Redirected Behaviour in Dogs: Why Fear Can Spill Over Onto Owners

If you’ve ever walked away from an incident with your dog feeling embarrassed, shaken, or quietly terrified about what just happened - you are not alone.

Many owners find themselves searching phrases like “Why did my dog snap at me?” or “Is my reactive dog dangerous?” after a stressful walk or near-miss. These moments can be frightening, confusing, and emotionally heavy.

Let’s be very clear from the outset: redirected behaviour in dogs is not a sign of a bad dog, and it is not a sign of failure on your part.

It is a sign of fear - and fear deserves understanding, not punishment.

What Is Redirected Behaviour in Dogs?

Redirected behaviour occurs when a dog becomes overwhelmed by a perceived threat - such as another dog, a person, or an environmental trigger - and their emotional response spills over onto the nearest available outlet.

Often, that outlet is the person holding the lead.

This is not intentional aggression. This is not dominance. This is not your dog “turning on you”.

It is a dog whose nervous system is overloaded and whose options for coping have run out.

Barking and Lunging Are Distance-Increasing Behaviours

When dogs bark, lunge, growl, or snarl, they are communicating the only message they know how to send in that moment:

“I need space.”

These behaviours are known as distance-increasing behaviours. Their purpose is simple - to make the scary thing go away.

A very common real-world example looks like this:

You’re walking along a narrow pavement. Another dog appears suddenly. Your dog stiffens. You instinctively shorten the lead to keep them close and under control. The barking escalates. Your dog spins or lunges. Everyone’s stress levels spike.

This response is human and completely understandable - but here’s the important piece:

Shortening the lead removes your dog’s ability to choose safety.

They cannot move away. They cannot create distance. They cannot flee. And when flight is removed, pressure builds.

Why Redirection Happens: The Science of Stress and Fear

When dogs feel afraid or threatened, their bodies (just like ours) release stress hormones - primarily adrenaline and cortisol.

These chemicals:

• Increase heart rate and muscle tension

• Narrow focus to survival

• Shut down learning and decision-making

• Prepare the body for immediate action

  
  

This is known as the fight-or-flight response - and it is not a conscious choice.

In this state, dogs may show one (or more) of the following responses:

• Fight – barking, lunging, snapping

• Flight – pulling away, spinning, trying to escape

• Freeze – going still, shutting down

• Fawn – appeasing or frantic friendliness

• Fiddle – displacement behaviours like sniffing, scratching, shaking off

  

  the 5 Fs of canine stress responses

  
  

All of these behaviours exist for one reason: to keep the dog safe.

When flight is prevented - often by a tight lead - that stress has nowhere to go. Sometimes, tragically, it redirects onto the nearest person.

This is biology, not betrayal.

Why Tight Leads and Shouting Make Things Worse

When a dog is already flooded with stress hormones, adding:

• lead pressure

• raised voices

• physical restraint

only increases the feeling of threat.

The dog learns:

• I can’t escape

• I’m not being heard

• I need to escalate to be safe

  
  

This is how well-meaning owners can find themselves in the firing line for a redirected snap or bite - despite doing everything they thought was “right”.

Agency Is the Foundation of Safety

One of the most powerful tools we have when supporting reactive dogs is agency - the ability for the dog to make choices that reduce fear.

Space is not avoidance or failure - Space is communication.

When dogs feel they have options, their behaviour softens. When they feel trapped, it escalates.

Three Supportive Games to Help Reactive Dogs Feel Safer

These are management tools, not cures - and they should always be practised away from triggers first.

1. The Emergency Turn

Teach your dog that turning and moving away with you is safe, rewarding, and predictable. This gives them a rehearsed escape route when things feel too much.

It replaces panic with partnership. Think of it as saying: “I see it too. Let’s go.”

2. Give Your Dog a Job

Scatter feeding, pattern games, or simple movement tasks can help release adrenaline and give the brain something structured to focus on.

Fear thrives in chaos. Jobs create calm.

3. Regulate Your Breathing

Your dog is constantly reading your nervous system through the lead.

One of my favourite techniques? Quietly sing a nursery rhyme to yourself. You physically cannot sing without breathing properly - and regulated breathing helps calm both ends of the lead. 

(No one ever needs to know you’re softly humming Jack and Jill went up the Hill while managing a meltdown).

There Is No Such Thing as “Bad Behaviour”

Every reaction your dog shows gives you information:

• what scares them

• what overwhelms them

• what they need support with

  
  

Behaviour is communication. When we shift from “How do I stop this?” to “What is my dog telling me?”, everything changes.

Why Working With a Force-Free Professional Matters

Fear-based behaviour is not something families should manage alone.

A certified/accredited force-free trainer or fully qualified behaviourist can:

• Identify triggers and thresholds

• Reduce stress rather than suppress behaviour

• Teach alternative coping strategies safely

• Support the whole family emotionally

  
  

Seeking help does not mean you’ve failed. It means you are advocating for your dog.

Living with a reactive dog often requires a new way of thinking, a new pace of life, and a strong support system - especially for your four-legged family member.

And with the right help, it can get better.

If you want to talk about your dog's behaviours or simply need someone to listen to your experiences and the challenging walks you're having, I'm here to listen and provide guidance.

drop me an email and we can arrange a time to chat - no pressure help@avrilyoungdogtraining.com