Board and train for leash reactivity

The difference decides the plan. A leash-reactive dog may greet politely in a yard, play happily in a matched group and still bark and lunge at a dog across the street, because on a leash it can neither keep its distance nor close it. A dog-reactive dog struggles with other dogs whether a leash is involved or not: at the fence, in a doorway, on open ground. Our page on dog-dog reactivity covers that second picture.

The free evaluation, a temperament test plus a few supervised hours in a group on a weekday morning between 6:30 and 9:30 AM, often tells the two apart. A dog that is relaxed off leash in a matched group of 7 to 10 but explosive on the walk to the car is the classic leash case. For that dog the stay concentrates on the leash, the handler and distance, with group play kept separate.

Pattern games come from trainer Leslie McDevitt's books on focus and reactivity, and AVSAB's 2021 position statement includes her Reactive to Relaxed volume in its recommended reading. The idea is predictability. A dog that knows exactly what happens next relaxes into the routine, and with practice the routine switches on by itself when a trigger shows up, before the old explosion can.

Two games carry most of the load. In Look at That, the dog is marked and paid the instant it glances at another dog, so looking becomes a cue to turn back to you rather than a cue to erupt. In the 1-2-3 count, the handler counts aloud while walking and feeds at the leg on three, a rhythm a dog can follow past a trigger with its attention on the count. Both are taught in a quiet room first, then near a decoy, then on the move.

A stay suits a dog whose leash reactivity is mild and mostly frustration, with decent manners otherwise, in a household that can attend both Advanced coaching lessons. Foundation is rarely the right fit, since its week goes on basic skills rather than on proofing near other dogs. Each day's update should tell you how close the decoy came, whether your dog could still play the games there and how fast it recovered after a hard moment. Our board and train page lays out what each stay includes.

Strong reactivity, reactivity to several kinds of trigger, or a dog that cannot take food once another dog appears is better served by owner-present work: Calm & Connected for minor leash reactivity, Focus & Flow at 6 weeks and 12 sessions for one clear trigger, or React Less, Relax More at 8 weeks and 16 sessions. Canine Campus Dean's List, 4 weeks with nights at home, covers mild-to-moderate reactivity when you need a trainer to carry the daily work.