21/07/2026
REACTIVITY
Reactivity has become a bit of a buzzword without much understanding.
In General: The tendency to respond quickly or strongly to something.
* Example: “His emotional reactivity made stressful situations difficult.”
Chemistry: The degree to which a substance undergoes chemical reactions.
* Example: “Sodium has high reactivity with water.”
Psychology/Medicine: The extent to which a person or organism responds to external or internal stimuli.
* Example: “Stress can increase physiological reactivity.”
But we often disregard the fact that many of the dogs sleeping on your sofa’s were bred to be reactive to stimuli.
My own dog, Vallah, has a long history of being bred to guard farms and property against intruders, herd livestock, pull carts etc. However in more modern times her breed is used in the military and police for general purpose and detection purposes.
Is it fair that I should expect her to not react to moving things or be suspicious of people etc?
Absolutely not.
However I can give her outlets to replicate those genetic traits and take time to help her manage her arousal.
The biggest part being physical exercise and mental fulfilment. A licki mat simply won’t cut it for her.
But as usual, I have taken a wander past my original point 😂
Reactivity is an umbrella term for many different things. It’s important to understand what it is you’re dealing with and the dogs itself.
Physical exercise, breed fulfilment, ensuring the dog isn’t dealing with illness or pain, structure and REST are all at the top of my list of priorities to look at first.
If you want help, pop me a WhatsApp 🧡
