What is, “Leash Reactivity?” There is not really a fully agreed-upon definition for this term. In this article, we will define leash reactivity as having an extreme, or “big,” reaction to a trigger while on a leash. Some examples of triggers can be another dog, a human or an object with wheels, to name a few common ones. The big reaction can look like barking and lunging. In some cases, the dog is so reactive they may bite the person holding the leash or another dog.
Tethered to Frustration
Human analogies can help us understand our canine companions behavior better. Think about a hypothetical scenario whereby you are tethered to your partner when you leave the house, and you can only move four or 6 feet away from that person (the length of a leash). Suppose you had differing interests. You want to go to a museum, and your partner wants to go shopping. Imagine that you disliked your partner’s preferred way of spending free time outside of the home and were made to do what they wanted every time. How would you feel? In this scenario, compromise and a mutual understanding of what each of you wants is necessary to enjoy time together. If one person always got their way, then that would not be fair and it would cause some negative feelings, like anger and frustration, which could lead to a heated exchange.
Now consider you are walking a dog that does not have any understanding of walking on a leash and its restrictions. Your dog is pulling to get to a sniff and would like to move a whole lot faster than you, the human. You are pulling back on the leash and maybe even shouting things to try to stop this from happening, but it does not work so the pulling continues. Your dog does not understand what you are trying to teach them so the dog is both frustrated and confused. Both you and your dog are not enjoying the walk or your time together. Then your dog sees another dog and wants to interact with the dog but cannot due to the leash restriction and the human pulling on the leash. Your dog pulls to get to the other dog but this isn’t working. Your dog gets really frustrated and starts to pull more. Perhaps, your dog just doesn’t understand the restrictions and why they can’t sniff that tree or go near the other dog. Your dog then starts jumping, barking, and lunging to get close to the other dog, trying everything they can to get what they want. Over time, the behavior escalates and you may shorten the leash because the dog is not behaving in a manner that you like. This pattern of behavior from each of you spirals into more and more unpleasant behaviors. This is just one possible scenario among so many of the causes of Leash Reactivity.
Loose leash walking is one of the most important things to teach a dog. Leash walking means teamwork, using our hypothetical human scenario, you can go to the museum and go shopping so that both of you get your needs met. Loose leash walking as teamwork does not come easily to most dogs and their humans so it must be taught. The idea is the leash should be like a safety belt; you put it on, you acclimate, and you hopefully don’t need to use it. It should not be the primary tool for control. Like a seatbelt, you click it and forget it.
Other important skills that can be taught to ensure that Leash Reactivity does not occur would include letting your dog know if and when they can say “Hi” to another dog. Let your dogs know when they can greet another dog, if you allow it at all, then your dog won’t wonder and get frustrated. To facilitate this, clear communication is needed. If the dog is aware of what is going to happen, then this eliminates the frustration and conflicting expectations.
At the same time, giving your dog agency is another skill that can be very helpful in reducing or eliminating frustration. For example, if your dog doesn’t pull you, you can take them to sniff, demonstrating that if they are not pulling, they may get what they want. It can be helpful if your dog decides the direction of the walk, given it is appropriate.
Important tactics which can be taught are relaxation techniques and methods to tolerate frustration, because frustration is part of life.
Leash Reactivity is often mistaken for aggression because it can easily appear aggressive. Often, but not always, it is the expression of frustration. Unfortunately, if left untreated, frustration can escalate to aggression, and that is something we would then need to modify with more training.
Beth Friedman and Wayne Bolan
Beth Friedman & Wayne Bolen are a husband and wife team who own and operate Canine Companion Consulting in Northern Colorado while also working with humans and dogs all over the world. They have been training canines, one human at a time, using positive, research-based methods since 2007. Their credentials include three graduate degrees, being a Certified Dog Behavior Consultant (CDBC), Certified Separation Anxiety Trainer (CSAT), Certified as an Elite Fear Free Professional, and completing the Master Course, Aggression in Dogs from Michael Shikashio. You can learn more about them at CanineCompanionConsulting.com.
