Leash Reactivity

This is the type of reactivity where a dog may be trying to say, "Hey! A friend! I want to get close to you but I can't because I'm attached to this human! And I have a lot to say about it!" This type of reactivity is usually a dog and/or human-friendly dog just trying to say hello, but in a big way. Our main focus in these cases is to reduce arousal and excitement around these certain triggers and increasing engagement with the handler. 

This is the type of reactivity where a dog may be trying to say, "Oh no... It's you. I don't particularly want to interact so I'm going to bark at YOU to make YOU move away! I need space!!" This type of reactivity is usually a dog who isn't a fan of meeting stranger humans and/or dogs and is not particularly social (unless they're in the dog's inner circle of friends). This dog could have also been poorly socialized, had a negative experience with a dog/human, or genetic predispositions. Our main focus in these types of cases is to reduce anxiety and stress around these triggers through counter-conditioning and pattern games, and increasing engagement with the handler.  Remedial socialization is also a great option in order for the dog to gain confidence in interacting with other dogs/humans. 

This is the type of reactivity is very rare. The dog in this case may be attempting to get closer to another human/animal to cause conflict/harm. This type of reactivity is usually a dog who isn't a fan of stranger humans and/or dogs and is not particularly social (unless they're in the dog's inner circle of friends). Our main focus in these types of cases is to reduce anxiety and stress around these triggers through active and passive prevention strategies, counter-conditioning and patterns games, and increasing engagement with the handler.  This type of case especially needs a trainer and veterinary care team to ensure the most manageable and lifelong results.