Good post - I am a fan of CM with a small f, and use his "oi" rather than a psst. If Tai had yapped at a passing dog, if he was on the lead I would have given him a tug and a sharp "oi" immediately - there is no point acting after the event, dogs live in the present, not the past or the future, so both reward and "punishment" must be instantaneous. Me too would have corrected instantly, and then praised when my dog calmed down.

that takes the biscuit !!

This won't work for many reactive dogs. When my dog was reactive any tightening of the leash made her reaction worse, not better. I had to actually do the opposite. Loosen the leash so there was NO tension and speak quietly and calmly to her.

I don't mean permanent tension - just a short, sharp jerk at the same time saying "oi" or "no", and then an immediate release of the lead. Sorry if I hadn't made that clear.

I know what you meant and that's still sudden tension. I tried that when I first got my girl and found that a quick tug, a constant pull, or anything that added any sort of tension, even for a moment, caused her to react even MORE.

absolutely! i realised fairly quickly when Tupac was going thru this at his teenage,was to speak everso softly and calmly ..not feed his reactiveness by joining in with him.

yip! same here.

Also if its fear punishing the dog wont make them less scared

they see dog, they start barking, hear you start barking too - hmm dosent encourage them to stop barking does it?

With Kerrie's not liking other dogs (and discovering that she is her own worst enemy, she is very rude toward other dogs) Ive taught her a really good leave, I dont tense up, dont put any pressure on the lead, or make her sit etc. That way other dogs, have become something she maybe flicks an ear at, but otherwise ignores.

Tensing a lead/shouting/punishment would not work with most dogs in these situations, and I think would be counterproductive (dog learns to associate bad things happening when another dog appears)

I totally agree with this.