The Weekly High Five 🐾

One Quick Win 🙏 One Video to Watch 👀 One Post I Loved

Hey Reader,
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Your dog sees another dog on the walk. They lose their mind. Barking, lunging, pulling.

You're embarrassed. Stressed. Avoiding certain routes. Walking at weird times just to dodge other dogs.

Here's what you need to know: your dog probably isn't aggressive.
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They're stressed. And that stress is going right down the leash from you to them, making everything worse.

This week, I'm sharing three tips that make walks with reactive dogs actually enjoyable, plus an indoor enrichment game that helps your dog regulate their emotions through the power of sniffing.

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One Quick Win 🙏

This week's Quick Win focuses on "The Emergency U-Turn":

1. Practice this at home first: walk forward with your dog, then suddenly turn around and walk the opposite direction while saying "let's go!"
2. Reward your dog immediately when they turn with you (use high value treats they only get for this).
3. Practice 10 times indoors, then move to your yard, then to quiet streets with no triggers.
4. On real walks, the moment you see a trigger before your dog reacts, say "let's go!" and turn around.
5. Walk away until the trigger passes, rewarding your dog for staying calm and following you.

This gives you an escape route before your dog reaches their breaking point. You're not avoiding the problem forever, but you're preventing the rehearsal of reactive behavior while you work on the bigger training picture.
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Every time your dog practices lunging and barking, that behavior gets stronger.
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Every time they successfully walk away instead, the better they get at it.

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One Video To Watch 👀

Walks with a reactive dog are stressful. In this week's video, I share three practical tips that make walking your leash reactive dog way more enjoyable while you're working on training!

Learn when to walk to avoid triggers (and why this matters more than you think), discover counter-conditioning and how to gradually expose your dog to triggers at a safe distance, and find out which tools actually help versus make things worse.
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This isn't about fixing reactivity overnight. It's about making your daily walks manageable right now.

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One Social Post I Loved 🧡

Think sniffing is just sniffing? This week's post from @listendogtraining reveals why scent work is actually your dog's way of thinking, problem-solving, and regulating their emotions!
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This simple indoor enrichment game gives dogs the ultimate brain workout while building confidence and burning energy.
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For reactive dogs especially, activities that help them regulate emotions are crucial. Sniffing naturally calms dogs down, which is exactly what stressed, reactive dogs need more of in their lives. Perfect for these cold February days when outdoor time is limited.

February means cold weather walks are shorter, which means reactive dogs aren't getting the mental stimulation and emotional regulation they need. That combination makes reactivity worse, not better.
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Managing walks to avoid meltdowns while building in calming enrichment activities creates dogs who are less stressed overall. And less stressed dogs are less reactive dogs.

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Questions about leash reactivity or helping your dog stay calm? Hit reply. I work with reactive dogs constantly and know exactly how stressful this is.

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Here's to calmer walks ahead!

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Pam,
CPDT-KA
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​PS. Struggling with leash reactivity and need a personalized plan that actually works? Let's talk about what's triggering your dog and how to address it. Click here to book your Free 15 Minute Call with Me​
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