Tips for Fixing Leash Reactivity in Dogs

Tips for dealing with on leash dog reactivity

On leash reactivity is one of the most common issues we see as dog trainers, and it can come in many forms. Your dog could be a shining citizen at doggie daycare and the dog park but sound like CUJO when the neighbor's German Shepherd walks by. Thats on leash reactivity.

Your dog may have additional issues with dog-to-dog interactions, these are the dogs we consider selective or not lending themselves easily to friendships with other dogs. They may bark/lunge at other dogs and may or may not do the same when meeting dogs up close. Thats on leash reactivity as well.

Then there are dogs who simply have never met a dog they like, they have clear, direct aggression towards other dogs and sound like it on leash as well. That is on leash reactivity.

The final group of "leash reactivity" we see are the dogs who love every dog, they want everyone to be ther friend, and they drag their owner intently to every dog they see - sometimes with excitement barking. Yes - even if your dog is friendly in its intent, it still is considered leash reactive.

Reactivity can be anything from raising their hair, whining, barking, pulling on the leash, lunging or any combination of those.

Regardless of how your dog actually feels when they get up close to another dog, if your dog is poorly behaved on leash it makes walking around the neighborhood an absolute DREAD. Owners often feel helpless to fix the issue and they end up walking in early morning or late hours to avoid seeing other dogs. They make take different routes to avoid passing certain houses or they skip walking the dog all together.

While leash reactivity often needs training one-on-one with a professional dog training company (such as OC Dog Ranch in Southern California) below are a few tips that may help get you and your dog on a better path to fixing the on leash reactivity.

FIRST OFF .....

• Your dog needs to understand a command for walking on leash. If your dog thinks its fine to pull on leash when no dogs are present, of course they think its fine to do it when dogs are present. At OC Dog Ranch we teach two different walking commands so the dog should understand a casual loose leash walking command and a more formal at your side command. Ideally your dog needs to learn both.

• You need to commit to the treats. I understand everyone hates the idea of their dog only listening because cookies are present. I get it. But you have to start somewhere and treats are going to be the easist way to see results fast. Get a treat pouch and get high value treats. This is one place we never, ever skimp. I'm serious ... our training treat bill is $500+ a month because we believe in using really high value food. We don't drop that kind of money on treats just for fun ... we do it because its the easist way to make a difference in a dogs training. Our goal is always going to be to move off of the cookies but for now, invest in your dog's training by purchasing high quality treats and commiting to carrying them on every walk.

• You need to commit to a loose leash. The single biggest factor in dogs with on leash reactivity is that the owners hold them on a super tight leash. And I'm not saying thats what causes the leash reactivity but it definitely encourages it. The best way to think about the tight leash is if the two of us were walking through a neighborhood you had never been in and everytime we saw another person I grabbed your arm and pulled you close to me. You may be a perfectly nice person but you are going to start wondering what the heck is wrong with this neighborhood and these people and why I'm acting so weird everytime we pass someone. Owners do the same thing when we tighten the leash just because we see another dog - we convey to the dog that something is different. I can't emphasis enough ... a loose leash is mandatory.

• You need to learn to recognize "fixation" meaning the behavior a dog shows preceeding the reactivity. Fixation is going to be the hard, glazed over stares that your dog does when they spot another dog in the distance. When we spot fixation, we need to be able to break our dog out of that with a command and during our boot camp programs, we typically teach a variety of commands to break the dog out of fixation. The most common ones we really work hard on are "leave it" and "come" but we also spend a good amount of time ensuring your dog understandsfr name response (to look when they hear their name). Solid obedience is going to be key to tell your dog what they should be doing when they start getting all these "feelings" when they see another dog in the distance.

Boot Camp Training for On Leash Reactivity

Fixing on leash reactivity by reading an online blog or watching some youtube videos is going to be a process. We often recommend a boot camp program because as trainers, we have other dogs at our disposal to practice with so your dog gets lot of practice at how to walk past other dogs. As an individaul owner, you are hoping to catch other people outside to practice walking by but once that person passes, you are stuck waiting for another exposure. It takes many reps of passing dogs to really change a dog's behavior on leash so boot camp or hiring a dog trainer who can bring dogs for pass bys is going to be the fastest way to see results. OC Dog Ranch is a one-of-a-kind facility to bring your dog where they can work on leash reactivity, off leash obedience, and more so that walking your dog is something to look forward to- not dread.