How to Train a Barrier Reactive Dog

When we repeatedly prevent our dogs from reaching something they want (a desired stimulus) they can develop barrier reactivity. Frustration-based reactivity like this might look like barking, lunging, growling, and otherwise making a scene. Usually dogs show barrier aggression when confined in your yard or house. It might go hand-in-hand with leash reactivity on walks, too.

Sniffspot was designed with reactive dogs in mind. We know firsthand the struggle of working our pets through big feelings! In the below guide, we cover:

• What barrier reactivity is
• Symptoms of frustration-based reactivity
• Causes of barrier aggression
• Ways to manage your dog's barrier reactivity
• Training resources to improve your pup's frustration over time
• Further reading recommendations

Most importantly? We equip you with practical insights to help your canine friend overcome their barrier frustration-related struggles. Let's get into it!

1) Barrier reactivity is usually a form of frustration-based dog reactivity

Frustration-based reactivity occurs when a dog wants to interact with something—a person, another dog, maybe even a specific object—but can't.

This behavioral problem is common in social dogs who regularly visit dog parks or attend daycare. These pups love other pets. It's natural they feel frustrated when they aren’t allowed to say hello! That frustration—especially when shut behind a barrier, like in a fenced yard, or held back on a leash—can quickly build into a reactive display. The outsized emotional response results in behaviors like growling and barking.

Barrier reactivity versus leash reactivity: What’s the difference?

For the purpose of training your reactive dog, you can treat barrier reactivity and leash reactivity pretty interchangeably. Many pets who struggle with barking, lunging, and growling while on leash also have the same issues when behind a fence!

If we’re being technical, we can define leash reactivity as a type of barrier frustration, since a leash is a barrier. This article talks more about fixing leash reactivity, or leash aggression, specifically.

2) Signs of barrier reactivity

Dog trainers and pet parents might refer to a wide range of behaviors when they say "barrier aggression." Because of this, signs of barrier reactivity can vary. No two dogs will react in exactly the same way.

That said: You can look for some telltale symptoms of frustration-based reactivity. If your dog performs the below behaviors when confined behind a fence, gate, or on a leash, chances are they're struggling with barrier reactivity.

Whining or whimpering

Your dog might show signs of anxiety, distress, or other negative emotional experiences by whining. It's common for our pets to whimper in a fenced yard or behind another barrier where they can't reach the things they want to.

Barking, growling, and other vocalizations

Dogs may bark or growl when they see triggers like other animals, people, or environmental stimuli.

Pacing or jumping

When your dog is restless, they might pace or jump up. Some dogs even try to completely clear the barrier in their way! This is a sure sign your pup is reacting to something on the other side.

Lunging or snapping

Some dogs express their frustration by lunging, air snapping, or even attempting to bite their triggers. They can also redirect their frustration onto their handlers in particularly stressful situations.

Stiff body language

Raised hackles, a tense body, and a fixed stare can be indicators of a heightened emotional state. Pay attention to your dog's body language to get a feel for their stress levels!

Dilated pupils

Wide pupils also suggest high arousal. It can be hard to get a good look at your pup's eyes when they're reacting to a trigger—but if you're able to see dilation? You know your dog feels some intense emotions. There's a good chance they're reacting strongly to a trigger.

3) Causes of barrier reactivity

Dozens of potential factors influence barrier and frustration-based reactivity in dogs. While some training protocols stay the same no matter the cause, understanding the roots of your own four-legged friend's explosions can help you more effectively manage your pup's behavior.

Lack of socialization

Dogs that haven't been adequately socialized to different environments, people, and animals may become reactive as a default when faced with unfamiliar stimuli. This frustration can be heightened when behind a barrier! Feeling trapped is a sure way to add frustration into the mix.

Lack of training

Dogs that haven't been trained to cope with frustration—or taught alternative behaviors when they feel overwhelmed—may resort to reactive responses when faced with barriers.

An important note here: If your dog is barrier reactive, it does not mean you haven’t done a good job with their training. It can be hard to teach our dogs to appropriately handle frustration! This is just one of many variables worth considering.

Genetic factors

Certain breeds may have a genetic predisposition to reactive behaviors. Understanding breed characteristics—what jobs and traits our ancestors originally selected your dog for—can help you tailor your training approach to their specific needs.

Territorial instincts

Dogs are naturally territorial animals. This means it's normal for them to feel triggered when they perceive a threat to their territory! This protective behavior may lead to reactivity when they feel confined or restrained—especially on their own property when other people or animals pass by their home.

VCA Animal Hospitals says "Territorial aggressive displays may range from growling and barking to lunging, chasing, snapping and biting. ... Dogs that are physically prevented by a barricade or leash from gaining access to the stimulus (i.e., are frustrated) may have their aggression heightened, or may develop displacement behaviors (e.g., spinning, circling, self mutilation) or redirected behaviors (e.g., turning their aggression on the owner who attempts to reach for or grab the dog)."

Medical issues

Pain or discomfort due to underlying medical issues can contribute to reactivity. Veterinary examinations can help you rule out any health concerns.

Lack of mental and physical stimulation

Dogs that lack mental and physical stimulation may channel their excess energy into reactive behaviors. Regular exercise and mental enrichment are vital to keep your pup balanced, fulfilled, and well-behaved.

4) How to address your dog’s barrier reactivity right now

Management of triggering situations

We promise we’ll get into the training itself soon, but first: Management is an important part of helping your barrier reactive dog. The more frequently your pet practices their unwanted behaviors in a heightened emotional state? The more deeply they ingrain those habits. You want to prevent as many reactions as possible so your training can be successful.

Don’t worry, though. You don’t have to be perfect. Your dog will still react to triggers. You can’t control the whole world—and no one expects you to!

Just a little bit of effort can go a long way to managing your dog’s behavior in the meantime.

• Use tools like basket muzzles or “ignore me” patches as a visual cue to get more space from strangers while out on walks if your dog struggles with reactions on leash.
• Cover your windows with film or close the blinds to prevent your dog from barking at triggers outside your living room or office windows throughout the day. You can also use household objects as visual barriers.
• Consider playing soothing music for your dog if they tend to hear triggers before they actually see them passing by outside.
• Practice your dog’s basic cues, leash skills, ability to receive reinforcement (like high-value treats) in multiple ways (from your hand, scattered on the ground, and tossed in the air). Work on their eye contact with you, too. Building these habits outside of stressful situations will make it possible for you to use them to get through difficult moments out and about! A solid "leave it” cue can be especially powerful.

Exercise

Frustration-based dog reactivity and general overarousal can often be improved by simply addressing our pets’ underlying needs. As mentioned above, it’s possible that your dog is displaying reactive behaviors as signs of feeling ill, in pain, or unfulfilled!

You can increase your canine companion's exercise frequency and type. Be sure to include activities that let them move their body and use their brain in natural ways. Which brings us to...

Enrichment and fulfillment

How can you help your pet feel more fulfilled in our modern human world? Provide appropriate canine enrichment!

At its simplest, enrichment provides animals with opportunities to satisfy their innate instincts. Common enrichment activities usually give our dogs the chance to safely dig, sniff, and emulate their predatory sequence (searching, stalking, chasing, fighting, celebrating, and consuming) without causing harm to or disrupting the communities we live in. You might fill a rubber toy with peanut butter for them to lick out, focus on playing fun games together, set up structured playdates with dogs you trust, and more.

You can learn more about fulfilling your dog’s natural instincts in our comprehensive guide to canine enrichment. A bonus is that many of these activities can turn into alternate behaviors your dog performs around their triggers in the long run! You can also use them as part of a healthier behavior chain.

Meet your dog's needs before training

It’s always a good idea to evaluate your reactive dog’s basic needs before focusing on specific training situations. Even if your dog’s reactivity is driven by more than a treatable health or fulfillment problem, making sure their needs are met will still help you maximize your training success.

5) Training for long-term barrier reactivity improvement

Once you've addressed any underlying issues, addressing your dog's barrier aggression often involves a combination of positive reinforcement training techniques like desensitization and counterconditioning.

Professional guidance from a certified force free dog trainer or behaviorist can be invaluable in developing a tailored behavior modification plan for your specific dog and situation!

Observation games

Observation activities like engage-disengage and Look At That use counter-conditioning principles to help your dog feel a little calmer and think more clearly around their triggers. These games can be found in Leslie McDevitt’s Control Unleashed books!

Engage-disengage and Look At That methods capitalize on operant conditioning (a learning theory involving animals intentionally performing behavior to earn reinforcement) to create better responses (more agreeable behaviors like looking at you) than barking and lunging.

Desensitization

Desensitization involves getting our dogs used to their triggers slowly, in small doses that don’t put them over threshold. While it can be difficult to implement in the “real world” (public environments are often unpredictable and we can’t always decide how far away our dogs are from their triggers) it’s a valuable technique in controlled situations.

Distance, intensity and duration matter a lot in this behavior modification technique. The goal is to help your dog ultimately make a habit of calmer emotions, more relaxed behavior, and lower stress levels.

6) Further reading and learning

Here are a few of our favorite resources for all things dog reactivity.

More Sniffspot blogs on dog reactivity

We have an entire blog category devoted to dog reactivity and related problem or unwanted behaviors. One of our primary goals is to be a welcoming community for reactive dogs! That’s why we have specific rules (like gaps between arrivals and transparency about other animals within view) to keep all Sniffspot visits safe.

• How to Train a Reactive Dog: A Beginner’s Guide for everything you need to know to get started implementing a training program for your reactive dog
• How to Socialize Your Reactive Dog for help on how to give your frustrated or otherwise reactive dog positive experiences with other dogs
• Dog Reactivity Chart for help understanding the current level of reactivity your dog shows in different moments

Other dog reactivity resources

• Trainer Patricia McConnell’s guide to how to handle reactive dogs
• CARE For Reactive Dogs is a whole website dedicated to methods and gear for dealing with a reactive dog
• Suzanne Clothier reactive dog training scenario set up
• Trainer Alice Tong’s engage-disengage game (specific to leash reactivity, but can be applied to other types of reactivity as well)

When in doubt, get in touch with a professional force free trainer you trust. And know you can always bring your dog to a Sniffspot for some playtime without worrying about reactivity triggers!

Trainer Review of this Article

There is so much misinformation out there, and we want to make sure we only provide the highest quality content to our community. We have our articles reviewed by qualified force free trainers.  

This is the trainer that reviewed this article:

Emily Fitzpatrick
VSA-CDT
Owner and Head Trainer | Misunderstood Mutt