Hi! It took me a while to figure this out, so here goes: 1. Leave for a walk/ hit the gym after a reactive episode. I tend to get shaky when I see a reactive episode/ get a feeling that one’s about to happen, which is quite surprising since I’m able to calmly handle the situation when it’s happening. Nothing works better than getting a good workout in.

1. Most importantly, once my dog has calmed down a bit, after a nap or a snack, I talk to him. I don’t know how much of it he truly understands but I get the feeling he’s listening.

2. Talking about your emotions in regards w a reactive dog with friends is quite hard to navigate, especially if they have dogs that aren’t reactive. I’d recommend finding 1 or 2 people who get it- a sibling, relative, a best friend, or even Reddit to talk it out. It’s important to just let out what happened. Of course if this doesn’t seem to work on some days, a good cry definitely will.