Top Five Tips for Living with a Reactive Dog

1.  Use the appropriate equipment for dog walks: 4-6 foot leash, front clip harness or head collar.  Do not use a retractable leash or punitive equipment like prong or choke chain collars.

2.  Reduce your dog’s overall stress.  Cover windows your dog barks out of and do not keep your dog outside unsupervised.

3.  Provide more mental enrichment for your dog.  Make your dog work for food by using it for training or in food dispensing toys like Kongs.

4. Learn the signs of stress in dogs so you can intervene before your dog reacts. See our previous post: http://www.aintmisbehavingpettraining.com/blog/puppy-problem-prevention-part-3-dog-body-language

5. Consult a Certified Professional Dog Trainer (CPDT) to help your dog learn a more appropriate behavior.