Because of that, they present a liability to their owner and to the general public, and should be conditioned to enjoy wearing a basket muzzle if out on a walk. These dogs will cause bodily harm to a person or other dog if given the opportunity. Like the frustrated group, they desperately want to get to them, but the difference is that they are seeking out conflict. These dogs are not uncomfortable at all with the sight of a person or other dog. However, there are a small percent of dogs that we would classify as confident, reactive dogs. Leash reactive dogs can come across as bold and offensive, but the vast majority of them are quite the opposite. People are often surprised to hear that these cases are the exception and not the rule. This is another reason why it’s so critical to avoid on-leash greetings! The leash takes your dog’s option of “flight” away. If given no way out of the interaction, they may growl, snap, or even bite the person or other dog they were trying to avoid. If given the opportunity to greet a dog on-leash, these dogs will typically begin showing avoidance behaviors and may try to escape the situation. Their barking and lunging is an effort to keep the person or other animal away. Although their on-leash behavior can appear quite threatening, these dogs are actually seeking to avoid conflict. Even though this type of reactivity is based on “excessive friendliness”, essentially, your dog may still sound and appear aggressive to the untrained eye.ĭogs with insecurity-based reactivity are genuinely uncomfortable in the presence of people and other dogs. If you have a dog that falls into this category, they are typically highly social in many contexts, but may struggle with polite greetings and/or being contained behind a barrier. Owners often describe these dogs as “desperate” to get to people and other dogs. Frustration-Based Reactivityĭogs exhibiting frustration-based reactivity tend to interact well with people and other dogs off-leash, but may bark and lunge at them when on-leash, behind a fence, and/or at windows. And although our treatment for this issue remains essentially the same regardless of the cause, it’s important to really get to the root of this behavior in order to successfully understand and effectively work with each individual dog. Let’s talk first about what causes leash reactivity.īelieve it or not, although your dog’s behavior on leash may look and sound intense, many reactive dogs aren’t actually aggressive.
Holding your dogs back while they’re barking and lunging can be frustrating, frightening, and downright embarrassing! Although it can feel like there’s no hope for enjoying your walks again, the good news is that leash reactivity is entirely treatable. Leash reactivity is one of the most common behavioral challenges that pet owners face.
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