Is your reactive dog great with other dogs at the park and daycare but awful on lead?
When I say “reactive dog” often people assume these dogs are anti-social dogs, or dogs who have been under socialised. But in reality, the majority of my reactive dog cases actually go to daycare several times a week. They play off lead at dog parks. By all accounts they’re “well socialised” and “great” in these situations, then owners just can’t work out why when they put them on leash suddenly they become feral looking barky-lungey pains in the ass.
I’ve worked in a dog day care previously, and yes some dogs actually do well there and enjoy it, while remaining balanced individuals. The same goes for regular dog park attendees - some dogs are resilient and balanced dogs and/or have great handlers who read them well and advocate for them. For a lot of people they rely on these services to be able to have a dog in the modern world.
That said - for my dog park & daycare attending reactivity cases, they generally fall into two camps.
1. The hyper-social FOMO dog.
They get a big kick out of interacting with other dogs. Their social scale has tipped all the way towards “I see another dog, that must mean high excitement play time” - because that’s the expectation that has been rehearsed. Then when they’re prevented from doing that by being on a leash or being told no, we see the equivalent to a toddler tantrum - “BUT I WANT TO GO PLAY!” 😡 While the arousal levels go off the charts and the brain disappears.
The intensity will vary depending on the dog - for some dogs (especially our working type dopamine addicts) just a small amount of high arousal play is such high value to them that it takes a lot of neutral time to balance things out. For others, it might be less valuable generally but it is rehearsed so often that the pattern develops.
2. The “holy shit that’s too much, make them stay away” dog.
These guys are overwhelmed by other dogs and develop barking and lunging as a strategy to create the space they crave - because that has been the only thing that has worked. Often these dogs are reported as being “great” at daycare or dog parks because they just sit quietly in the corner fairly shut down and not causing issues, but if not advocated for by handlers recognising the stress signs quickly become snappier and more defensive when approached by another dog.
Again, the intensity depends on the dog - it could be one really negative experience being rushed by out of control dogs at the park or it could be a lot of small negative experiences over a long duration in a daycare situation. Hence why a lot of daycare dogs “age out” by 3-4 years old in some facilities.
Okay - makes sense. What can we do about it though? We need some way to give our dogs the exercise and social time they need during the work week!
✅ Choose your providers wisely. Seek out daycares who invest in behaviour/body language education for their staff and who will be honest with you about what’s going on. Seek out daycares who implement structured rest (dogs aren’t designed to be playing non stop all day long), who will rotate the dogs in and out as needed, and who maintain smaller group numbers well matched by both size AND needs. Seek out daycares where there’s more to do in their day than just fixate on the other dogs. Don’t be afraid to ask lots of questions and really do your homework - this seemingly small stuff can have lasting repercussions for you and your dog.
✅ Consider what service is the right one for your dog. Daycares can be great when done well with the right dogs, but for some dogs they will do better on structured walking services where they’re out there moving with purpose exploring the world vs the focus being just other dogs in a pen practicing problematic behaviours. We have some great options in Waipa and Hamilton which can be amazing for dogs who don’t suit a standard daycare situation.
✅ Consider which dog exercise areas you frequent. Yes Days Park is amazing by the river, but if only you knew the number of consults I get that start with “well we were at Days Park having so much fun and this dog just went for them…” Minogue Park (fenced area) and Leamington’s fenced area aren’t much better for it. Quieter spots are great especially with different environmental interest points to move through together, and make a point of going and engaging with your dog for at least part of your outings vs relying solely on their play with other dogs to exercise them.
✅ Learn to read your dogs body language. There is a lot of great content on this online, but things like rolling over and showing their belly, freezing in a stiff posture, getting the zoomies, rushing in at full speed etc can all be signs of a dog that is struggling a bit (depending on breed and context). Conversely, recognise when your dogs arousal levels are getting too high and take action to bring things down to more suitable levels.
✅ ADVOCATE for your dog. You don’t have to tolerate other dogs being dicks to your dog. Step in front of your dog, push that other dog away however you need to to create space, tell the other owners to grab their rude dog, even leave the park if you’re seeing potential for a problem. Step up so your dog doesn’t have to develop problematic coping skills to manage the situation themselves.
✅ Make sure you are balancing any higher excitement interaction time with neutral experiences. Eg sometimes we go to the park and just do a quick training session or lie on our settle mat then go home. Or we go play a little, then we do some training, then we might play some more. Sometimes we go for a leash walk where we are not greeting any other dogs. Sometimes we see another off lead dog and we’re just walking on by working on engagement. How much of this you will need to do will depend on your dog and how valuable they have found the dog interactions - higher drive dog people, you probably need to do a whole lot less “socialising” of your dog with others, and a lot more working with them.
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Struggling with your dogs behaviour? Owner coaching support is available throughout Hamilton and Waipa, NZ. 📧 hello@wolfedogs.nz
