Reactivity & Aggression

One of the most useful things you can understand as a dog owner is the 4 Quadrants of Operant Conditioning. Don’t let the technical name scare you — it’s actually pretty straightforward once you break it down. Understanding the Four Quadrants Positive means adding something to the equation. Negative means removing something. It has nothing to do with “good” or “bad.” Here’s a quick overview: Positive Reinforcement = Adding something to increase a behavior (example: giving a t

A lot of owners get scared or embarrassed when their dog starts barking, lunging, or snarling at the end of the leash. They immediately think their dog is aggressive. But here’s the truth: aggression is not usually the problem — it’s the outcome of a problem. In my experience, about 98% of leash reactivity stems from something other than true aggression. Dogs don’t think rationally like people do. They live in the moment. They just are. They react without forethought. The mai

Leash pulling is one of the most common complaints I hear from dog owners. Walks become miserable, frustrating, and sometimes even dangerous. A lot of people try to fix it by switching to a harness or using a flexi leash. But here’s the real reason most methods fail: those tools don’t actually solve the problem — they just make it easier and safer for the dog to keep pulling. If your dog and you are disconnected, the dog simply won’t care that you’re on the other end of the l

If your dog reacts aggressively toward other dogs, people, or gets overly anxious in certain situations, I know exactly how stressful and exhausting that can feel. Many owners I talk to feel stuck, frustrated, and sometimes even embarrassed when their dog barks, lunges, or snarls on the end of the leash. It often reaches a point where walks become dreaded instead of enjoyable. A lot of approaches focus heavily on “management” — things like keeping distance from triggers, cros