A common reason that we are contacted by dog owners is lead reactivity. Below we cover what lead reactivity is and what we can do about it.
What is lead reactivity?
Lead reactivity is when a dog or pup reacts strongly to a stimulus when they are on the lead. The stimulus could be another dog, person, car, bikes or another animal such as a cat. Dogs can be reactive to a variety of triggers, the above is just a few examples.
What does lead reactivity look like?
Dogs who are lead reactive may lunge, bark, growl, whine, stand on their back legs, excessively pull on the lead, bounce around trying to escape their collar or harness, try to walk behind you, refuse to walk or grab your clothes. Some dogs can redirect their energy onto the handler or owner with nipping and in some occasions biting.
Why is my dog lead reactive?
There can be several reasons why dogs are lead reactive.
It can be frustration caused by over excitement. They want to be able to approach the trigger but they are restricted on a lead. They become frustrated and this exhibits as lead reactivity.
For some dogs it’s nervousness that develops into fear. This may be due to a bad experience or lack of exposure to the stimulus.
Some dogs could be excited and nervous at the same time or they could begin to be excited then become nervous as the trigger becomes closer.
What to do about my lead reactive dog?
It is important to ensure that you do not punish your dog for their reactivity. This can exacerbate the behaviour or if it suppresses the behaviour the energy could be directed elsewhere.
Ensure you have ruled out any medical problems, speak to your vet so they can rule out any health problems.
Work on calm behaviour on a walk, if a dog is already heightened without a trigger you’re likely to see an even more heightened response.
Before designing a training program we would want to look at the cause of the reactivity whether it be frustration or fear. The dog training program we advise would vary depending on the emotion behind the reactivity.
For more information of one to one training and behaviour consultations on lead reactivity prices and availability contact us.
