Dogs who have Very Big Feelings
Do you have a dog who lunges and snarls at other dogs, chases passing bicycles, or barks at anything and everything on walks? Many people call such dogs “reactive.” I prefer to call them dogs who have Very Big Feelings about things.
Reactivity can be frustrating and embarrassing for you as a dog guardian — and it sure is no fun for your dog.
Read on to learn what reactivity is, and how you can help your dog.
What is “reactivity?”
According to Dr. Karen Overall, DVM, “reactive animals respond to normal stimuli with an abnormal (higher-than-normal) level of intensity.” Years ago, such dogs were labeled “aggressive” and subjected to painful physical training methods to “correct” or suppress these behaviors.
Today there is a more humane understanding of dogs with reactive behaviors and an effective, force-free training protocol for working with them.
What reactivity is not
Stubbornness
"Unruliness"
Naughty behavior
Lack of training
Dominance
Out of control aggression
Personally, I have Very Big Feelings about mice in the house and, one might say, I flip out. My husband, not so much.
These behavior displays are your dog's current state of normal
I’d like you to consider that your dog’s reactions, while sometimes scary-looking for you and passers-by, are normal for your dog. Just as people can have a range of reactions to a mouse in the house, dogs react differently from each other when confronted with the multiple components of daily life.
Your dog's range of reactions is most commonly due to a lack of early experiences with new stimuli, a negative experience with another dog, person, or situation, canine genetics, maternal behavior, physical pain, or a combination of some/all of these.
These reactions are most likely based in fear. Barking, lunging, snarling, snapping, biting, and hiding are the communication tools in your dog's repertoire to let the world know she's worried about something and it should keep its distance.
Mostly, other dogs understand this. Humans typically don't.
Fear is a default behavior for all animals
Fear reactions help all species survive. Fear is incredibly easy for animals to acquire and can be difficult to undo.
A dog who has had a fearful experience with another dog, for instance, may try to scare off all comers with a fierce display.
Some dogs who weren’t exposed to a variety of people and situations as puppies may be frightened by odd sights such as people holding umbrellas, and are threatened by moving objects such as trucks, scooters, bicycles, and runners.
It's normal — in fact, it’s a survival skill — for an animal to be worried about something unknown. If that unknown thing moves toward them, that’s even more cause for worry. If it moves toward them quickly, survival mode — fight/flight/freeze — can kick in. Our domesticated dogs are no exception to this survival behavior.
A personal story about acquiring fear
About 20 years ago I lived near Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts, an area infamous to bicycle riders for its disused-but-still-present trolley tracks in the middle of the narrow main street.
Sure enough, one day I was bicycling home and passed, then turned in front of, a stopped bus, and got my front bike tire stuck in the trolley tracks. I flew over the handlebars, fractured my shoulder, and got a nasty case of road rash.
Eventually, I made it home and got medical attention, but ever since that day riding my bicycle anywhere near train or trolley tracks causes me to start to panic: my pulse races, I start to hyperventilate, and my hands sweat. Even if I happy talk myself ("You'll be fine, you've got this") or get off my bike and walk across the tracks, that primal fear reaction hits me every time. I'm in a similar situation to one that caused me injury, so I don't feel safe.
Your dog's #1 job is to feel safe (and ours is to help them feel that way)
Dogs only know familiar vs. unfamiliar people, and situations that make them feel safe vs. unsafe. Your beloved aunt who visits you every two years is delightful but is unfamiliar and may cause your dog to bark and try to chase her away.
Passing too close to another dog on a leashed walk is another situation where your dog may not feel safe, and cause her to react with a display of barking and lunging.
My colleague Debbie Jacobs manages a website and Facebook group called Fearful Dogs. I highly encourage you subscribe to her newsletter and, if you're on Facebook, to join her group.
One thing you'll note immediately: There are no quick tips or tricks to modify the behavior of dogs with Very Big Feelings. Undoing fear and helping a dog feel safe is a process that can only go at the dog's pace.
Remember, we don’t get to decide what our dogs find scary. They do.
How to begin to help a dog with Very Big Feelings
Work with a credentialed trainer who specializes in dogs with reactive behaviors.
With your trainer’s guidance, learn what triggers your dog’s behavior and avoid it as much as you can.
Follow your trainer’s plan as written: No improvisation, no attempts to shortcut or to speed up the training.
The #1 thing to not do
Don’t purposely expose your dog to her fears. This often-seen “advice” on the Internet is promulgated by utterly unqualified "trainers" who happen to have TV shows, and it deserves to vanish without a trace. Exposing your dog to her fears simply risks intensifying her reactive behavior. It’s unkind and the science has shown this tactic to be ineffective.
Check out my new video resource on Living with a Reactive Dog.
Janice Zazinski (she/her) is a Certified Trainer & Counselor, a Certified Separation Anxiety Trainer, and a Family Paws Parent Educator. Based in Windham County, VT, Janice Z is a referral trainer for humane societies and veterinarians in several states and writes a column for the Brattleboro Reformer. She works with local clients in person and people everywhere online.
Janice Z specializes in dogs who have fearful, reactive, or aggressive behaviors; dogs with separation anxiety; families with dogs and babies/children; pre-pup or dog counseling, and everyday manners both in private sessions and group classes.
Her mission is to create happy, harmonious lives for people and their dogs using rewards-based, positive reinforcement training methods that are proven effective. You and your dog will love how it feels to train together! Find out more at janicezdogtraining.com.
Help Janice Z Dog Training continue to spread the word about effective, humane, rewards-based training by buying a coffee on Ko-fi. 😀