10/01/2026
Reactive Dogs (Education-Focused)
Today we had a really upsetting incident on the beach involving our beautiful dog Chloe and another dog that ran up to her off-lead, despite us asking the owner to please recall their dog.
Chloe is a beautiful, loving, gentle dog, but she is reactive to unknown dogs that rush her because she was attacked as a puppy. That trauma lives in her nervous system. When unfamiliar dogs rush her, she doesn’t see a “friendly dog”… she feels threatened and tries to protect herself.
She is amazing with dogs she knows. She is calm, gentle and social in safe, controlled environments.
But unknown dogs running straight at her can trigger fear-based reactions; and that’s not “bad behaviour”, that’s a nervous system in survival mode.
Before working with Sinead from Animal Culture here in Whangārei, I honestly thought reactivity meant a dog was untrained. I was so naive. There is so much more going on; fear, trauma, thresholds, and nervous system overload.
Reactive dogs are not aggressive. They have particular triggers that make them respond in certain ways, and being rushed is one of Chloe's.
We work incredibly hard to manage Chloe, we use leads, choose quiet times, train, desensitise and advocate for her. But what helps us more than anything is when other people listen when we say:
“Please recall your dog.”
It doesn’t matter how friendly your dog is. If another dog is scared, injured, elderly, reactive or in training; running up to them can cause real harm.
Today’s fight should never have happened.
If you have a reactive dog, you are not alone. There is so much that can be done to help them feel safer and calmer, and working with the right trainer makes all the difference. Sinead from Animal Culture is incredible, I could not recommend her more.
And if you don’t have a reactive dog… please, when someone asks you to recall or leash your dog, listen. You might be protecting someone else’s dog, someone else’s hard work, and someone else’s heart.
Chloe is not a bad dog. She is a dog who had something bad happen to her; and we will always advocate for her. 🤍🐾
