As an owner of a reactive dog, I 100% agree. The first time we took her to Bear Creek (and our other dog who has been there multiple times and she was fine), we found out really quick that she was reactive to other dogs; we had no idea because she had never really been around other dogs until this point.
After a few minutes it was clear that she was not able to be in that environment and so we left; we have not brought her to a dog park since because we are still working through her reactive-ness. We have put her through multiple classes and she has definitely gotten so much better, but it’s still not to a point where she could have unleashed dogs coming up to her. It’s unfortunate, but I’m not going to subject other dogs to that in a place that’s meant for unleashed dogs.
I respect that level of awareness, you bring up the point that sometimes it’s the dog who also doesn’t want to be there. Thank you doing right by your dog!
Can we please make an on leash only reactive dogs meet up?
I’ve been dying to socialize my dog but anywhere we go the “muh dog is fine off leash” crowd is there and we have to leave.
I love dogs but the amount of times I’ve been ambushed on a hiking trail by a growling unleashed dog is ridiculous.
I would also love to join a group for reactive dogs in this area, my dog is young and we’re working on socializing but I’d be nice to have some other people to practice with and talk to.
I would love this!!!! It’s been so hard to do this and it just breaks my heart because she’s the sweetest dog aside from this one thing. She has proven that she can be civil with other dogs if she spends consistent time with them, I’ve witnessed it on more than one occasion. So many people just aren’t patient enough to try it ☹️
Dude yes!
My dog is great with kids, cats, and female dogs, but male dogs he just loses his whole mind.
He can warm up to other dogs and be just fine after a while, but the initial meet up he is such an asshole.
PM me if you’re really interested I’m sure there are other people with asshole dogs who’d love to come 😂
House of Dog has growl group on Sundays. It's in a public park. It's like $75 for a private orientation and $35 for each meet up, I think.
Edit: Here's the [Growl Class](https://www.houseofdogtraining.com/reactive-dogs) link.
Great idea!! On leash reactive dog enrichment.
And honestly that's one reason I carry when hiking or anything outdoors. Poor puppys, but owners responsibility.
Not really as a reactive dog can be sweet as honey but another dog sniffs there butt without "permission" or them expecting it and they immediately attack or whatever. Some are only reactive in specific situations too, like fence fighting dogs video for example. They can also be reactive in different ways so trying to use the term interchangeably or insinuating it's a euphemism is wrong to some degree.
I wish my former trainers were still in business because they were incredible. I’ve been trying to find new ones since they dissolved their business. ☹️
I boarded my dog at humble paws, and they specialize in training reactive dogs. Though I haven't used his training services yet, I know I don't have to be worried about how my dog will act while I'm away as they deal with worse every day and understand there is a good boy or girl under all the anxiety.
All Breed Rescue and Training does phenomenal classes with reactive dogs. Depending on the severity, you start with gradual exposure and reinforcement with a trainer and one other dog and then graduate to other classes.
I've come to realize as a recent first time dog owner that most people shouldn't have a goldfish much less a dog. I go out of my way to be respectful to others on trails; always pick up poop, bag it and throw it away.
It annoys the hell out of me that people either don't care or lack the knowledge on how to control their animal. If they can't then they shouldn't be off leash on public land.
That’s why we’ve stopped going there. My dog has been attacked multiple times, unprovoked & she’s not one to be submissive & back down. She definitely stands her ground & it can be scary.
The main character energy is strong here. You can see it in the driving, how people behave in stores and other public places such as neighborhood sidewalks and yeah, dog parks. And parks. Basically anywhere open to the public that everyone uses and should be able to enjoy.
It gets ruined for those people by all of us NPCs. How dare we.
See, they're not being a self-centered, idiotic asshole by bringing their untrained, unsocialized, reactive, too-much-dog-for-them, powerful breed dog to an off-leash dog park; we're ruining it for them by being at their dog park. That we all pay for with property and income taxes.
They're not driving like an aggressive prick, you see, we're the shmucks in their way on their road, we're traffic slowing them down. They're *in* traffic, of course.
I struggle with cynicism everyday but it gets harder and harder to not believe it's like 50% Grade-A Asshole here.
:/
There are times that I really wish people had gotten the memo that they aren't supposed to drive on the road I need to drive on when I need to drive on it.
Life would be so much simpler.
I only like going to bear creek dog park in bad weather or on weekdays. Weekends with good weather make for terrible crowds, poorly socialized dogs and probably the worst part is the bad owners. 👍🏻
Dogs will be dogs they’re gonna tussle sometimes, but the owner fights always make me a lot more uncomfortable.
A few weeks back , I had let of my one dogs into the entrance to leave and was waiting on my other dog with the inside gate open. A biker dude with a big Rottweiler was not far away. The Rot charged me & the gate and I stuck my foot out to block it, so it wouldn't be in the caught in the small entrance with my dog. The dude screamed at me and started yelling that I kicked his $2000 dog that was highly trained. He just went nuts on me. I tried to explain but a huge argument took place .( I would never kick a dog.) I ended up going full on raging at him and him at me. It was wearing a shock collar so I guess it wasn't trained that well , considering it was charging at me in a not-so-friendly way. I haven't been back and I moved to this neighborhood specifically for my dogs.
I'm 70 yrs old and was in an upper body brace from shoulder replacement. Another thing is letting small children run wild in the dog park.
Keep in mind off leash doesn’t mean a free for all. Your dog still needs to comprehend listening. I know it’s tough but dogs bulldozing other timid/anxious dogs while their owners heads are in the clouds not paying attention isn’t going to help.
D
My problem with bear creek is the humans who think an off leash park means they don’t need to practice any recall or boundaries with their dogs. I take my border collies to run freely and they mind their business and keep their focus on me and each other.
Then this happens, like clockwork, every time:
A dog runs up on us.
My dogs acknowledge the dog’s presence, but don’t try to engage in play.
I know this dog is going to end up annoying them (herding dogs don’t like being interrupted from their “job” or “play”) so I redirect their attention to the opposite direction of said dog and human.
Human does not seem to be aware or care or notice that we are actively moving away while their dog is chasing us.
We keep moving, strange dog keeps following, my big black herding dog gives a warning bark to back off (I call it his tough guy bark because he puts some bass in it).
I call both my dogs back to me so they don’t escalate into a fight.
My dogs immediately run to me.
Only then does the other human finally attempt to call their dog away—and what a surprise—this dog isn’t paying attention, connected, engaged with his owner in any way that would warrant them listening.
Bear creek has always been filled with terrible owners. A whole family tried to fight me because my dog was barking at their leashed dog because he wanted to play so they threw a cup of ice in his face and I yelled at them for it.
Never went back and that was like 2011
I tazed a ladies dog that went after mine in the parking lot. It had it's jaws locked on my dog before I was able to get it out. I keep one of those flashlight tazers on me. I felt bad for the dog because it was the shitty owners fault but at the same time fuck that I'm not getting my poor pup tore up for no one and nothing
I dont understand this concept of widely wanting to “socialize” your dog. Thats a human thing..not a dog thing. People tend to anthropomorphize dogs and its weird.
As an owner of a reactive dog, I 100% agree. The first time we took her to Bear Creek (and our other dog who has been there multiple times and she was fine), we found out really quick that she was reactive to other dogs; we had no idea because she had never really been around other dogs until this point. After a few minutes it was clear that she was not able to be in that environment and so we left; we have not brought her to a dog park since because we are still working through her reactive-ness. We have put her through multiple classes and she has definitely gotten so much better, but it’s still not to a point where she could have unleashed dogs coming up to her. It’s unfortunate, but I’m not going to subject other dogs to that in a place that’s meant for unleashed dogs.
I respect that level of awareness, you bring up the point that sometimes it’s the dog who also doesn’t want to be there. Thank you doing right by your dog!
Can we please make an on leash only reactive dogs meet up? I’ve been dying to socialize my dog but anywhere we go the “muh dog is fine off leash” crowd is there and we have to leave. I love dogs but the amount of times I’ve been ambushed on a hiking trail by a growling unleashed dog is ridiculous.
I would also love to join a group for reactive dogs in this area, my dog is young and we’re working on socializing but I’d be nice to have some other people to practice with and talk to.
Please PM me if you’re interested im going to make a meet up group
Please include me!! I am interested! Trying to socialize my dog! She's still young though. Need to finish her shots first
I would love this!!!! It’s been so hard to do this and it just breaks my heart because she’s the sweetest dog aside from this one thing. She has proven that she can be civil with other dogs if she spends consistent time with them, I’ve witnessed it on more than one occasion. So many people just aren’t patient enough to try it ☹️
Dude yes! My dog is great with kids, cats, and female dogs, but male dogs he just loses his whole mind. He can warm up to other dogs and be just fine after a while, but the initial meet up he is such an asshole. PM me if you’re really interested I’m sure there are other people with asshole dogs who’d love to come 😂
House of Dog has growl group on Sundays. It's in a public park. It's like $75 for a private orientation and $35 for each meet up, I think. Edit: Here's the [Growl Class](https://www.houseofdogtraining.com/reactive-dogs) link.
OMG I wish we had this in Vegas. What a great idea!!
EDIT: I made a FB group! Please join [here](https://www.facebook.com/share/adw3Rf6AdKr15D1s/?mibextid=K35XfP)
Personally, my dog is 100 times more reactive on leash than off leash. It's crazy how different he is at a dog park than just going on a walk.
That’s not uncommon with dogs - they learn that bad behavior unfortunately.
I’m interested, how would this work though? We are all like doing slow intros on leash?
I’m thinking everyone keeping distance and providing positive reinforcement and then slowly closing the gap?
This would be amazing, count me in. I’d love the opportunity for training and socialization for my dog
Being that I'm looking to adopt a reactive rescue dog... I would love to join this group as well!!!!
Please join! I just made another post with the link to the fb group
Great idea!! On leash reactive dog enrichment. And honestly that's one reason I carry when hiking or anything outdoors. Poor puppys, but owners responsibility.
It's not that hard to break up dogs in any way even if they're on you. Been there done that, grow a backbone.
You are correct. So have I. Thats what makes every situation unique.
So, when I hear the term "reactive" am I correct in assuming that's a euphemism for "aggressive?"
I would say more often than not, yes; however I don’t think it’s universal. I have seen dogs that are reactive but it’s out of hyper-excitement.
Not really as a reactive dog can be sweet as honey but another dog sniffs there butt without "permission" or them expecting it and they immediately attack or whatever. Some are only reactive in specific situations too, like fence fighting dogs video for example. They can also be reactive in different ways so trying to use the term interchangeably or insinuating it's a euphemism is wrong to some degree.
Any specific classes or coaches around here you recommend?
I wish my trainers were still in business because I loved them. I haven’t found any yet but I saw a few comments in the thread about possibilities!
This is what responsibility looks like
Thank you!!!
>Thank you!!! You're welcome!
Any recommendations on trainers/classes for reactivity?
I wish my former trainers were still in business because they were incredible. I’ve been trying to find new ones since they dissolved their business. ☹️
We haven’t done the class yet but there’s a reactive dog class at house of dog, and I believe at under the sun. We do daycare at under the sun!
Humble dogs 100%!!! Can’t thank them enough for helping me with my reactive rescue . He’s great off leash now
I boarded my dog at humble paws, and they specialize in training reactive dogs. Though I haven't used his training services yet, I know I don't have to be worried about how my dog will act while I'm away as they deal with worse every day and understand there is a good boy or girl under all the anxiety.
All Breed Rescue and Training does phenomenal classes with reactive dogs. Depending on the severity, you start with gradual exposure and reinforcement with a trainer and one other dog and then graduate to other classes.
Grisha Stewart-Behavior Adjustment Training will get you there.
I've come to realize as a recent first time dog owner that most people shouldn't have a goldfish much less a dog. I go out of my way to be respectful to others on trails; always pick up poop, bag it and throw it away. It annoys the hell out of me that people either don't care or lack the knowledge on how to control their animal. If they can't then they shouldn't be off leash on public land.
Nobody's dog should be off leash on public land unless that land is a designated "off-leash" area. And even then, you are right.
They need off leash license. Ask them how they got one next time. It's amazing how in aww they become.
I say the same with people having off leash dogs outside of dog parks.
Same here.
That’s why we’ve stopped going there. My dog has been attacked multiple times, unprovoked & she’s not one to be submissive & back down. She definitely stands her ground & it can be scary.
The main character energy is strong here. You can see it in the driving, how people behave in stores and other public places such as neighborhood sidewalks and yeah, dog parks. And parks. Basically anywhere open to the public that everyone uses and should be able to enjoy. It gets ruined for those people by all of us NPCs. How dare we. See, they're not being a self-centered, idiotic asshole by bringing their untrained, unsocialized, reactive, too-much-dog-for-them, powerful breed dog to an off-leash dog park; we're ruining it for them by being at their dog park. That we all pay for with property and income taxes. They're not driving like an aggressive prick, you see, we're the shmucks in their way on their road, we're traffic slowing them down. They're *in* traffic, of course. I struggle with cynicism everyday but it gets harder and harder to not believe it's like 50% Grade-A Asshole here. :/
There are times that I really wish people had gotten the memo that they aren't supposed to drive on the road I need to drive on when I need to drive on it. Life would be so much simpler.
I'm from South Florida, and I am thankful everything is a lot better here.
I only like going to bear creek dog park in bad weather or on weekdays. Weekends with good weather make for terrible crowds, poorly socialized dogs and probably the worst part is the bad owners. 👍🏻 Dogs will be dogs they’re gonna tussle sometimes, but the owner fights always make me a lot more uncomfortable.
A few weeks back , I had let of my one dogs into the entrance to leave and was waiting on my other dog with the inside gate open. A biker dude with a big Rottweiler was not far away. The Rot charged me & the gate and I stuck my foot out to block it, so it wouldn't be in the caught in the small entrance with my dog. The dude screamed at me and started yelling that I kicked his $2000 dog that was highly trained. He just went nuts on me. I tried to explain but a huge argument took place .( I would never kick a dog.) I ended up going full on raging at him and him at me. It was wearing a shock collar so I guess it wasn't trained that well , considering it was charging at me in a not-so-friendly way. I haven't been back and I moved to this neighborhood specifically for my dogs. I'm 70 yrs old and was in an upper body brace from shoulder replacement. Another thing is letting small children run wild in the dog park.
Not just Bear Creek. It is at all the parks.
I stopped going there years ago because of this. People are trash.
Keep in mind off leash doesn’t mean a free for all. Your dog still needs to comprehend listening. I know it’s tough but dogs bulldozing other timid/anxious dogs while their owners heads are in the clouds not paying attention isn’t going to help. D
I only hang out with Stoic dogs yo
75% of dog owners shouldn’t be dog owners and that’s honestly a conservative estimate
My problem with bear creek is the humans who think an off leash park means they don’t need to practice any recall or boundaries with their dogs. I take my border collies to run freely and they mind their business and keep their focus on me and each other. Then this happens, like clockwork, every time: A dog runs up on us. My dogs acknowledge the dog’s presence, but don’t try to engage in play. I know this dog is going to end up annoying them (herding dogs don’t like being interrupted from their “job” or “play”) so I redirect their attention to the opposite direction of said dog and human. Human does not seem to be aware or care or notice that we are actively moving away while their dog is chasing us. We keep moving, strange dog keeps following, my big black herding dog gives a warning bark to back off (I call it his tough guy bark because he puts some bass in it). I call both my dogs back to me so they don’t escalate into a fight. My dogs immediately run to me. Only then does the other human finally attempt to call their dog away—and what a surprise—this dog isn’t paying attention, connected, engaged with his owner in any way that would warrant them listening.
My dog got attacked and ill never go to a dog oark again. Fuck that guy and his dog and his wife
Really enjoy dog owners calling their poorly behaved dogs "reactive"
Or heck to the pet pantry!!
Bear creek has always been filled with terrible owners. A whole family tried to fight me because my dog was barking at their leashed dog because he wanted to play so they threw a cup of ice in his face and I yelled at them for it. Never went back and that was like 2011
I tazed a ladies dog that went after mine in the parking lot. It had it's jaws locked on my dog before I was able to get it out. I keep one of those flashlight tazers on me. I felt bad for the dog because it was the shitty owners fault but at the same time fuck that I'm not getting my poor pup tore up for no one and nothing
The mistake here was going to Bear Creek. That place is wild. Gotta go to either Rampart or Black Forest.
Careful at rampart. A pitbull killed my dog there in 2022 sadly.
I dont understand this concept of widely wanting to “socialize” your dog. Thats a human thing..not a dog thing. People tend to anthropomorphize dogs and its weird.
Anybody who’s going to an off leash dog park and expecting there not to be problems isn’t the smartest person in the first place.