10/22/2026
Your "reactive" dog… might be reacting to you
I had some clients once whose dogs, they said, barked at every dog going by — tried to attack them all the time. So I told them I wanted to see how they dealt with it when dogs came by. Just do what you normally do.
As soon as this couple saw there were dogs coming down the street toward them, they acted like they were about to pass a mountain lion. They put their sun hats down tight, straightened their sunglasses, got their sq**rt bottles out, choked up on the leashes so they'd have control of their 10- and 15-pound little Yorkies — and stood with their feet spread. All geared up for battle. They had been doing this for years.
So what I told them was: if these dogs didn't already think something scary was coming, they sure do now.
Sometimes it's all about your reaction. If you just take a deep breath, act normal, keep walking, right past the "threat", talk to your dog in a calm voice about the nice puppies coming down the road — everything goes a lot smoother if you don't act like something horrible is about to happen.
Because oftentimes your dog may see another dog and think, "Oh, look, another dog. Let's go on with our business." Then you start acting like something terrible is coming, and they're looking around thinking, "Oh my god, what is it? What is wrong with my owner? Well, the only thing I see is that dog right there, so my owner must be really scared of it. I better make it stay away."
Sometimes, your anticipation of a reaction causes one.
