A buckle collar can put a lot of pressure on your dog's throat when they lunge. A front-clip harness is a better choice. It will put the pressure on your dog's chest and help turn them back toward you when they spring forward. A head halter (also called a head harness) is another option for a leash-reactive dog.
Leash lunging, leash reactivity and leash aggression are all behaviors that are caused by a dog feeling restrained, frustrated and uncomfortable in a social situation while attached to a leash. In normal circumstances, an unleashed dog would be able to put sufficient distance between himself and a fear source.
A. Lunging and mouthing are typical ways for dogs to play with each other. This play behavior is especially common in puppyhood, but can continue into adulthood. Certain breeds are more likely to jump up toward the face during play, rather than focusing on the paws, chest or side as other breeds may do.
Exhibiting reactive behavior.
If a dog exhibits a reactive behavior (lunging, barking, growling) during a walk, the owner should immediately turn and briskly walk or jog out of the situation. The owner should be firm and calm and not yell, scold, give a leash correction, or punish the dog.
If your puppy freaks out when he feels leash tension, don't pull the leash toward you. Instead, move toward your dog to release the pressure. Once your puppy is completely comfortable walking on a leash, you can then teach him how to walk politely on leash. Remember, crawl before walking.
Give your dog a cue, such as “turn” and lure him towards you. As soon as he turns, treat and continue walking forward rewarding the heel. A turn can be used to create distance between your dog and another dog, and allows you to focus on calming behaviors until your dog learns to relax when another dog is nearby.
It is important to work on your dog's leash reactivity. Dogs do not grow out of reactivity and this behavior pattern will only get worse and worse unless it is addressed in training. The first step towards working with a leash-reactive dog is to keep the dog from crossing his threshold.
Dogs who may normally be friendly with other dogs can sometimes become reactive and aggressive when attached to a leash. This behavioral trait, known as leash aggression or leash reactivity, is most frequently triggered by fear or frustration, although a high prey drive can lead to aggression when leashed as well.
Dogs that bark and lunge when they see another pooch approaching aren't always displaying frustrated greetings. More commonly, fear is the driving force behind reactivity. If something is making your dog uncomfortable, then being trapped on the leash can heighten their anxiety.
By training a reactive dog you will learn more about yourself and your dog than you ever thought possible. So the answer to the question “can reactive dogs be helped?” is that yes, they can be helped, they can live a normal life and they are definitely worth the time and effort that goes into it.
What Causes Leash Reactivity? Dogs who miss the opportunity to explore the world, meet new people and animals, and have a variety of positive experiences during puppyhood might be more likely to exhibit leash reactivity. This is because they're unsure of how to process new situations.
Contrary to popular belief, your dog pulling when walking is not a way of exhibiting dominance. Rather, the reason they do this is quite simple. They are excited, so excited in fact that they don't want their walk to end and so they keep moving forward.
Leash aggression is solved by a strategy called desensitization and counter-conditioning, which is trainer-speak for reducing your dog's reaction to the offending trigger (other dog, bike or cat), gaining your dog's attention and training a new behavior instead.
A combination of frustration and tension, leash aggression is a common problem. Many dogs that show these traits crave interaction with other dogs, but most have less-than-stellar canine social skills for creating a successful meet and greet.
Reactive dogs become overly aroused by common stimuli. They may lunge, bark and growl, becoming so preoccupied with whatever is triggering the emotion that they can be difficult to control and move out of the situation. A reactive dog is usually a fearful dog.
Leash-reactive dogs might behave more aggressively when on leash for a variety of reasons, including: Fear. Your dog is afraid of other dogs, and he wants the other dogs to stay away. This is common in dogs who are under-socialized or who have had bad experiences with other dogs in the past.
This kind of work can take anywhere from two to 12 months, as that's how long it takes for a dog to learn a new behavior. After that time period, you should be able to substitute negative reactions with positive thoughts.
Do dogs grow out of being reactive? Sadly, they do not. The only way to counter reactivity is through consistent and positive training. You should never punish a dog for reactivity or it will only become worse.
You can walk your leash-reactive dog safely around your neighborhood, but she will need dedicated training and management.
Reactive behaviors usually crop up in adolescence around 6 to 18 months of age and tend to get worse as the dog reaches social maturity around 2 or 3 years of age. Your pup will not “grow out of” this behavior.
Head halters like the Gentle Leader or Halti are also good options for working with a reactive dog. These harnesses slide over a dog's nose and clip behind their ears the same way a halter fits on a horse and require less strength for more control.