An open letter
Dear Fellow Pet Parent,
Managing my leash-reactive dog wasn’t just a training challenge, but it was an emotional storm that I wasn’t prepared for. Daily walks turned into tension-filled tests. One wrong moment, a child on a scooter, a stray dog or a sudden sound or a moving car, and she exploded in barking, lunging and trying to flee. At that moment, I would embrace myself, heart pounding, leash burning through my hands.
Once she lunged so hard, I fell right there on the pavement. People stared, some laughed, and one even whispered, “Would you ever want a dog like that?” That night, I cried in silence, hugged her tightly, wondering if I was failing as a pet parent. But the truth is, I wasn’t failing; I was overwhelmed, I was scared, and so was she. What she was showing me wasn’t aggression; it was fear-based reactivity, a desperate reaction to a world that felt unsafe to her.
Every time we left the house, I scanned the streets like I was on patrol, eyes darting for kids, dogs, and noises. Walks felt like war zones, and I still showed up because I loved her. Because I knew deep down this wasn’t her fault. She wasn’t a bad dog; she was just reacting to the world with everything she had.
Everything shifted the day I stopped seeing her as a problem and started seeing us as a pack, her and me against the chaos. I realised I had to lead her, not with force, but with calm, clarity and commitment. I became the steady hand she needed and I stopped reacting and started guiding. Managing my leash reactive dog had become a turning point in my life. When I began learning about reward-based training for reactive dogs, I identified triggers for reactivity and managed her emotions with consistency and patience. Slowly, she began to trust me, and the leash-pulling had stopped. Our walks became less hectic, and we started enjoying them together.
So if you’re standing where I stood, heartbroken, exhausted, ashamed, please don’t give up. There is a way through this, and it does not involve yelling or yanking. It involves understanding your dog’s leash reactivity, recognising the triggers for reactivity, and helping them through desensitisation and counter conditioning, with love, not punishment.
I have written this article to share exactly how I did it. Every step, every mistake, every breath. Read on and let’s walk this road together.
What Leash Reactivity I understood?
When I first realized I was managing my lease reactive dog, I thought it was about discipline. But after one painful walk, she froze, then lunged fiercely at a passing car, leaving me with a huge amount of shame and fear of accident all over me. That wasn’t aggression, it was a fear based reactivity or a playful nudge that her brain stuck in a panic mode.
As Yu Shih (2021) advocated that measured lease tension and stress signals in dog walking in both collar and harness setups. What I found from the research is that dogs are often in reactive mode or show leash reactivity, not out of aggression, but when they feel physically restricted, emotionally trapped or overstimulated. This over arousal in response to normal stimuli is the core of leash reactivity, not dominance. I also learned from what Yu Shih et al. (2020) discovered in their research that dogs who were calmer during shelter assessment became less reactive during lease walks as they tested it with ethnograms and lease tension meters. They also highlighted that their handlers didn’t need to tether them tighter or correct them aggressively, but it was all about emotional regulation, not punishment.
In my case, I used to wonder why do dogs get leash reactivity? Or is leash pulling a dominance issue? The answer from the veterinary behaviourist was a clear no. It’s about barrier regulation and frustration, not human dominance. Many dogs calm down significantly when they are given space and positive reinforcement. Over time, I began identifying triggers for reactivity that included cars, other dogs, joggers, and children. I ditched harsh methods and leaned on reward-based training for reactive dogs and desensitisation and counter conditioning as well. Rather than yanking or yelling, I offered calm cues, treats and space, along with a few commands that worked like magic. My constant overthinking, can this reactivity be cured? Slowly started to get answers. Eventually, trust replaced terror and shaky walks became manageable steps towards confidence. Understanding leash reactivity transforms everything not through force, but through understanding caregiving and scientifically informed care.
The Day I Stopped Walking My Reactive Dog: When Reward-Based Training Felt Like It Was Failing
There was a time when managing reactive behaviour with my dog felt utterly hopeless and exhaustive. She was only 27 Kilos American Labrador, but she pulled with the strength of a 70-pound dog, dragging me across the street and leaving me feeling powerless. I couldn’t control her, I couldn’t relax, each walk turned into a nightmare, and I dreaded even stepping outside.
I tried everything, starting from prong collars, yanking on her leash, yelling commands, and interactive sessions in reactive dog training, but nothing seems to be working. They made things worse, my dog’s trigger for reactivity intensified her over arousal in response to normal stimuli skyrocketed, and I began to fear her walk behaviour more than benefit from it.
At my lowest point, I stopped walking her altogether. I couldn’t handle the anxiety attacks, sweating palms, and racing thoughts before leaving the house. Questions like, Is it okay for my dog to walk in front of you? Or why does my dog pull so hard on walks? tortured me. I felt judged by everyone, pet-parents, trainers, and even so-called canine behaviourists, who insisted that she needed to be socialised at dog parks, even where she wasn’t comfortable around other dogs. They ignore the signs of fear-based behaviour in favour of outdated dominance thinking.
Lesley Townsend et al. (2022) confirmed that leash pulling not only compromises canine welfare but also damages the owner-dog bond and increases stress levels in owners, sometimes leading to caregiver burnout or relinquishment. I felt broken, my heart ached not just for her, but for myself. How could I care for her when I felt so powerless? I asked myself. That was the moment I decided to take matters into my own hands and reclaim our right to peaceful walks and our lives.
Also, go through my other article on “Understanding Reactive Dogs: 7 Lessons I Learned After Losing My First Dog“
What Finally Helped Me Managing my leash reactive dog
After many sleepless nights and anxious days, I managed my leash-reactive dog through trials, errors, and a lot of research to find out the right tools and strategies that genuinely help me reduce the leash reactivity of my dog. Heres what worked for me and what science says, and what I’d recommend you try.
Desensitization & Counter-Conditioning: The Game-Changer
At first, I misunderstood my dog’s lunging and barking, and I thought she was aggressive, or somehow disobedient and too playful that I could not control. I was severely dominated by the concept of controlling my dog, which missed out that she was terrified. As the Ana Catarina Vieira de Castro et al., (2021) that, leash reactivity often stems from fear, frustration or barrier frustration, but not from dominance.
That’s when I discovered desensitisation and counter conditioning, a core idea that is simple but powerful. The concept is evident in exposing your dog to a trigger at a distance where they stay calm and paired that with positive reinforcement, like a treat or praise. Ana Catarina Vieira de Castro et al., (2020) confirm that gradual exposure paired with reward-based stimuli can neurologically reshape a dog’s emotional response. Basically, you are rewiring their brain to associate triggers like another dog, moving cars, running children or a stranger appearing suddenly with good intentions and not threats.
This isn’t a quick fix for me. It look like standing across the street, waiting for my dog to see another dog without reacting, and immediately reverting her with something amazing, and then gradually reducing the distance over weeks.
Tools I Swear By in Managing Leash Reactivity
When it came to equipment or tools, I tried everything. But only a few have truly helped me in terms of managing my leash reactive dog.
Front-Clip Harness
It often gets worse when your dog pulls and chokes themselves. A front clip harness shifts their momentum and gives you better control without pain. I used this PetSafe Easy Walk Harness, which literally stopped the sled dog pulling overnight. It didn’t let me fix reactivity, but it gave a physical control to implement behaviour training without hurting her.
“Look at That” (LAT) Training
One of the first training techniques I learned was LAT, taught in the book Control Unleashed by Leslie Mcdevitt. The simple, but genius cues teach your dog to notice a trigger like a dog or a bike or a moving car, look at it, then look back at you. The science here is rooted in operant conditioning, where the trigger becomes a cue to engage with the handler. Maria Luiza A. Fonseca et al., (2021), also informed that LAT techniques increase focus and reduce anxiety behaviours in reactive dogs. I practised this in quite environments at first, gradually increasing distractions.
High-Value Treats
Forget dry kibbles; to successfully reduce reactive walks, you need jackpot-level rewards. I use tiny bits of chicken, cheese and boiled liver. My go-to for training sessions is full-moon all-natural human-grade dog treats or Heads Up For Tails Sara’s Dog Treats, which helped me get my dog’s attention every time I take it out of my training pouch.
Muzzle Training (for Peace of Mind)
Even though I personally never advocated muzzling my dog, as I believed it would only increase her anxiety or her fear-based reactivity, only led by the intention to get free of the cage. But there are certain places, like the vet visits or the park, where I was told to muzzle my dog as she was reacting to certain things. Not for others, but for my peace of mind, to avoid Judgmental eyes. I trained her with muzzles using the Baskerville Ultra Muzzle. Muzzling does not mean that she was dangerous, but it gave us the peace of mind and fewer judgmental comments and eyes. While we’re heading towards the park or towards any places that we want to explore in our neighbourhood.
Hao-Yu Shih et al. (2020) found that muzzle dogs experience less tension in owner dog interactions, especially during reactivity training, because humans felt safe. This emotional buffer helps training remain positive and consistent.
Early Morning Training Walks
While managing my leash reactive dog, I cannot stress this enough that our 5:30 AM walks saved us. No, people, no dog, no stress, just quiet streets and space to learn. During this time, I practised Let’s go, Stay, Wait, Calm down, Look at me and gently give this guidance. It took me over 45 days, to 50 days to start shifting from a fear-based reactivity to a comparatively confident walk where my dog and both could walk with a bit of relaxation and celebrate our little win.
White Noise Indoors
During my time managing my leash reactive dog, I understood that dog reactivity doesn’t stop at the door, but my dog would bark at hallways to footsteps or distant dogs, even towards the people approaching or just passing by. Playing white noise like ocean waves or rain sounds helps me reduce those ambient stressors. Now I use SNOOZ Smart White Noise Sound Machine right at the side of her bed during the peak hours or during the hours when she rests right after our walk, or after any stressful episode.
Cues & Communication That Made a Difference in Leash Reactivity
One thing I clearly understood is that leash reactivity is all about communication. Clear, consistent and calm tone of my voice that conveys the command not as a control, but as a conversation to my reactive dog. I significantly repeated and practised the cues like ‘stay’, ‘wait’, ‘tween’ (in between my legs when a trigger appears), ‘it’s okay’, ‘sit and stay’ (if there were too many people passing by). These cues and communication tactics helped in redirecting her focus, moving away from the triggers quickly and improving impulse control, while she focused on me and positive reinforcement that I shared after each cue.
Along with this, I also used hand signals during our indoor sessions and during our training outdoors in quiet hours. As Ogura et al. (2020) confirm, dogs can follow gaze cues; pointing paired with gaze was far more effective in directing attention and eliciting the intended response. Biagio D’Aniello et al., (2016) advocated that when words and gestures pointed to different actions, dogs overwhelmingly followed the gestural sign signal. In fact, nearly 70% dogs listen or obey the gesture over the verbal cue. Now you might be thinking, Why does it matter for leash reactive dogs? Well, visual cues cut through stress when they often ignore the sound of your voice or command. Visual or hand signals help them focus on the commands you are giving.
Another important cue or communication training that I understood from what Ana Catarina Vieira de Castro et al. (2021), discovered is that reward-based training for reactive dogs is more effective than adverse techniques, reducing cortisol levels and improving long-term behaviour.
Other Leash Reactivity Training That Really Works
Along with these formal training sessions and communication methods. Other things help me in managing my leash-reactive dog and introduce the concept of desensitisation and counterconditioning.
Understanding my dog’s body language: I learned the difference between curious alert, panic mode, or just playfulness, which I could prevent from being turned into anxiety attacks or panic outbursts.
also read my other article on How to Understand Dog Body Language? Know 10 Signs
In-house training routines: I made it a ritual to train my dog with high-value treats and positive reinforcement in-house to follow some queues and commands regularly, and it helped me a lot in regulating her emotions or her focus outside when we were on a walk.
Consistent trigger introduction: One of the major triggers that my dog had was moving cars or a speeding car. We work on looking at the cars from a certain distance, and I gradually started to reduce the distance, till the point when she again started reacting out of fear. Managing my lease, reactive blog had become a game for me, where we would stand on the side of the park and watch speeding cars pass by. Whenever she was not reacting, she was getting a high-value treat as a part of positive reinforcement training.
Nutritional overhaul: I completely ditched commercial cables and moved on to homemade meals with vet-guided nutrients. I focused on including supplements that we can find in our daily lives, like camomile tea, licking mats with frozen banana, seed powders, and so that could eventually improve her digestive energy, behavioural aspects and hormonal imbalance noticeably.
Then, to answer the question that I once had, can leash reactivity be cured? Honestly, cured might be a strong word, but managed to improve and reshape, absolutely can be achieved. With patience, positive reinforcement and tools backed by science, I have been able to manage my reactive dog and give her the emotional freedom she deserved.
If You’re Going Through This — A Heart-to-Heart
If you are dealing with managing a leash reactive dog and still trying so hard to get to that point when you do have peaceful walks. This is the right place for you to understand what will work and what will not. If you can relate to that sudden bark from your dog and sudden tension building up in your body, dominated by shame and judgmental looks from others. This is not the end, this is the beginning of your and your dog’s journey for growth.
One day, after a walk overwhelmed me was crawling through my phone and social media and at an instant, I came across a comment on Reddit that stated, ” Your dog is not hard or a bad dog, but she or he is having hard time, and you are the safest place that they can lean on to.”
This comment hit me to my core, and I was instantly determined to overcome my stress and overwhelming episodes with my reactive dog. So if you are in that space, still learning or still frustrated, tired or ashamed, you’re invited to share your experience or talk about your challenges on our Reddit community r/Holisticdogliving, a judgement-free space. Comment below or tell me what’s working for you and what’s not. What are you learning? even if you are ahead of me in this journey, do share your wisdom too.
What I’d Tell Myself a Year Ago
If I could sit down with the version of me one year ago, who would come home sweating with heavy breathing and with shame all over her, I would say three things to her.
Patience isn’t optional, but it’s a process: You won’t see the changes overnight, but if you stay kind, consistent and patience, you will see gradual changes in your dog.
Change your perspective: When you see your dog, do not see her as your child, only, but see her as your pack member, and consider yourself as the pack leader who would lead her to have a better life.
The right tools and training methods are life-changing.: Instead of being confused and lost, you need to focus on understanding the source of reactivity. Adapt right tools and techniques to train your dog to have a calmer lifestyle.
Want a deeper story update, or some more training techniques or a communication cue to manage a leash reactive dog? I would love to have you on my newsletter, no spam, just honest content from one reactive dog mom to another parent.
FAQs: Managing My Leash Reactive Dog
How do I stop my dog from being so reactive on leash?
Least reactive dog training starts with shifting your own energy, as your dog could mirror your anxious emotions. Start working on your inner confidence first and take her on leash training in quiet hours, preferably in early morning hours. Keep your sessions short and positive, no pressure and enriched with high-value treats, while practising the commands like wait, stay or sit with the leash on. Try to read your dog’s shifting energy whenever she or he is faced with a trigger and offer a high-value treat, turning it into a game. The progress is slow, but real and with calm, consistent efforts, it would start showing results.
How long does leash training take?
Lose leash walking doesn’t happen overnight, especially with a reactive dog. It requires patience, calm energy and consistent effort. Training your dog to walk properly on a leash can take at least two months of regular practice, gradual desensitisation to triggers. Stay calm, use clear and consistent queues and reinforce every success with positive rewards. Over time, your dog will begin to respond with trust and focus.
How to train a reactive dog to stay calm around other dogs?
Training a reactive dog to stay calm around other dogs is quite a joke that we need to achieve. First, you need to calm your senses down whenever a trigger appears, and keep a certain distance from other dogs. Reward every calm glance and behaviour that your dog is showing, and use cues like Watch me, Let’s go, Leave it, or It’s ok. Carry high-value treats and turn each trigger into a game. Celebrate little wins. Progress isn’t instant, but with patience, clarity and love. Your dog will begin to trust and focus on you.
How do you correct a reactive dog without correcting?
Correcting a reactive dog is a strong and dominating word, rather, it should be redirecting instead of correcting. While managing my leash reactive dog, whenever, I see tension building, I immediately get my dog’s attention with a cue like let’s go or come here, following with a high value treat and change the direction. It avoids the need for force or keeps things positive while I can create a playful bond with my dog through treats.
What’s your best reactivity management tip?
Before every walk, be mentally present and prepared. Equip yourself with high- value treats like chicken or cheese, a treat pouch and a calming spray if needed. But above all, build a strong emotional bond with your dog. Be there safe place. When your reactive dog trusts you deeply, they’ll look to you for guidance, not panic. Using calming tools like Leaking bags at home to reduce over stimulation, I found it to be the best management tip for a reactive dog.