Summer is officially here, and with it, walking your dog becomes an attractive prospect. Indeed, at the first sign of warm weather, there is a definite increase of people promenading their pooches all around the neighborhoods of Champaign-Urbana. And even though your well-behaved dog is having a lovely time in the sunshine, there are some ground rules that you should consider.
My dogs are perhaps a little more wild than most. Nico, my eight-year-old Australian shepherd was not socialized properly when she was young. For my 21st birthday, Joel took me to a farm so I could pick out a puppy, and I eschewed all of the chubby ones that were frolicking happily in the grass in favor of the cute little runt with the pink and black “dudley” nose that was cowering under an old beat up Chevy. Gradually, she warmed to us, but she spent her first couple of months with us hiding behind our couch most of the day. When she finally did imprint on us, she grew very protective, barking violently at mailmen, delivery men, and anyone else who dared approach our house.
Louise, who is a four year old Black Lab, was adopted by us when we were living on our small farm in Iowa. She spent her formative years running wild with Nico, catching mice, squirrels, and rabbits on a near daily basis. She can jump straight up and snatch a bird right from the air, and she has run down and cornered a deer and a bobcat, on two separate and strange occasions. In regards to this, small dogs have always presented a problem. She seems to forget that they are a part of her species, thinking instead that they are small rodents that are tasty snacks.
Since we have moved back into town, they spend more time marinating together inside. We try to compensate for this by making sure that they get two good walks a day, every day, 365 days of the year. Still, they seem to have picked up some of each others’ quirks. Nico now becomes more excitable around other dogs, and Louise has become a little more protective. They are both very, very good-natured, and i have never seen either of them attack another dog unprovoked, but if the other dog emits the slightest growl, or shows teeth, they don’t waste any time getting down to business. Neither of them are, in any way, bad dogs. If you were to meet them and pet them and let them give you kisses, you might not even be able to tell. They just both have root chakra issues, and therefore are a little bit “special needs.”
Earlier this week, I was out for a walk with Nico and Louise. We were close to getting back home, when I noticed a woman and her large German Shepherd mix approaching, about 100 yards away. I was just about to cross to the other side of the street to avoid her, when I saw that she went ahead and crossed. Relieved, I kept walking a few more yards and came upon a huge old oak tree. I was surprised when, just around the other side of it, there was the woman, standing on the street next to the curb a mere six feet away, trying to restrain her dog, who was barking and lunging at us. It was kind of scary, but I suppose this might have been interpreted as excitement to make new friends, and accordingly, the woman had a questioning look on her face which could have been either “Can they sniff each other?” or “Oh my god, what is going to happen?”
Normally, I can handle my dogs in situations like these, but I’m not the freaking Dog Whisperer, and sometimes I lose control. I tried to keep walking past calmly, but Nico and Louise weren’t having any of it. The dog took them by surprise, too, and they careened towards it, barking the Mean Bark. I tried to set my feet in the grass, but with the constant deluge of rain we have been having lately, it was soft and muddy. Before I knew what was happening, my feet slipped out from under me and I fell forward, and my dogs (who in combination with each other, weigh more than I do) dragged me into the street. I released the leashes, fearing further injury, and luckily, an intrepid young man who just happened to be riding by, hopped off his bike and grabbed the leashes, separating the dogs quickly.
After I had thanked him for his help, and assured him that I was ok, I stalked off quickly, bloody and covered in mud up to my knees, barely acknowledging the woman and her dog in my frustration. What was she thinking? I could have been more seriously injured than I already was, not to mention our dogs!
This led me to think about some things that I have learned in my experience with my “special needs” dogs and also things that my mother taught me about walking dogs as I was growing up. No matter now nice and mild-mannered your dogs are, they are still volatile creatures who are descended from wolves! Your well-behaved dog might be fine, but you never know how another dog might react, so it is always best to err on the side of safety.
- If you are walking your dog, and you see another person who is walking their dog, probably the best option for everyone is to just cross the street. If you and the other person keep walking towards each other, staying on the sidewalk, you are both unexplicitly saying that your dogs are friendly, and that a meeting is OK. However, if either person crosses, YOU MUST RESPECT THIS DISTANCE. Even if you are the one that crossed, this applies, because there is a good chance that the other person would have crossed, had you not.
- If another dog starts barking at you and your posse, try to ignore it. Don’t change your energy by stiffening up or tugging on the leash, this only alerts your dog that there is a problem. You are the “pack leader,” so set a good example for your underlings.
- Not all dogs want or need to make friends. If your path is not crossing with another dog’s, but you think your dog would like to meet them, you may call out to the other person and ask if your dogs can touch noses. If the other person hesitates AT ALL, drop the subject and go on your way. Also, if any dog in the group appears to be anything other than calm, this probably isn’t the best idea.
- If you have a small dog, take extra care! Just because you think it’s cute that your Chihuahua thinks it’s a big dog and writes checks it can’t cash, doesn’t mean that the Irish Setter down the road is going to think so.
- As a human, when you are meeting a new dog for the first time, offer your hand to him, palm down, with your fingers curled into a loose fist, and your head slightly down. This comforts the dog as it is a sign of submission, and lets the dog smell you before it decides if it wants to let you into its personal space. Worst case scenario, if the dog bites you, at least you won’t lose your fingers.
- Finally, bring poop bags, more than you think you might need. No one wants poop in their yard, and you’ll be giving other dog owners a bad name if you don’t clean up your dog’s mess. Usually you don’t have to go more than a block or two before you find a trash can.
Most people do a good job of following these guidelines, but it is always good to take a few minutes to review and remember why we do things. If everyone follows the same code of etiquette, then we will have many happy doggie interactions!