Our Reactive Dog Training Program is designed to help dogs who struggle with strong emotional reactions to other dogs or people. Whether your dog experiences leash reactivity, stranger danger, dog-dog aggression, barking at the window, or resource guarding, we focus on understanding the underlying causes and helping your dog feel safer and more confident around their triggers. Using thoughtful, structured training, we work to build calmer responses and better decision-making in everyday situations. The result is less stress, improved safety, and a more enjoyable life together. Take the first step towards better social encounters by booking a phone consultation with a Training Advisor.
You Are Not Alone
For example, their dog may be friendly, affectionate, and well-behaved in familiar settings - yet suddenly bark, lunge, freeze, or stare intensely at other dogs on walks. These reactions can feel embarrassing and stressful, especially when they seem to come out of nowhere.
For many owners, walks slowly become something they dread rather than enjoy. They may avoid certain routes, cross the street to dodge other dogs, or shorten outings altogether. Over time, this can create frustration, worry, and a sense that something is wrong with their dog or with their training.
The same can be said for many other reactivity-based behaviors, such as resource guarding.
If this sounds familiar, you are not alone. Reactivity is one of the most common challenges we see, and it affects dogs and owners across all breeds, ages, and experience levels.
Why Reactive Behaviors Happen
In many cases, it happens when dogs feel overwhelmed and unable to cope with what is happening around them. For example, when on walks, the leash limits movement and prevents a dog from creating distance, which can make ordinary situations feel intense or threatening. When another dog, person, or unexpected movement appears, stress can rise quickly.
Some dogs react because they feel trapped. Others react because they are unsure how to handle the situation, or because past experiences have taught them that certain encounters feel unsafe. Genetics and temperament can also play a role in how strongly a dog responds to stress. Resource guarding can be caused by a feeling of scarcity - if you take away the bowl or toy, they feel like they will never get it back.
Once emotional arousal crosses a certain threshold, the reaction is no longer a choice. Barking, lunging, gnashing teeth, or intense staring are signs that the dog is no longer able to stay regulated in that moment.
Understanding that reactivity is an emotional response, rather than a training failure or conscious choice, is an important step toward meaningful progress.
What Progress Can Look Like
As dogs learn how to stay regulated and process their environment more effectively, reactions often become less frequent, less intense, and easier to manage. Many dogs reach a point where they are able to walk past people, dogs, and common triggers calmly, without escalating into barking or lunging.
Owners frequently notice that walks feel more relaxed and predictable. Instead of constant vigilance or avoidance, they can move through their neighborhood with greater confidence, knowing their dog has the skills to handle distractions. Dogs are better able to stay engaged, recover quickly from unexpected moments, and make thoughtful choices even when the environment is stimulating.
Progress does not mean perfection in every situation. But for many dogs, it means a dramatic improvement in day-to-day life — calmer walks, fewer reactive episodes, and a stronger sense of trust and communication between dog and owner.
Topics We Can Cover
Please note that when enrolling in the program, we can focus on a few behaviors, but not all at once. A trainer will conduct an assessment first, in order to determine your goals and areas of focus.
How the Program Works
- Our base rate for the Reactivity Program is $175 per session.
- The trainer will identify the recommended number of sessions after the Dog Diagnostic.
- $10 additional per session if we come to your home, plus any parking fees that we incur.
Payment plan options: We have options for payment plans, including using PayPal Credit (six months interest free) or splitting your payments up.
FAQs
Can I combine topics or behaviors from other programs?
Yes, it is very possible to combine topics from other programs. For example, if we are working with you on reactivity, your dog may possibly have some noise sensitivity. The program is just a starting point, and we can extend it however you need. However, please keep in mind that you may not be able to truly resolve numerous difficult challenges at once, as the training does require homework in between sessions with lots of repetition. Trying to do this for too many behaviors concurrently may not be realistic. It is always possible to add certain for certain behaviors after addressing other ones first. It all just depends, and your trainer can discuss the training plan with you further.
Do I need to work on all of the behaviors listed above, if my dog just needs help in one area?
Definitely not. The list above is to give you an idea of what we can help with in the reactivity category. Your trainer will start with an assessment, then recommend which one(s) to tackle.
Is it better to work at my home, or at the training facility?
For many dogs, working at their home can be better, since they may have anxiety about entering a new space. On the other hand, coming to our training facility can have its advantages, as we have resources such as barriers, cones, stuffed dogs, different types of harnesses, numerous treat options, and other people to practice with. You can even do some at home and some here. Just speak with your trainer.
Is it guaranteed that my dog's reactivity will go away?
No trainer in the entire world can make that guarantee. There are a lot of factors in play, such as whether you do the homework each week, whether you stay committed to positive reinforcement methods, plus your dog's genetics and level of emotions. Most dogs do make tremendous strides by going through the program, even if this means reducing their reactivity significantly instead of eliminating it altogether. It is a process that takes time, including once the training has concluded.
I want to use a prong collar or choke chain to show my dog who is in control
Aversive equipment such as prong collars, choke chains, shock collars, and squirt bottles can cause more harm than you realize, because they can cause pain and discomfort, leading to a lack of trust. We have sucessfully used positive reinforcement methods with thousands of dogs and ask that you give this model a try. We believe you will be pleasantly surprised.
Can we work on manners in conjunction with reactivity?
That depends. If your dog is reactive to other dogs or people, it can be very difficult to make any progress with outdoor activities such as leash walking. It could be possible to work on indoor manners training, such as dropping items, but you will likely get different results the moment you go outside, due to stress and fear. Our team can discuss options with you.
Can I start with just a few sessions to see if the program is working?
We have a minimum of 8 sessions for the program. Many dogs may not show as much progress early on, but show tremendous strides after lots of repetitions. You have to be patient and trust the process.
Our Travel Radius
One of our trainers can home to your home if you live within our travel radius. We routinely go all throughout Chicago each day, including to Lakeview, Lincoln Park, Bucktown, Wrigleyville, Gold Coast, River North, downtown, East Loop, West Loop, South Loop, and all neighborhoods in between.
These boundaries go north to Irving Park Road, east to the lake, south to Roosevelt, and west to Western Avenue.
If you live a few streets beyond these boundaries we can likely still come to your home.
Otherwise, you would need to come to our training facility.
Our Trainers Travel All Over Chicago
Positive Reinforcement Methods
Tucker Pup's only uses positive reinforcement methods. We do not use prong collars, choke chains, shock collars, poking, yelling, leash popping, or other aversive methods. Dominance can easily cause your dog to distrust you, and to only comply in order to avoid a negative outcome. This isn't truly learning, and can cause your dog's behaviors to become much worse.
Positive reinforcement is much more effective for creating long-term learning and a stronger relationship with your dog. Dogs love training when this style is being used, are much more responsive to their owners, and are much happier in general. In short, positive reinforcement gives you the best chance of success, and can be the fastest way to get results. If you are hesitant, please trust us on this one and feel free to ask us questions.
Positive reinforcement combines an encouraging tone of voice, clear instruction, relaxed body language, the use of rewards (e.g., treats, favorite toy), patience, and empathy.
If you are concerned about giving treats, keep in mind that they work very well for most dogs, you can phase them out at your discretion, and it is possible to use something else that your dog values, such as a favorite toy.
Customer Reviews
Yelp has listed Tucker Pup's as one of the top 100 local businesses in the country in 2025. We are the only pet business who made the list from Chicago, and the only pet resort / training business who made the list nationally.
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A Happy Training Customer
We worked with Jamie with our dog Bear, and she was amazing! Bear has several issues, including loose leash walking, reactivity to dogs and men, as well as picking objects off of the street.
As soon as we started working with Jamie, we saw a huge improvement and he has continued to improve since. She not only helped with training, but gave us tips to help with his general demeanor and as soon as we implemented them, his behavior improved.
I recommend Jaime to help with any training needs.
- Kaitlin Naughton
Neighborhoods We Serve
Tucker Pup's is located in the West Loop / Fulton Market District neighborhood. People come to us from all over Chicago, especially from Bucktown, Gold Coast, Lake View, Lincoln Park, Old Town, River North, River West, South Loop, Streeterville, Ukrainian Village, University Village, West Town and Wicker Park.
