Why Your Reactive Dog’s Outbursts Are Like Sneezes: Understanding Symptoms vs. Causes

Understanding your dog’s emotions is the key to lasting change

When you sneeze, you don’t say you have a “sneezing problem;” you say it’s allergies or maybe a head cold. That’s because you know the sneeze is just a symptom of something deeper that’s going on. The act of sneezing is one of your body’s ways of dealing with a problem.

Your dog’s reactive behavior works the same way.

When your dog barks, lunges, growls, or shuts down on walks, it tends to feel like that behavior is the problem. And yes, it’s a problem for you because dealing with this type of behavior is stressful. Embarrassing. Sometimes even scary.

But for your dog, the behavior is not only not the problem, it’s their attempt at a solution to the real problem they have which is, more often than not, fear. So, like your sneeze, your dog’s reactive outbursts are simply an outward sign that something else is going on.

What your dog is doing is less important than why they’re doing it. Understanding the why is how you solve the problem and end the barking, lunging, etc.

Reactive Dog Behavior Is a Symptom—Not a Diagnosis

You’ve been conditioned to think of dog behavior in terms of obedience: “good” dogs do this, “bad” dogs do that. But reactive behavior is really just communication. It's your dog’s way of saying, “Something’s not right.”

Barking, growling, jumping, snapping, freezing—is often a dog’s attempt to cope with a situation that feels overwhelming or unsafe. They’re not being dramatic or disobedient. They’re doing the best they can with their existing tools in a challenging situation.

That’s why trying to “correct” reactivity without addressing the underlying cause doesn’t work. It might suppress symptoms for a while (although it doesn’t even usually do that), but it won’t help your dog feel better—or behave differently in a lasting, meaningful way.

What’s Really Going On? The Emotions Beneath the Behavior

Let’s talk about the most common emotional drivers behind reactivity:

1. Fear

Fear is by far the most common cause of reactivity. Your dog sees something (another dog, a person, a skateboard) and thinks: “That might hurt me. I need to make it go away.” Barking and lunging is their way of saying, “Back off!” (trainers call this a distance increasing behavior).Dogs become fearful of benign things (like people or baby carriages) when they’ve had past negative experiences or haven’t been properly socialized (under socialization is extremely common, especially post-pandemic). Scared dogs aren’t trying to be dominant, rude or disobedient, they’re trying to survive.

2. Stress and Anxiety

Similar to fear, dogs who are constantly on edge have very little tolerance for anything they find upsetting. Like anxious people, their nervous system is always scanning for danger, even in ordinary situations. These dogs overreact to things that feel minor to us because their baseline stress level is already sky-high. Dog anxiety can be genetic, lifestyle related or caused by illness.

3. Attention and Frustration

For some dogs—especially younger and high-energy dogs—reactive outbursts are less related to fear or stress and more about wanting to get their way. Curious dogs may want to get to another dog to say hello. If you don’t allow this, they may bark and lunge out of frustration. The solution here isn’t to always let them have their way but rather to teach them an acceptable way to let you know what they want. Your dog may also have learned that these behaviors are a great way to get your attention - even a treat - which makes these rewarding to them. Attention and frustration based outbursts can still look scary and aggressive (especially to others) but are more about your dog being overstimulated and struggling with impulse control.

4. Pain and Illness

Last but not least, reactive outbursts can be caused by pain and illness, especially if your dog seems to suddenly become reactive out of the blue. Everyone has a shorter fuse when they don’t feel youll (everyone, right - not just me). Pain is the most overlooked cause for reactive behavior so any good trainer should first ask you when was the last time your dog had a check-up when you seek help for reactive behavior. Pain-caused reactivity because your dog feels vulnerable and has less tolerance for unwanted distraction.

Why Punishment Backfires

Before I explain specifically why punishment-based training doesn’t work for reactive dogs, I want to stress that I am wholeheartedly opposed to punishing dogs even if it weren't scientifically contraindicated. Punishment is meant to cause harm and there is never a reason why anyone should deliberately cause harm to their dog. (Rant over.)

So, punishment based methods actually worsen reactive behavior. Think about it this way: if you treat a sneeze by putting duct tape over your mouth, you might stop the noise—but you haven’t cured the allergies or head cold. Plus, forcing someone to hold in their sneezes is really bad for them! The same goes for behavior. If you punish a dog for barking or lunging, you might see a short-term decrease in the behavior, but you’ve also just taught the dog that it’s not safe to express their feelings. And that can lead to even more fear and more unpredictable - even aggressive - reactions.

Instead of asking, “How do I stop this?” ask, “Why is this happening?”

When you get curious about the emotional cause, you can start to work with—not against—our dogs.

So What Should You Do? Start With Compassion and Curiosity

Here’s what I recommend to my clients with reactive dogs:

1. Notice Your Dog’s Triggers

What tends to set your dog off? Is it other dogs, fast movement, certain sounds or smells? Start keeping track. Understanding the pattern helps you predict and prevent difficult moments.

2. Create Space and Safety

Distance is your friend. If your dog gets triggered when someone approaches, cross the street. Move behind a parked car. Give your dog room to feel safer. It’s not “giving in”—its setting them up for success.

3. Use Calm, Supportive Reinforcement

Reward calm behavior, but don’t ignore the hard stuff. If your dog is struggling, let them know you see them. A gentle “Let’s go,” paired with distance and a treat for moving away (not to get your dog to stop barking), goes a long way.

4. Support Your Dog’s Nervous System

This might mean adjusting walk routines, using calming supplements (with your vet’s guidance), or building in more decompression time—quiet sniffy walks, games at home, or structured relaxing enrichment.

5. Work with a Fear-Free, Positive Trainer

That’s where Creature Good Dog Training comes in. Using my signature framework honed over years of working with reactive dogs, I help you and your pup understand each other and change behavior through compassion and positive scientific training methods.

A Real-Life Example: Louie’s Story

Louie, a young rescue, used to bark and lunge at every dog on the sidewalk. His guardian, Jen, was told to “be the alpha” and “correct” him with a leash pop (Jen tried this after refusing to use an electronic collar which was also recommended). Not only did that not help—it made Louie even more tense. He started reacting to everything.

When Jen and I started working together, we shifted our focus from punishment to understanding. We figured out Louie was actually terrified of other dogs after being attacked at the dog park (this is what happened to my own dog Jake, years ago).  Using my signature CHARM approach, we built Louie’s confidence, upleveled Jen’s leash handling skills, built decompression routines into Louie’s day, created positive associations with other dogs and helped Jen approach every encounter with intention and advocacy for Louie.

At the end of Jen’s training program, Louie’s behavior showed noticeable improvement and Jen felt confident in her ability to handle any situation they might encounter. Within just a few months, Louie could pass other dogs calmly on walks. This was possible because Louie learned to trust Jen’s judgement and feel safe in the presence of other dogs.

My boy, Jake

Your Dog Isn’t Misbehaving—They’re Struggling

If you’re walking a reactive dog, you’re not alone. You’re not failing. And your dog isn’t trying to embarrass you—they’re just struggling to navigate a world that feels unpredictable and scary.

But there is a way forward. And it starts by looking beneath the behavior, not just at it. Reactive outbursts are just like the sneeze that lets you know you have a cold or your allergies are kicking up. When your dog behaves this way, look around: what is upsetting them? Move away from the trigger, calm down and choose your next move based on your dog’s fear, not their barking.

Want to Learn More? I’ve Got You.

If you’re ready to stop reacting to the behavior and start supporting the emotions behind it, start with my free course 👉 “Peaceful Walks Start Here” learn practical, compassionate strategies to help both of you feel more confident. Enroll Here.