anything undesirable at the sight of a trigger. A dog can be super friendly and reactive at the same time towards a trigger.
On the other hand, aggression is a threatening behavior performed by a dog with an intention to harm. It could include snarling, growling, snapping, barking and attacking. A dog cannot be friendly and aggressive towards a certain trigger.
Reactivity is commonly mistaken as aggression. However, reactivity caused due to fear can very well lead to aggression if not dealt with early on.
Why does my dog get reactive on the leash?
Frustration
“My dog barks at other dogs, but is fine as soon as he gets to play with them,” this is typically a very common complaint by pet parents with dogs having leash reactivity due to frustration. Frustration is sometimes caused due to over-exposure to other dogs in a free-range environment like dog parks, doggie daycares, etc.
In these situations, when your dog sees another dog, his natural response is to run towards the other dog and play. Repeated experiences of this kind will invoke a go-to response of initiating a play at the sight of every dog that passes by.
On walks that is obviously not possible. When your dog is unable to meet every dog he sees on walks, slowly and steadily, your dog starts getting frustrated and soon starts associating other dogs with frustration. Hence, he starts barking at every dog that passes by only to be able to get to him and interact. And when you, as a pet parent, give into this behavior and let him meet the other animal in that state of mind, you’ve unintentionally rewarded that behavior and fueled the fire.
When you, as a pet parent, give into your hyper dog’s boisterous behavior and let him meet the other animal in that state of mind, you’ve unintentionally rewarded leash reactivity.
Fear
A dog can end up having a fearful association with other dogs at even the slightest intimidating experience. For eg – Boisterous dog-to-dog play looks pretty normal to the human eye. But an over-friendly Lab that approaches a little puppy on a leash head-on, right in his face can be quite threatening for a pup.
A puppy, especially one that is just getting comfortable with the world around him, needs time and space while interacting with new entities. Forced socialization can be a really bad idea as one undesirable experience can scar a dog for life.
Other things that can instill fear in a dog are being punished for being reactive towards other dogs, constantly exposing fearful dogs to other dogs, not giving enough time and space for the fearful dog to calm down and other prior bad experiences.
Idiopathic Aggression
Leash reactivity in dogs due to idiopathic aggression is rare. Idiopathic aggression most often affects young dogs that are 1 to 3 years old and is frequently misdiagnosed as dominant aggression. Some behaviorists believe that idiopathic aggression more closely resembles status-related aggression but that the often poorly socialized aggressor misunderstands canine communication and attacks inappropriately.
On walks, sometimes even the smallest of misunderstood body language between two dogs could break out into a fight. In such cases, pet parents must be vigilant and always supervise the dog. Manage your dog with a muzzle, if needed.
How do I stop my dog’s leash reactivity? | 9 Training tips to manage a leash reactive dog
1. Practice in low distractions first
A leash reactive dog has less to no understanding of human engagement and focus on walks. This is clear from the fact that he’s so concerned with everything else except for the handler.
To bring about a change in this, practice getting your dog’s focus and eye contact on cue in low to no distractions first. Keeping your dog focused on you is the first step towards breaking his fixation with other dogs. When you practice and perfect this in low distractions, you’ve successfully set your dog up for success and made him more capable to replicate that in the presence of another dog.
2. Start with a hungry and a relaxed dog
Treats are a high point of your dog’s life.. Duh! But when it comes to a reactive dog, if the fixation towards other dogs is high, your dog may or may not respond to treats at the time. When reactivity is combined with a full stomach and an active mind, it becomes that much more difficult for you to get your dog’s attention as treats or food won’t motivate him and he needs to relieve his excess energies.
However, if you can play a quick game of fetch with your dog before taking him out, you will be able to start your walk with a naturally calm dog. Moreover, when you feed him his meals combined with some high-value treats on walks instead of a bowl, you have a better chance of him being responsive as he’s also hungry. A relaxed and hungry dog is a killer combination for dog training.
3. Find ways to improve engagement on walks
Your dog is a terrible multi-tasker, much like most men! He can only focus on one thing at a time. This could either be you or another dog. The more interesting you make yourself on walks, the more engaged your dog will be.
Find things to do with your dog on walks like training exercises, explore a new route, take your dog out for a Sniffari (a sniffing adventure), find new activities for your dog like hiking, swimming in a beach, running free in a safe space, etc.
4. Recognize your dog’s threshold
Every dog has a threshold when it comes to being able to respond to cues from the handler at the sight of another dog. For some dogs, this threshold could be just a few steps away from another dog. For some dogs, this could be over 150 meters. Find that sweet spot.
Starting at your dog’s comfort level is the first step towards behavior modification. Do not rush into things, especially when your dog has been behaving in a certain way for over several months. Rushing into things may result in increased anxiety and the behavior getting worse.
5. Catch the intent, not the behavior
This can be tricky. When your dog sees another dog, there’s always a time gap of a couple of seconds (or milliseconds) between your dog spotting the other dog and your dog going bat-crap crazy. Try and get your dog’s attention before your dog gets into that frenzy.
Here’s an idea – reach out to your dog and start engaging with him when YOU see the dog, ie, way before your dog spots the dog. When you catch your dog’s intent, you have a better chance of stopping the behavior from happening. But if your dog has already started barking, all you can do is try to calm him down and redirect.
6. Fulfill your dog’s sniffing needs
Let’s get things straight – sniffing is the soul of your dog’s walks. Sniffing provides mental enrichment, tiredness, new experiences, socialization (Yes!), confidence and it is also an effective calming signal communicated by dogs to one another in case of threatening situations.
No, you don’t have to go into every nook and corner your dog pulls you towards, Yes, you should be taking the lead on walks the majority of the time. So my suggestion – keep it balanced. I like to have a ratio of 80:20. 80% of the time I take the lead on walks and 20% of the time my dog is encouraged to take the lead.
Let your dog take lead in smell-heavy areas like parks, open fields, beaches, gardens, etc. But rest of the time, while walking to and fro, the handler can take the lead.
The more you let your dog sniff on walks, the more you fulfill his instinctual needs. This is an efficient way to keep his mind off of other dogs.
Pro tip – you can also train him to sniff as an alternate response when he sees another dog. As soon as you see a dog at a good amount of distance, drop some treats on the ground and let your dog find it.
7. Carry high value treats and toys for effective redirection
All said and done, leash reactivity is a tricky problem to deal with because of how fixated a dog can get with another dog passing by. Using low value food like kibbles and / or carrots may not give you the results you need. Definitely not at the speed you’re looking at.
Consider using really high value treats like real meat pieces, sausages, eggs, liver treats etc as training rewards in these situations. And, use these treats ONLY during your walks while training your dog for leash reactivity. Your dog should start associating other dogs with his favorite things in the whole world. This will build a very positive association towards other dogs and will make your job much easier.
8. Give your dog an alternate behavior to do instead
This is something I always tell in my training classes. Just saying NO to your dog is not enough. It’s never enough. You also have to tell the dog what to do instead.
When you just say No, you’re basically telling your dog “I don’t want this.” But are you also telling your dog what you want instead?
Try this – After you say No to your dog when he starts barking, also tell him to “look” and you and “Stay” by your side while the other dog walks by. This will tell your dog what exactly you’re expecting and will make him better equipped to actually give that to you.
9. Understand the difference between socialization and desensitization
Socialization is introducing a dog to a new stimulus. Desensitization is changing his existing emotional response to a certain stimulus. If your dog has already made up his mind that he doesn’t like other dogs, don’t forcibly try to get him to make “friends” with other dogs. That’s just going to be detrimental to his overall well-being.
A leash reactive dog has to be desensitized. Desensitization happens mostly through changing your dog’s association with other dogs through an effective behavior modification program.
Trainer recommended tools to handle leash reactivity –
When walking with a leash reactive dog, it’s imperative to be able to redirect the dog’s focus and eye contact in case of reactivity. An effective way to do this is to be able to control the direction in which the dog is looking. If your dog takes well to it, the head halter is an amazing tool to meant for effortless leash walking, especially in the case of a reactive dog.
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HEAD HALTER / GENTLE LEADER
The head halter, also known as the gentle leader has a strap that goes around the dog’s nose, and another that clasps and secures itself around his neck, just behind the ears. The leash attaches to a ring below the dog’s chin. The halter works on the principle that where the nose goes, the body must follow. This directly controls where the dog looks and goes thereby improving your dog’s focus on walks and ability to keep up with you.
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FRONT CLIP ON HARNESS
A front clip on harness also aims at giving you the control you desire. The functionality of the harness gives you the ability to turn your dog’s head and chest away from a stimulus and direct him back on to you. No-pull dog harnesses usually have straps that cross above your pup’s shoulders and can be fastened at the center of your dog’s chest and near the belly with a D-ring at the chest to put the leash in.
How can I prevent leash reactivity in my puppy before it begins?
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Prevent overstimulation around other dogs
As important it is for a puppy to be well socialized with other dogs, its equally important for the puppy to learn to transition into a calm behavior around other dogs. If a puppy is allowed to go crazy around other dogs all the time, that becomes his auto-response. He then starts expecting that from every dog that walks by which soon translates into leash reactivity.
DO NOT mask undesirable leash behavior with the excuse of “my puppy just wants to play.” It’s going to come back and bite you real hard in the a**.
From a very early age teach your dog to be calm around other dogs by practicing cues like recall, stay, leave it and focus around other dogs.
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Start focus training from a very early age
The earlier your dog learns to respond favorably to your cues around other people and dogs, the better it is for both of you. A friendly pup is cute. But you know what’s cuter? A friendly pup that knows when to stop!
Teach your dog an efficient transition from hyper to calm from a very young age. A hyper dog is not a problem. Inability to manage a hyper dog is the problem.
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Invest time in teaching your puppy proper leash skills
When you get a new puppy home and commit to raising him the right way, you’re signing up for a minimum of one walk a day with your dog for the next 12-13 years, am I right? That’s close to 4380 walks with your dog in a lifetime. Isn’t it common sense to invest a few weeks training both yourself and your dog to get it right?
Here are the pros and cons of effectively leash training your dog –
PROS
- Enjoyable walks
- Effortless walks
- Well engaged dog
- A dog that acknowledges you on walks
- Nipping leash reactivity in the bud
- Appropriate Socialization
- A well exercised dog and a well exercised you!
- A clever investment of time and effort that’s sure to pay off well in future
CONS
Let me get back to you!
My dog is aggressive and reactive on leash but not off
Dogs approach each other in a calm and relaxed way, often from the side or along an arc rather than head-on. Sniffing is imperative during this time, and dogs may take an interest in any area with glands, pheromones or other scents. They also have the flight option in case of discomfort.
However, on the leash, they are made to approach head on. Sometimes, the leash is held tight so the dog can “make friends.” This can go horribly wrong as this is detrimental to a dog’s natural response in case of a threat, ie, flight. When we take away the flight option, the only option that remains is Fight. This is when a dog fight breaks out.
Even a single such experience is more than enough to make a dog aggressive towards other dogs on leash.
What to do if my dog’s leash reactivity keeps getting worse by the day?
Dogs don’t grow out of undesirable behaviors. They grow into it. So, when you have a dog that’s suffering from leash reactivity, don’t sit around waiting for it to get better. Take things in your hand and work with him to help him get through this.
Take baby steps. Start with a few minutes of focus training with your dog in low distractions. Train your way up. Evaluate the following with your dog –
1. How much and what kind of exercise is your dog getting?
If you have a high energy dog and he gets just one walk a day with no other outlet to relieve his energies, he is going to try and take out all of his pent-up craziness in that walk. Managing that kind of madness combined with leash reactivity is more than what any normal human can handle.
Make sure you’re fulfilling your dog’s exercise needs – both mental and physical. The more outlet he gets to relieve his energies, the easier it gets for you to manage him on walks.
FURTHER READS : 8 BRAIN GAMES TO KEEP YOUR DOG WELL ENGAGED AT LOW OR NO COST
2. Evaluate the kind of interaction he is having with other dogs
If you’ve been regularly sending your dog to the doggie daycare to get rid of his energies or to the dog park to play with other dogs and tire him out, you’re invariably getting him used to an exercise routine that you’re not going to be able to keep up yourself. Secondly, through such interactions, he’s only learning boisterous play with other dogs. Hence, when you expect him to stay calm at the sight of another dog on walks, that’s just not possible for your dog, and rightly so!
High energy dog to dog play is not necessarily a bad thing, but it’s definitely not good if your dog has no idea how to calm down after that.
3. Consult a professional trainer or a behaviorist
Leash reactivity in dogs is a tricky subject to understand. It’s easy to see your dog’s wagging tail and assume that he’s happy to see other dogs, while the reality of it could be something completely different. Consult a professional trainer or a behaviorist to understand what’s best for your dog and how to handle the situation at hand. In behavior modification cases like leash reactivity, one wrong move can cost you your dog’s emotional well being and in turn, your peace of mind.
With the increasing number of people with dogs everywhere, people’s expectation of every dog having a “dog friend” is also on the rise. Whereas the dogs couldn’t care less! If you have a dog that’s repeatedly telling you that he ain’t interested to play with other dogs, respect that and back off for Dog’s sake!