Discover what dog reactivity really means, its causes, and expert-approved strategies to manage it effectively without punishment.
Reactivity in Dogs: What To do and What Not To do
In recent years, there has been a lot of talk about reactivity in dogs, generally used to refer to canine behavioral problems related to negative emotions such as aggression, fear, or frustration. However, ethologists and specialists in animal behavior point out that this association is not correct, since in reality, reactivity can be defined as any situation in which the animal, before a stimulus or concrete fact, behaves in a purely emotional way, and when this happens, moreover, not occasionally but on most occasions. Can it be said that a dog is reactive if it experiences aggression and manifests it in its behavior occasionally in the presence of another dog? The answer would be no. However, if most of the time that it experiences this emotion (or any other), it does purely emotional management and is totally removed from cognition, we can affirm that a dog is reactive. Therefore, the first thing to clarify is that reactivity is not associated with some specific emotions but with t…
