STOP Doing These 5 Things with Your Reactive Dog!

by Certified Professional Dog Trainer Maureen Cucinella at Spirited K9 in Blue Ridge GA

Do you have a reactive dog? I know firsthand how frustrating—and sometimes embarrassing—it can be. Years ago, I wrote a blog about my own dog's reactivity. Since then, I’ve had many people reach out to say how helpful and relatable it was.

With so much conflicting information online, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. Below are some of the most common mistakes I still see owners make when trying to help with training their reactive dog—and why they often don’t lead to lasting results.

#1 – Stop Correcting Your Dog Just for Looking at Another Dog

Has a trainer told you to correct your dog as soon as they look at another dog to prevent a reaction? You’re out for a walk, and another dog appears ahead. Your dog locks eyes, and you instantly pop the leash or tap the e-collar. Your dog doesn’t bark or lunge, but stays tense, scanning the other dog.

It might feel like it “worked,” but next time you’re surprised by a dog around a corner, the reaction still happens.

Now imagine if every time you glanced at someone on the street, you were told “No!” and given a correction. You wouldn’t feel great about people either, would you?

This approach might stop movement, but it doesn’t actually help your dog feel better or more confident. Over time, it can make reactivity worse or more unpredictable.

#2 – Stop Using Treats to Distract from the Trigger

Many dogs start associating the appearance of a treat with the presence of another dog. Some even refuse food entirely when they're overstimulated. Meanwhile, the handler becomes too focused on timing or delivering food and isn’t reading the dog’s behavior.

Treats can be useful—but not when they’re just a distraction tool or used to avoid a reaction rather than help change how the dog feels.

#3 – Stop Relying on “Sit” to Manage Reactions

Let’s say you’re out walking your dog and see another dog in the distance. You ask for a sit. Your dog complies, but shifts, tenses, and fixates. You correct and ask them to sit again. Maybe they stay, but their posture is tight, breathing shallow, and eyes locked onto the other dog. They’re sitting, yes—but they’re not calm. They’re mentally and emotionally still engaged in the problem.“Sit” might stop the movement, but it doesn’t address your dog’s internal state. Just because a dog is still doesn’t mean they’re okay.

#4 – Stop Holding the Leash Right Up at the Collar

It’s tempting to choke up on the leash when you anticipate a reaction—but this makes things worse. When the leash is tight and right up near the collar, your dog feels restricted. For many dogs, that trapped feeling increases the likelihood of a reaction.

As someone who’s 4'10", I promise you don’t need strength to control your dog—you need smart handling. Holding tension right at the collar and pairing it with nervous energy, petting, or saying “You’re okay” can start to resemble how protection dogs are trained to target threats. It’s not reassuring—it’s activating. Over time, this pattern reinforces the reactivity instead of easing it.

#5 – Stop Stressing About Always Staying “Under Threshold”

That’s right—you don’t have to obsess over keeping your dog in a perfect, calm bubble all the time.

The most common advice reactive dog owners hear is: “Work below threshold. Don’t let them react.” And while that has its place, it’s not the full picture. The real world is unpredictable. Even when doing everything “right,” surprises happen—on walks, in your yard, at your vet.

If every reaction feels like a step backward, and your main strategy is avoiding anything that causes one, it becomes exhausting. For many people, that turns into years of “managing” reactivity rather than making progress.

Reactions aren’t failures—they’re opportunities When handled correctly, they can be part of the learning process. Your dog doesn’t yet know how to cope with the pressure of another dog nearby—and that’s okay. What matters is what we do afterthe reaction.

Also, if you’re constantly on edge, scanning for other dogs, hiding behind bushes, or changing routes, your dog picks up on it. They learn from us. If you act like other dogs are a problem, they will too.

So… Are You Doing Any of These Things?

I did.

And so have many of the owners I work with.

If you're unsure what to do next, especially now that some of the most common tips aren’t working, I’d love to help. I offer free consultations to assess your dog’s behavior and give you a clear path forward.

Most owners are surprised at how simple I make the process. They start feeling confident again, and before long, they’re actually excited to get out and train—because the progress is real.

If you’re reading this and wondering, ‘Okay, so what should I do instead?’—that’s what we’ll figure out together. Every reactive dog is different, and I’ll help you understand exactly why your dog reacts, and what to do about it.