leash
reactivity
Leash reactivity training questions
Does a reactive dog need to greet more dogs?
Training does not require your dog to greet every dog on a walk. We can work toward passing distractions, responding to you and disengaging. Your consultation helps define what a successful walk looks like for your dog.
Which program should I consider?
Homeschool offers trainer-led practice and owner coaching at eligible addresses. Tutoring gives you a larger role in learning the teaching process. Study Abroad is intensive board and train. We recommend a format after discussing your situation.
What should I tell you during a training consultation?
Describe the triggers, distance at which your dog reacts, any bite incidents and the walks you want to enjoy. This is a training consultation, so that history helps us plan. Our separate kennel boarding service uses its human-interaction profile instead.
Leash reactivity is barking, lunging or becoming intensely focused on a trigger while on leash. A dog may be frustrated, fearful, overexcited or responding to past experiences. Your training plan should reflect what happens before the reaction and what your dog needs to do instead.
Traction provides private training in Austin and Boulder, and board and train in Austin, Texas and the Denver area. Start with a free phone consultation.
Leash reactivity is
our specialty
Tell us which triggers lead to reactions, how close they are, what happens before and after, and whether your dog has made contact or bitten. Frustration, discomfort and past experiences can look similar on a walk, so we do not select a plan from a single posture or assume the owner caused the problem.
Your training goals may include a loose leash, checking in with you, moving away from a distraction and passing at a manageable distance. We tailor practice to the routes and situations you actually use, with owner coaching on timing, distance and handling.
Tutoring suits owners who want to lead the practice between lessons. Homeschool adds trainer-led sessions with owner coaching. Study Abroad provides trainer-home board and train when that setting fits the dog and broader goals. No single format is automatically right for every reactive dog.
If reactions also occur around visitors or valued items at home, see our aggression training and resource guarding pages and describe those situations during your consultation.
build your training plan
Start with a free phone consultation. Share your dog’s history, triggers, bite incidents and the changes you want in daily life. We will discuss program fit and the next assessment steps; a phone conversation alone does not establish a medical diagnosis.
Once you and your trainer have agreed on a program, we will guide you through enrollment and scheduling. Your plan should include owner practice and a way to review progress beyond the training sessions.
Training methods and consultation
Schedule a free consultation with one of our head trainers: our Austin training team or Tina for Colorado. We will discuss your dog’s history, goals and program fit, then help match you with a trainer.
Explore our training methods and discuss which approach fits your dog, your handling skills and your goals. Coaching the owner is part of making the training useful beyond a lesson.
Case Study: Luna: leash reactivity and owner-led practice
Starting point: Maureen Bailey described several years of leash reactivity with Luna and limited progress using online resources.
Work described: Maureen chose Tutoring with Victoria so the owners could take an active role and learn alongside Luna.
Reported outcome: Maureen reported improved leash reactivity, responsiveness and trust, while explicitly noting that Luna still had progress to make. The owners left with tools to continue practicing and the option of additional lessons.
Maureen Bailey’s review, quoted in full:
“We’ve been dealing with reactivity in our girl Luna for a few years due to isolation from Covid and an ACL surgery. We worked on training with help from online resources, but nothing helped us make meaningful progress until we worked with Victoria from Traction Dog Training. While Luna still has room for more progress, we saw amazing change in her leash reactivity, responsiveness to commands, and most importantly our bond and trust with her. We chose the Tutoring package because we wanted to be hands on with the process and to ensure we were learning as much as she was. I think we might’ve seen quicker and more transformative progress with Homeschool, but with the tutoring program, we now have the tools to continue her training on our own and can always request extra sessions with Victoria as we need them in the future. I highly recommend Traction if you’re looking for great, compassionate trainers who are invested in you and your pup!”
Review by Maureen Bailey
