The Reactive Dog: Body Language and Your Energy

When dealing with your reactive dog it is important to know why it is reactive, what its triggers are, and how to help the dog work through its reactivity. The majority of reactive dogs that I have dealt with are that way because the owners energy is off balance and the dog feels the need to correct the unwanted behavior of the oncoming dog or stop the movement ( energy ) of the person coming towards them. In almost every case the dog has initially looked to the owner for information but none is given so the dog reacts and the dog or person or both either leave or react in kind.
Knowing your dogs triggers and watching for signs that they are uncomfortable will help stop the reaction before it happens.

In the pic above this dog is highly reactive and redirects its frustration back onto the owner, biting and sometimes breaking skin. She is this way because her owner became afraid of her since each time the dog reacted she would get bitten. This energy cannot be followed so the muzzle is used to help prevent the dog from redirecting onto its owner and to prevent the dog from making contact with another dog or person. If you look closely you will see the dogs furrowed brow this is a clear sign she is concerned and will react. What you want to do is address the dog before it gets to this level. You want to see a soft expression and lowered relaxed ear set. In this state of mind the dog can accept information and follow instructions. Keeping this dog in a proper heel will help keep her mind at ease.

Body language to look for that says your dog is uncomfortable:
Tail is high and stiff (overly confident/ highly aroused) or so low it appears tucked (extremely fearful/shut down)
Ear set is Far Forward and dog appears to be on their tippy toes ( highly aroused/ overly excited)
Hair on back is raised ( cautious/nervous)
Head is in a lowered position and dog is crouched down a little ( playful/unsure)
Body is fully erect and chest is pushed out ( over aroused/ can be a playful stance for some breeds and can be a fight stance for others)

In all the above situations if the owner would put the dog IN a command such as a sit or down the dog is less likely to react. Instead most owners turn around and this is further Evidence to the dog that they should feel concerned and it keeps the cycle going.

To help the reactive dog first make sure your energy is confident and calm, place a picture in your head of what you want to see, and head out for your walk. If someone is coming towards you just step off the trail or sidewalk and place your dog in a sit or down. As the person approaches remind the dog what it is doing so say sit or down. Relax and allow the dog to be curious sniffing the air is a great thing. If the dog begins to get up or does a low growl give a correction and have the dog go back into the position it was in.  It’s a work in progress but it can be trained away. It does Not require medicine just training.