Why Does My Dog Freak Out on Walks?

A Real Talk on Leash Reactivity (and What to Do About It)

You’re just trying to enjoy a walk.

Maybe it’s your first moment of peace all day.

But then—your dog sees another dog.

And it’s like a switch flips.

Suddenly they’re barking, lunging, yanking you across the sidewalk.

It’s loud. It’s chaotic. And let’s be honest—it’s embarrassing.

You’re doing your best.

You love your dog.

But nothing you try seems to work.

You’re not alone.

So What’s Actually Going On?

This isn’t about dominance.

It’s not that your dog is “bad.”

It’s not even necessarily aggression.

It’s something called leash reactivity—and it’s one of the most common behavior struggles dog owners face.

Here’s the short version:

Leash reactivity is an emotional outburst.

It happens when your dog sees something (another dog, person, bike, car) and reacts in a big way—because they don’t know what else to do.

Okay… But Why?

Well, imagine this:

You’re out in public. Someone creepy walks toward you.

You want to cross the street or walk away—but someone’s holding you by the shoulders, keeping you in place.

That’s what a leash can feel like.

Dogs are social animals, and they’re used to choosing how they interact. But on leash, they lose that freedom. And for some dogs, that loss of control?

That’s enough to make them explode.

The Real Reason Matters

Here’s the part most people miss:

Not all leash reactivity is the same.

Some dogs are scared.

Some are overly excited.

Some are territorial.

And some just learned over time that barking makes stuff go away.

We call these the Four Roots of Reactivity.

If you treat a scared dog like an excited one, or try to force a greeting when your dog just wants space—it can make things worse.

“So… What Do I Do?”

Start by figuring out why your dog is reacting.

Once you understand the emotion underneath the outburst, you can actually change how they feel—not just stop the behavior in the moment.

We created a full course to help you do exactly that:

Leash Reactivity 101 walks you through what’s going on, how to change it, and real-world tools you can use on your next walk.

We also recommend checking out our free breakdown blog post on The Four Roots of Reactivity—it’ll help you understand your dog on a whole new level.

Last Thing: You’re Not a Bad Owner

You didn’t cause this.

You’re not doing something wrong.

And your dog isn’t broken.

Reactivity is common—and with the right training, it can absolutely get better.

Your walks can be peaceful again.

You and your dog can be a team again.

You’ve just gotta start with the why.