Your dog is reactive. They’ll see another dog, person, or other stimulus in the environment (like a car or bike) while out on a walk and suddenly go crazy at the end of their leash. The barking, lunging, and growling feels embarrassing for you — and it’s clear that your pup isn’t having a great time either.
What’s going on? How can you work through this behavior with your companion? Will you ever be able to fully enjoy your neighborhood walks?
Reactivity is a common behavior issue. Here’s a look at a dog reactivity chart. Learning about the green, yellow, orange, and red zones will help you understand how your dog is feeling in a given moment and respond accordingly! You’ll make reactivity training progress in no time.
First things first: What is dog reactivity, exactly?
While every living animal is constantly “reacting” to its environment — you might put on a sweatshirt when you notice you’re cold or head to open the door when you hear a knock — “reactive” is used in the dog training world to describe pets who overreact to stimuli in their environments.
Reactivity generally encompasses a range of undesirable aggressive or defensive behaviors (barking, growling, lunging, jumping, pulling, and so on) in situations that typically don’t warrant them in our minds (triggers are behaving normally in a non threatening way) but that are overwhelming or scary to our dogs.
Basically: Your puppy who woofs once or twice when startled? They wouldn’t be diagnosed with reactivity. One who barks, growls, and lunges at every other dog they see out on a walk, on the other hand? They would be considered reactive.
Aggressive behavior on leash can usually be identified as either fear-based leash reactivity or frustration-based leash reactivity.
What is a trigger?
Your dog’s trigger stimuli are the things that cause them to react. Dogs might become reactive to just about anything, but some common triggers are:
- Adult humans (especially strangers, people wearing strange clothing your dog hasn’t seen before or that is associated with a bad experience, or people approaching in a certain way)
- Children, who can move quickly and erratically
- Other dogs
- Animals like cats, rabbits, squirrels, and birds
- Fast-moving object like cars, bikes, or skateboards
Some dogs react to their triggers in all situations (for example, all dogs they see outside their home) while other dogs only react to more specific images (like pointy-eared dogs directly approaching them at a certain distance).
What is your reactive dog’s threshold?
Your dog’s reactivity threshold is the point where they fully react to their triggers. When a dog is under threshold, they’re able to control their behaviors and be aware of their surroundings (even if they seem a little aroused, nervous, or on edge). When they’re over threshold, though, they’re reacting from fear or a predatory instinct.
The best way to work with a reactive dog is to keep them under threshold as much as possible. You don’t want to give them a chance to show their reactive behavior. This usually means working at a comfortable distance from the trigger where your dog knows it’s there but isn’t overwhelmed. This is called their critical distance or sub-threshold distance.
If you’re able to control the trigger’s intensity and duration, that can work too (it’s just usually a little more difficult if you aren’t in a controlled training set up).
Put simply: You don’t want your reactive pup to have a reaction at all if possible! When a dog goes over threshold, it can take a few days — or even a full week — for their bodies to come down from the cortisol and adrenaline highs. It’s important to be extra conscious of any additional stressors during this period!
This article addresses how to tell if your dog is at or above their threshold in a certain situation — their level of reactivity — and what to do to help them feel better.
For more information on dog reactivity in general, take a look at the other blogs in our Dog Reactivity category:
- Leash Reactivity: Understanding and Fixing It
- How to Train a Reactive Dog: A Beginner’s Guide
- How to Socialize Your Reactive Dog
- Guide to Fear Aggression in Dogs
Dog Reactivity Chart: Understand when your dog is below, at, or over their threshold
The Green Zone: Your reactive dog is below their threshold
As mentioned above, you want your dog to stay below threshold as much as possible! When in the green zone, your dog shouldn’t appear reactive at all — they’re able to think clearly and stay calm.
Signs your reactive dog is below threshold
When under their reactivity threshold, your dog can typically:
- Sniff and engage with the surrounding environment in a normal way
- Follow your cues without hesitation (provided that you’re practiced them in a range of situations first)
- Take treats from you
- Maintain a loose leash
- Otherwise show relaxed behavior
What to do if your reactive dog is in the green zone
Celebrate! Keep doing what you’re doing. A dog in the green zone of the reactivity chart is in a great mental headspace to learn and manage their emotional responses — you’re helping them build a new positive association with their triggers from a comfortable distance.
While in the green zone, you can:
- Simply let your dog observe from a place of safety
- Practice fun tricks
- Play a short game (either with a favorite toy or personal play)
- Take note of the distance and intensity of your dog’s triggers to use as a starting point for your next training sessions (remember that reactions vary day by day and you might have to adjust — your progress won’t always be linear)
The Yellow Zone: Your reactive dog is at or approaching their threshold
As your dog approaches their reactivity threshold, it’s important to pay attention to subtle body language signals. Not all stress is bad — some small amounts can even be helpful in the learning process, such as what’s described in the Yerkes-Dodson law — but you do not want to overdo it. Remember when we mentioned that it can take multiple days or even a week for your dog to fully come down after an intense reaction experience? Err on the side of caution when in doubt!
Signs your reactive dog is in the yellow zone
When approaching their threshold, your dog will likely:
- Stop sniffing the surrounding environment
- Be alert and even a little focused on their reactivity trigger
- Stand a little more stiffly (though without a completely rigid body)
- Still be able to follow your cues and take treats from you
What to do if your reactive dog is showing some stress
If your dog is in the yellow zone, you can:
- Play reactivity games like engage disengage
- Practice fun tricks or play a short game
- Take note of the distance and intensity of your dog’s triggers to use as a starting point for your next training sessions
- Make sure to keep an eye on the trigger and your dog’s body language so you don’t accidentally push them into the orange zone
The Orange Zone: Your dog is over threshold and needs your help
When your dog reaches the orange zone, two main things happen. The first is that they’re no longer able to learn effectively or build positive memories or associations with their triggers. All they’ll be able to remember is their stress! The second is that your dog is likely mere moments away from having a full-blown reaction with barking, lunging, growling, or their other typical reactive behaviors.
Signs your reactive dog is over threshold
When your dog is in the orange zone, they:
- Are completely focused on their trigger
- Have a very stiff body, possibly with raised hackles
- Might be pulling on the leash or straining towards their trigger
- Often aren’t able to follow your cues or take food from you
- Can start to growl or “huff” under their breath
What to do if your reactive dog reaches the orange zone
If your dog is over threshold, you should follow these steps:
- Get out of the situation as quickly as you can
- Use management techniques to reduce your dog’s stress or help distract them from their trigger as you make your exit
- Once safely out of the triggering environment, help your dog decompress through sniffing, searching for and eating tasty treats, or some easy enrichment activities
- Reflect on what happened and how you can adjust your training plan next time to prevent your dog from crossing their reactivity threshold
The Red Zone: Your reactive dog can’t think clearly at all
Your dog is in the red zone when they’re fully reacting to their triggers. At this point, your pup isn’t able to pay attention to you at all. It’s not that they’re ignoring you on purpose — they’re just so overwhelmed that it’s impossible to listen to your cues during their intense reaction.
We know it can be frustrating, but remember that your dog needs your help in this situation, not your judgment!
What to do if your reactive dog is in the red zone
- Simply get out of their as quickly as you can
- Do not yell at or otherwise punish your dog
- Be prepared to provide several decompression opportunities over the next few days
- Remember that these things happen — you are not a bad owner
- Reflect on the situation and consider what you can learn for next time
Reactivity training is hard work — but it’s worth it
Understanding your dog’s threshold and avoiding reactive episodes will help you live a better life together. Rehearse healthy habits, prevent excessive stress, and celebrate your progress over time! The entire reactive dog community is cheering for you.When in doubt about your dog’s reactivity training? Reach out to a local force-free trainer for in-person guidance or a certified professional who offers virtual sessions to guide you from afar.
Trainer Review of this Article
There is so much misinformation out there, we want to make sure we only provide the highest quality information to our community. We have all of our articles reviewed by qualified, positive-only trainers.
This is the trainer that reviewed this article:
Shannon Finch
AnimalKind Training M.Ed. Humane Education Karen Pryor Academy. Certified Training Partner. Certified Tellington TTouch and TTEAM Practitioner