Canine Reactivity: Causes + Cures

Canine reactivity — the overreaction to normal environmental stimuli like dogs, people, or doorbells etc — is often misunderstood as pure aggression. In reality, it is usually a maladaptive coping mechanism rooted in complex emotional and physiological triggers.

The foundation of reactivity typically falls into three categories:

Fear and Anxiety: The most common driver. If a dog feels threatened and cannot escape (often due to being on a lead), they resort to ‘distance-increasing’ behaviours. Lunging and barking are the dog’s way of saying,’"Get away from me before I have to defend myself’.

Frustration (The ‘Frustrated Greeter’): Some dogs are overly social. When a leash prevents them from reaching a playmate, their excitement builds into intense frustration, which manifests as reactive barking, pulling or lunging.

Lack of Neutrality: Many dogs are raised with the expectation that every encounter is an 'event’. A lot of dogs are never taught that other people and dogs don't always require a reaction or an interaction. When every encounter becomes an event, and calmness around others is never modelled or rewarded, dogs simply don't develop the ability to be neutral — and that absence can be at the root of a great deal of reactive behaviour.

This little guy is reacting to a dog on the other side of the road…look at the difference after just one session with me

My approach

As a balanced trainer, positive reward sits at the heart of everything I do — food, praise, and play are my first tools, and I use them wherever possible. However, when it comes to reactivity, I believe dogs also need clarity. A calm, firm 'no', combined with a slip lead used correctly and humanely, gives the dog an immediate and honest boundary in the moment — one it understands. This is not about punishment; it is about clear communication. Once the unwanted behaviour is interrupted, we return immediately to reward — reinforcing the calm, focused response we want to see. In practice, this means starting every dog in low-stimulation environments, at distances where they can remain under threshold, and building success gradually before increasing proximity to the trigger. Every small win is marked and rewarded. Over time, the dog learns that calm behaviour around triggers is both expected and worth its while. It is a no-nonsense approach — but always a fair one.