What are the biggest mistakes in reactivity training?

Mistake #1: Exposure Therapy Like many well-intentioned dog owners, I thought that exposing my reactive dog to more dogs would help him overcome his reactivity. I took him to the park to play with other dogs and to doggy daycare. Scott would stand stiffly, scanning, sometimes visibly flinching when a dog would approach his behind. And his reactive behaviors only got worse. Instead, it’s better to approach reactive rehabilitation slowly and methodically. For Scott, this means micromanaged setups with one other well-trained dog. Mistake #2: Trying to Live Up to “An Exercised Dog is a Happy Dog” I used to think that the key to managing my reactive dog's behavior was to exhaust him with long walks, runs, and other forms of exercise. But what I didn't realize was that this only overstimulated him. Think about it this way: stress builds. And every time I was out exercising him, he was being exposed to various stressors. Those stressors added up and, pretty quickly, he’d be so stressed out that he would spend his time inside pacing and barking at everything. Mistake #3: Testing Him Too Much There's no doubt that behavioral modification exercises like BAT 2.0 and engage/disengage are effective in helping reactive dogs to overcome their fears. However, I made the mistake of trying these exercises too frequently and without enough structure. In reality, not every trigger or situation is ideal for behavior modification. Sometimes, the trigger is already too close to your dog. Or your dog has already been exposed to too many stressors for the day and another one would send them over the top. I've since learned that management can actually be the first choice in many situations and that using it more often can actually help you see progress faster.