Leash Reactivity: When Expectations and Reality Intersect
When you discover that you have a reactive dog suddenly the idea of having a dog you can take everywhere with you seems impossible. Adjusting to this new reality can be painful and I want you to know that these feelings of discouragement are normal but it can get better.
Part of this getting better involves improving you and your dogs behaviour AND reframing your expectations for your dog. You can have a happy life together it might just look different from what you expected at first.
When working with clients my goal is to help them help their dog reach their potential within the bounds of what is possible and practical for them.
Having a dog is a process not an event, there’s not a single thing out there that will just “fix” your dog and then you can live the rest of your life problem free however there are many things you can learn to better support and provide for your dog to prevent them suffering from persistent stress, hyperactivity and/or frustration so you then get to enjoy your dog as the process is working for both of you.
How To Think About Expectations?
Whilst we can change our dogs daily experience and teach them new behaviours to decrease their problem behaviour, the reality is that a reactive dog likely has a long history of successfully using reactive behaviour to get results. This means the behaviours we don’t like have been heavily reinforced and are very strong.
It’s important to understand that we can’t undo that prior learning, your dog will always know how to use reactive behaviour to get what they need.
Our goal is to superimpose new learning and over time with repetition make that learning stronger than the old. But that old learning is still there and it’s rare for any dog to go the rest of their lives without ever reacting again even with ongoing training. Dogs are sentient animals and it’s unrealistic and unfair to expect them to never again use behaviours that they’ve learnt work.
So while you can expect progress, don’t expect perfection from yourself or your dog.
How Much Change Can You Expect?
It depends! Each dog and household are different, some dogs can get to the point where they’re happy and comfortable in busy areas while others will never be happy in that kind of environment. Much like people, they have personalities and preferences.
Changing reactive behaviour will be easier for some dogs than others. Based on a number of individual factors you have no control over like their genetics and prior learning.
The training will also be easier for some people than others, learning to train your dog involves a number of skills which take time and effort to use successfully. The expectation “sweet spot” is where your ability, time and effort overlaps with your dogs individual potential to change. Both you and your dog are learning and growing together.
How Much Work Will It Take?
Again, it depends! On how much time and effort you can realistically dedicate to the process, what you want your dog to be able to do and in that context.
You might be happy to manage your dogs behaviour around triggers, and decrease reactivity that way, which is a low labour and very valid solution.
On the other hand maybe you want to be able to walk your dog in busy areas without them barking and lunging at anything, so you’re looking at a fair amount of work and ongoing work starting at home building foundations for your dogs new behaviours and then there will be ongoing training work during walks and training set ups.
Changing behaviour can be a lot of work. When you’re trying to change your dogs behaviour to real life exposure like out on a walk you have to be on your toes if your dogs triggers are around. Your dog is always learning and not just when you plan for a training session so controlling your dogs environment and exposure to triggers is paramount. Every time your dog reacts it’s likely that those old, established behaviours are reinforced again.
What are your hopes and expectations?
What is the IDEAL for you and your dog?
What is REALISTIC?