Welcome to our second newsletter for 2026. After a long hot summer it is somewhat a relief to finally have moved into Autumn, with the cooler weather meaning that our canine companions are at last able to return to a normal exercise regime.
In previous Autumn/Winter newsletter articles we have discuss the dreaded firework season and ways in which to help our dogs cope with their anxieties, as well as looking at potential hazards to our pets over the festive season, these articles are still available to view. For this newsletter we take a look more broadly at the issue of dog reactivity, in our second article we discuss the concerns and misconceptions relating to potential vaccine side effects.
The reactive dog, a new perspective?
Just like we humans, dogs are individual personalities whose behaviours develop through both nature and nurture. How a dog responds to a given situation will depend both on their breeding and learning from previous experiences, along with the subsequent outcomes of those experiences. Just like humans, some dogs are more prone to being anxious and are naturally less able to deal with stress, thankfully with time, patience and understanding it is possible to help these dogs develop more positive coping strategies.
What canine behaviourists are now recognising is that trying to ‘acclimatise’ dogs to triggers when they are on high alert can actually make the issue worse. It is inadvisable to expose anxious dogs to known triggers during what might be considered times of neurological/hormonal turmoil e.g. during adolescence (which can range from 5 months to 3 years, starting earlier in smaller breed dogs), or in senior dogs who can often have behavioural changes due to cognitive decline, akin to dementia. These are times where avoiding triggers is the best approach, trying to desensitise them by insisting on the being exposed to negative stimuli can have especially negative effects in dogs at these stages of life.
What does the reactive dog look like?
The reactive dog can present in many ways, it is how the individual dog negatively responds to a stressor, this could be by pulling, running away, barking, growling or biting in response to strangers, other dogs, noise etc.
Why does a dog become reactive?
There are many components to what can make a dog reactive but there are 3 basic core ‘stress systems’ it is helpful to understand:
- The Optimism system- if parts of the dogs brain are trained to be pessimistic then the dog can pre-empt anything new as bad.
- The Disengagement system- a reactive dog may feel compelled to react and interact with every trigger, they may lack the skill to leave it alone, to disengage and move on.
- The Dimmer Switch system -some reactive dogs go from 0 to 100 and are unable to modulate their response to a trigger.
What techniques can be used to try and help rehabilitate a reactive dog?
Techniques for transforming reactive dog should be practised daily, starting initially in a safe secure environment away from stressors, helping the dog recognise these as normal positive experiences. Ideally, only when the dog is well ‘trained’ in these techniques should their practice be scheduled in increasingly more ‘stressful’ situations over time, although it may become necessary to try and engage them when the unexpected trigger presents itself!
- Strengthening the dogs optimism. Anything the dog finds overwhelming, scary and leads them to overreact, weakens the optimism system, ultimately reinforcing their pessimism. The aim should be to avoid, where possible, exposure to negative triggers and work on increasing positive outcomes to strengthen optimism. A simple ‘find it’ game using small pieces of food scattered and a trigger phrase like ‘find it’, encourages the dog to use it’s sense of smell to engage in this positive activity. Over time this interaction can be used to bring the dog into an optimistic mind state, avoiding reactivity in a situation that they would have previously found to be a negative trigger.
- Practicing disengagement. The rewind game can help bring the reactive dogs focus away from the stimulus and help them disengage. With the disengagement game an owner will walk backwards pulling the dog on their lead towards them, engaging the dog with a sound, or word, to prompt them and offering treat/food rewards. Developing this disengagement skill will, over time, help the dog learn that is ok to recognise the stimulus but then it is ok/safe to ignore it.
- Training the dimmer switch, this can be achieved by using short lead training sessions where you move around in short circles changing speed/pace, giving your dog rewards for staying close and matching your pace.
These training techniques are a valuable tool for teaching dogs from a young age and nurturing a healthy mind set, providing them with the skills to use in potentially stressful situation nb not all reactive dogs have always been that way.
How do I implement the techniques for transforming my reactive dog?
It is important to recognise the trigger/triggers for your dog’s reactivity, which is sometimes easier said than done, and you may need guidance from a behaviourist for this.
Once you have identified the trigger it is important to break down the steps that build up to the trigger and work backwards to the building on the dog’s confidence, and optimism, at each step.
Example 1 : A dog reactive dog (barking at other dogs on a walk)
- The predictor- the dog may start anticipating a negative interaction with another dog when before the walk has even begun e.g. when you pick up or put on the lead. This is a good time to practice the ‘find it’ game or other positive play, practicing this activity without even progressing to the actual walk at first.
- The environment – if you have a routine walk where you are likely to meet/see other dogs work on positive activities in the location at times of day you are less likely to see any dogs. Building a positive mindset in that location and working on distraction/disengagment techniques in the area.
- Only once there is consistency in response to predictors and the environment can you intentionally start working in the presence of the trigger, the other dog/dogs. If an unpredicted negative interaction takes place during training take a step back to rebuild on making the environment a positive experience.
Example 2: A firework phobic dog
Consider what the dog is triggered by and any association with similar less intense stimuli, start working on the optimism at the lowest level intensity for the given trigger. So for fireworks consider:
What is a firework? It is a frequent loud bang.
What is a frequent loud bang? A type of bang
What is a bang? A type of loud noise
What is a loud noise? A type of noise
What is a noise? A type of stimulus
So, for this example you would start on building optimism around none trigger stimuli, building the dogs familiarity with the optimism system building techniques. When the dog is well established with the techniques, at the base level, move on to using them with non-trigger noises, continue with the strengthening of their optimism system, including engagement of the disengagement system as part of the positive experience. Over time helping the dog no longer be triggered by fireworks.
It is also important to recognise that just as human mental health is closely linked to physical health, so too can physical issues such as pain or discomfort negatively influence canine behaviours and reactivity. It is advisable to get a physical health check with your vet to help identified any medical issues that might be impacting on your dog’s behaviour. Your vet may also recommend/prescribe stress relieving medication for your dog to help them with their rehabilitation.
These basic techniques described may be enough to help rehabilitate many reactive dogs, but for others the support of a trained and regulated professional can be invaluable. Please talk to your vet who can help direct you, or refer you, to a certified behaviourist.
Vaccination hesitancy- addressing owner concerns
It is becoming more common to hear owners decline having their pets vaccinated because they do not see a need or they have read that vaccinations can harm or even kill their pet, either from reading internet forums or taking advice from a breeder. Most recently attention has been focused on quadrivalent (covering 4 strains of pathogen) L4 leptospirosis vaccines. Whilst it cannot be denied that adverse reactions to vaccines can occur, either due to an unexpected idiosyncratic reaction (uncommon and unique to a given individual), or an individual dogs having an abnormal immune system to a component of the vaccine, it is important to realise that these things can happen with any form of injection or medication, with a clear link rarely being proven. It is just as possible, and perhaps more likely, that an individual pet, who becomes unwell after a vaccination, had been suffering an un-diagnosed issue, unrelated to, or triggered by, the vaccination, that resulted in their clinical decline.
Studies have suggested that adverse reactions of any kind to leptospirosis vaccinations, including mild reactions, are in the region of 5 in 10,000, which is less than for other components of combination vaccines. Reported reactions to leptospirosis vaccinations are usually mild compared to other components of combined vaccinations. As with any vaccination, in any species, it is not uncommon for a transient fever, and/or local swelling, to occur as the pet’s immune system responds to the vaccination, but these are generally mild and self-limiting. Studies have indicated that dog of smaller body weight (less than 5kg), certain breed susceptibility (e.g. Akitas, Old English Sheedog, Weimaraners) and the use of combination vaccines are bigger risk factors for adverse vaccinal events than the individual vaccine type used. Death as the result of vaccination is EXTREMELY rare, with large scale studies in Japan and the US recording one in 57,300 and one in 408,719 fatalities respectively, after the administration of non-rabies combination vaccines.
What is clear is that infection with leptospirosis can be life threatening, diagnosis can be easily missed or unconfirmed. For any one dog dying or becoming unwell from having been vaccinated there will be many hundreds of dogs becoming critically ill, or dying, from leptospirosis. Leptospirosis is a readily preventable disease, with vaccination not only reducing susceptibility to illness but also reducing the spread of the disease into the environment, thus reducing the risk of exposure to other animals as well as humans. There are many strains of leptospirosis some of which can persist for significant periods of time in the environment, some of which are resistant to antibiotics.
Dogs with leptospirosis can be asymptomatic carriers, showing no signs of illness but acting as a reservoir of disease. Symptoms of leptospirosis in dogs are varied and may include fever and lethargy, vomiting, diarrhoea (which can be bloody), inappetence, increased thirst, jaundice (yellowing of skin) due to liver damage, muscle pain and stiffness. Severe disease can lead to bleeding problems, respiratory issues (due to bleeding into the lungs or fluid build-up secondary to organ failure) and may result in kidney and or liver failure. Treatment involves the use of antibiotics and support with fluid therapy and other symptomatic therapies, depending on the clinical signs. Even with treatment some dogs will develop chronic kidney or liver damage, sadly for some dogs the condition is fatal.
It is important to be aware that leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease, which means it can transfer from animals to humans, although it does so rarely, immunocompromised individuals will be most at risk. Symptoms in humans can range from mild flu-like symptoms to severe liver or kidney damage, exposure during pregnancy has the potential to result in miscarriage.
A global veterinary consensus indicates that all dogs are at risk of leptospirosis. In the UK the Royal Veterinary College (RVC) found that dogs under one year old and those living in rural areas are at increased risk of disease. The strains of leptospirosis to which dogs are exposed varies somewhat depending on environment, season and environmental temperature. The two serogroups (strains) of leptospirosis (Australis and Grippotyphosa), not protected by the L2 vaccine but in the L4 vaccine, have been found to be widely distributed and found in significant clusters in the South West of England.
It is important that dog owners are well informed when making decisions on their pet’s health program. Every case must be evaluated based on the individual pet’s lifestyle and exposure risks. Whilst some owners are keen to use measurement of their dog’s antibodies, to determine when their dog’s immunity needs boosting, there is currently no such test to check for protection against leptospirosis. There is no clear evidence that the antibody levels alone represent the full story of disease protection required to combat any given infection. As a practitioner working in a rural environment, who has treated and lost patients to leptospirosis, I would urge anyone who is concerned about the risks associated with vaccinations to talk to their vet and consider carefully the risk of not vaccinating.