About us

Welcome to Reactive Dog Gear and the team behind it!

Julia

The owner and creator of Reactive Dog Gear, which she started after a few years of having Marvel. Her dream is to work with dogs in one way or another and she has taken a few courses and education within the area such as fysiotraining for dogs and dog behavior.

Marvel

The dog who inspired this website. Marvel is a 5 year old Lapponian Herder with a lot of personality! As “angry” as he might seem outdoors when meeting other dogs, he is a very sensitive boy. He is also very happy to work and loves any type of nosework.

We are based in Sweden and have access to all four seasons when reviewing our products. It makes us very versitile and in need of many different gear.

Our story

I got Marvel together with my ex after talking about getting a dog for some time. It was one of the happiest days of my life! I had many plans for me and Marvel, we would try agility, nose work and anything else we found fun to do. He was gonna run free in the forest playing around and at our summer house, playing on the beach, swimming in the ocean and so on. Unfortunately, that is not what happened. At first we did all these things, but where we lived at the time people had no respect for others, especially other dog owners. Where I grew up I never experienced this so it was a shock for me that people in the big city of Stockholm behaved like this with their dogs.

The very first incident we had was when Marvel was only around 10 weeks old. An off leash dog ran up to us and circled us in a way that wasn’t just playful. The owner was nowhere in sight and when he finally showed up he just smiled at us. I asked him to get his dog and he just kept walking and smiling. Fortunately, this dog didn’t come any closer that day, but it wasn’t the last time this dog and this owner did this to us. Once I even had to take the dog and bring it back to the owner and tell them to grab their dog as it was triggering Marvel and none of us felt comfortable in that situation. The owner took the dog and said “What?! He doesn’t like other dogs?”. I told him that he has had bad experiences and then left to go back to Marvel and my ex who was holding him and guess what happens? Before I even make it back to Marvel the owner lets go of his dog that proceeds to do the exact same thing again, run around as close as possible, at full speed.

Fortunately, this dog didn't come any closer that day, but it wasn't the last time this dog and this owner did this to us.

Things like this should not happen, and yet these are just 2 out of MANY similar situations. Many situations have been worse, like dogs trying to attack and try to bite him. Some have been friendly, some are not, it really doesn’t matter! They have all shaped Marvel into what he is today, and how he feels about the world today. Sometimes it is really hard trying to stay positive and show my dog that the world is not what he thinks it is, but I have to for him.

Today

Today Marvel is a reactive dog. We live in a different city where these problems don’t occur as often as in Stockholm. He has come a long way in his training with some things, and we have had setbacks in others, but we work on it every day! I wouldn’t be who I am as a dog owner if it wasn’t for Marvel, he has taught me so much about dog training, reactivity and life.

Perhaps we didn’t get to do all of the things I wanted to when I first got him, but that’s ok! We still do a lot of other fun things. Marvel is really good at search training and easy tasks at home that he can help with, such as closing doors and cabinet doors, retrieving items, picking up his toys after himself and much more. We take long walks in the forest when we can and learn new fun tricks.

Our mission

Our mission is to spread awareness about reactive or nervous dogs and to give comfort and tips to owners who might be struggling out there. We aim to be a positive place where one can turn for support or tips without feeling judged or shamed.

We also aim to give out good and informational reviews about products that might be extra good for reactive dogs, so that you can feel safe walking your pup.