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The 9 Best Online Communities for Reactive Dog Parents

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David Adams

March 01, 2024

Dog Reactivity

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* All Sniffspot articles are reviewed by certified trainers for quality, please see bottom of article for details *

Call it growly, fearful, selective, aggressive, unfriendly or reactive — according to our proprietary research into behavioral problems in dogs, it turns out 75% of pet owners have a pup that in some way overreacts to stimuli with reactive behaviors. It’s hard to be a dog in the modern world. More and more of us are living in cities with our dogs and cities weren’t built for dogs. The loud noises, fast moving objects, dangerous roads and leashes - this isn’t an environment that is conducive for a dog to live their best life. And thus we are seeing dogs develop more and more neuroses.

Being a reactive dog parent can be lonely and discouraging. You are watching a loved one suffer and might be unsure how to help them. You may feel anxiety about everyday activities, like taking your dog for a walk — who knew that could be so stressful? You may feel a stigma, like something is wrong with your dog or with you... and that might tempt you to keep your dog’s reactivity a secret.

But you are not alone! Like we mentioned above, 75% of dog owners have a dog that in some way shows reactive behaviors. Many of these pups struggle due to underlying medical issues, common training mistakes, and more reasons — things that can often be addressed to help you and your companion live a better life together.

In the meantime, as you look into reactive dog training, check out these online communities for ideas, support, training resources, and — most importantly, because you need to take care of yourself, too — just to have human connection with other pet owners going through the same thing. Your dog can have a full life!

As always, we recommend taking any kind of behavioral course in partnership with a certified trainer whose repository of training knowledge is based in science and full of compassion. They can guide you through simple things like leash training, more complicated topics like extra training tools you might add to your outings (humane options, like backup collars for added security, for example), and ultimately provide reactive dog guardians like yourself with helpful protocols for you and your pup to make progress.

1. Reactive and Aggressive Dog Support Group (Facebook)

two dogs, one with muzzle

Run by Eden Dog Academy, this Facebook group is dedicated to supporting people living with dogs with behaviour problems such as reactivity and aggression. At tens of thousands of members, there is much honest discussion with people frequently asking questions and getting support for their reactive dogs. They follow LIMA (Least Intrusive Minimally Aversive) reactive dog training guidelines.

Check it out here

2. Fearful and Reactive Dog Support Community by Dogkind (Facebook)

Join more than 15 thousand other reactive dog parents in supporting each other in this Facebook group for pet owners run by Dog Kind training. This group is dedicated to positive reinforcement training and does not allow discussion of aversives, though they do welcome dedicated guardians to ask tough questions and share challenging experiences.

Check it out here

3. r/reactivedogs (Reddit)

With nearly 75,000 members, this subreddit is devoted to reactive dog training questions, answers, and general advice between non-judgmental people living with reactive dogs. They support the LIMA (Least Intrusive, Minimally Aversive) approach to dog training. 

Check it out here

4. Reactive Dog Owners of Minnesota (Facebook)

If you live in Minnesota and have a reactive dog, check out this Facebook group for reactive dog owners in Minnesota. This group is not a Sniffspot group, but we do sponsor it! It only allows science-based, positive training discussion.

Check it out here

5. Reactive / Difficult Dog Owners of Washington (Facebook)

If you are located in Washington state, check out the local reactive dog Facebook group. You can find others in the area going through the same thing as you, connect with folks planning pack walks or connect with a local trainer. This group was started by Sniffspot’s founder and is for science-based, positive training only.

Check it out here

6. Reactive Dog Owners of Oregon (Facebook)

This is a local reactive dog support Facebook group for folks living in Oregon. If you live in Oregon, join to connect with other local reactive dog parents. This group was started by Sniffspot’s founder and is for science-based, positive training only.

Check it out here

7. Reactive Dog Owners Of California (Facebook)

This local Facebook group is for California reactive dog parents. This group was started by Sniffspot’s founder and is for science-based, positive training only.

Check it out here

8. Reactive Dog Owners of DC, Maryland, & Virginia (Facebook)

If you live in the DMV (DC, Maryland, Virginia) area and have a reactive dog, consider joining this Facebook group to connect with other locals going through the same thing. This group was started by Sniffspot’s founder and is for science-based, positive training only.

Check it out here

9. Reactive Dog Owners of Massachusetts (Facebook)

This is a local reactive dog owner group for folks in Massachusetts. You can get support and advice, such as the best trainers or sitters for reactive dogs, etc. Sniffspot also sponsors this group, but it is not a Sniffspot group. It only allows positive training techniques.

Check it out here

Trainer Review of this Article

There is so much misinformation out there, we want to make sure we only provide the highest quality information to our community. We have all of our articles reviewed by qualified, positive-only trainers.  

This is the trainer that reviewed this article:

Lindy Langum
Founder - K9 Fun Club
Staff Trainer - Summit Assistance Dogs
Certified in Canine Studies (CSS), NW School of Canine Studies

Sniffspot's Proprietary Survey Statistics

Sniffspot Research 2023, n = 4,092

This infographic about dog reactivity is set in a green and white color scheme. Graphics and illustrations show stats like the dog breeds with the highest levels of reported reactivity, the most common reactivity triggers, and how dog reactivity is concentrated in different areas of the United States.
David Adams photo

David Adams

March 01, 2024

Dog Reactivity

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