Ep 124 Dog Reactivity: What to Do In the Moment When Your Dog Reacts - Help! My Dog: The Podcast. Dog Behaviour & Training Strategies that Work!

Summary5 min read

Episode Overview

Episode Title: Ep 124 Dog Reactivity: What to Do In the Moment When Your Dog Reacts
Host: Dr Tom Mitchell
Date: April 15, 2026

In this focused episode, veterinarian, dog behaviorist, and trainer Dr Tom Mitchell addresses a listener’s pressing question: What do you do in the moment when your dog is reacting? Drawing from his years of clinical and hands-on experience—including a poignant personal story about his own dog, Gorse—Dr Tom provides concrete, real-world strategies for managing dog reactivity as it happens. The episode is a “first aid” guide for owners, packed with actionable advice for de-escalating high-stress moments and practical next steps to get your dog back on track.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Personal Context and Empathy (00:13)

Dr Tom recounts his own journey with his dog Gorse, who became reactive and anxious after being bitten by a much larger dog.
- Quote: “Out of the blue, a few months ago, my little dog, Gorse was bitten by a dog 20 times her size. And suddenly our life...was replaced with reactivity, anxiety, and worrying about what's around the next corner.” (00:13)
Sets a relatable, compassionate tone for listeners struggling with similar issues.

Emergency Protocol: The First Step (01:50)

First Aid Mentality: Treat dog reactivity in the moment like first aid—stop things from getting worse.
Emergency Protocol: Pre-taught strategies you can use instantly to exit a triggering situation.
A to B Protocol: Dr Tom details an example where you teach your dog to respond to a specific action (sliding your hand down the leash) as a cue to move away together.
- Quote: “When we slide our hand down the lead towards them, we are going to gently maneuver them away from what they are looking at and move away.” (02:22)
Stresses the importance of training this protocol before it’s needed so it’s second nature in an emergency.

Two Key Concepts: Time & Exposure (03:05)

Dogs de-escalate over time and with reduced exposure to triggers.
Manage Distance: Physically move away from what’s triggering your dog; distance is your friend.
Use Visual Blockers: Hide behind a bush, go around a corner—anything to reduce what your dog sees.
- Quote: “The most common way that we can reduce exposure is by distancing ourselves from the trigger...But sometimes the environment might allow us to reduce exposure by putting a visual blocker between us and the thing.” (03:38)
These strategies rapidly reduce the intensity of your dog’s reaction.

What to Do Once You’ve Created Space (After De-escalation) (08:23)

Consider what your dog isn’t doing right now that would help them feel better—then help them access those behaviors.
Engage brain systems associated with calm and positive motivation.

Disengagement Games (08:56)

Remind your dog that disengaging from stressful stimuli makes them feel better.
- Quote: “We’re kind of tickling the disengagement part of their brain. Yeah, we’re going disengagement, wake up. This makes you feel better.” (09:08)
These games can be found in Dr Tom’s Help My Dog Hub.

Seeking System Games (09:28)

Activate your dog’s “seeking system” by introducing food-based games, looking for opportunities for positive reinforcement.
- Quote: “We might want to engage their seeking system a little bit more...How can I get a good outcome here?” (09:28)
Re-frame the post-reactivity experience as a route back to positivity—not punishment or lecture.

Why Practice Matters (10:24)

Pairing a reactivity episode with immediate de-escalation and brain-engaging games teaches your dog how to recover faster and with less distress each time:
- Quote: “If the brain can figure out how to start feeling great again, then it’s going to want to do it even more.” (10:46)
Over repeated rehearsals, your dog gets more efficient at calming themselves, disengaging, and bouncing back.

Recap and Big Picture Advice (12:02)

Simple formula for the moment:
1. Implement your trained emergency protocol (A to B, etc.).
2. Get time and/or distance/exposure away from the trigger.
3. Once de-escalated, play disengagement or seeking games to build resilience for the next incident.
Preparation is Key: Emergency protocols must be trained calmly, ahead of time, not invented on the spot.
- Quote: “You need to train them ahead of the situation you’re going to require them.” (12:40)
Encourages listeners to check out the Help My Dog Hub for step-by-step training videos on these exercises.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

Personal Connection:
“I know all too well when the dream you imagined when you first got your dog is far from your daily reality.”
- Dr Tom Mitchell (00:19)
On Emergency Protocols:
“Let’s not make this bad situation any worse...train them ahead of the situation...to the point where as you start to slide your hand down the lead, they literally just turn away from what they’re looking at and come with you.”
- Dr Tom Mitchell (02:09, 02:38)
On Reframing Reactivity:
“We’re starting to teach them that they can navigate stressful, challenging, tough situations through de-escalation and utilizing those areas of their brain.”
- Dr Tom Mitchell (10:09)
Why It’s Worth the Work:
“Play it, play it, play it, play it, play it at home and you will be surprised at what an impact that can have in the moment.”
- Dr Tom Mitchell (13:13)

Timestamps for Important Segments

00:13 — Dr Tom’s story of Gorse’s trauma and empathy for owners
01:50 — Introduction of emergency protocol and A to B explanation
03:05 — Discussion on using time and exposure to de-escalate
08:23 — After creating space: how to proactively help your dog recover
08:56 — Disengagement games explained
09:28 — Tapping into the seeking system and using food-based games
10:46 — The importance of pairing reactivity with positive recovery
12:02 — Recap of main strategies and key takeaway

Final Thoughts

Dr Tom delivers a concise, clear, and empowering guide for managing dog reactivity. The biggest takeaways: prepare ahead by training emergency protocols, be proactive in the moment by seeking time and distance, and use positive engagement post-incident to boost resilience. This episode is both practical and inspiring, punctuated with Dr Tom’s signature humor and compassion. For owners searching for real solutions—and a bit of reassurance that they’re not alone—this is a must-listen.

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[00:00]
A
What do you do in the moment when your dog is reacting? I want to give you like the first aid, I guess the first aid advice on this one before we dive in. A warning. The content of this podcast may not be appropriate for some young listeners. This is real life and that means that sometimes it can be a little bit graphic. So listen on at your own peril. As a veterinarian, dog behaviorist, best selling author and trainer over the past decade, I've had an obsession with transforming the behavior of dogs, understanding their brains, and creating practical strategies that you can implement easily at home. I know all too well when the dream you imagined when you first got your dog is far from your daily reality. In fact, out of the blue, a few months ago, my little dog, Gorse was bitten by a dog 20 times her size. And suddenly our life of stress free walks, a calm and cuddly household and being teammates was replaced with reactivity, anxiety, and worrying about what's around the next corner. I'm doctor to this is the Help My Dog podcast and this is me documenting that journey of transformation, sharing my knowledge and experience with you, and having a few laughs along the way. Hello and welcome to this episode of the Help My Dog podcast. And today we are doing a listener's question and it's a to the point one it is what do you do in the moment when your dog is reacting? Which I could probably talk for like four days on this, but I want to give you like the first aid, I guess the first aid advice on this one. So first thing to do is we need to implement an emergency protocol. Okay? So the emergency protocol basically says, let's not make this bad situation any worse. And there are a few different options. Those of you who are in the Help My Dog hub, which is the membership area where all the videos are and everything, and the community and the discussion and everything and the live teaching, then you'll have access to videos of how to do the various emergency protocols. If you're not yet in the Help My Dog Hub, all you've got to do is head to helpmydog.com and you can find out all the information there and get involved. So, for example, one of them is an A to B and basically an A to B says, we're going to teach our dogs that when we slide our hand down the lead towards them, we are going to gently maneuver them away from what they are looking at and move away. Right? And we teach them that ahead of the situation so that they know what it is in the situation to the Point where you can teach your dog that this to the level that as you start to slide your hand down the lead, they literally just turn away from what they're looking at and come with you. So it's very, very powerful. And then what we need to do is we need to think two things. Okay. Time and distance. Okay. And I'm going to change that actually. Time and exposure. So what we need to think is our dogs are going to de escalate as time passes but also as exposure reduces. Now the most common way that we can reduce exposure is by distancing ourselves from the trigger. Yeah. The other dog, the person, the vehicle, whatever it might be. But sometimes the environment might allow us to reduce exposure by putting a visual blocker between us and the thing. Right. So it might be going around, you know, behind a bush or going around the corner. Yeah, Reducing exposure is going to really help to de escalate. And then the third thing that I'm gonna. The third kind of bucket of things that we need to do or category of things that we need to do. Hey guys, I just want to take a moment to answer a question that has been coming in literally 10 emails today and that is how can we help you with your dog's behavior struggle? Whether that be reactivity, separation anxiety, resource guarding. Maybe you've got a multi dog household struggle right now. Maybe your dog's just so over aroused on a walk that they just can't listen to you in the chasing everything in sight. Like can I get Tom's help? And the answer is that actually you can. And you can do that by booking a behavet behavior consultation. That's where literally my team give you the plan on how to transform your struggle and get you to that dream that made you get a dog in the first place. Right. Your world's got smaller and smaller and smaller and actually it doesn't need to be that way. You just need to reach out for help. Now a, a couple of things to say on that. First of all, if you're insured, if your dog's insured with pet plan, Kennel Club, Agria or many pets, we actually do direct claims with them, which means that that's covered by your insurance. So you don't pay out of your pocket, your insurance covers that. And the second thing to say is that we have loads of options. If you're insured with another provider or if your dog's not insured at all, that's also totally fine. We have loads of options that we've developed to make this so accessible for you because we're aware that you've already invested a load of time and a load of money in getting your dog, looking after your dog, caring for your dog. But the last thing we want is for you to have done all that and still not be living the life that you deserve with your dog. And we know we can get you there. So all you need to do is go to the Behave Vet website and the way to do that is go B E H a dot V E T, that's beh and it will take you there. Or just Google Behave Vet. Right. And you can get scheduled in and we can literally get you booked in for a consultation as soon as possible. We normally can accommodate it within a week. Right. So that you can be getting to your dream asap. And then the third thing that I'm gonna. The third kind of bucket of things that we need to do or category of things that we need to do is obviously think, well, what is my dog not doing right now? That if they were doing those things they would feel better. Yeah. And we then get them doing those things. So once we've done, you know, times past, we've got distance because we've implemented the emergency protocol to get them out of the situation. Distance, exposure, time, everything's looking great, De escalation has happened. Then what I would do is I'd say, right, this is the opportunity for me to remind my dog that actually, you know what, if they disengage from the environment, they feel better. Right. And so the way that we might do that is we might play some of the disengagement games that you probably heard me talk about on this podcast before or seen and watched in the Help My Dog Hub. And we're effectively the way to look at it is we're kind of tickling the disengagement part of their brain. Yeah, we're going disengagement, wake up. This makes you feel better. Right. So that might be one thing that we might do. The other thing that we might do is we might want to engage their seeking system a little bit more. Okay. And the seeking system is all about where's the opportunity, where's the good outcome? How can I get a good outcome here? How can I unlock a positive outcome? How can I get something? Yeah. And so we might play some food based games with our dogs post reactivity and de escalation to start to tickle the seeking system part of their brain. And what we're doing here, it's of course not going to be A quick fix. But what we're doing here is by pairing a reactivity episode with getting with de escalation and tickling those areas of the brain, what we're starting to do is we're starting to teach them that they can navigate stressful, challenging, tough situations through de escalation and utilizing those areas of their brain. And yeah, this might happen over 30 minutes or an hour. Yeah, it shouldn't happen over an hour. Right. But it might happen over 30 minutes. You might have got back home before you can start to play disengagement games and seeking system games and all the other ones that you might want to consider. But the point is that it teaches the brain how to get back to feeling great, number one. Which of course, if the brain can figure out how to start feeling great again, then it's going to want to do it even more. But the other thing that it does, it starts to create that sequence of events that the brain can get more efficient over time. It can become more efficient at de escalation, it can become more efficient at going from engaging and reactive to disengaging. It can become more efficient at accessing the seeking system after a reactivity episode through practice, through rehearsal. So on a very basic level, emergency protocol, time, distance, exposure. Yeah. And then be thinking, well, what might make my dog feel better here? That actually I'd love it if they could access this a little bit more easily next time. What brain regions do I want to be tickling that I can then get that brain being more efficient over time and getting better and better and better and better and better at it. Okay, so with that, guys, that was fast. Fire whistle stop tour of what to do. And I can't stress enough the emergency protocols. You need to train them ahead of the situation. You're going to require them. Yeah. So if you're thinking, I'd love to see a step by step of how to do that. It's all in the helpmydog hub. Just go to helpmydog.com hub and get involved, Access the members area and watch the videos. Play it, play it, play it, play it, play it at home and you will be surprised at what an impact that can have in the moment. We will see you next time.