10/08/2026
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One of the things I get asked quite a lot is โwhere can I actually train my reactive dog?โ
I think where you train is just as important as what youโre doing.
I donโt necessarily want somewhere thatโs completely empty. I want somewhere that gives me space, visibility and options depending on where that particular dog is in their training.
So here are some of the places I use regularlyโฆ
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Probably one of my favourites.
Youโve got great visibility, lots of space and not many bottlenecks, so youโre not constantly worrying about suddenly coming head-on with another dog.
Itโs a really good place to work on dogs being able to see things without immediately being on top of them.
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Yes, car parks.
I tend to use these early morning or later in the evening when theyโre quieter.
Theyโre great for dogs who struggle in different environments, around people or just with all the general stuff that comes with being somewhere thatโs not their usual walk.
Find yourself a quiet corner and youโve got a really useful training environment.
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This one was actually shown to me by a client recently!
Lots of space, great visibility and plenty of options for creating distance.
The only downside is the entrance onto the field is a bit of a bottleneck, so thatโs something Iโd take into consideration with a dog who really struggles with close encounters.
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This is one I use when I know the dog is ready for a bit more.
Thereโs always plenty going on, youโre pretty much guaranteed to see dogs and itโs brilliant for practising those head-on passes.
Thereโs still enough space to move away and create distance though, which is important. Thereโs also a cafe to practice some settling in high distraction environments, and they do a nice bacon sandwich.
๐ ๐๐๐ฅ๐๐๐ก ๐๐๐ก๐ง๐ฅ๐๐ฆ & ๐๐ข๐๐๐๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ข๐ฃ๐ฆ
These are definitely for dogs who are further along in their training.
Theyโre brilliant for working on real-life experiences โ people walking past, dogs appearing, noises, different surfaces, being around distractions and, importantly, learning to just switch off and exist in a busy environment.
Obviously Iโm not taking a dog whoโs still reacting to everything into a packed coffee shop.
But once theyโre ready, I actually want them to experience these environments.
Your dog has to learn how to cope with the real world too.
And thatโs why I donโt have one magic place that I take every reactive dog.
The right environment depends on the dog in front of me and where they are in their training.
Sometimes we need loads of space.
Sometimes we need distractions.
And eventually, we need real life.
Iโm always looking for new places to train, so if youโve got a good spot Iโve missed, drop it in the comments ๐ Iโm always up for finding somewhere new!
