Reactivity Is a Relationship Problem (not just a Training One): Supporting Both Ends of the Leash with Ruth Hegarty
Your Webinar Description:
Reactivity is often approached as a training problem to be solved with the right protocols, setups, and reinforcement strategies. While these tools matter, they are only part of the picture. In practice, reactive behavior unfolds within a relationship—one shaped by the dog’s emotional experience and the human’s stress levels, expectations, learning history, and capacity to implement change. When those human factors are overlooked, progress often stalls despite technically sound training plans.
This webinar reframes reactivity as a relationship problem (not just a training one) and explores what it truly means to support both ends of the reactive leash. Drawing on extensive experience working with reactive dogs and their guardians, as well as a background in coaching and adult education, the session focuses on helping trainers recognize and respond to the human-side dynamics that influence outcomes. Attendees will learn how to adapt their communication, session structure, and training plans to better support client regulation, resilience, and follow-through—leading to more ethical, sustainable, and effective behavior change for dogs.
Learning Objectives:
- Explain reactivity as a relationship-based, whole-system challenge rather than a dog-only training issue
- Identify key human-side factors that influence reactive dog training outcomes and client follow-through
- Recognize when training progress is limited by client capacity rather than technique
- Adapt communication and training plans to better support both the dog’s emotional needs and the human’s ability to implement change
Your Presenters- Ruth Hegarty
Ruth Hegarty is a certified positive dog trainer specializing in reactive, fearful, and anxious dogs and the humans who love them. She is the creator of the CHARM Approach, a compassionate, whole-system framework that addresses both dog behavior and human factors to create lasting, ethical behavior change.
With a background in life coaching and adult education, Ruth blends science-based training with practical strategies to support clients’ confidence, regulation, and follow-through. She helps trainers and guardians alike understand reactivity as a relationship challenge, not just a training problem, and empowers them to achieve safer, more predictable outcomes for dogs.
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