# Ep 103 Lead Reactivity: How to Turn Fear into Confidence

An episode of [Help! My Dog: The Podcast. Dog Behaviour & Training Strategies that Work!](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1721245241), 19 Nov 2025, 11 min.

Audio: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2287608/episodes/18213919-ep-103-lead-reactivity-how-to-turn-fear-into-confidence.mp3

Have you ever wondered why your dog seems totally fine off lead, but everything changes the second you clip it on, barking, lunging, reactivity towards other dogs? Or maybe it’s the other way around for your dog? This week, we dive into a listener’s question about their dog doing just this after a dog attack and how it’s often more common than you think (whether your dog has been attacked or not!). We explore why a dog’s emotional state can shift so dramatically between these two contexts and why the lead itself can start to feel like a warning sign to them. Then we flip the question and explore where the opportunity is, because there always is one! We talk about how the lead can become a cue for confidence instead of anxiety and how we can help our dogs feel safe again. If you’ve been feeling stuck or discouraged, this conversation will help you see a path forward and understand what’s really going on for your dog. ................ Whether your dog is unpredictable with other dogs or predictably bad… Whether it looks like freezing, barking, lunging or running away… Whether you are just starting out on your dog-owning journey or your dog has been labelled as having a “behaviour problem”… … this episode is for you and is going to give you huge insights! Want to join the Help! My Dog Online HUB? Here's the link: www.helpmydog.com/hub Dr Tom Mitchell is a world-renowned veterinarian, behaviourist and dog trainer and director of the Behavet behaviour clinic (rated Excellent on Trustpilot), which sees over 400 pet behaviour consultations each and every month no matter where you are in the world. In 2023, he founded Help! My Dog, an online dog behaviour learning platform to help even more owners all over the world and show that dog behaviour transformation is not only possible but it's FUN, with the right know-how! Make sure to subscribe/follow the podcast for the free weekly episodes! Useful Links: Follow Help! My Dog on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/helpmydogofficial/ Schedule a Consultation with Behavet: https://www.beha.vet/ Follow Behavet on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/behavet

## Transcript

[0:00] SPEAKER_00: With dog behavior, especially for every problem, there's an opportunity to create something even better.
[0:05] SPEAKER_00: Because now we're we're kind of forced to work on it, but actually, in working on it, I can tell you that you're gonna be in a much better place following this than where you were before this terrible event even happened.
[0:15] SPEAKER_00: Before we dive in, a warning.
[0:18] SPEAKER_00: The content of this podcast may not be appropriate for some young listeners.
[0:23] SPEAKER_00: This is real life, and that means that sometimes it can be a little bit graphic.
[0:28] SPEAKER_00: So listen on at your own peril.
[0:31] SPEAKER_00: As a veterinarian, dog behaviourist, best-selling author and trainer, over the past decade, I've had an obsession with transforming the behaviour of dogs.
[0:40] SPEAKER_00: Understanding their brains and creating practical strategies that you can implement easily at home.
[0:46] SPEAKER_00: I know all too well when the dream you imagined when you first got your dog is far from your daily reality.
[0:52] SPEAKER_00: In fact, out of the blue, a few months ago, my little dog Gorse was bitten by a dog 20 times her size.
[0:59] SPEAKER_00: And suddenly our life of stress-free walks, a calm and cuddly household, and being teammates was replaced with reactivity, anxiety, and worrying about what's around the next corner.
[1:10] SPEAKER_00: I'm Dr.
[1:11] SPEAKER_00: Tom.
[1:11] SPEAKER_00: This is the Help My Dog Podcast, and this is me documenting that journey of transformation, sharing my knowledge and experience with you and having a few laughs along the way.
[1:22] SPEAKER_00: Hello and welcome to this episode of the Help My Dog Podcast.
[1:26] SPEAKER_00: And today we're covering a listener's question, and it's a very short one, so I will read it out.
[1:31] SPEAKER_00: My dog was attacked whilst on his lead.
[1:34] SPEAKER_00: He is now dog reactive only while on his lead.
[1:38] SPEAKER_00: He is perfectly fine off lead.
[1:40] SPEAKER_00: What on earth is happening?
[1:41] SPEAKER_00: So it's a really interesting one.
[1:43] SPEAKER_00: Actually, it's very common, even if there wasn't that like attack, attack attack in quotation marks, attack history, right?
[1:50] SPEAKER_00: And ultimately what's happened is that your dog has had a bad experience in a very particular context of being on lead with you on a walk.
[1:59] SPEAKER_00: And so that association happened specifically to that context, which means that actually your dog is having a very different emotional response when on lead as compared to off-lead when seeing another dog.
[2:14] SPEAKER_00: Now, the way that we like to break this down and consider this is almost flipping it around from what's the problem to where's the opportunity here?
[2:23] SPEAKER_00: And the problem is that right now, your dog, when your dog is on lead, they have a very different emotional state to being off lead, and that emotional state on lead is quite an anxious, negative one, right?
[2:37] SPEAKER_00: And that is causing them to perceive other dogs to be something to worry about, yeah?
[2:42] SPEAKER_00: Now, where's the opportunity?
[2:44] SPEAKER_00: Well, the opportunity is could your dog's lead become their superhero cape, right?
[2:49] SPEAKER_00: Could your dog being on lead actually be like, oh, I am especially calm and confident now that I'm on lead?
[2:56] SPEAKER_00: Yeah?
[2:57] SPEAKER_00: And the answer is absolutely.
[2:59] SPEAKER_00: And in fact, this is where the opportunity lies.
[3:01] SPEAKER_00: I know that it's really upsetting that your dog has been attacked, bitten, whatever it was, by another dog.
[3:09] SPEAKER_00: But for with with dog behavior, especially, for every problem, there's an opportunity to create something even better.
[3:15] SPEAKER_00: Because now we're we're kind of forced to work on it, but actually, in working on it, I can tell you that you're gonna be in a much better place following this than where you were before this terrible event even happened.
[3:25] SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
[3:25] SPEAKER_00: And Gorse, as an example, our little dog that got bitten by a dog 20 times her size is a real like example of that, whereby now she's just like the coolest, most focused and engaged dog that she wasn't as engaged or cool about the world before that.
[3:41] SPEAKER_00: She was still, you know, cool and engaged, but not to the extreme that she is now because we've had to work on it, right?
[3:48] SPEAKER_00: So, yay, opportunity.
[3:50] SPEAKER_00: Um, so what are we gonna do?
[3:52] SPEAKER_00: Well, I want to rethink what the lead means to your dog.
[3:56] SPEAKER_00: And so the the first thing that I want to do is teach your dog that when they're on lead, that's an opportunity to be confident and power up rather than power down.
[4:05] SPEAKER_00: So, what you're gonna do throughout the day um and start doing this in the house, then build it out to out and about, is you're literally gonna pop your dog's lead on, and you're going to do what we call power poses, right?
[4:17] SPEAKER_00: Whereby you're doing your dog's favorite tricks, your dog's that you're the things that your dog loves to do, where you see them open up, you see them get fluid and loose and just generally like in their best space, and you're gonna do those things on lead, then you're gonna take the lead off, and that's the end of the session.
[4:33] SPEAKER_00: Okay?
[4:34] SPEAKER_00: So the lead becomes something that is really closely and consistently paired with, ooh, I feel great, right?
[4:41] SPEAKER_00: At the moment, the lead is potentially triggering lots of anxiety-inducing neurochemicals.
[4:47] SPEAKER_00: Imagine if that lead instead triggers lots of confidence boosting neurochemicals.
[4:52] SPEAKER_00: How that's going to change that picture for your dog when they see other dogs.
[4:56] SPEAKER_00: Now, the second thing that I think we need to do here.
[4:59] SPEAKER_00: Hey guys, I just want to take a moment to answer a question that has been coming in in literally 10 emails today, and that is, how can we help you with your dog's behavior struggle, whether that be reactivity, separation, anxiety, resource guarding, maybe you've got multi-dog household struggle right now, maybe your dog's just so over aroused on a walk that they just can't listen to you and they're chasing everything inside.
[5:22] SPEAKER_00: Like, can I get Tom's help?
[5:24] SPEAKER_00: Um, and the answer is that actually you can, and you can do that by booking a behavet behaviour consultation.
[5:32] SPEAKER_00: That's where literally my team give you the plan on how to transform your struggle and get you to that dream that that made you get a dog in the first place, right?
[5:42] SPEAKER_00: Your world's got smaller and smaller and smaller, and actually it doesn't need to be that way.
[5:46] SPEAKER_00: You just need to reach out for help.
[5:48] SPEAKER_00: Now, a couple of things to say on that.
[5:50] SPEAKER_00: First of all, if you're insured, if your dog's insured with Pet Plan, Kennel Club, Agria, or many pets, we actually do direct claims with them, which means that that's covered by your insurance.
[6:00] SPEAKER_00: So you don't you don't pay out of your pocket, your insurance covers that.
[6:05] SPEAKER_00: Um and the second thing to say is that we have loads of options if you're insured with another provider, or if your dog's not insured at all, that's also totally fine.
[6:13] SPEAKER_00: We have loads of options that we've developed to make this so accessible for you.
[6:17] SPEAKER_00: Um, because we're aware that you've already invested a load of time and a load of money in getting your dog, looking after your dog, caring for your dog.
[6:24] SPEAKER_00: But the last thing we want is for you to have done all that and still not be living the life that you deserve with your dog.
[6:29] SPEAKER_00: And we know we can get you there.
[6:30] SPEAKER_00: So all you need to do is go to the Behave Vet website, and the way to do that is go B-E-H-A.V-E-T.
[6:40] SPEAKER_00: That's behot vet and it will take you there.
[6:44] SPEAKER_00: Or just Google Behave Vet, right?
[6:46] SPEAKER_00: Um, and you can get scheduled in and we can literally get you booked in for a consultation as soon as possible.
[6:53] SPEAKER_00: We normally can accommodate it within a week, right?
[6:55] SPEAKER_00: So that you can be getting to your dream ASAP.
[6:58] SPEAKER_00: Now, the second thing that I think we need to do here is teach your dog that when they feel tension on the lead, that doesn't mean escalate, that doesn't mean um danger, that doesn't mean high arousal, right?
[7:12] SPEAKER_00: Instead, what it means is disengage from whatever is up ahead.
[7:15] SPEAKER_00: And the the cool thing about this and the funny thing about this is this is a total opposite of any kind of aversive-based training that involves like lead popping or checking or you know, tightening that lead as a punisher.
[7:27] SPEAKER_00: Because what that does is that says lead tightening is punisher, lead tightening is bad, lead tightening is danger.
[7:34] SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
[7:35] SPEAKER_00: Which, if you think about programming a dog that way, that's quite tricky because the lead might tighten, for example, when they go to the end of it because they've gone to say hello to another dog.
[7:46] SPEAKER_00: And whereas before they thought other dogs are friendly, now they're like, hold on a second, when I approach another dog, the lead goes tight, and the tight lead means danger.
[7:56] SPEAKER_00: Yeah, you can quickly see how that can develop into reactivity, right?
[8:01] SPEAKER_00: So, what you're going to do instead is again start this at home and build this out.
[8:05] SPEAKER_00: You're going to apply a tiny bit of very gentle lead pressure as if you're guiding your dog somewhere, as if you're wanting to lead your dog somewhere.
[8:13] SPEAKER_00: This isn't a jerk or a yank.
[8:15] SPEAKER_00: This is a I'm leading you gently somewhere.
[8:18] SPEAKER_00: And you're going to apply it in a particular direction, okay?
[8:22] SPEAKER_00: And as you do, you're going to have tasty food in the other hand, and you're going to deliver food to your dog in that direction.
[8:29] SPEAKER_00: So they start to learn.
[8:31] SPEAKER_00: I give in to the lead pressure, I go with the lead pressure, okay?
[8:35] SPEAKER_00: And you're going to do this until basically your dog's like jelly on the end of the lead.
[8:39] SPEAKER_00: It's like you cannot get pressure on them because they're like, nope, going this way, going this way.
[8:43] SPEAKER_00: That's where the lead's going, right?
[8:45] SPEAKER_00: And then what you're going to start to do is do that out and about, okay?
[8:48] SPEAKER_00: And do it out and about when they see distractions.
[8:51] SPEAKER_00: And it's almost like you saying to your dog, um, oh, distraction over there, remember to disengage, remember to come with the pressure, not against it.
[8:59] SPEAKER_00: And so instead of that, go to the end of the lead, bark, react, escalating emotion, we now have feel tension, turn away from what I was pulling towards, engage with my owner, get a calm, positive outcome.
[9:12] SPEAKER_00: But that's effectively the recipe for transformation, right?
[9:16] SPEAKER_00: That would be the second thing that I'm gonna do.
[9:17] SPEAKER_00: And I know I'm going whistle stop tour of this one, guys, because I love these fast fire listener questions.
[9:22] SPEAKER_00: I think they're loads of fun for me, at least.
[9:24] SPEAKER_00: Hopefully, you guys get value.
[9:26] SPEAKER_00: Um so final thing that I would then say here is the secret to your dog not reacting to other dogs, is they need to learn other dogs are a non-event.
[9:36] SPEAKER_00: The temptation would be to go and find other dogs so that your dog can make friends with that other dog.
[9:42] SPEAKER_00: That's not gonna make it better.
[9:44] SPEAKER_00: In fact, it's probably gonna make it worse.
[9:46] SPEAKER_00: Instead, find areas where your dog can see other dogs at a distance.
[9:51] SPEAKER_00: They are on lead, and you practice the games that I've gone through, as well as just pairing seeing other dogs with a positive outcome like a tasty treatment.
[9:59] SPEAKER_00: Okay.
[10:00] SPEAKER_00: Um, areas that might be appropriate are areas or places where what we say our dogs are on a mission.
[10:06] SPEAKER_00: In other words, their owners are heading somewhere and their the dog is on lead, and that owner has a schedule that they need to keep, so they're not gonna do a detour to you.
[10:18] SPEAKER_00: Yeah, so examples might be um if your local vet practice has a big car park, yeah.
[10:24] SPEAKER_00: Or um because obviously they're going one direction, they're heading towards the door, and you fairly safe.
[10:30] SPEAKER_00: Or your local industrial estate, if it had like a um, you know, like one of the big pet shop chains on there where people might take their dog in there to, I don't know, pick out a new collar or something, right?
[10:43] SPEAKER_00: Dogs are on a mission.
[10:45] SPEAKER_00: Um, I don't know, grooming uh establishments, right?
[10:49] SPEAKER_00: If you if there's space in a big car park, that might be appropriate, it might not be.
[10:53] SPEAKER_00: It's gonna be very dependent on you and your dog and your area and where you live, but that is how you're gonna move this forward.
[11:00] SPEAKER_00: And as I say, the most important thing to get excited about is get excited about working on this.
[11:06] SPEAKER_00: This hasn't happened to you, it's happened for you.
[11:08] SPEAKER_00: It just doesn't feel like it right now.
[11:10] SPEAKER_00: And you come out the other side and you're gonna think, actually, we're in a much better space than we were before.
[11:14] SPEAKER_00: We will see you next week, guys.

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