What Does Reactivity Mean? Not Aggression!

What Does Reactivity Mean? Not Aggression!

Reactivity means that a dog is reacting to a trigger in an unwanted way such as barking/vocalising/lunging. Common triggers are other dogs, people, sounds and animals. We often get contacted by people who are quick to tell us that their dog isn’t aggressive though. Reactivity by definition doesn’t mean aggression, even though aggressive dogs are often reactive. Reactivity can be caused by other things such as over-excitement, over-arousal, boredom, frustration, sound sensitivity etc. However, aggression is fear based in most cases and since aggressive dogs are often reactive, it is a high chance that a reactive dog also has insecurity issues and this is often the case with our clients.

Reactivity is a behavioural issue that should be dealt with

No matter what is causing the reactivity, it is a behavioural issue that often is unwanted and can quickly escalate. No matter why a dog is reacting it would be best to manage and train the dog out of it. If not for anything else, for the stress it causes for both the dog and owner!

There are different levels of reactivity

If a dog reacts to a trigger and no amount of high-value treats such as BBQ chicken or adding distance will distract them from it we are dealing with the most severe reactivity. If a dog can disengage when distance is added we are still dealing with severe reactivity but not the most difficult kind. If a dog is easily distracted with food we are talking of mild reactivity. No matter the level of reactivity this is something we should help our dogs with and teach them how to react to the world around them in a calm manner.