I heard this story from a dog parent recently:

Their dog was exhibiting reactive behavior so they hired a positive reinforcement trainer. I know this trainer – they are an excellent dog trainer and an absolutely lovely person. But they don’t specialize in reactivity.

Trigger warning: this article discusses euthanasia

You likely have shelters and rescues in your area. You probably even know which ones are the “kill” and “no-kill” organizations. However, this language is not only problematic in its own right, it also doesn’t accurately describe how these shelters operate. These terms also play a huge role in why there is currently an epidemic of reactive and aggressive dogs living as pets in homes.

I work with dogs that have big feelings – feelings about other dogs, feelings about people, feelings about the world in general. My first instruction when we start a training program is almost always the same: stop walking your dog. No surprise, I get many reactions. Most of which are mixtures of confusion and worry.

One of the most common problem dog behaviors I get asked to help with is jumping – jumping on people, jumping on furniture, counter-surfing, etc. At best it’s frustrating to have a dog that jumps on everyone or everything. At worst, it’s dangerous and your dog could get hurt or hurt someone.