Top Destinations for Walking Your Reactive Dog Safely

There are days when you meet dogs around every corner and off-leash dogs come barreling at your reactive dog and your dog is just freaking out. Sometimes your dog(s) just need a break so their cortisol levels can settle or you’re trying to train where your dog won’t be overstimulated and it just isn’t possible in your neighborhood.

There’s the option of walking super late at night or early in the morning. However, Mr. N and I are not morning people/dogs. And I don’t always feel comfortable taking Mr. N out by myself at night. So I’ve found some good places to walk a reactive dog during the day without running into potential triggers.

On days when I really don’t feel like dealing with off-leash dogs (and their owners), I take Mr. N to a nearby university. They usually have a fair amount of maintenance and security people wandering around and I think the campus’ leash law is enforced. I think I’ve only seen an off-leash dog there once. There are also very few dogs there to begin with. The majority of our visits, we haven’t seen any. Obviously, this is not ideal for dogs who are reactive to people.

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Can you spot Mr. N?

Industrial areas are also usually dog-free. It is not a very scenic walk but other dogs are scarce, not to mention the people. You just have to keep an eye out for heavier traffic and especially trucks. Sometimes those areas lack sidewalks. I haven’t found that to be a huge problem here though.

Also the area around our airport rarely has dogs and not that many people.  In Portland, the airport area is mostly industrial with a few airport hotels. If your dog is not sensitive to loud noises, this is a great place for avoiding other dogs and people.

Which places do you go to walk your reactive dog(s) or if you just want a little peace and quiet?

Mr. N watching the ROTC practice