Why Positive Only Training Hasn't Helped Your Reactive Dog

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Why Positive Only Training Hasn't Helped Your Reactive Dog

March 20, 2024

Why Positive Only Training Hasn't Helped Your Reactive Dog

Reactivity is by far the most common problem we get contacted for dog training. We typically get a call when the dog is between six to eighteen months of age, and we generally hear things like: <ul><li>"My dog was super friendly until one bad experience with another dog at the park!"</li><li>"I think he just want to say hi, he gets along with dogs at day care, but on leash he just goes crazy!"</li><li>"He's fine once he meets them, but he just gets so excited!"</li><li>"I think he's trying to protect me."</li></ul> I have to admit, as a professional dog trainer who has these conversations all the time, it gets exhausting, because it's all completely wrong. Let's first break down what reactivity is, because people get this wrong all the time, and usually don't understand why their dog is reactive. <blockquote>Reactivity is simply an over reaction to some stimulus in the environment.</blockquote> Reactivity just means your dog is over-reacting to things it shouldn't be, period. There are triggers in the dogs environment that they have not been taught how to handle. This could be getting overly excited and pulling/lunging on the leash at the sight of kids playing in the park or it could be your dog barking/growling/snarling at the sight of another dog. These are all forms of reactivity, but they stem from different places. The overly excited dog might be quite social, but they have not been taught boundaries. They have not been shown by their owner that there is a time and place for certain behaviours, and they must control their impulses when it's required. The dog that comes off as aggressive to other dogs is usually just scared and insecure, lacking the confidence in themselves and leadership from their handler to navigate the presence of their triggers. Fortunately, with most reactivity cases, the root of the problem doesn't change how we fix it. The vast majority of reactive dogs need two things to happen to have them walking on the leash like a dream no matter what is going on in their environment: <ol><li>They need to be corrected for the inappropriate behaviour.</li><li>They need to have the right behaviour reinforced until they are desensitized to their triggers and they become a neutral event for the dog.</li></ol> So circling back to the title of this post, most people and trainers think that you can skip step number one. I get it, it's a noble effort to want to avoid correcting your dog, but what you are left with is bribery and hopes and dreams that your dog will make the right choice. Some dogs will not take food or toys in the presence of triggers, their reactivity is so intense that they might just freak out and bite the handler on the other end of the leash if they get to worked up. Other dogs might take some food at a distance, but once the trigger gets close enough, you are banking on the fact that your genuinely wants you and your cookies more than the competing motivator that is their trigger. This is not real obedience, it's not painting clear rules for the dog to succeed with, and it's actually incredibly stressful and dangerous for your dog long term. Imagine never being taught that you'll be safe from cars as long as you walk on the sidewalk and obey the traffic signals? You'd be terrified every time you left your house, seeing giant pieces of metal flying around at 100 miles an hour. Reactive dogs need leadership from their handlers. They need firmness when the dogs behaviour demands it, and they need black and white rules to follow what will make them feel safe and secure navigating the human world we have crammed them into. This is what setting your dog up for success in the real world looks like, this is the real humane approach that will give your dog freedom and confidence. Dogs like people need rules to operate under, they need to be shown what's appropriate and what's not, and they need owners willing to hold them accountable and celebrate their wins with them. This is the problem with the majority of dog training today, we treat our dogs like fluffy little fur babies, and forget they are dogs with natural drives and big emotions. I see it every time I take a dog out. Someone sees me coming down the path with my dog behaving like an angel on or off leash, and they freak out trying to grab their treat pouch, yanking their dog off the path to shove cookies in their face begging them to pay attention to them instead of me and my dog. This is not just a one time occurrence, owners like this need to do this all the time, each time they see a trigger, because it does not work. With this approach, you are at the mercy of your dog's desires. The second they find you less desirable than a competing motivator, you're both screwed, because there is no accountability put on the overly coddled dog. The beauty of teaching a dog right from wrong and being willing to have that conversation is you only need to have it a few times, with some reminders here and there when they push the envelope. For me and the clients I take on, I am much more interested in teaching the dog how to behave rather than constantly managing and tricking them. The end result is a dog that has black and white rules to live with, and a ton of freedom because they ultimately understand that the world we live in has consequences.