My Dog Barks and Lunges at Everything

Let’s talk about reactivity. You know, the kind of reactivity where your dog is straining at the end of the leash barking and lunging ferociously at whatever The Thing is that drives them crazy. 

This isn’t the kind of barking and lunging that your dog does when they want to get to someone they love. We’ll talk about that some other time.

So if you’ve worked with me at all on this, you know that the first thing you have to do when your dog sees The Thing is to create some distance between your dog and The Thing because your dog really wants The Thing to just go away.

“Why does my dog pull towards The Thing if they want The Thing to go away?” You ask. Well, why do you keep moving towards The Thing until your dog explodes? It’s like The Thing is a magnet pulling you and your dog to it and neither of you can resist.

Actually, for your dog, it’s more like this:

Your dog is trying to be the person on the right.

Because, you know, if you’re big and scary, maybe the other guy will retreat.

For you? Well, I don’t really know why you do it.

DISTANCE folks!

When you see The Thing that your dog usually reacts to, avoid tightening the leash in anticipation of your dog’s reaction. Tightening the leash is a cue to your dog that they should react. Instead, use your voice (happy and upbeat) and movement to get your dog’s attention and start moving them away BEFORE they react.

Instead of moving towards the trigger until your dog explodes, stop far enough away from The Thing, where they know it’s there but can still focus on you, perform known behaviors, and take treats. If your dog stops taking treats and cannot easily perform the behavior you’re asking for, you’re too close to The Thing.

If you get too close or The Thing pops up unexpectedly, quickly move your dog away using your voice or an emergency u-turn. Only use the leash to steadily pull them away (not jerk them away) if you absolutely have to.