Does your dog bark or lunge towards other dogs or people while on a leash? It can be confusing because most dogs do not show this behavior as a puppy, but develop reactive behaviors as they get older. It’s important to address reactive behaviors before they escalate into more severe behaviors, such as biting, and so that you are comfortable taking your dog out exploring. In this blog, we will help answer “How do I get my dog to stop being reactive on leash?” by discussing common misconceptions, why dogs are reactive, and comparing on-leash and off-leash behavior.
Why are dogs reactive?
So, why do dogs become reactive? Dogs are often reactive because they want distance from unfamiliar dogs or people. In many cases where a dog is reactive, the unfamiliar person or dog will move away, which reinforces the dog’s reactive behavior.
The example below shows how the unfamiliar person or dog reinforces reactive behavior by moving away.
- A dog may bark at someone approaching your door to deliver a package, and that person will then leave after dropping it off.
- The dog will notice that the person has left after their barking, which will strengthen the dog’s reactivity in the future.
How reactivity can escalate
It’s important to address reactive behaviors when they first develop to prevent them from escalating. For example, when a dog’s reactive behavior is no longer reinforced by removing the other person or dog, it can escalate into biting.
Now that we have discussed what reactivity behaviors are and how they can escalate. Let’s discuss the motivation when a dog is off leash vs on leash.
Motivation when a dog is on leash compared to off leash
We have discussed earlier that dogs are often reactive because they want to increase the distance between themselves and an unfamiliar dog or person. When on a leash, a dog’s ability to create distance is restricted, which can lead to increased reactivity compared to when they are off leash. This helps explain why dogs are more reactive on a leash than off leash. You may notice this more often at popular and crowded park like Klyde Warren Park.
When a dog is off leash, they can control the distance between themselves and other dogs and people. This motivates them to be less reactive when off leash. When they have more space, they are more likely to engage in other behaviors besides reactivity to create distance.
When walking a dog on a leash, it can be easy to miss signs of reactivity and continue to move towards an unfamiliar person or dog that your dog sees as a threat. This can cause a dog’s reactivity behavior to escalate. The dog can begin barking and lunging, and when we notice this behavior, we often create more space between the dog and the trigger. This can reinforce the reactive behavior, and we are fortunate if this behavior does not escalate beyond barking or lunging.
How we treat reactivity behaviors
The first steps to helping a reactive dog are to know if your dog is showing reactive behaviors, why they are reactive, and to understand why dogs can behave differently on and off leash. Fortunately, we can treat reactive behaviors more easily once we identify them.
Beyond the Dog Dallas addresses reactivity behaviors through a combination of classical conditioning, pairing the presence of the threat with something pleasant and positive reinforcement-based obedience training to treat reactivity problem behaviors.
We are here to help
For more information on reactivity, we recommend you check out our blog on “How can I help my reactive dog?”.
Do you need help addressing any reactivity behaviors? Beyond the Dog Dallas offers personalized one-on-one training sessions, including training at your home and local neighborhood. You can schedule a free consultation with our Pet Behavior Team to discuss your training goals and receive a personalized recommendation.
We use scientifically proven training methods, backed by over 20 years of hands-on experience. Beyond the Dog Dallas is led by our co-founders, Dr. Echterling-Savage, a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist (CAAB) and Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA), and Sean Savage, a Certified Dog Behavior Consultant (CDBC) and Certified Professional Dog Trainer-Knowledge Assessed (CPDT-KA).
