13/08/2025
“Exposure Group Training” Why It Can Do More Harm Than Good
If you have a dog that barks, lunges, growls, or otherwise reacts to triggers (people, other dogs, bikes, etc.), it’s natural to want to “socialize them” or “get them used to it.”
Unfortunately, balance training or group exposure sessions (where reactive dogs are placed near multiple triggers with corrections for reacting) can actually make things worse for your dog.
Here’s why:
1. Stress Overload – When a reactive dog is surrounded by triggers, their stress level skyrockets. High stress shuts down learning and reinforces fear instead of reducing it.
2. Association Backfire – If a dog sees another dog and then gets a lead correction, shock, or other aversive, they may start associating other dogs with pain or discomfort. This can deepen reactivity.
3. “Shut Down” – Dogs that appear quiet after repeated corrections are often not “cured” — they’re suppressing their behavior out of fear. Inside, the emotions causing reactivity are still there (or worse).
4. Loss of Trust – Punishing a dog for expressing fear can make them less likely to trust you as their safe person, which is vital for progress.
But I get why it may seem appealling. Back in the 90s (30 years ago) before i had studied dog behaviour I watched Cesar Millan programmes and thought he was fantastic. He took reactive dogs back to his "pack" and abracadabra they were cured. He was amazing right?
Wrong 😢
What César Millan was doing, was flooding: exposing reactive dogs to overwhelming levels of their trigger (other dogs, strangers, skateboards, etc.) until they physically stopped reacting.
On the surface, it looks like a “cure” because the lunging and barking stop quickly. But internally, the dog was just shutting down (a stress response sometimes called learned helplessness) rather than actually feeling calm or safe. The root emotional state — fear, insecurity, over-arousal — remained untouched.
This kind of suppression can backfire later because:
The underlying anxiety hasn’t been resolved, just masked.
If the dog encounters a similar trigger in a less controlled setting, the suppressed reaction can resurface — sometimes even stronger.
It can increase the dog’s stress levels overall, leading to new problem behaviours elsewhere.
Its hard to believe that today in the year 2025 some trainers still use these out of date methods
Modern behaviourists and trainers using force-free, positive methods focus on counterconditioning and desensitization — changing the dog’s emotional response to triggers, not just their outward behaviour. That way, the “quiet” isn’t a shutdown; it’s genuine relaxation.
Building calm, positive associations at a pace your dog can handle.
One-on-one work before carefully staged neutral exposures.
Bottom line: If your dog is reactive, skip the “boot camp” group setups and focus on evidence-based, humane training that changes emotions — not just masks behavior.
Your dog’s progress depends on safety, trust, and the right pace. ❤️
