What is Reactivity?

Reactivity is a response from your dog that leads to an approximation of aggression. It can be lunging and barking at strangers when out walking. It can be in response to certain other types of dogs when on lead. Reactivity is the new word for dog aggression. Is a reactive dog actually aggressive though? Yes they can be and through this course we are going to find ways to identify the triggers for the reactive behaviour, to determine in as safe a manner as possible the resolution of that reactive behaviour and how we can manage the behaviours that we see.

To understand true reactivity we need to understand the human canine bond and to determine if we as a handler can actually see the triggers and if we can do anything to make it better or worse. Are we correctly identifying the triggers? are we in some way actually acting as the conduit for the trigger? A dogs response is very much led by his life experiences and by the handler who is with him. So it is important that you recognise the real triggers for your dog.

Now if you have a rescue dog and you are both struggling with the bond there’s room for the error to be elsewhere.

If you have a puppy who you have had most of it’s life, picked it up from the breeder or shelter at 8 weeks old and you’re having issues then sorry but some of the fault lays with the handler. You as a responsible owner should be taking your puppy places, doing lots of socialisation activities and especially attending a good puppy school, like the ones on offer at PAWS Darwin. This may not be something you want to hear right now, but if you own it now, then this course can help and it may save you and your dogs relationship and build something even better.

You as an owner should be identifying what makes the dog uncomfortable and be helping to change this to good experiences.

If you got your dog as a damaged adult with no known socialisation and no knowledge of life experiences you may find it easier to identify the things he is uncomfortable with. It may be easy to see what is happening in the dog before that true emotional attachment takes over. 

This is the hard part of the course because this is where you need to take a long look at your relationship with your dog and identify the causes of his reactivity. This is where you need to open your mind and put your emotions aside, to see things clearly and honestly. This is where you decide if it is with the effort and the heartbreak it takes to help your dog.

For your dog he speaks a different first language to you, and his first language has a lot of visual cues in it, body language is key to your dogs communication. Wether you speak his language well or poorly you need to be aware that intentional or not you are communicating to your dog. This communication may well be key to his reactivity, You may in deed be the cause of the reactive or anxious behaviour that he is expressing in certain settings or around certain dogs or people.

Quite a challenge for us all. If you are still with us now, then let’s start working on the ABC’s of dog behaviour.