Leash and Explore

02/06/2024

5 green flags for reactive dog walks and reactive dog adventures

1. SPACE

having room to make space is probably one of the most important things we look for on routes for reactive dogs.

The last thing we want is to put people in situations where they are stuck in narrow paths with no escape route.

Making space between your dog and their trigger is one of the best things you can do if they are reactive!

2. Distance

Being able to comfortably observe triggers from a distance is an excellent way to create positive experiences with your reactive dog.

The walks, hikes and adventures we recommend will try to give you as much distance as possible so you can take different routes and observe triggers (whatever they may be) where you can!

3. Sight

Being able to see around you and infront of you helps you get prepared and plan ahead.

We all know blind corners and hidden hills can be the difference between a hidden reaction and a positive walk - so we will do our best to specify dog walks and adventures that you can see around you clearly.

4. Quiet

This is a big one. Quiet walks are so key for building positive experiences with your reactive dog!

We can’t always guarentee it, but where we can we will specify times/ times of year to visit certain walks to make sure it’s quiet.

For example, aim to ge to national trust locations early to avoid the hustle and bustle!

5. Low triggers

All dogs react differently to different triggers. So, where possible we will specify how likely you are to see dogs, people, livestock, birds, traffic, trains etc.

We obviously cannot guarentee this - but hopefully it helps you have a positive experience!

Did we miss any?

02/06/2024

We started this account to be honest, we could have done with this about 3 years ago.

Late last year we lost our reactive good boi, Mac. We rescued Mac in early 2021 from an abuse/ abandonment case, and were completely unprepared for what came next. As first time dog owners (as adults!) we expected the perfect dog experience. Restful walks, adventures with pals who had dogs and being able to still do our weekly shop (lol).

But turns out our whole world was flipped upside down. When we adopted Mac (who btw was absolutely not a first time dog owners dog) - we found out the hard way that he was dog and people (and everything that moved) reactive. He was full of anxiety and was nervous of new places, new experiences, new people and heck - even new smells.

If your fur pal is reactive, anxious or nervous - it can sometimes feel like you’re trapped and alone. We spent years sitting in our living room with the blinds shut because normal walks and adventures felt off limits to us.

But the time we spent together with Mac, made us actually develop a pretty great new skill of seeking out new adventures. And those adventures look different to what we’d done previously, or what we thought they should be, but for us and Mac - we found these amazing new places that made us forget all the hard stuff - and and have fun.

Now Mac is no longer with us, My partner, Han, and I look back on all the memories we made, the adventures we took, the places we visited and the walks we went on with such joy. And we want to share all those top spots with you so you can make some amazing memories too.

So here’s to you adventurer. Let’s make adventures accessible for all doggos and get you out of your living room, and into a quiet, safe big wide world. You got this 🍻

We help reactive dog owners find the perfect place to explore make memories.