02/01/2026
Reactivity:
Why We’re Not Just “Fixing a Problem”
Reactivity isn’t black and white.
It isn’t a label, and it certainly isn’t a dog being “bad” or “aggressive”.
Reactivity can be learned or innate.
It can be general or very specific.
It can show up in one environment but not another.
And while it can look aggressive at times, behaviour always comes from something.
Very often that something is fear — but it can also be frustration, pain, lack of experience, overwhelm, or learned expectation.
Did something happen…
or is the dog worried something might?
So when we talk about helping reactive dogs, we’re not trying to “stop behaviour”.
We’re helping dogs find a different way of responding to situations they find difficult.
Some dogs may never love certain situations — and that’s okay.
The goal isn’t perfection.
The goal is helping them cope.
The 3 Behavioural Zones
I work using three behavioural zones:
• Comfort Zone – where your dog feels safe, calm, and able to learn
• Tolerance Zone – where things feel challenging but manageable
• Discomfort Zone – where fear, stress, panic, or reactivity take over
Our aim is to gradually:
• shrink the Discomfort Zone
• shrink the Tolerance Zone
• grow the Comfort Zone
In simple terms, we build optimism and confidence, and reduce pessimism and worry.
The Three Tools We Use
1️⃣ Training in Comfort
Reactivity shouldn’t be addressed in the moment it’s happening.
When dogs are scared or overwhelmed, they can’t learn.
Games, patterns, and skills are taught when your dog is calm and happy, and practiced daily in the Comfort Zone.
After all, you wouldn’t teach a teenager to drive by handing them the wheel at 70mph in busy traffic.
That would be like expecting a fearful dog to cope for the first time in a busy dog park or café.
These skills become life skills.
2️⃣ Control & Management (Tolerance Zone)
You spot your dog’s “nemesis” in the distance on a walk.
You start playing the games using the skills you’ve already taught.
Your dog is able to disengage, focus on you, and move back into the Comfort Zone.
Sometimes you may also need to create more distance — because distance can be the difference between coping and reacting.
3️⃣ Escape & Avoid (Discomfort Zone)
Sometimes things appear suddenly — around corners or out of nowhere, like an off lead dog.
This is when we escape.
We change direction, cross the road, or create space.
This isn’t being a chicken.
This isn’t ignoring your dog’s fear.
This is about not rehearsing panic.
What I Don’t Use — and Why
I don’t use lead corrections, punishment, or intimidation.
Adding fear of a handler — or fear of punishment — doesn’t create trust, confidence, or optimism.
It creates more fear, more pessimism, and often suppresses behaviour rather than resolving what’s underneath it.
My focus is on helping dogs feel safe enough to learn, and supported enough to try something different.
What Success Really Looks Like
Success isn’t a dog who never reacts again.
Success is a team — dog and human — working together to prevent reactivity from being needed in the first place, your dog not needing to bark "go away, go away" lunging to push them away.
Instead we use:
• training
• management
• escape and avoidance
• patience
• trust
Over time, the Comfort Zone grows…
and reactivity becomes less frequent, less intense, and often a distant memory.
I’m Here to Help
Here at Woofies, I’ve worked with many dogs struggling with fear or stress around:
• other dogs
• people
• children
• traffic
• environments
Sometimes they’ve had a negative experience.
Sometimes they’ve simply had no experience at all.
With kind, careful resilience-building techniques — and time — we can help dogs feel safer in their world.
You’re not failing your dog.
Your dog isn’t broken.
And you don’t have to do this alone 🐾
