I'm not keen on talking of « reactivity » because :
it's pretty more reactive behaviors : a dog is too likely to be labeled that way as if he was nothing but that ;
there is not « the » reactivity, but reactivities.
Even though the behaviors may seemingly look the same — pulling on the leash, barking, being out of control, being in an intense reaction, bouncing — their motivations are sometimes rooted in the opposite : to reduce the distance or increase it with the element that has triggered the overreaction.
On one hand, we'll have a dog that cannot stand having an element away from him ; while on the other hand, we'll have a dog who cannot stand having an element close to him.
Let's keep it in mind that "close" and "away" are subjectives appreciation according to the dog's perception. Even if we can measure with feet, trees, parked cars, depending on his mood, his health, his past with the element, the distance may vary.
Reduce the distance
The dog is then motivated by an encounter with the element. He calms down and his excessive behaviors are reduced when he is near it. His body language is not tense, does not show hostility, or even shows slight jumps, a tail that wags to his right.
The dog can feel frustrated for he wants to play with another one for instance.
Increase the distance
The dog is then motivated by the distance from the element being extended ; if the latter does not move away on its own, he will adopt hostile behaviors to pressure it to do so, by intimidation. He may calm down and his excessive behaviors reduce when the element stops approaching, moves away and leaves.
The dog can feel scared and angry for he experienced something negative with a child for instance.
Identify the reasons of that reactivity
The point of clearly identifying the dog's motivation is to be able to implement the most appropriate strategy. I do not treat a dog that is scared of children the same way as I do a happy dog that considers all of his fellows as friends.
In case the dog wants to reduce the distance, the reduction can become a reinforcer if he shows calm behaviors; he may also need to be (re-)taught how to introduce himself and manage his emotions and their overflow from a general point of view.
In the case where the dog wants to increase the distance, I will start by changing his emotional perception of the element that triggers his behaviors, while keeping him in a zone where his intellectual abilities are not crushed by his motivation to reestablish a distance, so that finally he becomes indifferent to it, or even comfortable.
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