Management Is Your Superpower: How to Reduce Reactivity in Your Dog
Marvin, poised and ready to react. photo: Althea Karwowski
Macaroni the mutt stations herself in a sunbeam near a window each day. Sometimes she snoozes, but most of the time, she’s watching the window like it’s a viral kitten-puppy meme. She growls at a passing stroller, she barks at a neighbor Pug. A skateboard whizzes by and she sprints back and forth, vocalizing loudly and bouncing off furniture. Later that day, when Macaroni goes on a walk, she barks at anything that moves.
Macaroni’s people are stressed, annoyed, and unsure what to do. They’ve tried saying “no” and “that’s enough” to no avail. Everything seems to set her off.
Macaroni’s story is one I often hear when meeting with a training client for the first time. I love being able to offer management advice that can bring relief to both dogs and humans in situations like this. That’s because even before starting training, management strategies provide immediate help. Management is about setting up your dog’s environment to reduce stress, make it less likely that your dog will do unwanted behaviors and more likely that your dog will do desirable behaviors.
How does this work? Here are management strategies for some of the most common unwanted behaviors.
Barking at Windows
Does your dog watch out your windows and bark at every dog that passes? Maybe they also bark at people walking by or at skateboards, delivery vehicles, or anything else out there?
If your dog is monitoring activity outside the window and reacting by growling, barking, running around the house, or even redirecting its reaction to another dog in the home, you can manage that behavior by reducing visual stimuli.
Install a film on your window, either the entire window or just the lower part if that’s where your dog has visual access. The film allows light to come through but reduces the stimulation that your dog is reacting to.
Close the curtains or blinds entirely or for the part of the window where your dog can see out.
Prevent access to the room or part of the room where the windows are. That may mean setting your dog up with a cozy bed and chewies in a separate part of the house and/or using a gate, closed door, or other barrier to block access to the window.
Barking and Lunging on Walks
Are leash walks exhausting because your dog exhibits loud, scary, startling behavior whenever they notice other dogs, people, or fast moving wheels? Management strategies to the rescue!
Distance is your friend in this case. Whether your dog has big feelings because of fear or frustration, ensuring he has extra space can help. Here’s how to create more distance from things your dog is likely to react to on a walk.
Choose times of the day or night for walks when there are lower levels of activity outside. If everyone in your neighborhood walks their dogs at 5:30 p.m., pick a different time for your stroll.
Cross to the other side of the street if you spot a dog, person, or activity that your dog is likely to have big feelings about.
Take field trips to locations that are lower-stimulation if your street or neighborhood has lots of other dogs, people, noise, or activity. A quiet walk in less crowded surroundings will help.
Use food strategically. Food is a highly effective tool for both training and management. Use food treats to move your dog away from other dogs, people, or activities in a way that is hands-off, low-stress, and fun for your dog. Feed the treat while walking away calmly with your dog instead of pulling on the leash. You can also toss a treat to redirect attention and get your dog sniffing the ground and searching for that delicious morsel, rather than staring, barking, or lunging.
Of course, with any reactive dog, you’ll want to work on training: teaching new behaviors, increasing the frequency of desired behaviors, changing associations and emotions, all the while clearly communicating with your dog. In the meantime, effective management strategies can help keep your dog safe, head off problem behaviors, and reduce stress for both of you, offering immediate relief for you and your dog.