Aggressive or Reactive?
When you see a dog lunging, growling, barking and showing teeth, you immediately think that this dog will bite you if it has the chance. But is that truly their intent?
We have been brought up with the knowledge that when you hear growling and see teeth, the dog is aggressive. This is not the case. Nowadays there is more known about canine communication and what is means.
Reactivity is a reaction to a stimulus. This can mean all sorts of things. Every dog is different in
what the specific stimulus is they need to respond to. The stimulus is also
known as triggers. Some dogs can respond to other dogs, others can respond to
bicycles. It all depends on the individual dog. Most reactivity is fear based.
The behavior a dog is displaying can vary from lunging or barking which will look as aggressive to the unknown eye. What a reactive dog is actually saying is a request for space. They have a huge safety bubble around them, which is your job to find out how big that is.
Having a reactive dog myself, I see the judgmental looks and hear the comments made. What for my dog is most threatening is when people keep staring at her while they pass. They just don't know that they are making it worse.
The stress that a dog endures during a reactive episode can become really high. Adrenaline and noradrenaline levels spike. Your dog will be panting afterwards because it took such a toll on their mind and body. It can take up to 72 hours for your dogs hormone levels to come down to normal level. Constant stress is never good. Your dog needs time to unwind and calm down.
There are a few things that can help your dog during these episodes. Make sure that you immediately increase distance between you and the trigger. The more distance, the safer your dog will feel. Walk in the opposite direction.
If it is all too much, just go home. Let your dog sleep or give them something to chew on. A licki mat is also good cause licking is calming to a dog. Scatter some treats around and let him sniff them out.
If your dog has had too much, take a day off walks and do enrichment activities at home or in the yard. Keep your dog mentally engaged. Sometimes that might be better than adding more stress on the next walk.
If your dog is so reactive that a walk in the neighborhood is too difficult, hire a private field by the hour to let your dog have some exercise without having to deal with triggers. It will do you both good.
Next time when you see a dog reacting like he wants to eat you, stop and think. Give this dog space and don't look at the dog. To the dog you are a threat and he is scared of you.
If you're interested in reading about the journey of my reactive girl, get the book here:
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