Recently we were super lucky to be joined inside the ATA membership by the awesome Chirag Patel for a conversation on the topic of reactivity in. Whether you connected live or not this blog post is intended to consolidate the core ideas and practical insights that emerged from the webinar.
Chirag Patel’s session focused on “reactivity” in dogs [and other animals] – a term often used to describe behaviors such as barking, lunging, or growling, typically in response to particular environmental triggers/cues/antecedents. However, the central theme of this webinar was to challenge and rethink the use of labels like “reactivity” or “aggression,” and instead encourage a more rigorous, analytical, and compassionate framework for understanding animal behavior.
The session also addressed practical matters, including the collection of data, the importance of functional assessment, and the application of behavior analytic principles, with lively engagement from participants and valuable Q&A sections
Reactivity and similar terms are often used as shortcuts in describing animal behavior. However, as Chirag emphasised, they are labels that can obscure more than they reveal.
Instead of asking, “Is this reactivity or aggression?” adopt a functional approach: What is the animal actually doing? Under what conditions? With what consequence? The goal is to move from vague labels to precise, observable descriptions.
Every behavior is part of a broader environmental context. It’s not enough to note that a dog barks or lunges – what cues (antecedents) and consequences shape and maintain this behavior?
The “WWW” approach (When, What, and Why) – or, more technically, an analysis of antecedents, behavior, and consequences (the ABCs) – should always be your investigative lens.
Focus analysis at the behavioural level (observable, measurable events), not on internal, subjective, or hypothetical causes (such as “anxiety” or “dominance”).
If a client uses labels, meet them where they are verbally, but shift the conversation to what’s actually observable.
“What is the animals doing? Under what circumstances? And what happens right after?” should replace “Is this anxiety or aggression?”
Measure what matters: frequency, duration, latency, and sequences of observable behavior.
Assessment involves systematic observation, correlation, and, where practical and ethical, intervention to test functional relations.
“Threshold” is widely used yet rarely defined rigorously. Rather than focusing on an abstract boundary, assess and note the conditions under which particular behaviors emerge or subside.
The term “trigger” often neglects functional relationships and implies behavior is a reflex to a single stimulus. Instead, focus on the discriminative stimulus (SD) and motivating operations (MO) that together influence behaviuor’s likelihood and strength.
Animals can and do learn when over “threshold” – the notion that learning only happens when an animal is calm is not accurate.
Prioritise arrangements that enable the animal to contact reinforcement through desired behaviors. This might mean letting the behavior occur to observe its function, rather than avoiding all “errors.”
Generalisation (teaching in varied contexts) and flexibility are crucial for real-life success – especially in challenging environments like shelters or urban settings.
Appraise each situation individually, adjusting your approach according to the learner’s unique history, current state, and environmental factors.
Chirag asserted that true compassion is found not only in empathy, but in data-driven, functional intervention – providing learners access to reinforcers and new ways to interact with their world.
Avoiding anthropomorphism and unsupported inferences about internal states helps us make more ethical, impactful choices.
Participants were encouraged to retain both scientific rigour and humility – a willingness to say, “I don’t know,” and a relentless curiosity about the unique animal in front of us. The guidance to “analyse the poo and flush the toilet”—i.e., observe what happened, identify the environmental conditions, and start anew rather than clinging to stories – was an apt metaphor for the session’s spirit.
Your role as a practitioner, trainer, or enthusiast is not just to interrupt or “correct” behavior, but to understand it, analyse it, and shape it compassionately using the tools of observation, data, and functional relationships.
Behavior is lawful, and our greatest kindness is to uncover and work within those laws.
On behalf of the Animal Training Academy and the learning community, thank you for your commitment to growth and for joining us in this thoughtful, no-nonsense, and humane conversation about behavior.
With best regards,
Ryan Cartlidge
Animal Training Academy Founder