Show Notes
Guest Bio
Jessica Wheatcraft, CDBC is a Certified Dog Behavior Consultant and professional dog trainer who has worked with thousands of dogs for over 17 years. She works with dog professionals virtually all over the world via her Leash Reactivity Mentorship for Professionals and online community, in addition to in-person seminars for trainers, behavior consultants and shelter staff. She specializes in leash reactivity cases, with an emphasis on understanding each dog as an individual and thinking outside of the box to implement the most effective, humane training solutions. She shares her life with her two dogs, Scout and Finn, mustang horse, Waylon and cat, Reeves.
Episode Summary
In this episode, Jessica Wheatcraft dives into the complex topic of canine reactivity, challenging the often rigid labels and protocols that dominate the conversation. She explains how many dogs who are labelled “reactive” are actually overwhelmed or underprepared for real-world environments. Jessica encourages trainers and guardians to zoom out, take stock of the whole picture, and ask better questions. Through real examples and compassionate insights, she shares how to approach reactivity not as a checklist of triggers to desensitize—but as a relationship to rebuild.
Want to learn more? Check out our new online platform: https://www.brainandbehaviouracademy.co.uk/
More from Brain and Behaviour
Daniel is joined by Dr Findy Wills and Elena Wilse on what happens when behaviour and physiotherapy work together, and why physical pain so often sits underneath a behaviour problem.
Daniel is joined by Lynn Hewison and Chirag Patel to question a word we all use and rarely define, reactivity. They look at why it means something different to almost everyone who says it, and what a more useful approach looks like when the dog is in front of you. Lynn Hewison is a Clinical Animal Behaviourist who led the MSc in Clinical Animal Behaviour at the University of Lincoln. Chirag Patel is an internationally recognised behaviour and training consultant.
In this episode Daniel is joined by Victoria Stilwell to discuss her new Reactivity Zones Approach as well as her journey into dog training, her early experience as a dog trainer in New York City, and her projects and collaborations with incredible trainers all over the world. Victoria will be involved in a number of events in 2026 including the Emotional Wellbeing in Animals Conference, a UK seminar on the Reactivity Zones in June (link below), as well offering lots of great courses via her platforms Positively and the Victoria Stilwell Academy.