Some dogs react to the presence of specific stimuli with aggressive barking and lunging. When a dog does this specifically in the presence of other dogs, we call it dog reactivity.
Why might a dog be reactive?
Possible reasons can include:
- Fear of other dogs
- Fear of the environment
- Lack of early dog-to-dog socialization
- Negative experiences or traumatic event
- Frustration
- Pain
Some dogs are be reactive on leash, but play quite well with dogs off leash. In our daycare, we’ve had a multitude of dogs who react aggressively in the lobby toward the same dogs they’ve just played with all day.
No matter the reason, walking a reactive dog can be a real challenge. We often call it the “midnight dog-walkers club” since owners of reactive dogs tend to go out of their way to walk their dogs when there are as few other dogs around as possible.
Working with dog reactivity
When working with reactive dogs, I teach handlers a three-pronged strategy:
- Click then treat
- Treat bomb, and
- Get Outta Dodge
Click then Treat
If your dog is able to pay attention to you and will readily eat treats, you can click and treat while in the presence of other dogs. You can click for Voluntary Attention, you can click for looking at the other dog, and you can click for any other behaviors your dog knows and is willing to do in that environment.
Treat Bomb
If your dog is unable to pay attention, will not eat treats, and reacts with barking or lunging, we need a new plan. This is when I shift to a “treat bomb.” In this situation, throw 15 -20 very small treats down in front of your dog. If the scenario is not too difficult, your dog will be sufficiently motivated by the food to stop the barking and lunging and eat the treats off the ground.
After finishing the treat bomb, they may now be capable of refocusing their attention to you, and you can go back to clicking and treating for good behaviors. The treat bomb is simply a behavior interrupter to distract the dog and give you a moment to get them back under control. (No, we are not concerned that a treat bomb will “reinforce the lunging and barking”. We couldn’t strengthen that behavior with food even if we wanted to.)
Get Outta Dodge
Your dog can’t refocus on you, and can’t be distracted by a treat bomb. Now it’s time to just “get outta dodge.” Your dog is simply over their threshold. At this moment, no amount of treating or pleading or yelling is going to resolve the situation.
Once your dog is over threshold, their thinking brain is no longer engaged. There is no point is asking them to follow even the most simple of commands. They simply can’t do it. At this stage, your best bet is to take off in the opposite direction and remove yourself from the situation as quickly as possible.
In some cases, you don’t have to leave the situation entirely. If you can move away or cross the street to create space, you may find that you can go back to Click then Treat or Treat Bomb and try again.
Slow but steady wins the race
Unfortunately, many cases of dog reactivity take time to resolve and can’t be solved with a quick fix. Fortunately, however, this problem is very common, and we have a whole lot of strategies to help improve the problem. Dog reactivity is so common that it is the number one behavior problem our behavior consultants are called in to help with for private training sessions. The good news is that over time, and with consistent positive training, you can achieve significant improvements for your dog-reactive dog.
Originally published on ArlNow.com, April 2015. Updates November 2025.
