Can you train a reactive dog to not be reactive?
Olen Romaguera
2025-07-24 23:15:46
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In an ideal world, we all hope for our dogs to be friendly, easy-going and comfortable in different environments. Dogs are usually reactive if they don’t have very good social skills and feel worried by other dogs and people, or if they’ve had a bad experience in the past which frightened them. For worried or frightened dogs, they trigger a ‘fight or flight’ response. If they’re on a lead, they can’t run away, so they defend themselves the only way they know how, by growling and barking.
At Woodgreen, we recommend three things: Practice basic training, Keep your dog away from triggers, Teach them alternative behaviours. Have an open mind and be realistic about what your dog will be capable of. Fearful and long-term reactive dogs may never happily mix with groups of dogs – but you should be able to feel confident walking your dog calmly, without regular incidents. Training is not a straight-forward process, your dog will need time and patience to develop these new skills and habits.
Anderson Kertzmann
2025-07-24 20:37:32
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Yes, even short potty breaks. We’re working hard on his reactivity, but I wonder, is this something that will ever go away? Or will we only ever be able to manage the symptoms? Can reactive dogs ever stop being reactive? We support the LIMA (Least Intrusive, Minimally Aversive) approach to dog training. The tips and advice here cannot replace a qualified certified trainer or veterinary behaviorist - if you are struggling please consider these resources for your dog. Anything else needs to be treated as a training exercise.
Catharine Lemke
2025-07-24 19:07:15
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Reactivity is a symptom, not the root issue. Dogs react because they feel the need to. This is generally related to fear, insecurity, over-excitement and frustration. Yes, reactivity is reactivity but you need to figure out where it's stemming from in order to address the cause. Confidence building fixes 95% of my reactivity cases. Dogs just want to feel safe with their handler and they want to know what's coming next. If we're not working our dogs through things that stress them out, we're pretty useless to them in reactivity situations. Reactivity is hard but there is a light at the end of the tunnel. It comes from you addressing your day to day interactions with your dog and changing how you make them feel in the world around them.
Beatrice Hauck
2025-07-24 19:05:31
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Can a reactive dog be trained.
Absolutely.
Consistently use reward-based training methods and keep them on a lead when needed.
If you encounter a trigger, calmly move your dog away, avoiding adding extra tension to the lead.
Reward calm behaviour.
Practice focus training to help them pay attention to you.
Learn to recognise your dog's body language.
This will help you understand when they're feeling worried or frustrated.