Where do I even start with my reactive dog?
If your dog barks, lunges or loses their mind on walks, this is the guide I wish every owner found on day one.
- 1Your dog isn’t broken. Their anxiety has never been properly understood
- 2Step 1: learn the quiet signals before the explosion
- 3Step 2: reactivity is anxiety, not aggression or dominance
- 4Step 3: start somewhere quiet. Heel work and distance first
- 5Step 4: 10 minutes a day beats an hour a week
- 6Build distance, duration and distraction slowly
You are not failing your dog
Maybe your shoulder aches from the pulling. Maybe you’ve started avoiding certain routes, times and streets just to keep the peace. Your dog isn’t broken, aggressive or beyond help. Their anxiety just hasn’t been properly understood yet, and that’s something we can absolutely work with.
Start with understanding
Not complicated programmes or expensive gadgets. Once you understand what’s actually happening, everything else starts to make sense.
Learn to read what your dog is telling you
Most owners only notice the explosion. But by then, your dog has been telling you they’re anxious for quite a while. A lot of what I pick up is the energy of the situation: how a dog moves towards something, the tension before anything has even happened.
Fixed, hard staring
Gaze locked on and you can’t break it. Not stubbornness: a nervous system that’s been hijacked.
Tension
Tight mouth, stiff shoulders, hips that stop swinging. A relaxed dog is loose and wiggly. A stressed dog braces.
The ones most miss
Odd yawns, lip licks, sudden look-aways, shaking off when dry. “I’m not comfortable.”
Understand what reactivity actually is
This changes everything for most of my clients: reactivity is anxiety, not aggression. Not difficult. Not dominant. Not trying to control you. Overwhelmed, and they’ve learned that freaking out works.
Be firmer, more dominant, more corrective
To feel safe, and be taught a different way
Build the foundation before facing triggers
I never throw a reactive dog in the deep end. What works in the kitchen doesn’t automatically work on a busy street, so we start somewhere quiet and build up.
Heel work
Patient luring, consistent rewards, clear expectations. Break movement into small, achievable pieces and reward every effort. The relief is visible, and that clarity is the start of trust.
Distance from triggers
Distance isn’t avoidance. It gives your dog enough space to think instead of react, and from that calmer place we build new associations.
Build reliable behaviour through repetition
Reliable behaviour doesn’t come from perfect sessions. It comes from daily reps, especially when you’re overriding anxiety that’s been practised for months or years.
10 minutes, every day
1 hour, once a week
Build through the 3 Ds, one small step at a time:
Shida’s story
My most important teacher wasn’t a textbook. It was Shida, my sister’s Cane Corso Great Dane cross, who honestly didn’t much like people. I worked with her using just her food: ten minutes of basic obedience and fitness a day.
The moment owners see their dog look up at them on a walk, not because they were asked but because they wanted to, is usually when it all clicks.
Quick check
1. Your dog yawns and looks away when another dog passes at a distance. What is that?
2. Your dog nails heel work in the kitchen. Ready for the busy high street?
Ready to start your dog’s journey?
Reactive dog ownership can feel incredibly isolating. I’ve spent four years building the DroopyChaos community because it helps so much to be around people who get it. We’ll start exactly where you and your dog are, and go at your dog’s pace.
£30 Mon–Fri 8am–4pm, £40 other times.
Small groups with plenty of space.
Let’s talk about your dog
I work with reactive dogs every week across training walks, home visits and classes. I promise you, things can be different.
Book a free 10-min call →Get in touch
