How to Understand Reactivity: Expert Tips

Reactivity is a very broad term that refers to an exaggerated or disproportionate emotional and behavioural reaction to a certain stimulus.

With dogs, usually reactivity is talking about dogs that are barking, jumping up and lunging at a particular trigger(s). A common trigger for dogs is encountering unfamiliar dogs on walks. This is often described by people as their dog being ‘dog reactive’ or ‘leash reactive’.

Barking is a general behaviour of a dog vocalising, which can happen for a range of reasons.

Conversely, ‘reactive’ dogs would bark in response to a particular stimulus. Not every reactive dog will bark at their triggers but as it is a very noticeable (and sometimes frustrating) response, it’s often the thing that their owners will seek support about.

At Greyhounds as Pets NSW we have moved away from using the term ‘aggression’ for reactive greyhounds and will instead use ‘repulsion’ or ‘fight response’. As aggression is quite a vague term that can describe a wide range of behaviours and has no consistent definition.

When people talk about reactivity they usually are referring to a dog that's barking and/or lunging at a particular trigger; often other dogs. There are two common emotional explanations for this behaviour; the dog may have a negative association with that particular trigger, or in other circumstances is frustrated at not being able to meet a particular need they have.

Reactivity can come in many shapes and forms.

However, for the commonly reported dog-to-dog reactivity, what you'll see is a dog performing some level of repulsion behaviour. In less extreme cases this is a dog stiffening when they see other dogs, an intense stare, tense facial muscles and sometimes barking.

In extreme cases, such dogs may lunge and snap when they encounter other dogs, this is usually in cases where earlier indications of the dog’s discomfort have been ignored, which encourages the dog to perform more extreme behaviours in an effort to make the other dog go away.

At Greyhounds as Pets, we advise that you don't have your Greyhound off-lead in dog parks because sight hounds often have difficulty with recall and greyhounds are quite fast and therefore not easy to catch. Unfortunately, this can sometimes mean that dog to dog greetings are mainly on-lead. This may make your greyhound and other dogs greeting more likely to result in repulsion behaviour if one or both dogs are uncomfortable as dogs on lead are unable to perform avoidance behaviours to de-escalate potential conflicts.

To combat this, it is important that as dog owners we are aware of the early indications that our dogs are uncomfortable, so we can quickly intervene and avoid our dogs having to lunge or snap to communicate their needs in these circumstances.

Most people would prefer that their dogs aren't reactive to things they encounter regularly, whether that's other dogs, bikes or other people.

It can be very frustrating for people in these circumstances to deal with their dog, especially when we as owners understand that the dog is not in any danger.

However, reactivity is not ‘bad’, and never something your dog is doing on purpose to spite you.

It is important to recognise that if your dog is having a strong reaction to a given stimulus, they likely are in a negative emotional state, and the best practice is to take steps to help support them back to a happy place.

Greyhounds As Pets always assess the dogs in care with other dogs, including smaller breeds.

If your Greyhound that you're interested in adopting has performed any indications of reactivity, barking, lunging, snapping or similar behaviours, we will inform you prior to the emeet and greet and we'll give you resources to help you work with your dog if you're still interested in adopting the dog.

Sometimes, reactivity can develop later on down the track even if a dog has never shown reactivity before at assessment or in foster care.

Reactivity can develop because dog behaviour is fluid and can be dependent on their present environment.

In some situations, a Greyhound might not be reactive when in care at an adoption centre or kennel but some aspect of their adoptive home environment might make them more likely to be reactive on walks etc.

It's always important to understand that, when adopting a dog, it is likely their behaviour may change over time as a reflection of their continual acclimatization to the changing world around them.

First and foremost, it is always good to pay attention to your dog's body language, especially when you are out and about. That way, if you observe behavioural signs of discomfort early on, you can intervene, do an emergency U-turn, change up the dog's environment, so they don't feel like they have to respond with repulsion or other challenging behaviours.

In many cases, once the dog is reliably able to avoid having regular exposure to their triggers at an intensity that elicits a strong emotional response, the dog will have a more subdued response to any future exposures. This is because the owner has developed a strong positive relationship with their dog, where they can trust that their owner will take them out of stressful situations and they don't need to have a big emotional display to feel safe.

If you are thoughtful and reflective about your dog's behaviour and the things that they respond positively to and negatively to, overall it's a lot easier to work with a dog that might be reactive to one trigger or another.