Understanding Dog Reactivity
In the dog training world we hear a lot about about dog reactivity. Unfortunately many people confuse dog reactivity with aggression, which is a big mistake. Yes, aggression can be one response from a reactive dog but it is just one example, or description, of a specific reaction that comes from a dog in a certain situation. Let’s clarify.
The simple definition of dog reactivity is the response from a dog faced with a certain situation or stimuli. Let’s look into a few examples;
Door bell rings (stimuli), dog runs to the door barking (reaction).
A stranger approaches (stimuli), dog jumps (reaction).
Dog sees a cat (stimuli), dog runs after it (reaction).
A person baby talks to the dog (stimuli), dog wags his tail and throws itself on the ground showing his belly (reaction).
A strange dog approaches an owner with a dog walking (stimuli), dog lunges towards the strange dog (reaction).
A dog hears the sound of thunder (stimuli), dog runs away and tries to hide (reaction).
I could write a thousand more examples of dog reactivity but I believe those are enough to paint a clear picture. Basically reactivity is nothing more than the way the dog reacts to a certain stimuli. With that said it is important to notice that the individual characteristics of the dog will define how it reacts so that is where traits like insecurity, specific drives, and personality play a major role.
An insecure dog might have more noticeable reactions when approached by strangers than any confident dog. A fearful, or unexperienced dog, might be the one to show aggression in social settings when too much pressure is applied or it might display a flight response when people try to approach it. On the other side of the spectrum a more confident dog might be comfortable around strangers and different social settings but this same dog might not tolerate any level of instability form other dogs around it. Confident dogs will absolutely confront anything that takes away their peace, and that also can be displayed as aggression.
As you can see aggression is just an outcome of a reaction which is defined by the individual characteristics of a dog along with the way that dog has been trained and handled. Remember, we have to use common sense and train the dogs to do well in situations that are acceptable and not cross that boundary and ask the dog to simply tolerate anything, disregarding his safety. What do I mean by that?
A lot of people make mistakes in training, specially when it comes to social situations. Most people expect their dogs to be loose and ok with strangers, noises, children, other dogs and etc. That is just not realist, specially when you understand reactivity for what it really is. In order for a dog to be ok in a social setting, it has to be properly trained to gradually understand the boundaries of those scenarios, and even then, the dog is never completely loose. He is most likely on an e-collar so he can be held accountable for any possible mistakes. Also, each social setting has be to analyzed and evaluated properly, since not every social setting is ideal for a dog.
I do a lot of social exposure with dogs, taking them to several social settings such as restaurants, shopping malls, beauty salons, outdoor cafes and etc. However, I always verify the surroundings prior to taking the dog to make sure it is a safe place with minimum risks. There are places and situations that I would never put a dog in. What are those?
Dog parks.
Gatherings or parties with too many people, loud sounds and alcohol.
Other people’s homes that have untrained dogs.
Other people’s homes where people don’t support dog training.
Day Cares or any place that promotes multiple dogs loose in the same area.
Any gatherings where people are too distracted and consumed with activities, such as big family gatherings, birthday parties, celebrations and etc.
This is what I consider common sense. There are situations that are just not suited for a dog and taking the animal there is just not fair to it. You are going to fail and so will the dog, most likely. When you are working, and living with a dog, you always have to consider the experiences that are going to be valuable and educational for it versus the ones that might put the dog at risk, That is our personal responsibilty and I never deviate from it.
I went into all that to illustrate why reactivity can be so wide and variable in its concept that it probably should be explained in much more depth (without losing the objectivity) in order for owners to really understand and learn what to do about it in training. There are reactions that are going to be acceptable and there are reactions that absolutely have to be corrected, but also understanding the family dynamics with the dog will help define a clearer road map to a proper training path.
If you have questions, concerns or just want to share your experience with your own dog in this matter, please do so in the comment section below. I’ll see you in the next post.
