Hi Elizabeth! First I want to make sure you understand that nowhere in the article did we refer to leash corrections as animal abuse. It is simply not the best method for working with reactivity, and regardless of how harmless you may think it is, these kinds of corrections do add fear and stress to the learner. Which is a huge problem for working on reactivity, since the goal is to reduce the fear and stress that the animal is already experiencing!

I’m not sure you fully read our article where we explain what’s happening in the dog’s mind when experiencing reactivity. Just as yelling at a child for crying and telling them to “suck it up, stop being such a baby” is very unhelpful for helping the child cope with whatever feelings they are experiencing, correcting a dog for displaying reactive behavior is similar. It’s unhelpful and does nothing to address the root of the issue.

Lastly, I just want to take issue with what you’ve said about a dog correcting another with a nip. This is a very common misconception. Dogs are very effective communicator with subtleties. It’s more or less unheard of for a mother dog to physically hurt her puppy. What may look like a nip to you often has no physical contact whatsoever. Physical violence — no matter how mild — isn’t necessary. If even dogs know that, I’m not sure why it’s a struggle for humans to understand!

It’s also unclear what is being “proven” in that video, as the video you sent me largely has to do with stopping a dog from pulling on a walk. And in that as well I would consider his forceful corrections totally un-necessary. There are much kinder ways to prevent a dog from pulling.

Oh really? See, the problem starts when we classify ALL forms of correction as abusive. Leash corrections and a stern voice should not be put in the same category as e-collars and swatting. Leash corrections and a stern voice are meant to imitate the way dogs correct each other- with a quick nip to the neck or a warning growl.

Humanely correcting a dog for leash pulling and reactivity doesn’t cause the dog to associate the other dog with fear or pain, as this video proves: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdrnljxrfbI

Hey there, Kelsey.
It’s obviously tough to tell what is going on from afar, so it’d be wise to reach out to a certified dog behavior consultant and have an evaluation performed (especially given the eventual size of your pooch).
It sounds like she *may* be dealing with some fear issues, so, while you’ll still need to speak to a behaviorist to be sure and to develop a good plan of attack, desensitization and counterconditioning are two techniques that are often used to address these types of issues.
Best of luck! Let us know how it goes.

I have a 1 year 3 mo old female Belgian malinois who up until about 3 weeks ago wanted to go up to every dog we passed, with ears back and wanting to play! Very submissive body language. However, we’ve had some recent incidents where she got snappy with a young dog who came in with high energy and made a sudden movement, as well as when we walked into a coffee shop and there was a lady and her dog right by the door and her dog immediately approached mine. Kora gave off a few “go away” barks as we walked away. She’s also started barking when we’re out somewhere and she’s laying down when a dog walks nearby. With that being said, I take her to CGC class every week, she’s gone through training since having her as a puppy, and she’s totally fine with other dogs around her. It’s certain triggers she loses it. What do you suggest for this?

Hey there, Carol.

We’re so sorry to hear about the challenges with your pooch. But we applaud you for all of the effort you’ve put in so far and for working with multiple behaviorists.

At the end of the day, no single approach works well in all situations or for all pups. And for that matter, it’s not always possible to correct every behavioral challenge dogs present. Sometimes, you simply need to accept that your dog has a behavioral quirk and use management techniques to work around the issue.

And you’re right that some dogs aren’t very food motivated, so you simply need to find something else that motivates him. My own dog isn’t very food motivated, but she loves scritches/love/praise, so that’s what I use when training her in many cases.

Have you increased the amount of exercise he gets? The “a tired dog is a well-behaved dog” adage is certainly a cliche at this point, but there’s a reason for that: It’s true. It certainly isn’t always feasible to take your dog on a 2-mile jog before navigating a busy street or going out for a simple walk, but it is usually a viable solution for occasional situations, such as vet visits.

We wish you the best of luck in your search for a solution that works, but we’d just strongly urge you to stick to positive, non-aversive strategies; the alternative is simply cruel and often serves to increase a dog’s anxiety, stress, and frustration.