Q: My husband feels our dog should be facing their issues with other dogs and going to dog parks. I feel our dog prefers avoiding situations like that. What should we do?

A: If you have a reactive dog, you have likely been in situations where your dog barks, lunges, freezes, or tries to run when faced with certain triggers: other dogs, people, bikes, joggers, or loud noises. It can feel like the world is watching you, and the peer pressure to “fix” your dog or push through the situation can be overwhelming. However, walking your dog away from their triggers is not giving up or avoiding the problem; it is advocating for your dog and maintaining the human-animal bond and trust.

Walking away helps protect your dog’s emotional threshold. Reactivity is often driven by fear or frustration, and when these emotions flood your dog, they cannot learn or process new information effectively and may act as if they cannot hear you. Continuing to flood them with the trigger in that state of mind reinforces their response. By moving away, you are giving your dog space to decompress, reset, and feel safe again.

Creating space is also about communication and consent. When your dog shows signs of stress or frustration and you move them away from what is bothering them, you let them know you hear them and respect their wishes. This builds trust between you and your dog and lets your dog know that you will support them and not push them past what they can handle. This can help their confidence in the future for behavior modification.

Avoidance is not a missed training opportunity; it is a win. By preventing a meltdown, you reinforce calm, desirable behaviors and protect your dog from rehearsing undesirable behaviors. This can help make future walks more enjoyable. Always advocate for your dog and maintain their trust in you.