Definitive Guide: What Is Dog Reactivity? - Sniffspot

What should I do if my dog is showing signs of reactivity?

How to train through your dog’s reactivity is a huge topic. We’ve put together a separate beginner’s guide with everything you need to know to get started! Below are the key points to keep in mind.

Try to remain calm

First things first: Don’t panic!

As we stated above, many people live with reactive dogs. You can live a full life with a reactive dog — and your reactive dog can have a full life, too.

Figure out what causes your dog’s reactivity

Understand your dog’s triggers and emotions

Spend some time thinking about why your dog barks, growls, and lunges at certain things. Really observe your dog. When are they calm and showing relaxed behavior? When are they reactive? Your pup may have a trigger that’s obvious (mail carriers, people with beards, etc) or it may be harder to spot. (Maybe she wildly barks sometimes and you don’t know why — in this case, try your best to listen, watch and get to the root of it.)

Questions to ask yourself about your dog’s reactivity

• In what situations is your dog most likely to react? Does a trigger have to be moving in a certain way (directly approaching versus passing on the other side of the street, for example)?
• How close does a trigger need to be before your dog barks, lunges, growls, or otherwise reacts at it? This is referred to as their threshold distance. If the trigger is farther away than this limit, they’re under threshold and able to take treats normally, sniff the environment, and respond to you with loose body language. Once it breaks their “bubble,” they go into a panicked fight-or-flight mode.
• Is your dog’s reactivity limited to when they’re on a leash, or does it happen regardless of where they are (loose in the yard, in your home, etc)?
• Is your dog a social butterfly with their triggers outside of a certain context, or do they always react?
• Does your dog seem afraid or merely over aroused?

Pay attention to your dog’s body language

As mentioned in the above section on how to know if your dog is reactive, watch for signs of stress in your pup, such as lip licking, facial tension, whale eye (when a dog turns their head but keeps their eyes on you, showing a lot of the whites of their eyes), shaking, or freezing. If you notice your dog showing these signs, note the situation and environment and see if you can get to the bottom of what’s causing them. (You may have to do this several times to be able to notice a pattern.)

You might never have clear answers about what causes your dog’s reactivity

Understanding the root cause of your dog’s reactivity can be difficult — and maybe even impossible for some pets. It’s worth spending some time thinking about it, but don’t dwell if you (or even your trainer, a behavior professional) can’t fully figure it out. Try to make peace with the ambiguity and commit to treating your dog’s behavior.

Meet your dog’s basic needs and keep tabs on their health

It’s always a good idea to evaluate your reactive dog’s basic needs before focusing on specific training situations. Even if your dog’s reactivity is driven by more than a treatable health or fulfillment problem, making sure their needs are met will still help you maximize your training success.

Physical health problems can exacerbate reactivity

Canines are great at hiding discomfort. If your dog is reacting when being touched by people or playing with other dogs — especially if they’re suddenly sensitive in situations they used to tolerate well — there’s a good chance they’re in pain.

Consider Veterinary Consultation

Because physical health problems can exacerbate reactivity, it’s always a good idea to consult your veterinarian. Canines are great at hiding discomfort. If your dog is reacting when being touched by people or playing with other dogs—especially if they’re suddenly sensitive in situations they used to tolerate well—there’s a good chance they’re in pain. Even seemingly minor issues, like a urinary tract infection, can make dogs grumpy and more reactive. It’s worth ruling out an underlying medical condition before focusing on behavioral modification.

Your vet can also prescribe medication to help manage your dog’s reactivity. While medication isn’t a magic bullet, it can lower your dog’s overall stress levels, which can make training more effective. Think of it like talk therapy for humans—it’s a tool to help your dog cope, not a cure. Many owners find that a combination of medication, training, and environmental management is the key to success with reactive dogs.

Provide enrichment to help fulfill your dog

At its simplest, enrichment provides animals with opportunities to satisfy their innate instincts. Common enrichment activities usually give our dogs the chance to safely dig, sniff, and emulate their predatory behavior sequence (searching, stalking, chasing, fighting, celebrating, and consuming) without causing harm to or disrupting the communities we live in.

You can read more in our Comprehensive Guide to Canine Enrichment article. Get their brains going!

Safe and Enriching Spaces on Sniffspot

Finding safe and enriching spaces for your reactive dog can be a game-changer. A predictable environment where your dog can relax and engage in natural behaviors is key for building confidence and reducing reactivity triggers. That’s where Sniffspot comes in.

Sniffspot offers private dog parks that provide a controlled and secure environment for reactive dogs to explore and play without the stress of unpredictable encounters with other dogs or people. These spaces allow you to tailor the experience to your dog's specific needs, whether it's a quiet, secluded spot or a larger area with stimulating features.

Many Sniffspot hosts understand the challenges of dog reactivity and offer amenities specifically designed for reactive dogs, such as separate entrances and exits, visual barriers, and ample space between bookings to minimize potential stressors. This personalized approach can make a world of difference in helping your reactive dog feel safe and comfortable.

Beyond simply providing a safe space, Sniffspot can also be a valuable tool for enrichment. Dog water parks, for example, offer a fun and engaging way for dogs to cool off and exercise, while hiking trails on Sniffspot provide opportunities for sniffing and exploring new environments. Even a simple, fenced-in yard can become an enriching experience with the addition of puzzle toys, scent games, or a digging pit.

By combining the safety and control of a private space with enriching activities, Sniffspot can help you create positive experiences for your reactive dog, build their confidence, and reduce their overall reactivity. It's a win-win for both you and your furry friend.

Take care of yourself as your dog’s guardian, too

Living with a reactive dog can be overwhelming — and there’s no shame in admitting that. It’s okay if you’re tired. It’s okay if you miss a training session here and there. It’s okay if you sometimes feel jealous of other dogs and owners who don’t have to worry about the things you’re constantly keeping track of.

Take time to practice self care. You have to fill your own cup before you’re able to give your dog what they need! There will inevitably be setbacks in training your reactive dog — but together you can create more positive associations, as long as you show yourself grace.

Use management strategies to prevent reactive behavior while you work on training your dog

Management is an important part of helping your reactive dog. The more frequently your pet practices their undesirable behaviors in a heightened emotional state, the deeper they ingrain those habits. It’s important to prevent as many reactions as possible so your training can be successful!

Once you know your dog’s triggers, the good news is that you can manage them (to some degree). Take note of everything in and around your home that you can control. Get creative with your dog’s environment to minimize what triggers them.

Just a few management examples to minimize your dog’s exposure to triggers:

• Carefully consider when you go to an environment and whether it will be too busy for your reactive dog to feel comfortable. It’s smart to avoid places with many off-leash dogs, young kids, or other common triggers, especially early on in your reactivity training plan.
• Put on white noise for dogs who bark when they hear a car or person outside.
• Cover your windows with film or close the blinds to prevent your dog from barking at triggers outside your living room or office windows throughout the day. You can also use household objects as visual barriers.
• Drive to a quieter walking route rather than trying to stay in your immediate neighborhood if it’s too overwhelming.
• Don’t feel guilty about turning around when you see a trigger if you aren’t prepared to train through it. Remember management is your friend!

When management fails, get out of the situation

If you are surprised by a trigger, try to get out of the situation as gracefully as possible. For example, if you are surprised by another dog on a walk and your dog is reactive to other dogs, this might look like making a u-turn or crossing the street. Your exact exit strategy will be different depending what the trigger is.

The important things to remember are that you want to get away from the trigger safely and you do not want to punish your dog (more on that below).

If your dog does react, remember it can take a long time for their nervous system to completely recover. Take it easy for the next few days and up your management game!

Start tackling specific reactivity scenarios

We’ve covered a lot of reactivity treatment foundations. Now for the nitty gritty: What does the actual training to address your dog’s reactivity look like? There are a range of training techniques, methods, and set ups to help your reactive dog feel calmer around their triggers. Most of them involve creating neutral or positive experiences to change their underlying emotions. This process is called behavior modification or behavior rehabilitation.

We’ve compiled a full list in this reactivity training article with comprehensive steps to follow, but below are two key concepts to understand.

Desensitization

Desensitization involves getting our dogs used to their triggers slowly, in small doses that don’t put them over threshold. While it can be difficult to implement in the “real world” (public environments are often unpredictable and we can’t always decide how far away our dogs are from their triggers) it’s a valuable technique in controlled situations. Distance, intensity and duration matter.

According to the VCA, desensitization means “the gradual exposure to situations or stimuli that would bring on the undesirable behavior, but at a level so low that there is no negative response.” Desensitization and counterconditioning go hand in hand.

Counterconditioning

Counter conditioning (CC) is your best friend when you have a reactive dog. What is it? Counter conditioning means “changing the pet’s emotional response, feelings or attitude toward a stimulus,” according to the VCA.

Counter conditioning is the process of pairing something scary or overwhelming (your reactive dog’s triggers) with something positive (like their favorite treats or toys) to ultimately change their conditioned emotional response over time. CC can be incredibly helpful when working with reactive dogs — but it’s important to be aware of your timing! If you feed your dog before they notice their trigger, you might accidentally teach them that “good things predict scary things” instead of the other way around. You also have to keep up CC consistently or undesirable emotions (and their associated behaviors) can return.

What counter conditioning might look like in practice

Here are a few steps to begin counterconditioning your dog’s triggers. First, you’ll need lots of high value treats. Take your dog (and your treats) to an area with the dog’s trigger (or where the trigger is likely to appear). Once the trigger appears and the dog clocks it (e.g. you can see the dog observing the trigger, but not yet reacting to it), begin generously rewarding the dog with the high value treats.

An example: perhaps you’re out on a walk with a dog who is reactive to skateboards. You hear a skateboard in the distance, and see your dog’s ears prick up, observing the sound. Now is a great time to reward the dog with the high value treats. The goal here is to change the dog’s association from “skateboarders = bad and scary” to “skateboarders = treats are coming.”

The process will look different depending on the dog’s triggers, but that is the basic idea. It is very important to start small and go slowly. As with any training process, counterconditioning is likely to take a while, and you will have to do it multiple times across many different sessions. Be patient and celebrate victories, even if they seem small!

Working with a Certified Professional

Finding a Certified Dog Trainer or Veterinary Behaviorist

If your dog shows signs of reactivity, consider working with a certified professional. A certified dog trainer or, even better, a veterinary behaviorist specializing in reactivity can be invaluable. They can help you identify your dog’s specific triggers, understand the underlying causes of their behavior, and develop a tailored management and training plan. Sniffspot can help you find qualified trainers near you.

Benefits of Professional Guidance

Working with a certified professional offers several benefits. They bring expertise in canine behavior and learning theory, providing structured guidance and support. A professional can also offer objective observations about your dog’s behavior, which can be difficult for owners to assess on their own. Plus, they can teach you effective training techniques and help you troubleshoot any challenges you encounter. Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine offers more information on managing reactive behavior.

Medication as a Management Tool

Discuss Medication Options with Your Veterinarian

In some cases, medication can be a helpful tool in managing reactivity, especially if anxiety or other underlying conditions contribute to the behavior. It’s important to discuss medication options with your veterinarian. They can assess your dog’s individual needs and determine if medication is appropriate. The American Kennel Club discusses the difference between reactivity and aggression, which is an important distinction to understand when considering medication.

Combining Medication with Behavioral Training

Medication is most effective when used in conjunction with behavioral training. It can help reduce your dog’s anxiety levels, making them more receptive to training and behavior modification techniques. Think of medication as a support system, not a cure-all. It can help create a calmer state of mind for your dog, allowing them to learn and adapt more easily. Learn more about medications used in dog behavior therapy. PetMD offers insights into what a reactive dog is and how to help.