Reactivity And The Cause

Some of you may know what reactivity means, but you may not know why. For those of you who don’t know, reactivity means a strong reaction to a trigger or stimulus. These reactions may be rooted in fear, anxiety, or hyperarousal and may show up as whining, barking, leash-pulling, hyper-focusing on a trigger, etc. While these reactions tend to be more bothersome than anything, there are some more alarming reactions, like trying to bite another dog.

I mentioned the word “triggers.” This refers to the cause of the reaction from your four-legged family member. Triggers can include wildlife, other animal species, people, cars, bikes, balloons, kids, dogs walking, dogs running, different-sized dogs, whether a dog is fixed or not, etc. Anything that moves or doesn’t move can be a trigger. Everything around you can cause a reaction. The biggest thing to note is that your dogs aren’t trying to be bad. Humans express strong emotions through crying and laughing, and this is how dogs express their feelings.

Another reaction that is less common and overlooked is lying down. I mention this reaction specifically because this was my very first pup’s physical expression of a trigger. It may seem super minor, but when your dog freezes like ice, you know there is something up.

Reactivity can also be seen as overeagerness to see new friends. This, I feel, is the most common form of reactivity. If your dog pulls you down the street to see another dog on a leash, this is reactivity. If this sounds like you, you may need to ask yourself: Do I frequently let my dog say “hi” to other dogs while on a leash? If this occurs often for your pup, they will build an expectation that when on the leash they are allowed to pull and tug to say hi.

Genetics plays a part in reactivity. I find it to be more common in backyard breeding. Our puppy, Bailey, struggles with this because of it. Don’t get me wrong, though; much of the reactivity we see is owner-responsible. Meaning owners aren’t aware of their actions and are commonly a source of their pup’s reactivity.

Whatever the source, whatever the trigger, we want to help you. This is something so near and dear to our hearts because every owner-dog team deserves guidance and a stress-free life.