The answer
Very often, yes. Across fourteen dogs the trainers say the same thing in different words: tension on the leash, a locked retractable, a harness or a barrier puts pressure on the dog before anything has happened, and a dog who feels that pressure and sees a dog he cannot reach reacts. On Fiona's walk the trainer puts it to the camera: lock the leash out of habit and she 'is going to feel back pressure, and she's going to see the dog' and do the whole thing; keep it unlocked and she mostly won't. The staff on Peque's refresher say most owners 'lock the leash and create a bunch of leash tension and hold the dog back', and it 'just hypes the dog up more'.
The trainers know this mechanism works because they use it on purpose. Protection dogs are built by holding them back on a short leash or a harness until they are frustrated (Apollo the Sharkie, Astro, Fiona, Rocky, Savage). The same trainer who builds bite intent that way tells Apollo's owner that people with harnesses on reactive dogs are 'inadvertently creating it'.
The practice that follows is simple. Take the tension away and give the dog the choice at the trigger: an unlocked retractable, keep moving, 'let's go'. Then a reaction on a loose leash is the dog's own decision and can be penalised fairly: 'she made a dumb decision, you didn't cause it'. Barrier barking at a fence, a crate or a kennel is sorted separately from wanting to hurt. It is usually excitement to reach the other side, and on film it is left alone unless it is constant (Hattie, Marvin, Sofia, Roman). Excitement to meet a dog is often mistaken for reactivity. One trainer tells a stranger that nearly all 'dog aggressive' dogs he sees are leash-reactive. New animals are introduced without holding the dog back, because restraint 'gives you the wrong information'.
Inferred, not said in these words: the leash is taken out of the problem before the dog is judged, so what is left is what the dog actually intends.
What to do
Stop holding him back. When a dog appears, don't lock the retractable or reel him in. Keep walking, keep the leash slack and say 'let's go'. If he reacts anyway, that is his choice and you can answer it. 'So I implore you, stop putting leash tension with your dog' (Fiona, watch 16:29). On a short leash the standard is no tension at all. Introductions happen on a slack or retractable lead.
What the trainers say
other two that I think of a lot are excitement and barrier he has both of those so he is really amped really excited
come over he gets really amped up the other is any kind of restraint or or barrier that he's behind will amp him up.
That's actually how we teach protection.
That's why you have so many people walk around with harnesses with really reactive dogs because they're inadvertently creating it with the harness
not being restrained right being restrained and being able to pull creates reactivity and increases it that's how I train protection dogs
preempt it and I lock it up and I put him in like obedience as a band-aid he never makes a choice there's no choice point that ever happens
out of habit lock this leash and you put a bunch of tension on it little miss fionita here here, is going to feel back pressure, and she's going to see the dog
if you keep this unlocked, she's not going to do it, and if she does, it's actually a simple fix, because she made a dumb decision, you didn't cause it
So I implore you, stop putting leash tension with your dog.
i hold them back if you hold them back it creates tension yeah the tension creates more
if you hold dogs back on leashes that makes them be reactive and then you get the wrong information
just put a bunch of you know restriction and so you can see what that does to the dog when i'm always restricting it it builds frustration and then they end up freaking out and barking right
ever like look aggressive is behind a fence yeah but that's that's just what they call barrier frustration and a lot of dogs have barrier frustration
right so um uh with that greeting the most important thing is not to pressurize it
they are can be a little bit tougher issue to fix I found that in like ninety nine point nine nine percent of cases like dog aggressive is either just leash reactive so like they just feel restraint on the end of the leash
or the other big problem this is more of like a lot of most owners do this they just they just lock the leash and create a bunch of leash tension and hold the dog back
a correction of any kind like it's not popping or no e-collars involved it's just like this like just tension on the leash
looking at it and going towards it um but funnily enough that a lot of times builds desire to do that thing because you're holding him back from it
He's got a little like bit of leash reactivity and some barrier aggression with crates on kennels and then he's got like that thing where he reacts to other dogs when he can't get to them
I mean his bite grip is good, he's not well in go, but just a little more focus on the watch and a little more frustration
Porque no está agresivo, normalmente es reactividad.
How it looks, dog by dog
Apollo (the Sharkie)
The taxonomy. At the go-home lesson the trainer sorts reactivity into intent, excitement and barrier, and puts Apollo in the last two: amped when excited, and amped by any restraint or barrier, a crate or a leash he is pulling at the end of. He says this is exactly how protection is taught, and that harnesses on reactive dogs are creating the problem. On the walk he releases the leash rather than pulling back, because holding him back would have started a reaction. The owner is told not to use a harness on him.
On film
normally categorize them in there's intent intent means that they want to do something bad
Yeah, and the reason it works is because you're taking advantage of that barrier that leash frustration
more then I could have gotten him to start reacting right so if I held him back and made a big thing then he's gonna go
Astro
The choice at the trigger. Astro had been muzzled on walks for years because of other dogs. On the update walk a dog appears, and the trainer does not lock the retractable or pull him close. He keeps moving and says 'let's go', because locking up and parking him in obedience means he 'never makes a choice'. On a six-foot leash the rule is no tension at all. The owner's reaction is the muzzle-free walk itself.
On film
don't lock it because that's the first instinct you lock the flexi and you pull him close
never makes a choice there's no choice point that ever happens so he can't choose right or wrong
Fiona
The clearest single case. Fiona 'shows some reactivity on walks'. The trainer suspects she has never been near another dog without a leash or a barrier, and lets her approach passing dogs with neither. She shows no interest, and the diagnosis is that her reactivity is 'attached to' leash tension. On her last day, on a trail, the trainer adds the pulling mechanism: tension reinforces pulling because the pressure goes away when the dog arrives where she was pulling to. The plan is a long retractable, 'let them make a choice', and a penalty for a bad one. By her arc, this reverses what her first program had taught, which was to lock the leash and pop.
On film
and there's no barrier so fiona's reactivity is 100 attached to what
that makes your dog pull and it makes your dog be reactive
pressure releases when they pull so they attach pulling to pressure being released
Hattie
Introductions and the fence. At her adoption handover Hattie meets the family's cat on a retractable lead, so the trainer can read her body language without holding her back. Held back, she would react, and the trainer would learn the wrong thing. What he watches for is freezing and fixation. Her barking behind fences he names barrier reactivity, 'normally not super problematic' unless she lives in that situation.
On film
What I'd recommend is, hey, come here, I'm just gonna put her on a retractable lead,
It's normally not super problematic,
Lucia
Restriction as the failure mode. On a crowded trail, on a 33-foot retractable, the trainer demonstrates the common alternative: a four- or six-foot leash, a pop every time the dog goes where the handler doesn't want, 'focus', 'no'. He says it builds frustration until the dog barks, and that punishing that gets only 'a generalized suppression'. On her first park outing he keeps the rules 'really small' so as not to raise her frustration with too many barriers. Her reactivity, he says, is low-grade and excitement.
On film
time when i'm out here walking and the problem is that the typical response i see from people
I'm just gonna put a few really small rules on it really small rules on it good girl but I'm gonna try not to increase her frustration by having like too many barriers put on it
Marvin (Giant Schnauzer)
The fence the family keeps. Marvin's owners say the only time he has looked aggressive is behind a fence. The trainer names it barrier frustration, common and 'not real aggression'. The owners are happy for strangers to think he guards the house, so the barking stays, with a recall and 'enough' added to call him off it.
On film
yeah i'm cool with that yeah um but yeah he definitely lines the fence and will bark
Milo
Greetings between small dogs and strangers' dogs. The trainer's most important rule for a greeting is not to pressurise it. A retractable with no pressure lets two dogs meet. Two owners pulling back on two leashes add 'tension and frustration to the mix', and 'it causes a problem that wouldn't have happened'. The same lesson asks the owner of these small dogs to judge the other dog first and step in calmly to move a pushy one off.
On film
like and then like it causes a problem that wouldn't have happened if it hadn't been any pressure on it
pressure on it right so that's one thing is like make sure there's no pressure on the situation
Murphy
Said to a stranger, not about Murphy. In a store, a member of the public describes a dog-aggressive dog. The trainer replies that in nearly every case he sees, 'dog aggressive' is leash reactivity: restraint plus excitement. His answer is a 'nope' with real consequences, then lots of freedom on a 33-foot retractable and choices, after which 'they just don't care anymore'. Murphy's own problem was the other kind, off leash and in the house, and his arc records that it got a different answer.
On film
soon as I tell them to stop it like actually I just tell them nope and then like make consequences that are pretty big
what they're going to do and then i let them make choices all of a sudden they just don't care anymore
Peque (PK)
Excitement mistaken for reactivity. On the refresher walk the staff say owners often read a dog hyped to meet another dog as reactive, and that locking the leash hypes it further. PK passes the last three dogs without a bark, walked past with choice allowed, and hackles are tolerated 'as long as they don't do anything'.
On film
a lot of times they mistake like reactivity for excitement yeah dog just wants is just is just hype to see the other the other dog
good job baby yeah i mean hackles if they raise it's fine as long as they don't do anything
Poseidon
The trainer catches himself. On a Cabela's errand the trainer reads out a viewer's comment. On an earlier video he had put 'a little bit of backwards leash pressure' on a dog while she greeted someone, and the viewer called it counterproductive. He agrees. Nervous owners anticipate problems and hold passive tension that is not a correction at all, and 'that does way more harm than good'. He adds that tired, experienced trainers do it too.
On film
pointed out that that was counterproductive and she was right so i agreed with her in the comments
just like this like just tension on the leash and the dog's trying to go do
Rocky
Locking is management, and it builds desire. Rocky lunges toward a child. The trainer says locking the leash stopped him but taught him nothing, and that holding a dog back from a thing 'a lot of times builds desire to do that thing'. That is how protection dogs are baited on a shortened leash. His readiness test for off-leash is a 45-minute walk on a 26-foot retractable without ever locking it.
On film
um but that was a management thing all i did was just lock the leash
the way that we train protection dogs is we shorten the leash up and we bait them to get really amped at something
Roman
Restraint as a diagnostic. Roman has a reputation built mostly through the kennel fence and on leash. At the evaluation the trainer has an owner hold him back on the lead while he walks toward them, to see whether restraint is the whole problem. The result is 'a pretty neutral interaction', amped because he wants to play. At the second visit the trainer narrows Roman's problem to leash reactivity, barrier aggression at crates and kennels, and frustration at dogs he cannot reach, and says he doubts Roman would actually attack a dog.
On film
food or no so put him on the lead just hold his leash and just walk it just hold him back as I walk towards you
Yeah, hey dog, yeah, that's a pretty neutral interaction, I mean he's amped up because he wants to play but he's not
he can't get to them but I don't know if he would actually attack a dog
Savage
The mechanism used on purpose. In Savage's protection program the remaining work is 'a little more frustration' on the watch, so that when he is released the grip has 'a little more intent behind it'. A later session is named frustration work. Its mechanics beyond restraint and a helper pulling on the sleeve are not explained on film.
On film
I mean his bite grip is good, he's not well in go, but just a little more focus on the watch and a little more frustration so that when he releases and actually grabs it, you just have a little more intent behind it that you want for the protection part.
brown one. We're gonna do a little frustration work.
Sofia
The fence explained to a frightened family, in Spanish. At Sofia's first owner lesson the family's priority is being near other dogs. The head trainer explains that dogs barking at a fence want to get to the other side to see, smell and greet, and almost all dogs do it. Take the fence away and they sniff. So it is better called fence reactivity: 'it isn't aggressive, normally it's reactivity'. Barking at a dog face to face, once the fence is gone, is 'otra cosa', something else.
On film
están ladrando y hay una cerca es porque quieren ir hacia ese lado y quieren verlos
Pero si le quitas la cerca, se van a andar oliendo y no se van a ladrar.
Why it works
Stated: restraint and a barrier both mean the dog can see something he wants and cannot reach it, and that frustration amps him up (Apollo watch 32:14; Sofia watch 31:17; Roman watch 08:06). A dog held back 'builds desire' for the thing he is held back from (Rocky watch 55:41). The trainers prove the mechanism by using it: a short leash or harness and a helper are how protection drive and bite intent are built (Astro watch 02:48; Rocky 55:58; Fiona watch 32:42; Savage watch 17:37). Pulling itself is kept going because the pressure goes away when the dog arrives where he was pulling to (Fiona watch 33:09). Pre-empting with a locked leash removes the choice point, so the dog can never choose right or wrong (Astro 13:27). With the tension gone, a reaction is the dog's own decision and can be penalised without the handler having caused it (Fiona watch 15:43). In a greeting, tension from two owners makes a meeting that would have been fine go wrong (Milo watch 08:55). Inferred, not stated: part of the effect may be the handler's anticipation travelling down the leash. Poseidon's trainer describes nervous owners who 'anticipate problems', but no one on film separates the physical tension from the handler's state.
Where the trainers differ
How much correction goes with the freedom?
One view
Few and small rules; punishing a frustrated reaction gives only generalised suppression.
On film
I'm just gonna put a few really small rules on it really small rules on it
You could punish them
Another view
A clear 'nope' with consequences 'that are pretty big', then lots of freedom; a bad choice on a loose leash is penalised.
On film
soon as I tell them to stop it like actually I just tell them nope and then like make consequences that are pretty big
And then you have an easy way to penalize it, right?
How to read it
Not resolved on film. The two positions may describe different moments: freedom while nothing is happening, and a consequence for the act once the dog chooses it. Lucia's trainer is warning against constant correction of the frustration itself.
Is barrier barking a problem to fix?
One view
Usually not: common, excitement to reach the other side, left alone unless constant; a family may even keep it.
On film
It's normally not super problematic,
bark the whole yeah and it's like i was like i don't necessarily mind that
Another view
In Roman's case barrier aggression at crates and kennels is part of the problem the owners asked to have worked, and Apollo's owner is warned about crate barking as part of his barrier reactivity.
On film
He's got a little like bit of leash reactivity and some barrier aggression with crates
somebody walks by or a dog walks by and he can see them.
How to read it
Hattie's trainer gives the condition that joins them: it matters when the dog is 'constantly in that scenario' (06:35).
Common owner mistakes
- Locking the retractable and reeling the dog in the moment a dog appears.
On film
don't lock it because that's the first instinct you lock the flexi and you pull him close
Astro · Watch at 13:11 ↗ out of habit lock this leash and you put a bunch of tension on it
Fiona · Watch at 15:17 ↗ - Nervous, anticipatory tension held on the leash when nothing has happened yet.
On film
a lot of times I work with dog owners who get really nervous and kind of
Poseidon · Watch at 7:50 ↗ - Walking a reactive dog on a harness.
On film
They're teaching their dogs to react to people and pull
Apollo (the Sharkie) · Watch at 33:03 ↗ - A short leash, a pop every time the dog looks somewhere else, and constant 'focus' and 'no'.
On film
for a second is they'll do this they'll just take them out on like a six foot or four foot
Lucia · Watch at 2:29 ↗ - Pulling back on both ends of a greeting between two dogs.
On film
like and then like it causes a problem that wouldn't have happened if it hadn't been any
Milo · Watch at 8:55 ↗ - Reading excitement to meet a dog as aggression.
On film
would want a treat yeah so he's obviously gonna well then a lot of times they mistake like
Peque (PK) · Watch at 22:42 ↗
Questions owners ask
Why does my dog only react on the leash?
The trainers' first suspect is the leash itself. A tight or locked leash is back pressure the dog feels before anything has happened, and he can see a dog he cannot reach. On Fiona's walk the trainer takes both the leash and the barrier away, and she shows no interest in the dog. His conclusion is that her reactivity is 'attached to' leash tension.
On film
and there's no barrier so fiona's reactivity is 100 attached to what
out of habit lock this leash and you put a bunch of tension on it
Should I hold my dog back when another dog walks past?
On film, no. Keep moving, keep the leash slack or the retractable unlocked, and say 'let's go'. Locking up and parking him in a sit means he 'never makes a choice'. If he reacts on a loose leash, that is his decision and you can answer it.
On film
preempt it and I lock it up and I put him in like obedience as a band-aid he never makes a choice
if you keep this unlocked, she's not going to do it, and if she does, it's actually a
My dog goes crazy at the fence. Is he aggressive?
Usually not, in the trainers' reading. Barking at a fence is mostly the wish to get to the other side, and 'if you take the fence away, they sniff' (Sofia's lesson, in Spanish). Hattie's trainer calls it barrier reactivity and says it is normally not a problem unless the dog spends all day in that situation. Marvin's family kept theirs, with a recall and 'enough' added.
On film
Porque no está agresivo, normalmente es reactividad.
It's normally not super problematic,
Is a harness better than a collar for a dog who lunges?
Not in this program. The trainer who teaches protection says a harness and a short leash are how he builds drive on purpose, and that people with reactive dogs on harnesses are 'inadvertently creating it'. Apollo's owner is told not to use one.
On film
That's why you have so many people walk around with harnesses with really reactive dogs
creates reactivity and increases it that's how I train protection dogs
How should I introduce my dog to a new dog or cat?
Without holding him back. Hattie meets the family cat on a retractable lead so the trainer can read her without restraint: 'if you hold dogs back on leashes that makes them be reactive and then you get the wrong information'. What he watches for is freezing and fixation.
On film
if you hold dogs back on leashes that makes them be reactive and then you get the wrong information
The lesson
The goal
Take restraint out of the picture so that what is left is the dog's own choice, and answer only that.
Learn first
See it done
- Fiona: Leash and barrier removed; the reactive dog shows no interest. Watch at 14:15 ↗
- Astro: Passing a dog on an unlocked retractable with 'let's go'. Watch at 13:11 ↗
- Roman: Restraint used as a test: the owner holds him back while the trainer approaches. Watch at 13:09 ↗
The drill
As run with Astro, Fiona and Lucia. Walk on a long retractable in a place with other dogs at a distance. When a dog appears, do not lock or reel in. Keep walking and say 'let's go'. If the dog follows, praise. If he leans or braces into the leash, a small pop and 'let's go' again. If he reacts on a slack leash, answer that choice with the agreed consequence, then give the freedom back. On a short leash the standard is no tension at all. For introductions, use a retractable and watch for freezing and fixation.
Watch out for
- Locking the leash 'just in case' before anything has happened.
- Holding passive tension out of nerves.
- Using a harness on a dog who pulls into it.
- Correcting constantly for looking, rather than answering the act.
- Treating fence barking as proof of aggression.
Check yourself
When a dog appears on your walk, is your leash slack or tight before your dog has done anything?