Reactivity Reading List
Many pet parents’ first foray into formal dog training happens after seeing surprising behaviors pop up. Maybe you adopted a new rescue pup and are suddenly met with growling and lunging at other dogs on walks. Or perhaps your perfect puppy hit adolescence and now they’re up in arms barking any time your neighbor has the audacity to walk on their own lawn. This collection of behaviors is broadly referred to as “reactivity,” and it’s one of the things we get called about most often.
When you type “leash reactivity” into your search engine, you’re probably going to see hundreds of thousands of populated options. In the unregulated world of dog training and behavior, the quality of that information is going to vary wildly. If you are working through reactivity with your dogs, and you’re interested in the most science-backed and up-to-date information available, this is our go-to reading list.
“Canine Enrichment for the Real World” by Allie Bender and Emily Strong
There is so much more to working effectively through reactive behaviors than teaching your dog skills. Step one is always ensuring your dog’s needs are met, and that you’re providing them ample opportunities to engage in natural behaviors. Especially if you’re taking a break from walks (because they’re stressful and/or dangerous), we want to make sure your pups are living enriched lives. Using an enrichment framework, as outlined in this book, is a critical part of meaningful behavior change.
“Plenty in Life is Free” by Kathy Sdao
Despite what you might read online, “obedience” skills will not cure reactivity. In true behavior modification programs, we strive to change e motions to ultimately change behavior. Kathy Sdao discusses how incredibly important it is that we understand that our dogs do not have to behave a certain way in order to receive our attention and affection or access to food, safety, comfort, choice, and control. One of our all time favorite exercises from this book is the popular SMARTx50.
“Control Unleashed. Reactive to Relaxed” by Leslie McDevitt
Control Unleashed is a perfect blend of conceptual content and actionable training plans. This book heavily features pattern games that are key to providing our dogs with a sense of safety and predictability when navigating their worlds and their fears. These deceptively simple pattern games have countless applications. They are living proof that a protocol does not need to be overly-complicated to be highly effective.
“Chill out Fido!” by Nan Arthur
Dogs who exhibit reactive behavior often have a hard time settling down even at home with no distractions or triggers present. Relaxation doesn’t always come easy to dogs, but luckily it is a skill that can be taught. If you’ve ever done training with us, then there is a very good chance you are familiar with Nan Arthur’s Relax on a Mat protocol to teach calmness. This exercise, along with many others outlined in the book, is a cornerstone in working through big emotional behaviors with our dogs.
“Fired Up, Frantic, and Freaked Out” by Laura VanArendonk Baugh
This book provides a user-friendly approach to working through reactivity through shaping and systematic desensitization. Laura focuses on proactive techniques that encourage confidence and exploratory behavior from the dog, and to create a sense of “optimism” around unknown or potentially triggering stimuli.
“The New Click to Calm” and “Teaching a Reactive Dog Class” by Emma Parsons
We go to Emma Parsons particularly for those “S.O.S.” behaviors. It takes time and patience to effectively work through reactivity, and there are bound to be moments where the environment throws us curve balls we aren’t quite ready for yet. These books cover ways to “get out of dodge” and avoid dangerous or triggering situations.
“Behavior Adjustment Training 2.0” by Grisha Stewart
Distance is your friend when it comes to preventing reactive behaviors and working under threshold is critical to seeing progress. BAT 2.0 covers everything from body language to leash handling skills to the science of behavior change.
If you’re not a reader or are struggling to implement these exercises and concepts on your own then you’re in luck! We pull from all of 7 of these books and more to provide our learners with a comprehensive approach to working through reactive behaviors in our Reactive Rover Recovery class.
This 6-week class takes place LIVE on Zoom with two certified behavior consultants. You’ll have opportunities to submit homework assignments for feedback. Complete all of your homework satisfactorily and you’ll receive a 20% discount on virtual or in-person private coaching! Because we all deserve some R+ for our hard work.