Summary for Referring Vet

Monty is a 3 year old neutered male Labrador Retriever. He has always been a sociable, food-motivated dog who loves people and has a strong retrieve drive. He lives in a semi-rural area and gets 2 walks a day. Over the past 6 months he has developed an increasingly strong reaction to other dogs on lead — lunging, barking, and pulling hard — though he remains completely fine with dogs off lead in open spaces.

Lunging and barking at other dogs on lead Pulling hard from the moment he spots another dog, even at a distance Behaviour has been escalating over the past 6 months Difficult to redirect once he has noticed a dog Fine with dogs off lead in open spaces and at home

Frustration-based reactivity on lead, most likely developed through repeated on-lead greetings that were not possible to complete naturally. The physical restriction of the lead creates frustration which, over time, has become conditioned to the sight of other dogs. There is no indication of fear-based aggression — this is about frustration and arousal, not threat.

Good. Monty is young, food-motivated, and the clients are clearly committed. With consistent implementation of the plan, meaningful improvement should be visible within 6-8 weeks. Full resolution typically takes 3-6 months of gradual, systematic work.

Monty was friendly, engaged, and highly food-motivated throughout our session... this is a real asset and will make training much easier. He clearly has a strong bond with his owners and they were quick to pick up the techniques we practised. They have already started implementing some management strategies, which is great to see.

FIRM FOUNDATIONS:

• Understanding canine body language
• Lead walking foundations
• Enrichment and the stress bucket

MANAGEMENT:

• Distance is your friend
• Parallel walking
• Changing direction

TRAINING:

• The attention game
• Emergency U-turn

BEHAVIOUR CHANGE:

• Counter conditioning on lead
• Systematic desensitisation

I have suggested that the client arranges an appointment with you to share some video footage and discuss some potential indicators of discomfort, observed during today's consultation.