Welcome to the Long Beach Reactive Dog Meetup!

This isn’t a social event for people. It’s a structured environment for dogs to practice calm behavior around other dogs. Maintaining distance is critical. Please read all rules before attending and RSVP for the event you want to attend so you know exactly where to meet us and what our bandanas mean.

How We Train:
We use positive reinforcement. That means rewarding your dog when they notice other dogs.
• Start by rewarding, not correcting, your dog just for looking at another dog calmly (treats, praise, or play).
• If your dog looks and then looks away—reward that too!
• Offer an alternative behavior (“touch,” “middle,” etc.) to redirect attention. Give your dog something to do besides fixate on their trigger.
• Keep distance! Only move closer when your dog is consistently relaxed. This should be boring. If your dog is reacting, give more space -- even if you are really far away.

Please check out this online course: REACTIVE DOG RESET http://reactivedogreset.com . It is a solid online training course for reactive dogs.

Training Philosophy:
We are a positive-reinforcement-only group. We ask that you leave prong, slip leads, choke, and e-collars at home for these walks. No judgment if you have used them. Many people are introduced to these tools by trainers with the best of intentions. But they can increase reactivity by pairing discomfort with the presence of other dogs -- something we're actively working to undo. This isn’t about obedience. It’s about emotional safety. Our goal is to help dogs feel neutral or even good about their triggers.

Who Can Join?
Reactive dogs are the focus, but calm dogs are welcome too. They can help reactive dogs learn that other dogs aren’t a threat. If joining with a non-reactive dog, give others lots of space.

Questions? Please reach out. We look forward to seeing you—from a safe distance!

Long Beach Reactive Dog Reset