Hi, I’m Kaajal Tiwary, KT, Diesel’s mom
If you’ve followed my work as a trainer, you’ve probably heard me say that every reactive dog is communicating something real and important. What I don’t always share is where that belief came from. It came from my own dog, Diesel, who changed my life.
Who Was Diesel?
Diesel came into my life when he was five days old. He arrived as a foster, one of six tiny puppies whose mother did not survive.
I had raised litters before and thought I was prepared: bottle feeding, temperature checks, late nights. What I wasn’t prepared for was how deeply this particular puppy would change how I understood dogs, behavior, and emotion.
Diesel was my bottle baby. My heart dog. My shadow.
The Early Days of Doing Everything Right
I did everything I was told to do: puppy socials, pass the puppy (yes, I know), exposure to people, dogs, sounds, and environments. I followed all the rules — what to do, what to avoid, how to socialize.
For a while, it worked. Diesel was friendly, focused, and curious. At four months old, he looked confident and resilient. Then the cracks appeared.
He growled when someone coughed or sneezed. He flinched at raised voices. A veterinary behaviorist diagnosed him with sound sensitivity, likely genetic. We began careful desensitization work to help him feel safer.
Then everything changed. At seven months old, Diesel was attacked by another dog. His body healed, but his sense of safety did not. The puppy who once moved easily through the world began scanning constantly for dogs. He barked and lunged from far distances and stopped wanting to engage even with familiar dogs.
That was my first experience with leash reactivity, and the moment I realized I needed to understand more than just behavior. In Diesel’s world, every dog became a threat.
How Could One Event Overshadow So Much Foundation?
It didn’t seem fair. We had built a solid foundation — how could one event undo all of that?
That’s when I learned about one-event learning: a single, highly emotional experience can reshape how a brain perceives the world. For Diesel, the attack didn’t just scare him — it rewired his sense of safety. He was experiencing PTSD, just like I was.
A few months later, Diesel was diagnosed with Addison’s Disease, a condition that directly affects stress regulation. Suddenly, the pieces fit. His reactions weren’t defiance. They were dysregulation.
To truly understand him, I pursued formal education in dog behavior and studied Kim Brophey’s L.E.G.S. model, which looks at behavior as the sum of Learning, Environment, Genetics, and Self. I had to see Diesel through a wider lens.
Understanding Diesel Through the L.E.G.S. Framework
L – Learning: His Experiences Shaped His Reactions
From the moment Diesel was born, his world was shaped by loss, a mother who didn’t survive, bottle-feeding, and early handling by humans. He learned that safety came through me, not his canine family. When the dog attack happened, it shattered that fragile sense of safety. His brain learned that dogs could be dangerous. Every bark, lunge, or scan wasn’t disobedience. It was learned self-protection. He wasn’t being “reactive”; he was remembering.
E – Environment: The World Was Loud and Unpredictable
We lived in a busy, urban environment full of movement, noise, and stimulation — cars, skateboards, other dogs. It was constant sensory input for a sensitive dog. Add in the daily stressors — leash restrictions, unpredictable off-leash encounters, and human pressure to “just walk nicely” — and it’s easy to see how his world felt overwhelming. His environment kept triggering that “unsafe” button. I realized my job wasn’t to expose him more; it was to protect his sense of safety within that environment.
G – Genetics: The Blueprint He Inherited
Diesel’s parents were under a year old, and both were inexperienced dogs with their own behavioral sensitivities. That genetic makeup — low tolerance to stress, sound sensitivity — was already part of his biological foundation. He wasn’t born resilient; he was born sensitive. That sensitivity wasn’t something to “fix.” It was something to honor.
Understanding this allowed me to let go of judgment and embrace training from a place of empathy rather than expectation.
S – Self: Diesel’s Unique Body and Health
Diesel’s Addison’s Disease diagnosis explained what training alone couldn’t. His body struggled to regulate cortisol — the hormone responsible for managing stress. This meant that even minor stressors hit him like a tidal wave. His ability to recover was limited, and every trigger drained him further. He wasn’t “overreacting” — he was physically unable to return to baseline.
Knowing this changed how I navigated the world with him. Instead of pushing for exposure, I learned to prioritize emotional regulation, calm routines, and physiological support. I learned to “listen” to him.
From Dog Mom to Dog Trainer
Diesel was my wake-up call. He showed me that behavior isn’t just what we see — it’s what’s happening inside. He taught me that every dog’s life experience shapes how they move through the world.
He pushed me to become fluent in canine body language, study the science of emotion, and teach dog parents that reactivity isn’t defiance — it’s sometimes about survival. Diesel transformed me from a mom managing a problem into a professional helping others find understanding before frustration.
What Diesel Taught Me — and What I Teach Today
- Every reactive dog is doing the best they can with the biology and information they have.
- “Calm” isn’t taught through exposure; it’s built through trust and confidence.
- Empathy changes outcomes faster than control ever will.
- Every dog parent deserves hope.
The Legacy He Left Behind
Diesel’s life shaped the foundation of my work, D For Dogz, and later, Diesel’s FootPrint, the nonprofit created in his honor. Because of him, I get to share my learning with dog parents who feel lost, ashamed, or overwhelmed, helping them find clarity and compassion for their dogs and themselves.
Every time I see a reactive dog feel calm on a walk, I think of Diesel — the tiny puppy who taught me to listen, not correct; to protect, not push; to love without conditions.
Closing Thoughts
Leash reactivity is not a failure of training. It’s a reflection of emotion, shaped by many factors. Diesel’s journey taught me that when we stop labeling dogs as “stubborn” or “bad” and start asking why they feel the way they do, transformation begins — for both ends of the leash.
If you’re struggling with a reactive dog, know that I’ve been there. Understanding changes everything. Explore D For Dogz Leash Reactivity Programs to begin your own journey toward calmer, more confident walks — built on empathy, science, and heart.
About the Author: Kaajal Tiwary
Kaajal (aka “KT”!) loves puppies and is dedicated to getting new puppy guardians off on the right paw and guiding her students through the tough early days of owning a dog. Her goal? Transforming each bundle of raw puppy energy into the perfect adult companion.
