Lead Frustration and Impulse Control. 13 February 2026

When we see dogs on a lead that are exhibiting a reactive behaviour such as lunging and barking at other dogs or people we can be guilty of thinking the dog is being aggressive. Take this same dog to the park and let them off the lead, they interact perfectly with dogs and people. Does this sound familiar?

Your dog may exhibit the same emotional outbursts when they are looking out the window and see a person or dog walk past, your dog barks when behind the garden gate or fence. Any kind of barrier that prevents the dog from being able to investigate and gather more information could be causing frustration.

Dog lunging, growling and barking

What’s Impulse control.

Impulse control is when a dog is unable to control their emotional impulse to bark, lung at whatever makes them fearful, anxious, nervous, angry, worried, excited, or frustrated. Yep dogs can feel each of these emotions. Additional reading on emotions by Jaak Panksepp https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3181986/

Some dogs will bark, lung, jump and pull when they see a scooter, bicycle, or any fast-moving vehicle go past them through fear or the impulse to chase. Of course, genetics can play a role in impulsive responses so making sure our dog breed traits and needs are being met is vital.

How can I help my dog?

We can help our dog’s impulse control with training. By giving them choices, to make good decisions around the distractions that cause undesirable behaviour. Training your dog to make better choices and exhibit self-control will lead to a reduction in frustration or fear, building life skills and confidence.

How?

Always reward your dog for making the right choice with a high value treat ,or their favourite toy. REINFORCE THE DESIRABLE BEHAVIOUR YOU WOULD PREFER.

Happy dog

Distance

To help your dog make the right choice, distance is your friend. If your too close to whatever triggers your dog to lunge and bark, then move further away. Use your environment to help them make the right choices, if they are sniffing around and notice a trigger but do not react, mark and reward for the desirable behaviour. Do not rush the process as this can just lead to confusion and more frustration. Remember that the behaviour your dog has been exhibiting is self-reinforcing each time they do it, be patient whilst your dog learns the new calmer behaviour you desire.

Force Free, Fear Free, never use aversive tools or techniques to stop an unwanted behaviour. Build a connection on trust and reward-based training.