Some More Thoughts on Walking Your Dog

Any time I do a group presentation, it seems like I receive a lot of questions regarding taking dogs for a walk.  Everything from how far, how often, what leash to use, what collar, and whether to use treats or not.  I know I've talked about walking dogs many times, but I thought it might be valuable to revisit this topic from a slightly different point of view.  That is, the point of view of your dog.

While most dogs enjoy being outdoors, leashes aren't their first choice for how they like to explore their world.  For many dogs, being on leash is very stressful.  When a dog is on leash, they are obviously tethered, hindered not only from doing what they want, but kept from being able to adequately protect themselves, and you.  This is why keeping the leash loose when walking helps to reduce the pressure your dog feels on those leashed walks.  Make sure your dog has enough leash to explore and sniff without feeling tension and pulling at their neck, back, or shoulders. And please don't make the mistake of thinking that a retractable leash will make your dog happier because it won't.  Retractable leashes are dangerous for dogs and for their people.  If you want your dog on a longer leash, but with even more room to explore safely, put them on a long line. You can get them in any length from 10 feet right on up.

Dogs who are anxious on leash don't need 5 mile walks or hour long strolls, they need short walks, at off peak times and off peak places, that build their confidence without adding to their stress.  While the average healthy adult dog needs two 30-45 minute walks each day, that's not a hard and fast rule for every dog.  Some dogs do just fine with one walk a day.  Others, it's two walks, but both for just 15-20 minutes each.  And there are also dogs who do quite well with any length/distance walk, as long as they receive ample play time at home with their humans.  And if you have an aggressive dog, that is one who behaves in a reactive manner toward other  dogs, other people, or both, you will want to be very cautious about when, where, and how often you walk your dog.  Yes, you do indeed have the right to walk your dog, but you do need to make sure that doing so doesn't put anyone else at risk.  This might mean walking very early in the morning, late at night, with your dog wearing a muzzle, or all of the above. Just remember that you will want to train your dog to wear a flexible basket-style muzzle for walking which will allow them to pant, bark, sniff, drink water, and take treats.  All you want the muzzle to restrict is their ability to bite someone or another dog.  Plus, dogs who are walked wearing muzzles are automatically given more space by others walking their dogs and that's exactly what your anxiously aggressive dog was looking for.  Remember, too, that you can and should exercise your dog at home, whether that's with yard-approved agility equipment, a chuck-it, a flirt pole, or a swimming pool.  While most dogs won't utilize any of those things on their own, they will be more than happy to run around with you, chasing a ball, following the flirt pole, or maneuvering around agility equipment. 

As to what kind of collar or harness to use, that depends on your dog, their age/life stage, whether they pull or not, and whether they have issues in reactivity.  Seek out and utilize the collar or harness that is the most comfortable for your dog while still doing the job you intended it to do. Right now, for example, I am walking Henley on a Gentle Leader Head Halter.  This has been a game changer for his on-leash pulling and really made maneuvering around the ill-mannered dogs in my neighborhood that much easier. And as far as treats go, everyone should carry treats in their pocket and not just for reinforcing or redirecting your own dog, but to throw by the handful in an emergency situation where you need to distract that off leash dog who just bum-rushed you! Just remember that whether a treat is high value or low value is determined by your dog, not you.  While most might consider their kibble to be low value, I've met dogs who thought kibble was the best thing ever and the owners used chopped up zucchini for their low value treat.  For Henley, it would be just the opposite; kibble would be low value, and he loves zucchini!

I have a copy of a dog training book from the 1970's where they basically said "walk your dog twice a day" without giving any information on what that walk should look like.  We've made so much progress since those days of chain leashes and choke collars.  We now have many more options to choose from and a better idea of what a dog considers a successful, rewarding walk.  I am grateful for those choices.

As always, if you have questions about your pet's behavior, you know where to find me.

Here's Henley on a walk without his head halter, enjoying an amazing stick 

he discovered in the neighborhood.

Just A Funny Story!

So, a client called me over the weekend to thank me for helping her with her puppy several months back. I thought it was nice of her to follow up and let me know they were doing well together. I love when clients do their follow up as with those who don't, I'm left to wonder...did everything work out?  Did they get frustrated and give up?  Is their pet running the house now and restricting their access to the phone and computer?!  Just kidding.  

Anyway, she somewhat sheepishly told me that they'd really done very little that I had suggested beyond one thing.  They made that puppy take naps four times a day, in her crate, no exceptions.  I laughed because this isn't the first time I've had a puppy client tell me that those enforced naps were a game-changer. But the ONLY thing that I told them that they actually followed through with and did?  Mind boggling!  She said those daily naps basically solved the problems they were having with mouthing, self-control issues, etc.  Well, I'll be darned.  That was easy!

See, here's the thing.  None of us do very well when we are sleep deprived.  While humans vary in the amount of sleep each person needs, dogs are pretty straightforward.  Adult dogs sleep 12-14 hours a day, with elderly or ill dogs needing more sleep. And puppies need 18-20 hours of sleep each day for proper growth and brain development.  Adult dogs will just nod off wherever they are, or will take themselves to another room to rest when they need to.  Puppies, on the other hand, need to be taken to their napping area and confined there for best results.  While a puppy might fall asleep at your feet, on your lap, or on the couch, none of these "catnaps," so to speak, will replace an actual nap in their crate, in a room, alone.  You want them to get deep sleep and REM sleep (the time when dreams occur) and that won't happen when you or other pets are around.  Just like toddlers resist naps, so will your puppies, but you still make them do it for their own good...and your peace of mind and sanity!

So, while I always hope pet owners will follow all of my advice, I guess it's good to know that they follow at least some of it and definitely take to heart the important stuff like sleep for a puppy.  Though now it's got me thinking I need to bullet point what really is critical when I'm working with clients, just in case they aren't going to do it all!

As always, if you have questions about your pet's behavior, you know where to find me. 

Now that Henley is no longer a puppy, I don't have to worry about enforcing his naps, he just takes them on his own.  Though he usually takes a toy with him.

When Your Dog Is Not A Fan

I worked with a client last week who asked that I share her story as she thinks others might benefit (and she loves my blog!), but she did ask that I change a lot of the details to protect the parties involved.  Happy to oblige given that her situation isn't the first (nor the worst!) I've seen in my 33 years in business.  So, here's the situation:

The client reached out because she's a widow and she's recently started dating again.  She's taking it slow, but has finally met someone she's interested enough in to have them over for dinner at her house.  The problem is that dinner was a disaster!  Her dog was openly hostile to this man from the moment he stepped into her house, something he's never done with anyone before.  I've known this owner and this dog for about 5 years, and I knew her husband as well as they both attended puppy class with the dog.  He's a well-socialized, friendly, though sometimes exuberant greeter.  We've worked on that though and he now doesn't try to jump up and lick every visitor, which is why when she said her dog froze, growled, and stared at this new man in her life, I was quite frankly shocked.  I went through the obvious things first:  Does this man like dogs?  Does he have dogs?  Did he act afraid?  Did he try to hug you or touch you when he walked in?  Turns out the man says he loves dogs, has an elderly dog at home, and wasn't a bit afraid. He knew not to touch my client when he came in and he even brought treats for the dog from a local bakery.  Her dog was not having any of it.  He sat down and blocked the guy from coming in AND he ignored the treats.  This dog LOVES treats, so the fact that he ignored them had me utterly gobsmacked. At this point my client was flustered, so she decided to put her dog in his crate and suggested they go out to eat instead, which they did.  When she got home, she emailed me.  

Generally speaking, I listen to dogs.  If one of my dogs had this reaction to someone, I, quite honestly, would try to figure out what it is I missed.  They are very good judges of character and like everyone, though Ozzie can be aloof at times.  If he was openly hostile to someone, that would be a red flag for me, not about him, but about the person!  In my client's case, however, I just couldn't figure out what he was seeing in this man that my client wasn't.  We decided it would be valuable to have me there for the next introduction.  I suggested we meet up with this man at a local park and the three of us walk with her dog together and see how he was off of home turf.  Again, this is a happy, non-aggressive, sociable dog.  We met at the park about 30 minutes before her date was to arrive.  Her dog greeted me, as he always does, with two feet up on me and kisses galore.  We walked around a bit and he let kids pet him, he approached a man on crutches to sniff and say hi, and he wagged his tail at a man who jogged by and told him "Hey there cutie!" So, nothing untoward with strangers at the park.  When her date arrived, he started walking toward us.  His body language was open and he was careful to give the dog space.  I swear, I watched that dog completely change before my eyes.  Gone was the loose body language and lolling tongue. In its place was stiff body language, a lowered head, and a direct stare.  Just in case my client's nerves were triggering her dog, I walked away with the dog and then walked back and he still wasn't having any interaction with this man.  I asked my client to walk the dog for a few minutes while I talked to her date.  We talked about dogs, dating, his elderly dog, etc.  I started to get the feeling that while he loves his dog, his relationship with the dog is very different from my client's relationship with her dog.  And when I commented on the treats he brought to the house for the dog he said, "I knew she'd like that, so that's why I picked them up."  Hmm.  OK.  That was interesting. I asked what he thought about why the dog was acting so weird with him.  His response?  "The dog doesn't like competition from another alpha male."  Sigh. Another red flag.  The concept of alpha male is so outdated in the realm of animal behavior to be laughable.  However, I certainly know there are people who like to think of themselves using that term, and this man was one of them.

I shook his hand and thanked him for coming and told my client we should get back to work, so she said goodbye to her date and that she'd call him later.  He seemed bewildered, but he walked off.  She said to me after he walked away, "I thought we were going to work together with him on this!"  At this point, I told her what I really thought was going on.  Her dog likes men just fine, he just doesn't like this man.  

As I said earlier, this is not the first time I've met a dog with clear preferences.  I've been to many homes where the dog prefers the wife or prefers the husband, listening to one more than the other, openly shunning one in favor of the other.  Often this behavior is based on experience; dogs love the people who feed, walk and play with them, but quite frankly, they also love the people who let them get away with stuff. Dogs, like toddlers, can be manipulative. In homes with two dog guardians, one who is preferred and one who's being snubbed, I advise putting the one who is being snubbed into control over all things the dog loves and relegating the favored person to more menial and less desirable (from the dog's point of view) tasks.  Usually, if the favored person takes a step back, the dog will (sometimes begrudgingly) take a bigger interest in the other human.  Sometimes all it takes is the less favored human creating a situation for the dog that is special and desired and thus creates a new bond; a trip to the beach, a trip to get a pup cup, allowing them to pick a toy at the pet store, etc.  And sometimes it's as simple as personality.  A dog just clicks with one person more than another.  But in some homes, as it was with the client and her new date, it's actually not that simple. 

Dogs are emotional, sentient creatures capable of empathy.  If they sense discord, disharmony, or unrest, they respond.  I've known dogs who, quite literally, choose sides in a divorce. I know, because I've been there to mediate a few divorces and custody battles over the pets. It's also true that dogs can smell fear and anxiety AND they know a belligerent drinker or a bully when they smell one. I think my client's new dating interest is a closet bully.  She hasn't seen his manipulative, controlling side yet as they've only been dating a few weeks, but her dog did, and I glimpsed it as well.  It was time for her to listen to her dog.  There was nothing I could do, nor that I wanted to do, to make this work.  This man wasn't a good match for my client and her dog, plain and simple.  She had chosen to date him because he was very different from her husband, but in choosing someone vastly different, she'd also chosen someone who was not going to be good for her long term.

I tried to lighten the mood by telling her that she now knew she could have her dog be the judge of her dates rather than her friends going forward. It will save her a lot of time! I know she will find someone truly worthy of her time and attention AND someone who her dog will like as well.  He loved chasing the ball and running alongside her husband's bike.  He is sweet and friendly to random male strangers he meets on the street and during pet therapy visits.  There will be someone he loves for his owner as well.  

As always, if you have questions about your pet's behavior, you know where to find me.

Some dogs are choosier than others, but with very good reason.