Dogs, Reactions and Robots

As a guardian of a reactive dog, I know the feeling of wishing my dog would just chill TF out. I’d love it if she were calm, predictable and able to handle whatever we encounter on our walks – motorbikes, running kids, other dogs, sudden noises.

But here’s the thing—dogs aren’t robots. They’re living, breathing animals with instincts, emotions, and, most importantly, reactions. Just like us. Expecting Louie to go through life without reacting is as unrealistic as expecting myself to never flinch at a loud noise, never snap when I’m exhausted, or never look back to see who’s behind me when walking alone at night.

With this in mind, it’s worth reassessing what our goal should be when dealing with this dog behavior because reacting to the environment isn’t the problem—it’s what all animals do to survive.

Reactions Are Normal—For All of Us

From an evolutionary standpoint, reacting to stuff is literally why animals (including us) exist today. If our ancestors had just chilled out instead of running when they spotted a predator,… we probably wouldn’t be here.

Dogs have these same built-in survival responses connecting their brains and bodies. If something feels threatening or just really exciting, their brain says, “React!” That bodily reaction could be barking, lunging, growling, or even running away. It’s automatic and instinctual, not some stubborn refusal to “behave.”

Even humans have involuntary reactions—your heart pounds when you get startled, you pull your hand back if you touch something hot, and let’s be honest, you’ve probably reacted to a stressful situation with a not-so-great attitude before. So, if we can accept that we’re not always in control of our reactions, we need to extend the same understanding to our dogs.

Your Dog’s Reactions Aren’t the Problem—How We Guide Them Is

Since reactions are inevitable, the real question is: Are your dog’s reactions proportionate and appropriate?

This is where we come in as dog guardians. Our responsibility isn’t to make our dogs unreactive—it’s to help them respond in a way that keeps them, us, and the community safe.

Take leash reactivity, for example. A dog barking and lunging at another dog isn’t choosing to be difficult. Maybe they’re afraid, maybe they’re frustrated, or maybe just overwhelmed by their environment. The goal isn’t to shut down the reaction but to help them learn a better way to handle it.

We can only do that, once we can get them in a thinking frame of mind vs a reacting frame of mind.

How?

1. Change How They Feel, Not Just How They Act

Let’s say you struggled with math as a kid.

Numbers didn’t make sense, equations looked like gibberish, and every time you tried to solve a math problem, your brain shut down.

Your dad sits down with you to help with your math homework, but every time you get stuck on a question, or mumble “I don’t get it”, he loses his patience and gives you 10 more of the same type of problem to solve.

Would this magically make you better at math? Nope. You’d just learn to dread it even more. And the next time, you’d avoid math completely or panic even faster when its time to do homework. You might even begin to be scared of your dad, outside of the homework situation as he would be associated with all those feelings of panic and stress.

That’s exactly why putting your dog in more triggering situations to help them get over it doesn’t work. It doesn’t teach them to feel differently—it just makes their fear worse.

Instead, we use desensitization and counter-conditioning—big words that basically mean changing their emotional response.

To go back to the math example, instead of throwing tough problems at you right away, imagine your dad started small—maybe with one simple equation and when you struggled, instead of scolding, he guided you through it calmly and celebrated small wins: “That’s right! See? You’re getting it!”

Over time, he gradually introduced more challenging problems at a pace where you felt encouraged, not overwhelmed.

Eventually, you would start approaching math with more confidence, because your brain would have learnt that making mistakes isn’t a disaster. And as your confidence increases, so would your ability to solve math problems creating a positive cycle of improvement.

Coming back to your reactive dog, if your dog loses their mind at bicycles, start at a distance where they notice a bike but don’t react. Pair that moment with something great (treats, play, praise). Gradually decrease the distance over time. The goal? Your dog sees a bike and thinks, “Oh, nice, something good happens when bikes are around!” instead of “INTRUDER ALERT!”

The key? We’re not just stopping the reaction—we’re changing how they feel about the trigger BEFORE they panic to create a learning history of positive associations in order to start positive cycle of improvement.

2. Teach an Alternative Behavior

Since a feeling = behavior/reaction, by changing the feeling, we’re expecting a new behavior/reaction to take place. Rather than leaving that up to chance, we proactively also teach an alterative, more appropriate behavior to ensure success.

Let’s go back to the math struggle with your dad. If every time you saw math problems, your brain panicked and you shut down, just teaching you not to panic isn’t enough, your dad would also need to teach you alternate strategies to help you along the way.

What if you were taught that the first thing to do when you see numbers is to take a deep breath, and then break the problem into smaller steps, or use a calculator to check your work. Over time, you’d learn that approaching math with these steps makes it less overwhelming, and you wouldn’t need to panic or avoid it anymore.

Dogs need that same ability to choose a better reaction instead of acting on impulse. If your dog reacts to other dogs on walks, we don’t just get them to change how they feel about it at a farther distance— we teach them an alternative behavior that achieves the same thing the original reaction does.

Since barking and lunging is often a distance increasing behavior (to scare the other thing to move away), show them that moving away on their own is a better option, so they learn that they can disengage instead of reacting. The more they practice these alternative choices, the easier it becomes for them to handle their triggers in a way that works for everyone.

3. Management—Because Progress Isn’t a Straight Line

You can train all you want, but some days your dog is going to have a bad one. Just like humans, dogs have off days. And just like you wouldn’t take an exhausted, hangry toddler to a fancy restaurant, you need to set your dog up for success.

That means actively managing your dog and the environment while you’re working on training.

If your dog isn’t having the best day, or if they’re unwell, rather than choosing to take the route where you see a lot of dogs, choose another route, or time of day.

If you happen upon a dog at a street corner – distract your dog with a well rehearsed behavior as you move away.

If you end up having a bad reactive episode with your dog, limit walks and exposure for the next few days and increase mental activities at home to help your dog stabilize before going back out there.

Think of it this way: if you already struggle with math – the best time to do it definitely isn’t after a long tiring day for both you and your dad, you’d be better off doing it when you’re both fresh and full of positive energy! And if you guys end up having a bad math homework session, then its best to engage in another positive, fun activity together to lessen the negative impact of it.

Finding Balance—For Your Dog, Your Community, and Yourself

At the end of the day, your dog is a living being, not a programmed machine. They will have reactions, and that’s okay. The goal isn’t no reactions—it’s progress.

With empathy, patience, and the right training, you can help your dog develop reactions and behaviors that are appropriate for the world they live in. That way you keep them safe, you keep your community safe, and you make life together so much more enjoyable.

Because really—who wants a robot dog anyway?

Struggling with leash reactivity or other big reactions? Let’s work together to create a plan that helps your dog feel safer and respond better to their world. Reach out today!