22/11/2025
DISTANCE ASSISTANCE
It’s not easy having a reactive dog. As much as we may feel frustrated, restricted, angry or even ashamed or embarrassed, our reactive dogs are also experiencing a range of negative emotions when they react to something that triggers them.
Reactive dogs have a nervous system issue not a training issue.
This nervous system reaction is usually caused by anxiety, fear, feeling threatened, frustrated or may even be pain related.
These emotions cause high levels of stress and stress prevents both us and our dogs from being able to process information, think clearly or learn a different, more acceptable way of reacting to whatever triggers us.
This is why creating enough distance is so important.
I’m really scared of snakes and even struggle to look at them. The only thing I want to do is run and create as much distance as possible.
If someone was restraining me, forcing me to sit and look at the snake while trying to feed me my favourite chocolate, telling me there was nothing to worry about or trying to educate me about the reptile, it would do nothing to alleviate my fear and would only increase my stress levels.
Doing this at a sufficient distance, where I felt safe would be far more effective and my stress levels would be much lower. In time, with patience and practice, I may even be able to get much closer to the snake without having a negative reaction.
The same principle applies to reactive dogs. Creating sufficient distance where they can see the trigger but still feel safe and don’t react is the best way of helping them to cope with their feelings.
Some dogs, or people, may never be able to decrease that distance and that’s also okay.
We need to accept our dogs for the unique individual they are, keep working on the things we can improve and change and accept the things we can’t.
