Reactivity on Walks and in Everyday Life to Other Dogs
Do any of the following apply to you?
- Is your dog reactive to all or some other dogs and are your walks restricted?
- Is your dog reactive to or fighting with one or more of your own family dogs
- Is your dog over-excitable around dogs? Does your dog not know how to play nicely?
- Has your dog either attacked or been attacked by another dog?
- Are you worried your dog will need rehoming, or worst of all, be euthanised?
I have successfully worked with hundreds of dogs over the years that have displayed fearfulness, aggression or even out-of-control excitement around other dogs. There are often triggers the owner isn’t aware of and makes life out and about very difficult and stressful for both you and your dog.
Once we identify the cause and address these issues, helping the owner to understand how to handle things, the dog becomes more chilled around other dogs. Walks become a joy, not a challenge and everyone feels safer.
Examples of issues with other dogs include: barking or lunging at other dogs on walks, unpredictable behaviour on meeting another dog, your dogs are fighting, gets over-excitable around other dogs or doesn’t know how to play nicely.
Why do some dogs react to other dogs?
Many dogs react to other dogs because they’re emotionally overwhelmed, anxious, or over-aroused when another dog enters their space. What looks like aggression is often a stress response — the dog’s nervous system is saying “I don’t know how to cope with this.” Lack of early, positive exposure, past experiences, or mismatched social skills can make encounters feel unpredictable or threatening. Over time, the dog learns to brace for other dogs instead of staying curious or calm. Understanding the emotional drivers helps owners respond in ways that build confidence and ease rather than inadvertently heightening reactivity.
We have made so much progress with these two! We’ve been following Theo Stewart ‘s advice and things have improved so much, to the point where Darcy will let Bruno sleep next to her Last night we had our first dog walk when both dogs were off their leads and happily walking and sniffing together. Thank you so much Theo!