Benson’s Journey: Managing Reactivity

Date: 2024-07-29   |   Author: Shannon Noonan

Benson is a 6.5-year-old Border Collie who started showing signs of reactivity around 2020, and it escalated quickly at the beginning of 2021, prompting us to seek the help of Shannon.

Benson is reactive to all dogs (we now have two “safe” dogs—Taiyo and Finn) and most strangers. He does not have a bite history, but he may very well be capable of it; we have been fortunate enough to be able to hold him back in situations that may elicit a bite or nip.

Having a reactive dog (in my experience) can be very exhausting, discouraging, isolating, and so, so frustrating at times.

At our very first group class with Shannon in 2021, Benson was really struggling with seeing all the other dogs around and was barking so aggressively from the car that I was getting very overwhelmed and worried about his well being. Before the class started, someone said something to me that made me feel even worse than I already did. I wanted to just leave and go home and give up. I mentioned it to Shannon and she showed me empathy and made me feel like I should stay and that we’re not a complete lost cause. I am so glad I stayed. The first few classes were hard. But we started improving and classes became easier and easier.

We have come a long way since then, and I have learned so many things about dog behavior and how to work together with Benson to help him feel more comfortable in the world around him.

Owning a reactive dog is hard work and we’ll be working on this for years to come, but Benson and I are in it for the long haul regardless of what happens.

Benson is now enjoying his fenced in backyard at his new house, and when he’s not soaking up the sun outside or playing fetch, he’s inside snuggling with his family!