If you’re trying to fix the barking, pulling and lunging whilst the barking, pulling and lunging is happening - you’re already too late.

By the time your dog *does* the behaviour, their body has already fired off an entire chain reaction that you did not see.

📈 Heart rate up.

🫁 Breathing quickened.

💪 Muscles primed.

⚡ Stress chemicals dumped into the system.

🧠 Thinking brain already offline.

So if you’re trying to stop the behaviour, you’re only reacting to your dog’s reaction (which means you are just as reactive as they are).

Reactivity isn’t a behaviour problem. It’s a brain and body problem 📣📣📣

One more time: Reactivity isn’t a behaviour problem. It’s a brain and body problem.

What you see on the OUTSIDE (the barking, the spinning, the pulling) is just the END result of everything that happened seconds earlier on the INSIDE.

This is why cueing, commending or correcting will only ever be a sticking plaster, and you’ll plateau at your current level, no matter what you try.

Stop addressing the end of the chain, and start at the beginning. Press play before you waste another walk trying to fix the symptom instead of the cause.

📈 Dog Walking Diagnostic - Discover Your Dog’s Walking Style!

Do you know the REAL reason your dog pulls, barks, lunges or ignores you? It’s often not what you think!

Discover why your dog struggles on walks - and more importantly, what you can do about it. The Dog Walking Diagnostic Quiz is completely free, takes just 5 mins, and is your first step toward stress-free walks with a well-behaved dog you’re proud of.

https://stressfreedogwalks.com/diagnostic

📘 Calm Canine Blueprint

Subscribe to the show, comment Calm Canine, and head over to https://stressfreedogwalks.com/blueprint/. I’ll send you my Calm Canine Blueprint completely free.

🐕 The Loose Lead Walking Recipe

Ready to stop the pulling, zig-zagging and lunging FOR GOOD? ‘The Recipe’ is the complete retraining system that takes you step-by-step to loose lead, stress free walks. With personalised Trainer & Behaviourist advice to make sure you get this thing DONE - regardless of where you’re starting from today.

https://stressfreewalks.dog/recipe