How do you desensitize a reactive dog to other dogs?

Teach them a Watch Me exercise, do this randomly throughout the day, start where there are no distractions, and your dog isn’t doing something else. Say their name enthusiastically and when they look at you reward them with a high value treat. Once they can do this reliably, practise this everywhere – always rewarding them. Once you know how to get your dog to start responding to their name by giving you their attention, you can start using this technique in the presence of other dogs. Start off a long distance from them – beyond the point where your dog would usually react. All you want your dog to do is look at you, and you will reward this. Slowly build this up to being able to do it at closer proximity but never too close that your dog feels that they need to react to the other dog. Remember that patience is very important when training any dog and you shouldn’t expect instant results. If your dog has been barking at other dogs or being reactive for a long time, it will take time, patience, and consistency to break the habit or change the behaviour. Practice can take some time and results can vary depending on your dog’s personality and breed so be prepared to allocate sufficient time and effort for training sessions. While you are training, you can use a comfortable harness with a long leash, this will allow your dog to have more freedom and practise your distraction training safely at a longer distance – and if you need to, gently guide your dog back to you.

All the R+ videos that I watched and practiced to eventually reduce my dogs' reactivity have included various trainings which involves my dogs to be exposed to other dogs with enough distance and safety precautions. I do see some success in my dogs as I do take them to my local pet supplies stores during non busy hours and they are happily able to take treats from strangers and show progress. I can't even do a look at me training at a distance because people bring their dog unleashed into our local park and since those dogs aren't trained all I can do is literally remove myself and my canines while hoping that those dogs won't follow us. Where can I find a fenced area that is full of dogs but also have enough outdoor space for my dogs to be away at least 100ft from the fence to practice desensitization other than a dog park.

They don’t approach head-on and make hard eye contact unless a fight is about to start. Most dogs don’t want to fight, so they display a number of behaviors designed to prevent it. These distance-increasing behaviors includes barking, lunging, or growling — anything to make the threat go away. Often, owners have their dogs on tight leashes, thinking this will help if anything happens. Unfortunately, a tight leash tells your dog you're stressed, making your pup more stressed in return. As a result, both dogs may start barking, switching from their flight instinct, to fight. Many people correct their dog for any perceived display of aggression. Some may force them to sit or lie down in an approaching dog’s path thinking this will help correct the behavior.