We have had a lot of new members join and it is so exciting to see HikeABull keep growing. With that we have received a few emails and messages asking similar questions about the structure of our hikes. So I thought an email to the entire group would be a good idea.
HikeABull is not a breed specific group. We love and welcome all breeds. Socializing and exercising our dogs has nothing to do with what breed they are. You will often hear me say “It’s a dog thing, not a breed thing”. There are several pit bull dogs in the group and many of our members are advocates for any dog that gets prejudge because of the way it looks. Pit bull owners have found their dogs not welcome in many places. It would be shameful if they did the same thing to another. HikeABull is a wonderful diverse mixture of dogs and people, we are a community.
Being a group that welcomes dogs with varying personalities, quirks, manners, behaviors, or whatever you want to call it is something we take earnestly and with great pride. If you were to take a moment and read your fellow group members profile question when asked “ What would you like the group to know about your dog(s)?” you are going to find things like ~ is a social puppy ~ anxiety issues ~ plays well off leash & currently working on her on leash behavior ~ shy and protective ~ needs a fair amount of personal space ~ happy playful dog ~ loves walking and is friendly, gets hyped up around other dogs because he wants to meet them and play ~
Each of these are a different dog and breed with varying needs. By taking the social pressure of the dogs greeting out of our group activity, it makes a relaxed fun environment for all of the dogs from social to shy and so on. If you were to walk up to my husband and be overly familiar with him he would give you a very different reaction than I would if you were to do that with me. He doesn’t like it and will let you know, me it doesn’t bother. The same type of thing happens with our dogs. Sometimes we don’t realize what can make another dog uncomfortable because our dog doesn’t mind that particular thing.
Our dogs need us to let others know what their boundaries are. HikeABull is a group where we respect each other's boundaries and encourage each other to let them be known. For those very social dogs that don’t mind a greeting, it is a great place for them to practice not greeting every dog they see. I promise it is a fun environment for all.
While we are waiting for a hike/walk to start we want to make sure we give each other plenty of space. Please do not walk your dog up to another. We do a short people introduction and let each other know what our dog's social needs are if any. We want to start with a nice calm pack, waiting for the hike to start (before hike or at a water break) the dogs can get a little excited, so even if your dog walks side by side in the pack during the hike please remember we all need a comfortable space while stopped. There at no time is dog to dog greetings. This applies for the scheduled HikeABull hikes/walks. We by no means imply that your dog should never greet another dog. We just believe that practicing leash manners and providing an environment where all of our dogs with such different personalities can have a successful experience in a group pack makes us a community of incredible dog owners.
Any questions please feel free to email any of the HikeABull organizers.
HikeABull is not a breed specific group. We love and welcome all breeds. Socializing and exercising our dogs has nothing to do with what breed they are. You will often hear me say “It’s a dog thing, not a breed thing”. There are several pit bull dogs in the group and many of our members are advocates for any dog that gets prejudge because of the way it looks. Pit bull owners have found their dogs not welcome in many places. It would be shameful if they did the same thing to another. HikeABull is a wonderful diverse mixture of dogs and people, we are a community.
Being a group that welcomes dogs with varying personalities, quirks, manners, behaviors, or whatever you want to call it is something we take earnestly and with great pride. If you were to take a moment and read your fellow group members profile question when asked “ What would you like the group to know about your dog(s)?” you are going to find things like ~ is a social puppy ~ anxiety issues ~ plays well off leash & currently working on her on leash behavior ~ shy and protective ~ needs a fair amount of personal space ~ happy playful dog ~ loves walking and is friendly, gets hyped up around other dogs because he wants to meet them and play ~
Each of these are a different dog and breed with varying needs. By taking the social pressure of the dogs greeting out of our group activity, it makes a relaxed fun environment for all of the dogs from social to shy and so on. If you were to walk up to my husband and be overly familiar with him he would give you a very different reaction than I would if you were to do that with me. He doesn’t like it and will let you know, me it doesn’t bother. The same type of thing happens with our dogs. Sometimes we don’t realize what can make another dog uncomfortable because our dog doesn’t mind that particular thing.
Our dogs need us to let others know what their boundaries are. HikeABull is a group where we respect each other's boundaries and encourage each other to let them be known. For those very social dogs that don’t mind a greeting, it is a great place for them to practice not greeting every dog they see. I promise it is a fun environment for all.
While we are waiting for a hike/walk to start we want to make sure we give each other plenty of space. Please do not walk your dog up to another. We do a short people introduction and let each other know what our dog's social needs are if any. We want to start with a nice calm pack, waiting for the hike to start (before hike or at a water break) the dogs can get a little excited, so even if your dog walks side by side in the pack during the hike please remember we all need a comfortable space while stopped. There at no time is dog to dog greetings. This applies for the scheduled HikeABull hikes/walks. We by no means imply that your dog should never greet another dog. We just believe that practicing leash manners and providing an environment where all of our dogs with such different personalities can have a successful experience in a group pack makes us a community of incredible dog owners.
Any questions please feel free to email any of the HikeABull organizers.
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