In this session with Zero (a Saluki who’s been reacting aggressively to other dogs), I focus on the groundwork that actually changes behaviour: calm, gradual desensitisation and smart social set-ups. We start with parallel walking—keeping distance, moving in the same direction, and slowly closing the gap only when Zero is coping. The goal is to take the confrontation out of dog-dog interactions. No head-on greetings, no pressure—just “dogs are around, and that’s normal.” As we work, you can see Zero start making better choices: he thinks about reacting, then turns back to his handler, and that’s the moment I reward. I explain it like living next to a train station—over time the noise fades into the background. Once we’ve softened the reactivity, what’s left becomes clearer: a lot of Zero’s behaviour is frustration, not true intent to harm. When he gets close enough to actually meet, the frustration drops because he finally has the opportunity to interact. We also use curving approaches (no direct lines) and a calm “helper dog” like my Labrador Chester to reduce social pressure. The big takeaway: avoiding dogs can create a catch-22 where other dogs become more valuable and the reactivity grows. Done properly, increasing safe, controlled exposure widens the dog’s social circle and makes other dogs less of a big deal.