Jekyll & Hyde - Social off Leash but Reactive on Leash

Leash reactivity seems to become more common and it is often hard to distinguish from a more generalised aggression towards other dogs, especially in rescue dogs with an unknown history.

There are a lot of dogs who are completely fine off leash but look very aggressive on leash. They bark, lunge, whine and pull and some will aggress and hurt another dog if given a chance.

However, we have a lot of tools in our tool box to deal with this stressful situation and we can make the walk a positive experience again.

Learning Objectives

• explain leash reactivity and how it develops
• define the motivations for this behaviour
• identify steps to prevent leash reactivity including what a good puppy class should teach
• explore why some dogs are more prone to show this behaviour
• improve the handler/owner’s knowledge of body language and threshold
• show ways of getting dogs to calm down on leash and ignore other dogs
• making the walk a positive experience again with respondent and operant conditioning
• reducing stress for the owner and the dog

About The Presenter

In 2015 I completed my Diploma in Canine Behaviour Science and Technology at the Companion Animal Sciences Institute in Canada (http://casinstitute.com). But I have been involved in dog training for the last 15 years and completed a Certificate IV in Companion Animal Services as a Delta-accredited instructor in 2007. I have been running Goodog Positive Dog Training on the Northern Beaches Sydney for the last 10 years, running classes on all levels as well as workshops and agility fun classes. We also do in home consultations. I compete on excellent and master level Agility and Rally O with Shellbe my five year old German Shorthaired Pointer. Zorbas a Kelpie/Ridgeback cross is retired now but enjoys it at almost 14 years of age. I had a life before dogs and hold a Master's Degree in Modern European History and Economics from the University of Bern (Switzerland) and a MBA (Master of Business Administration) from Southern Cross University Australia. I have in-depth experience in adult education and training, having taught high school and university students in Bern, college students in Sydney, as well as middle and top management employees of a large public corporation in Switzerland.