“Reactivity” in dogs refers to an excessive or overly emotional response to a specific trigger or situation. Most commonly, it is other dogs and/or people. By definition, ‘react’ is to act in response to something; respond in a particular way. It’s important to stress the importance of not using labels to describe dog behaviour, as it can be misleading. To quote Susan Friedman, “Behaviour is not who you are – it’s what you do.”
Find out more about why dogs react, what it means, and how you can help in our full article on Reactivity In Dogs here.