Have you ever been told that your anxiety is the reason your dog is reactive?

Let me be clear: that’s not true.
Reactivity stems from a combination of learning history and genetics—not your emotions.

That said, our dogs do pick up on patterns and cues in ways we often don’t notice.

After losing both Maxi and Enzo last winter, I noticed something surprising. I had always assumed I fed the dogs breakfast simply because it was morning. But in reality, it was Maxi and Enzo who cued me to feed everyone—not the clock. I keep forgetting to feed Riker and Jubilee! This picture is Riker subtly asking to be fed breakfast.

Dogs are incredibly tuned in to environmental and social cues. When it comes to leash reactivity, we might think our dog is reacting to the other dog across the street, but the real trigger, or the bigger picture of why your dog is reacting, could be something else entirely.

That might be your body posture, a change in leash tension, the sound of your breathing, or even your movement toward a hiding spot in the bushes.

You’re not the reason your dog became reactive.
But it’s possible you’re now unintentionally reinforcing certain patterns—and that’s something we can change together.

This is exactly the kind of nuance we dig into in my training approach.
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👉 Want help making sense of it all? Explore my free resources below, or send me a message to learn more about how we can work together.

With care,
Christina

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