How to Protect Your Reactive Dog’s Personal Space

If you have a dog who gets nervous or even reactive around strangers or other dogs, every outing with them may be stressful. You might constantly be thinking about how to keep your dog calm while preventing the worst possible outcome: your dog biting someone out of fear or getting into a fight with another dog or even getting spooked and running off.

As a pet owner who wants the absolute best for your dog, putting boundaries in place is sometimes necessary to help them feel comfortable and prevent conflict. In this article, we’ll talk about a few ways that you can protect your dog’s personal space. 

First, a note on reactivity
Here at BreezeGuard, we want to empower you as a dog owner to provide the best possible life for your furry friend. But, our advice here shouldn’t act as a stand in for personalized guidance by an animal behaviorist! If you’re struggling with reactivity in your dog, we would recommend that you find a licensed, well-reviewed animal behaviorist in your area who can work with you and your dog to help them adjust to their environment!

Now, here are a few tips that can help you maintain your dog’s personal space while you go through your reactivity training!

Find the best time to take your dog out
We’ll start with the bad news first: you might have to rearrange your schedule in order to find the ideal walking time with your dog. In other words, you’ll want to schedule your walks during times when you’re less likely to run into other dogs. This might be before or after the pre-work rush at the park or late at night when no one else is around. 

It will also be important that you find a time of day that’s ideal for you. Try to choose a time in which you won’t feel rushed, distracted, or overly tired so that you can focus on being present and calm with your dog. 

Prioritize safe spaces 
Make sure to find an area where you can keep your dog separate from others. Remember that while you’re working through reactivity training, you’ll want to limit the amount of unwanted exposure to your dog’s stimulus. So, don’t throw them into an overwhelming environment like a busy public park, dog beach, or other crowded space.

Some cities have started offering rentable dog parks in which you can block out a time to be alone with your dog in the enclosed area. This is a wonderful way to give your dog the space to run around off-leash without fear of coming into contact with other people or dogs. 

If this is unavailable to you, you might be able to use a friend’s spacious backyard, an on-leash area not overly popular with other dog owners, or other accommodations.

Invest in a warning harness or leash
You can now find vests, harnesses, bandanas, and leashes designed to signal to other people that your dog is working through reactivity. Typically, these items are brightly colored and clearly labeled with the words “nervous” or “anxious dog,” “please don’t pet me,” or “do not approach” so that everyone around you can know that your dog needs space.

Install BreezeGuard Screens
Your dog may love to enjoy a car ride with the windows down. But, you’re worried about someone reaching out to pet your pup or your dog reacting if someone gets a little too close to the car. 

BreezeGuard Screens can be installed over the rear windows of your car to keep your dog inside even when the windows are down. Not only is it safer for your dog and others, but it will ensure that they get to enjoy the best part of driving: fresh air and the smells and sounds of the outside world!

Have a ready response for when someone gets too close
Working through reactivity or nervousness with your dog can be a stressful, exhausting process. And, you wouldn’t be the first dog owner to snap or stumble over your words in that critical moment when you want to convey that your dog needs space. 

Having a response at the ready, and practicing it with friends or loved ones, can be a good way to prepare yourself for real-world situations. Here are a few examples:

• “My dog is reactive. Can you please move back a few feet?”
• “Can you please put your dog on a leash? My dog doesn’t get along with other dogs.”
• “I appreciate you wanting to say hi but my dog isn’t friendly towards strangers.”

Keep in mind that people tend to be more accommodating when they don’t feel attacked or under pressure. So, even though you may be feeling angry at their lack of adherence to leash laws or personal space etiquette, it’s always better to have a friendly response that will be more quickly and openly received. 

Try your best to manage your own stress
As you might know from experience or can tell from the tips in this article, working with a reactive dog requires you to be present and alert every time that you leave the house. And this can affect your stress levels! But, as we’ve covered in previous articles, our dogs are sponges for their owner’s emotions. This can create a situation in which your dog picks up on your nervousness, making them even more sensitive to invasions to their personal space.

So, as much as possible, take deep breaths and keep a positive attitude. And remember that your goal is to find the right balance between protecting your dog’s personal space and pushing them gently outside of their comfort zone (with plenty of treats and verbal praise, of course!) 

Tell yourself and your dog, often: You’re doing great!
The fact that you’re looking for guidance on how to help your pup through their reactivity shows that you’ve got the empathy and investment they need from you to overcome their fears. So stick with it, be an advocate for your dog, and remind yourself that you and your pup are doing your best!