Are Reactive Dogs Aggressive?

by Jessica Wheatcraft, CDBC

July 5th, 2024

I have something embarrassing to admit. When I was a baby trainer first starting out I thought that dogs who were reactive towards other dogs on leash were displaying dog aggression and should be kept away from other dogs in general. Yikes.

I’m so glad I moved away from that thinking quickly, because after nearly 2 decades of working with reactive dogs I have seen countless dogs who have beautiful social skills and are the furthest thing from anything I would consider dog aggressive. So, why do so many people see a dog reacting on leash and assume it’s aggressive?

Aggression vs Reactivity

Reactive dogs display a variety of behaviors on leash, and common ones are staring, growling, lunging, barking, jumping up and down, or other vocalizations such as shrieking. Many people associate behaviors such growling, lunging, and barking as aggressive, and rightfully so. Dogs will use those behaviors in situations where they want to control, to intimidate, or cause harm. But dogs also growl during play, bark when excited, and lunge towards half eaten tacos on the sidewalk – none of which have any aggressive intent behind them. I differentiate reactive behaviors and aggressive behaviors like this: dogs who use aggression are intending to control (this is my bone), intimidate (take one more step towards me and I will escalate my behavior), and/or cause harm (I don’t like what you are doing and will use violence to make my point).

Reactive behaviors, such as lunging, barking and growling, are often “loud,” both in sound and in sight. In my experience, most reactive dogs don’t intend to cause harm to what they are reacting to. But yes, some do. And in that moment, the only way to determine what the intent is behind their behavior is to see what happens once they get access to the thing they are reacting to. But that is not typically safe and something I don’t recommend. Instead, we have to look into other areas of the dog’s history and behavior to guide us. I’ll expand on that in another blog post, the piece I want to focus on today is the role of context, or circumstances surrounding that dog’s response.

Context – what it is and how it influences behavior

The Oxford dictionary defines context as “the circumstances that form the setting for an event, statement, or idea, and in terms of which it can be fully understood and assessed.” If I could pick just one word to help people understand their reactive dog, it’s context.

I knew a German Shepherd that attended a colleague’s daycare, and she went there because she was reactive towards other dogs on leash in her neighborhood. But at daycare, she was friendly and playful with other dogs. And interestingly enough, the moment she got into her car to go home at the end of the day, if she saw another dog leaving, she would explode at that dog from the car, even though she had just peacefully engaged with that dog all day less than 100ft from where she was.

Under one set of circumstances, a dog can display behaviors that are drastically different than another context, even with similar components. These were the same dog friends at daycare that she saw, but technically it was a different set of circumstances: different environment + inside the car + with her owner. That’s enough to create a big behavior change for some dogs. And while the behavior was explosive, I would bet that if the German Shepherd got out of the car and got access to the dog leaving the daycare, that her behavior would be fairly neutral, not aggressive or violent. These types of reactions make the majority of my human clients scratch their head in confusion. But as a professional, I get it, because I understand the nuances that influence behavior and how context plays a big part.

Barrier vs no barrier 

Let’s take a look at this Golden Retriever and Corgi whose behaviors between a glass door are far more intense than when they have direct access to one another:

https://youtu.be/-o0YxoV-VE4?si=5RghfBeadTDwbhnN

Personally, it appears as though the Corgi is enjoying this interaction far more than the Golden, but a full break down of this clip is for another day. I share it to demonstrate how drastically a dog’s behavior can change whether or not there is a barrier (the door) involved. Just one circumstance changed – the door.

While there isn’t a door in leash reactivity cases, there is still a barrier in the form of a leash which prevents access to the things a dog comes across. Or if the dog does get access, it still limits their movements in some way. We cannot make a determination of that dog’s level of sociability, intent, or friendliness based on their behavior on leash alone.

The leash and how it changes behavior

When it comes to dogs who are reactive on leash, I see a wide spectrum of responses towards dogs and people, and this is hugely dependent on the context –  for instance whether they are on leash or off, inside their home vs outside of their home, familiar vs unfamiliar person or dog, or the speed in which this interaction occurred.

For many dogs, interacting with a new person or dog on leash is stressful. They cannot move freely because of the confines of the leash, leading to a tiny space in which they are forced to communicate to the best of their abilities. Imagine having to meet a new person in a bathroom stall, with the door closed. Can you say awkward? Certainly, your behavior would be different if you met them in a large space like an auditorium where you could both move around easily. Again, context. Because dogs are often forced into these on leash interactions unwittingly by their humans, sometimes they can become more hyper sensitive with time, which can actually cause leash reactivity.

For some dogs, especially those who are highly social towards strange dogs, meeting a new dog on leash is an exciting event. They can’t wait to get access and become frustrated when they don’t. The behaviors they are displaying to express their frustration appear as if they don’t want the other dog to come closer (think lunging and barking), but when they get access to another dog, their body language immediately changes into affiliative behaviors.

And then there are dogs who are reactive on leash who do intend to intimidate, control, and/or cause harm to people or dogs they come across. I find these cases to be on the edge of spectrum, meaning they are fewer and far between. Most often, I see dogs who are conflicted, frustrated, or fearful/avoidant.

Better ways to describe reactive dogs

One of the reasons why I’m so passionate about working with reactive dogs is because they often live in very small worlds. They don’t get the same freedoms in public like non-reactive dogs. They can’t attend traditional group classes. Their humans are often too worried about introducing them to other dogs, because their behavior on leash is so intimidating that they can’t tell what their dog’s intentions are, and some go years without interacting with another member of their species. Not every reactive dog is safe to interact with unfamiliar people and dogs, but in my experience, many of them can, in the right context.

So the questions “are reactive dogs aggressive?” or “is your dog friendly?” aren’t really helpful. They are too broad, don’t take into account personal preferences by dogs, and don’t give any context. Taking a deeper look at the dog’s behavior gives a more nuanced picture, and provides information like:

My reactive dog is neutral towards a strange person after we walk together for 15 minutes 

My reactive dog lunges and barks towards people on walks, but at home where he is loose, is receptive and friendly towards guests who enter 

My reactive dog shows affiliative behaviors, including play gestures, towards a new dog once her arousal has lowered. This typically takes 30 minutes or more.  

My reactive dog is young and is learning how to regulate himself and respond to me before he can greet another dog. He does best if we walk ahead of another dog for 5-10 minutes, to slow the introduction down. 

My reactive dog is not comfortable with forward/pushy dogs. She does best with older, slower moving, or smaller dogs.

Most of all…

My reactive dog displays reactive behaviors in certain contexts, but that’s not indicative of who he is as an individual.

*Every word on this page was written by me, without the use of AI. Thank you for supporting real writers*