Reactivity Tips: Small Changes That Make a Big Difference

Living with a reactive dog can feel exhausting. Some days it feels like every walk is a tactical mission, every corner a potential problem, and every mistake weighs far heavier than it should. And when you start looking for advice, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by rules, protocols and pressure to “fix” things quickly. I have lived with reactive whippets over the last 14 years and fully understand the emotional overwhelm and quick fixes the internet has to sell you.

The truth is, progress with reactive dogs usually comes from small, thoughtful changes rather than big dramatic training sessions, it is all about practising, being consistent and knowing what to do. Here are a few practical tips that can make day-to-day life feel more manageable — and help your dog feel safer too.

Practise “Let’s Go” When Nothing Is Going Wrong

Emergency U-turns are invaluable. Being able to calmly turn and move away when a situation goes pear-shaped can save you and your dog from a full meltdown. Teaching this is a foundation skill to reactivity training and can really give you and your dog a way to handle stressful situations.

But here’s the catch: if you only ever say “let’s go” when there’s a dog rushing towards you, that phrase quickly becomes a warning signal. Your dog learns, “Every time I hear that, something bad is about to happen.” Instead of turning away with you, they start scanning for the dog.

Dogs are brilliant at pattern recognition.

I learned this the hard way with Marley! He learned "lets go" meant dogs offlead were too close and I realised one day that he had learned that when I said it with nothing around and he turned around barking and lunging even though there was no dog around to get stressed about!

That’s why it’s so important to practise lead pressure and your “let’s go” cue often — when life is calm, when nothing exciting is happening, when there are no dogs around at all. Make it smooth, rewarding and boring in the best possible way.

That way, when you really need it, your dog already understands that “let’s go” just means move with me, not brace yourself.

Exposure to Triggers Doesn’t Need to Be Long

A really common misconception is that exposure work needs to be prolonged or built into every walk. It doesn’t. It doesn't need to be an hour of hanging around dogs in a class; or an hour stalking dogs at the park. Desperately trying to get positive associations with other dogs or people. In fact longer exposures can end up creating a higher chance of things going wrong as the odds start to stack against you.

Not only that but the length of exposure can be very difficult for some dogs as a trigger can be very difficult, the longer the exposure the more anxious they may become as it is stressful to deal with.

Exposure doesn’t need to be intense or time-consuming — it just needs to be positive and under threshold.

Sometimes the most powerful sessions are short and sweet. You might plan a trip somewhere you know you’ll see dogs at a comfortable distance, let your dog spot their trigger, then immediately turn it into a celebration. Feed generously, keep things light, and leave while your dog is still coping.

That’s it. No long walk. No pushing through. No waiting for things to get harder.

Those positive snapshots add up, and they’re far kinder to your dog’s nervous system than grinding exposure every single day.

Use a Multi-Dog Household to Your Advantage

If you live with more than one dog, chances are you’ve already been told to walk your reactive dog separately as this helps your dog to learn the foundation skills without another dog there. There’s also an opportunity hidden there.

Your non-reactive dog can become your scout.

Use them to explore new walking routes, check out how busy an area is, see whether other dogs are under control, and assess whether there’s enough space for your reactive dog to cope. Wide paths, good sightlines and predictable environments make a huge difference.

Walking your non-reactive dog can also help you build connections. You might get chatting to other owners, explain that you sometimes walk a reactive dog nearby who won’t be able to say hello, and that avoidance isn’t personal. That simple conversation can remove so much of the embarrassment reactive dog owners often feel and you may even find people willing to help by giving space in future.

High-Value Treats Really Do Matter

I know I talk about this a lot — but that’s because it works.

If I offered you a penny to stand next to something you genuinely didn’t like, you might tolerate it… briefly. If I offered you a few hundred pounds, you’d probably start re-evaluating the situation.

Dogs are no different.

Don’t assume what your dog values. Ask them. Offer a choice of treats and see which one they go for first. Around triggers, ordinary biscuits often aren’t enough. This is where cheese, chicken, sausage or whatever your dog truly loves earns its place. MUFFIN TRAY LINK

High-value situations deserve high-value rewards.

Build Trust, Not Just Training Skills

If someone repeatedly dragged you into situations where bad things happened, on a daily basis, you wouldn’t trust them very much. Reactive dogs feel the same when we keep taking them on walks that are FULL of triggers they cannot handle.

That’s why relationship-building matters just as much as technique. Train often, play together, reward generously, and create a clear dialogue where your dog learns that you listen and respond.

And sometimes that means making hard changes. If you keep walking the same route every day where your dog repeatedly encounters things they can’t cope with, you’re unintentionally telling them, “This is just how life is with me.”

I know it’s inconvenient. I know it disrupts routines. But if you want behaviour to change, something has to change.

With Marley, that meant stopping walks in certain local fields except at ridiculously early times, choosing wide roads with long sightlines, and prioritising places where I could manoeuvre easily. Straight roads, open views and space to move made all the difference. Over time he could handle seeing dogs across the road no issues, but without that temporary break from stressful walks we were getting nowhere.

Be Kind to Yourself Too

Having a reactive dog is tough. It’s emotionally draining, isolating at times, and often misunderstood by others.

So be kind to yourself. Celebrate the small wins. Make space for walks and activities that aren’t about training or managing triggers. And reward yourself too — because you’re doing your best in a situation you never asked for.

Progress isn’t linear. But with patience, thoughtful management and a strong relationship, things really can improve.

And you don’t have to do it alone. You can get support with kind effective training from anywhere in the world, specialising in sighthounds and reactivity. https://whippetwonders.co.uk/reactivity