The 'Cute' Reactive Dog That Nobody Takes Seriously
Rem isn't your typical reactive dog. He doesn't bark, lunge or make a proper scene. Instead, when he sees another dog, he hits the deck. Just lies down flat and refuses to move. People think it's adorable: "Oh, isn't he cute? Does he want to play?" - and start walking towards us.
This is actually much harder to deal with than classic barking and lunging reactivity. When a dog is making noise, people naturally give them space. But when your dog looks "cute" lying down, people see it as an invitation. They don't realise they're making things worse.
And let me tell you, once a dog hits the deck, they become a dead weight. Even though Rem's a relatively small lab at about 30kgs, when he chooses to lie down, there's absolutely no moving him until he's ready. You can't create distance or redirect away - you're completely stuck.
How It All Started
Rem didn't do this as a puppy. He was always a little sensitive but the lying down behaviour started when he got to about seven or eight months old. If he spotted another dog even 100 metres away, down he'd go and there he'd stay until they either disappeared or walked past us.
The Game-Changing Tennis Ball
The real breakthrough came in the last couple of months when I started using Rem's absolute obsession - tennis balls. This dog lives for tennis balls. Nothing else in the world matters when there's a tennis ball involved.
The brilliant thing about using a ball instead of treats is that when dogs get into that fight-or-flight state, they often can't eat. But Rem can play with his ball and being a Labrador, having something in his mouth is intrinsically rewarding.
So here's what we've been doing: every time he sees a dog, I give him his ball. He gets to hold it for a few seconds, then I ask for it back. We've created a connection where seeing a dog means getting the ball. Now when he spots another dog, he looks at me like "Have you got my ball?"
We've also worked on an "emergency behaviour" for really sticky situations. Instead of asking him to sit (which is what I'm trying to stop him doing!), we use "spin" because Rem loves spinning. When we're in a tricky situation, I ask him to spin by my side, then he gets his ball.
Just this week, we bumped into his "nemesis dogs", it’s the only dog I’ve known him to have a classic reaction to, lunging and grumbling under his breath. Instead, he instantly refocused on me, we did some spins as we walked past and he got his ball. I actually thought "YES! We've cracked it!"
Control and Management Throughout
The other huge part of our success has been control and management, setting Rem up to succeed rather than constantly putting him in situations he can't handle.
When his reactivity was at its worst, I'd avoid alleyways where we couldn't escape if another dog appeared. I'd cross roads to change the angle of approach. If I knew he'd hit the deck at 10 metres, I'd position us just outside that distance. Yes, it meant constantly scanning for dogs but it prevented him from practising the laying down behaviour we didn't want.
This isn't avoidance - it's smart management. There's a difference between proper exposure (where your dog can succeed) and just throwing them in the deep end hoping they'll get over it.
Why the Long Game Matters
People often expect trainers' dogs to be perfect robots. And that's rubbish. My dogs have their own challenges. The difference is that I'm prepared for the long game and I know how to work through issues ethically.
Yes, you could probably find someone who promises to "fix" reactivity in a week but what methods would they use? I'm genuinely pleased that Rem has overcome this challenge in the kindest way possible. He's done it on his own merit, in his own time, without being rushed or forced.
What makes me most proud isn't just that Rem can now walk past his nemesis dogs. It's that I can finally relax on our walks. I don't have to be constantly hypervigilant. I've got a ball in my pocket and if we hit a sticky situation, I know exactly what to do.
If you're dealing with reactivity, you don't have to live with it but you also don't need to rush it. Get support from a good trainer, be patient with the process and celebrate every small win. Sometimes the quiet victories are the biggest ones of all.
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