Leash reactivity
The walk you dread. The crossing of the street. The apology you have started saying before anything has even happened.
What it looks like
- Lunging, barking or screaming at other dogs on lead
- Fine off leash at the park, impossible on the sidewalk
- Spinning, biting the lead, or redirecting onto you
- Scanning constantly, unable to settle on a walk
- Walks that have quietly moved to five in the morning
Why it happens
A leash takes away a dog’s two normal options, which are to move away or to investigate on his own terms. What is left is to make the frightening thing go away by being loud and large. It usually works, which is why it gets stronger.
Reactivity is almost never dominance and almost always distance seeking. The dog is not trying to get to the other dog. He is trying to make it leave.
What we do about it
We find the distance at which your dog can still think, we work there, and we move closer only as fast as he lets us. Alongside that, we fix the walk itself: equipment, route, timing and your own handling, which is usually doing more than you realise.