I adopted a dog on Monday and he is reactive on walks, to both people and dogs. I’m not an expert, though I do have a bit of knowledge on dog behavior and reactivity, and his reactivity does not seem particularly severe to me. To me it seems like he’s just insecure and doesn’t know what to make of people/dogs moving around while he’s on leash, and he reacts by barking (no hard lunging or growling, just barking, and he recovers fairly quickly). Joggers seem to be his worst trigger. He’s friendly once he meets dogs and people and has never shown any aggression. 

He definitely could use some work in general leash manners too, and I think having that foundation might help calm him overall on walks. 

I live in a 4th floor apt in the city and we’ve been working on engage/disengage on the balcony, and he’s doing amazing with that. He really only reacts maybe 1% of the time, and that’s pretty much always just due to me having bad timing. When he does react on the balcony, it’s usually just 1 or 2 barks and almost immediate recovery. 

I’d like to hire a trainer to help with his leash skills and reactivity but I’m totally lost on what type of trainer (eg pure positive or balanced)/what certifications to seek out. There’s a trainer nearby who does BAT which seems interesting to me. Does anyone have experience on this type of reactivity and what type of training worked? 

Lost on type of training to pursue