A dog rarely goes from completely relaxed to completely out of control without something happening first.
Before the barking.
Before the pulling.
Before the lunging.
There is often fixation.
The dog sees something.
His attention changes.
His eyes stay on it.
His body changes.
He stops listening to the person holding the leash.
And then the reaction comes.
If you only start dealing with the situation when the dog is already exploding at the end of the leash, you are starting late.
The Reaction Is Not Where I Start
When people talk about leash reactivity, they normally describe the visible part.
“My dog barks at other dogs.”
“My German Shepherd pulls toward every dog he sees.”
“My dog goes crazy on the leash.”
Those descriptions tell me what the dog does.
They do not automatically tell me why.
Fear can be involved.
Frustration can be involved.
Excitement can be involved.
Confidence can be involved.
Learned behavior can be involved.
Sometimes more than one factor is present.
That is why my approach to reactive dog training starts with the individual dog and the pattern behind the reaction, rather than simply labeling every reactive dog the same way. Rui Navarro
Why Some Dogs Become More Reactive on Leash
The leash changes the situation.
A dog cannot move naturally in the same way.
He may not be able to create more distance.
He may not be able to approach something he wants.
The handler is also directly connected to him.
For some dogs, having the owner behind them can increase confidence.
For others, the opposite happens.
The dog does not trust that the handler will control what is approaching, so he feels that he has to deal with it himself.
The visible reaction may look similar.
The reason behind it may be very different.
This is why I do not build a training plan from the word “reactive.”
I want to understand the dog.
Reactivity Can Become Learned Behavior
Now imagine a simple situation.
A dog sees a stranger.
He feels uncomfortable.
He barks.
The stranger continues walking and disappears.
From the dog’s perspective, something happened:
“I barked and that person went away.”
Next time, he may try the same behavior again.
If it works again, that response can become stronger.
The same pattern can happen around dogs.
The dog reacts.
The other dog disappears.
The walk changes direction.
The situation ends.
Repeated enough times, the dog can learn that the reaction produces an outcome.
This does not mean every reactive dog has the same motivation.
It means we need to look at what happens before and after the behavior.
Owners Can Accidentally Reinforce the Wrong Moment
There is another common situation.
The dog becomes tense.
Then he starts barking.
The owner becomes worried.
The owner touches the dog and begins talking softly.
“It’s okay.”
“Don’t worry.”
“Good boy.”
The owner’s intention is to calm the dog.
But training is about what the dog learns from the sequence, not only what the person intended.
This is why timing matters so much.
I want communication to be clear before I put the dog in the situation that causes the biggest reaction.
I Do Not Start Reactivity Training With the Explosion
If a dog completely loses control five feet from another dog, I do not need to keep putting him five feet from another dog and hoping something changes.
I need foundations first.
The dog needs to understand communication.
He needs to understand familiar behaviors.
He needs to know how to move with the handler.
And the handler needs to know how to give information clearly.
This principle is part of my broader training philosophy and the structure of my Drive Control Protocol.
Teach the Dog What You Want Him to Do
Telling a dog:
“Don’t be reactive”
does not give him a clear physical response.
Heel does.
Moving with the handler does.
Turning away does.
A familiar sit or down may, depending on the situation.
The exact choice depends on the dog.
First, Teach the Position
Take heel as an example.
Initially, I teach the dog where I want him.
I help him understand the position.
I reward him.
The environment is manageable.
The objective is learning.
Then, Teach Guidance
Leash pressure should not simply appear for the first time when the dog is already fighting at the end of the leash.
The dog needs to understand guidance.
In my system, pressure is released when the dog gives the response I am teaching.
That release matters.
It is information.
Pressure.
Correct response.
Release.
Reward.
That communication should already make sense before the environment becomes difficult.
The same principle appears throughout the Drive Control Protocol, where communication is developed before distraction and drive are increased. Rui Navarro
Fixation Is the Moment I Want to Notice
Now we return to the other dog.
We are walking.
My dog sees another dog in the distance.
I am watching what happens before the obvious reaction.
Does his mouth close?
Do his eyes stay on the dog?
Does his body become tense?
Does his pace change?
Does he start moving forward?
Can he still hear me?
This moment matters.
I would much rather communicate while I still have a dog capable of responding than wait until he is barking, lunging and mentally disconnected from the handler.
Give the Dog a Job He Already Understands
If heel is already clearly trained, I can ask for heel.
Now the dog has a simple job.
Stay with me.
Move with me.
Maintain the position.
The other dog still exists.
I am not pretending the distraction disappeared.
I am asking for a response that the dog has already learned.
This is a very different situation from shouting commands at a dog who does not understand them under that level of distraction.
Corrections Come After Understanding
My training can include corrections.
But the order matters.
I do not want to punish confusion.
Before a consequence is meaningful, I need to know that the dog understands the behavior I asked for and has been prepared to perform it in that context.
Teaching comes first.
Communication comes first.
Progression comes first.
Then we can make clearer distinctions between a dog who does not understand and a dog who understands a command but chooses to break it.
This distinction is also why I do not view equipment as a shortcut.
I have written separately about what I teach before using an e-collar with reactive dogs in my article on e-collar training for reactive dogs.
The Goal Is Not to Make Every Dog Love Other Dogs
This is one of the biggest misunderstandings I see around reactive dogs.
Not every dog needs to become social with every strange dog.
For many working and guardian dogs, neutrality is a much more useful goal.
I want the dog to notice another dog and still be able to function.
Walk past.
Stay with the handler.
Respond to a familiar command.
Recover.
Continue the walk.
That is useful control.
My dedicated page on Reactive Dog Training explains this same idea of neutrality rather than forcing unnecessary social interaction. Rui Navarro
Control Does Not Mean Removing Drive
One of my advanced working dogs is a good example.
He has always been very physical with other dogs.
I saw those tendencies when he was young.
As he matured, they became clearer.
Training did not erase his natural character.
The goal was not to convince him that he suddenly wanted to play with every strange dog.
The goal was control.
I want a dog that can feel that interest and still respond to me.
That principle is especially important with serious working dogs.
Drive stays.
Personality stays.
But communication must remain useful.
This is also central to how I approach protection dogs. A powerful dog without control is not the standard. The dog must be capable of working with the handler and switching off when required. Rui Navarro
Build Reactivity Training in Stages
The progression is simple to describe even though every dog is different.
1. Understand the reaction
What is the dog doing?
When?
Why might it be happening?
What happens afterward?
2. Build engagement
Give the dog a reason to participate with the handler.
3. Establish clear communication
Teach the commands and guidance before the difficult situation.
4. Introduce manageable distraction
Do not immediately choose the dog’s hardest trigger at the closest possible distance.
5. Watch the fixation
Learn to recognize the change before the explosion.
6. Ask for a known response
Give the dog something clear to do.
7. Increase difficulty gradually
Distance, movement, excitement and environment can all make the exercise harder.
Change them deliberately.
Severe Leash Reactivity Is Not One Problem With One Solution
This is important.
A fearful dog is not automatically trained in exactly the same way as a confident dog seeking conflict.
A frustrated dog is not identical to a dog displaying defensive behavior.
A dog that has practiced a reaction for years is not the same as a young dog beginning to develop the pattern.
That is why assessment matters.
My work starts with the individual dog, which is also the principle behind the Drive Control Protocol.
If you want more context on my background with working and guardian breeds, you can also read About Rui Navarro.
Do Not Wait for the Explosion
If you remember one thing, remember this:
Watch the fixation.
The barking and lunging may be the most dramatic part of the behavior.
But the important information often appears earlier.
When you learn to see that moment, and when your dog already understands how to respond to you, you have a much better place to work from.
If your dog struggles with serious leash reactivity, fixation or control around other dogs, you can learn more about my Drive Control Protocol and whether that training system fits your situation.
Watch the Video: How I Fix Severe Leash Reactivity
In the video below, I explain my system for dealing with fixation and severe leash reactivity, from the first change in the dog’s attention to the communication and obedience I want established before the reaction happens.
