When we bring a dog into our lives, we often imagine beautiful walks along the beach, casual walks around the neighbourhood, hanging out with the dog at a cafe, a lovely loose leash in our hands, and a smiling dog on the end of it looking up at us with those loving eyes. You get the picture, yeah?
But what happens when this image is not your reality? Why is this image not your reality? Can we change things around so it can look like that? Are we possibly asking the wrong questions? Maybe we should be asking the dog, “What do you want to do on your walks?” or “Do you even want to go for a walk?”
How do we know what our dogs want if they cannot tell us in words? Believe it or not, they can tell us clearly through their behaviour and body language, and we need to learn how to read them and interpret what they are trying to tell us.
So let’s look at whether we can change things up a little or observe our dogs so we can understand their preferences. Let’s see if we can change our behaviour so we set them up to succeed in the first place. Below are some topics we will cover, and we will break them all down. Yes, this is a long blog, more of an educational essay, but hopefully it can make a difference for future walks.
Question 1. Does your dog want to go for a walk?
When you get your leash or harness out, what does your dog do? Does your dog come running over with joy at the thought of going for a stroll, or does it hide, leave the room, and avoid you? If it is the latter, this is a red flag, and your dog is trying to tell you that walks are scary and possibly overrated.
When avoidance behaviour is displayed as the harness comes out, it is no surprise that these dogs often have underlying anxieties or feel a sense of overwhelm when out of the home. Whilst many dogs really do enjoy their walks, some dogs really dislike the thought of leaving their homes.
So if your dog avoids you when getting ready, then spends a lot of the time reacting and appearing overwhelmed the moment it walks out the door, chances are this dog is telling you it prefers to stay home. There is nothing wrong with that. In fact, your dog may benefit greatly from avoiding all those external stressors. It might be a matter of changing the location of your walk, and it might be worth experimenting a bit and trying a variety of environmental settings to determine if your dog has a clearer preference.
What about the dog that avoids you, playing cat and mouse games while getting ready, yet once out, has a great time? These are the conflicted dogs. They do want to go out because they get access beyond the yard, but it is also a space where things are unpredictable and often scary. It can be very confusing for dog parents when your dog is hiding from you the moment the leash comes out, yet seems to be happy once out.
Another category to look at is the dog that appears a bit too excited to go for a walk and remains like that for the duration of the walk. Think about the dog that is leaping, huffing and puffing, pulling like mad for the entire walk. This is not excitement and, again, can be very confusing. Excitement is an emotion that is short lived, so if your dog appears excited the whole time it is out, take more note of the body language. Is the dog accepting treats? Is the dog hyperventilating? Can the dog follow an instruction? Can the dog focus on you? If your answer is no or sometimes, then it is most likely the dog is overwhelmed, not excited.
The next question to ask yourself is, how do you know if the dog is avoiding you because of the equipment? Is the harness too tight? Is it pinching? Have you accidentally caught some fur in it when buckling it up in the past? Does the equipment you use cause pain, or is it used as a punishing tool? Has your dog had a traumatic experience whilst on leash? If someone else presented the harness, would your dog respond the same way? These are all valid questions, and the only way to get the answers is to test each theory out. Change equipment, ask someone else to walk your dog, and you will soon have your answer as to what your dog is telling you.
If your dog had a traumatic experience whilst on leash, then sometimes seeing the walking equipment becomes a reminder of that trauma, think along the lines of PTSD. It can take some time for the dog to unpair the equipment with the coincidental trauma.
I probably should also note that the equipment you use can make a huge difference to the attitude your dog might have on a walk. As everyone reading this blog knows, I am a fear-free trainer, so the use of aversive equipment is not condoned. Equipment such as choker chains, slip leads, prong collars, and electric shock collars are designed for one reason only: to punish a dog for inappropriate behaviour and to force them to comply. But what if the reason they were not “obeying” was because they were anxious, scared, or overwhelmed? Why would someone dish punishment of that sort out to a dog that is already struggling? How does shocking your dog, correcting on the leash, or choking your dog teach it anything? If your dog is rushing, reacting, or panicking, punishment is not going to make it feel better. Emotional dysregulation is a real thing in the dog world, and we need to look at ways of changing their emotional state, not correcting or punishing them.
Question 2. How do you start your walks?
When you are preparing for your walk, observe your dog. Note the energy, the behaviour, and also note yours. We need to avoid using a high-pitched voice and yelling out, “We are going for a walk, yay!” All this does is hype your dog up, raising the adrenaline, expectation, and anticipation to the point it cannot contain itself. Then you get dragged out the front door and down the street for the next hour. And what message is this sending your dog regarding exit points and doors? We need to ensure we condition calmness when it comes to doorways, leaving the home, and going for walks.
The next time you prepare for a walk, consider moving through the house a bit slower. Shoes on, bum bag filled with treats, keys in pocket, no rushing. Then call your dog calmly, get the harness out, ask your dog to pop up on a chair or couch so you do not have to bend or loom over your dog, and calmly pop it on. Take your time to part the fur so you can clip the equipment in without pinching skin or fur. Be mindful also of the click sound the clip might make, as for noise-sensitive dogs, this can be very off-putting. Try to close it gently and slowly to minimise the noise near the ears. If your dog is sensitive to putting its head through the harness, look for a model that can be unclipped and opened up instead.
If your dog seems aroused, panting lots, or hyped up, just slow everything down further. Talk quieter and make no big deal. It is so important that when the dog leaves the house, they are sitting in that “green zone” we often talk about. The thinking brain needs to be engaged, not the emotional brain.
Now clip the leash calmly, and if your dog gets all stirred up again, just pause. Maybe even sit down and wait a moment or two for that energy to drop a notch. You can shape the level of energy easily by progressing when the dog calms down.
Let’s make sure the poop bag holder is not attached to the leash where it bangs the dog in the head as you walk. It can be very off-putting when the dog is trying to look up at you or trying to access their treat and they repeatedly get hit in the head with the poop bag holder. Pop that higher up near where you hold your leash.
Have your treat pouch filled to the brim with high-value treats, ready to capture calm walking and whatever else is treat-worthy along the way. Use high-value treats, something super palatable, special, and something that can be swallowed in one swift gulp. Anything like small bits of roast chicken, shredded cheese, 4Legs, or chopped-up sausages will often do the job.
Avoid short leashes, as your dog will achieve nothing if there is no room. Our walks are not about heel, eye level to the knee. That is not fun. Leashes ideally should be at least 3 metres in length. This does not mean your dog will now walk 3 metres ahead of you. Quite the contrary. When they learn they can choose to go ahead or stay in closer to you without something pulling them back each time, they will actively start to hang with you and find your rhythm. Just give them choice.
Let’s take note of our mood, as this too can determine how the walk might go. Are you calm? Have you had a reasonably good day? Are you smiling? Are you upset, angry, frustrated, or flustered? Again, it is totally okay to have all those feelings, but maybe reconsider walking your dog until you have settled a bit. Your tolerance threshold, your patience, and your attention to detail will be marred if emotionally you are not dedicating that walk time to your dog.
Lastly, pay attention to how much actual time you have to walk your dog at a calm pace. There is no point trying to get a 5km walk in if you have only 15 minutes. You are better off spending 15 minutes just sitting on that nature strip of yours, and maybe next door too, and focusing on that nice slow sniffing walk, than shooting off at a cracking pace. Fast-paced walks for our dogs are not necessarily the only way to tire our dogs out. Sniffing is equally stimulating, and there is plenty of research to back this one up.
So, a recap:
Calmly get the walking equipment that is kind on the body of the dog. Calmly suggest to the dog you are heading out for a walk. Calmly ask your dog to remain still, preferably up at your level, while you “gear” it up. Then allow your dog to hang with you as you prep yourself. Pop shoes on, calmly grab your treat pouch, fill it, and intermittently treat the dog when it stands quietly. If your dog starts screeching, just pause. Avoid continuing on until the dog comes down a notch, then proceed. Pick the leash up, head to the door in a casual manner, no rush. If the dog screeches or jumps up, pause and wait for feet on the ground and a bit of calm again. Make sure you are in the right headspace, take note of how long you have for the walk, pop your phone on Do Not Disturb, grab your keys, and hover near that front door. Take the time to open that door and exit. There is no need to rush. Your dog can also learn a lesson here, that exits are so overrated, they just lead to outside, not Disneyland!
Once you are at the door, open and shut the door a few times without going out. There is no urgency in walking out the door. Then pause once out the door, close the door, and hover in your front yard for a moment. Allow your dog to do a Facebook scroll.
If we consider bringing that energy down when we are prepping for walks, the dog will be far more responsive and the walk will be more enjoyable. If that energy is not coming down at all, then we need to again ask the question as to whether the dog actually wants to go. If your dog is so aroused before it even starts the walk, it might already be feeling overwhelmed at the concept, and it may be worth getting a fear-free trainer to assess the situation.
Question 3. Are you both connected?
This question can apply to both a physical connection and an emotional connection. For the physical connection, we refer to the leash and walking equipment.
The question I am asking is whether your dog is emotionally connected to you, are you in synch with each other? If you move, does your dog move with you? If you stop, does your dog stop with you? Is your dog aware of your movement when you shift directions, speeds, angles? Are you aware of when your dog wants to move more forward to sniff a tree or post? Do you know your dog well enough to predict these moments? If your dog is ahead of you, will your dog wait for you to catch up or head back towards you to pair up again? Does your dog check in on you, offering eye contact at various times? Do you smile at your dog when your dog looks up at you? Do you talk to your dog as you move through the paces?
Let’s make sure we are present to our dog when we walk them. Keep your eyes on them, pay attention to the subtle shifts in your movement and if your dog becomes aware of this, reinforce that behaviour. Let them know you appreciate them paying attention to you too.
This is really important as you both need to communicate with each other during your walk.
Question 4. Does your dog enjoy the walk?
So how do we know if our dog enjoys the walk? Doesn’t every dog love going out, and isn’t it a rule that every dog should go out every single day for one hour to be a happy dog? I don’t know where that rule came from, and it has been around for decades, yet it is so impractical for so many dog parents. Many dog parents feel total relief when I tell them that walks are not a rule set in stone. Walks can be done at any time, more, less, or not at all, and all you need to do is simply ask the dog. Walk your dog when you can fit the time in without rushing.
So back to the dog. How do we know they are having fun? Look at their gait, their breathing rate, their body language, their focal point, their ability to follow your instructions, their ability to check in on you, and their willingness to eat. These are all great gauges as to how your dog is feeling and coping on a walk. What are the red flags?
If your dog is rushing, dragging, hyperventilating, mouth wide open, tail stiff in the air or tucked low, ears stiff and forward or pinned back against the head, body rigid, eyes fixed on the horizon where it appears to be scanning, food refused, unable to look at you, unable to follow a simple instruction, or vocalising, then this means your dog is overwhelmed. These emotions can come from fear, anxiety, frustration, or sometimes a combination.
If your dog is reacting to dogs, people, children, movement, traffic, or noise, then again, this is a sign your dog is not enjoying the walk. That dog is being triggered over and over again, and the only thing it learns during the walk is that the outside world is extremely challenging, unpredictable, scary, and threatening.
If you are seeing these signs, then seek advice from a fear-free trainer who can do a thorough assessment of the situation.
So what does it look like when the dog is enjoying itself? You should see soft movement, mouth slightly op
en with soft panting, tongue softly bouncing in the mouth or to the side, and tail soft and horizontal. For curly-tailed dogs, it should move softly. The ears should be relaxed and bouncing gently. Eyes should be soft with pupils normal, not dilated. The dog should be capable of looking at you when asked to, able to follow a simple instruction, and checking in with you intermittently. For the most part, it should spend most of the time with its nose down to the ground. The dog that enjoys its walks does not care much for what goes on around it. It is immersed in the world of scent, and nothing else is more important.
Sniffing is critical when it comes to dog walks. Dogs are extremely satisfied on walks when they get to track scent. It is not all about ball chasing and running, so keep this in mind. If your dog spends more time scanning and dragging than sniffing, we have a problem.
Question 5. What does your dog want to do on its walks?
We have already touched on this in the previous question, and we can all agree that sniffing is one of their favourite pastimes. But we can expand on this a little more. Some dogs are very satisfied by their block walk, doing their regular route where everything is as predictable as possible. Other dogs like to do different activities. Some love swimming, others hiking or plodding along the beach, some like the quiet bush, chasing balls and running, some love playing with their dog friends, and some just love to people-watch. Some dogs prefer to drive to the local oval and zigzag around on their long line whilst tracking scent, and others love adventures and going to new places.
Take the time to observe your dog and work out what their preference is. Does your dog appear more relaxed in certain environments? Does your dog get more excited when going to a specific location? Does your dog appear more stressed? Does your dog appear more satisfied after particular walks? Does your dog like variety?
Once you have worked out what your dog likes to do on walks, stick with it, knowing your dog is having fun.
Question 6. What do you do on the walks?
Now this is a question that often causes a bit of a stir, as many people walk their dogs as part of their downtime ritual too. And it can be difficult to juggle time where we need to fit in the dog walk as well as do our exercise and mindfulness. How often do we see people walking their dogs with headphones on or scrolling on their phones while walking? This is a common occurrence, and the issue here is that when the person is immersed in another activity that requires their attention, attention towards the dog drops. This means we lose the ability to hear things going on around us, we fail to see what is coming ahead, and we miss the opportunities to reinforce our dog for appropriate and desirable behaviour.
How often do you look down only to see your dog is trotting along at a cracking pace because you are a fast walker? For a large breed, your pace might be suitable as their stride is as long as yours, but for a small or medium breed, your leg span is far greater than theirs, which means they are pacing beside you, not ambling.
Start looking down and alter your speed so your dog is now ambling. If you are not sure what ambling looks like, think of your dog just plodding along, not walking slowly but not pacing either. When dogs amble, there is this soft waddle they do. Their tail and hips are in rhythm, their ears are bouncing, their mouth is usually slightly open, their head is not swivelling left to right, and their faces appear relaxed. By walking at this pace, your dog will take in far more valuable information and feel more satisfied overall. When dogs are tracking scent, they are often ambling with their head down, and by working at this pace, they remain on task.
Remember, their walk is not just a physical workout, it is a mental workout too.
I would also like to point out leash wrapping. This is where the dog handler wraps the leash around the wrist multiple times in order to keep the dog closer. By leash wrapping, the length decreases dramatically, and the righting reflex gets triggered over and over again. What is the righting reflex? It is the reflex that keeps you in balance. Think about someone trying to push you backwards and how your body automatically corrects that pressure by leaning more forward to restore balance. If the leash is constantly being tugged and pulled back, the dog will counter that by pulling forward to keep itself from tumbling. It isn’t the harness or collar that sometimes makes the dog pull more, it is the constant tugging and pressure being applied to the body of the dog. Try to soften the hold on the leash. Allow the dog to move more freely but calmly. Move with the dog when it tracks scent, relax the leash, and avoid that tension. The question always needs to be, if your dog is pulling so frantically and you feel the need to leash wrap, how is your dog feeling? Why is it behaving that way?
Question 7. Are you aware of your surroundings when you walk your dog?
Do you look, listen, and feel? Traffic, wind, rain, barking dogs behind fences, airplanes, machinery, construction, shouting children, bikes, dogs in the background, pedestrians, birds, other animals, surfaces, and so much more.
We need to remember that dogs and people are different. Whilst our brains may be similar in some ways, we are hardwired to view the world from a very different lens.
Dogs have far better hearing than us, hearing higher and lower frequencies. They can hear your breathing rate, your sighs, and your breath holds. They can hear impending storms way before we know the weather is changing. They can hear high-voltage frequencies in the air as well as electrical currents. They can hear wind gusts before they hit. Traffic for them is super loud. Birds chirping can be loud. People talking in the background is loud for them. Dogs can hear all of this, and we need to tune into it all before we can teach our dogs to tune out of it. We need to be more considerate of everything they have to tolerate when out that front door.
Dogs can see as well as we can in some ways. They see less colour but much more detail in texture. They have better peripheral vision, noticing movement to the sides that we subconsciously block out. They notice changes very easily, well before we do, as our brain loves to generalise, filling in gaps with what is familiar to us. Dogs, however, look for the differences. What stands out? What was not there before but is now? This is because technically they are still a prey animal, and being aware of changes in the wild keeps you alive.
Most dog breeds also have strong instincts based on their origins. Think of terriers, hounds, and herders. These dogs have inherited the ability to notice movement at the slightest level, and their instinct is to chase, hunt, or round up.
Dogs are also far more sensitive to touch than we are. They can sense the presence of a hand before it actually touches them. They can feel an ant crawling on their fur. They can feel a breeze touch their body as it moves through. They can feel rain and hail, and for some, it is also painful when it hits them.
Then we have the nose, and we will never understand the degree to which they can smell, but we sure have to admire it. They can detect changes in your hormones and medications you take as it comes through your breath and your pores. They can detect everything and anything that has passed your route and anywhere else you might go. They can work out scats and tracks and where the creature that laid them lives. They can smell if another dog is unwell, what gender it is, and get an idea of age, how long ago it passed through, and even from which direction. So the next time you look down, imagine a super freeway. That is what your dog visualises through its nose the moment it walks out your door.
So what do we do on walks when we have such sensory-sensitive dogs?
Just be more aware. Don’t dismiss how hard it is to get around with all these sensory challenges along the way. Try not to get angry or frustrated when your dog is momentarily distracted by the most captivating magpie or is studying the person walking the street. Give your dog time and space to analyse it all and work out what comes next. For dogs that are confident, most things are not even noticed. They do not care about all these little distractions. But for dogs that are anxious or overwhelmed, these challenges can become setbacks, and these dogs in particular need a lot more time, space, instruction, and assistance to overcome it all.
Talk to your dog when you see and hear things. Acknowledge that you also noticed it, and if necessary, reinforce your dog with a small treat for accepting that all is good in the world. If your dog starts to panic, try not to raise your voice, growl at the dog, or stop talking altogether. Your dog will feel more vulnerable and more unsure of itself. You need to be the wing person.
Over time, as your dog habituates to its surroundings, it will learn to tune out a lot of that background noise, but when starting out, seek a space with fewer sensory distractions.
Question 8. How do you respond to your dog on walks when presented with a challenge?
For some dogs, passing people, cars, or dogs can be a huge challenge. Some dogs may react because they are scared, some are aroused, and some are attempting to control the movement. It is important that we remain calm, keep our cool, and take control of the situation.
Avoid shouting at your dog or yanking your dog. Yes, it can get frustrating when your dog is carrying on, and yes, it can be very embarrassing, but if you join in on the drama, your dog can become further aggravated or overwhelmed. I know too well how frustrating it can be, as one of my dogs can get quite vocal when he spots dogs on walks. I don’t shout at him because that only adds more pressure to an already difficult moment. Instead, I create distance, soften my voice, help him move away from the trigger, and reward him when he is able to disengage.
If your dog is struggling with something on a walk, the first thing to consider is space. Move away. Cross the road. Step onto a nature strip. Turn around. Use parked cars, trees, fences, or distance to create a visual buffer. There is no prize for passing a trigger up close, and there is no shame in giving your dog the room it needs to cope.
When your dog is presented with a challenge, ask yourself: can my dog still think? Can my dog eat? Can my dog respond to me? Can my dog move away calmly? If the answer is no, your dog is too close or too overwhelmed, and the kindest thing you can do is help them get distance.
The more we help dogs feel safe, the more they learn that we are reliable in difficult moments. Over time, this builds trust, and trust is far more useful than force.
Question 9. Become more aware of the environment itself
When you step out of the door, take note of the environment you are walking into. Has it changed? Are the conditions different? Are the conditions calming or arousing? Let’s remember that we have been on this planet for quite some time now, so our senses have adapted and learned to accept changes, making us more resilient over time.
Puppies are complete novices when it comes to outings. They have not yet developed resilience, so it is important you go slow and take note of the changes. Again, acknowledge them and avoid dismissing their feelings, as this can create distrust. You might have no issue with a massive rubbish truck or a backfiring Harley Davidson, but your puppy will see those moving objects as transformers, mechanical monsters, and explosions. Be mindful of the changes around you and how they will impact your new baby puppy.
For older dogs, anxious dogs, and newly adopted dogs, give them the time to take on board the changes and work with them according to their response. If they seem unbothered, move on. If they seem unsure, give them time to accept they are safe. If they are bothered, move away and give them space and time.
Anxious dogs and sensitive dogs do not like changes. They struggle on a day-to-day basis making sense of most things, let alone the ever-changing world outside the front door. Look, listen, feel, close your eyes if you need to, take notice of the things going on around you, and observe how your dog responds to those changes.
Note how your dog responds to weather changes. Some dogs love the warmer weather, whereas others prefer the cold. I currently have two Border Terriers, a breed of Scottish descent, and I would never have known that 22 degrees was their cut-off point. I never had dogs like that before, and I had to learn to adjust my walks in the warmer months so that Bean and Turnip did not melt on the footpath.
Take note of the smell of your environment. Does it smell polluted, smoggy, smoky, or is there chemical residue in the air? Does it smell natural, clean, and fresh? Does it smell of other dogs or potential prey, such as rabbits or hares? Some dogs are impacted by smells, especially those that are scent-sensitive, and for some, these smells can be disruptive. For others, they can be distracting.
Question 10. Be more aware of the space and time you give your dog to move in
When you walk the streets, you will see that our footpaths have narrowed significantly, the nature strips are all but gone, and we can barely fit two people walking side by side. Now add a dog in, and we have very easily run out of room.
With leashes, as mentioned earlier, 3 metre long leashes are best as they give the dog room to explore and sniff but we also need to keep them close enough that we can manage them when someone comes in our direction. It is totally okay to allow your dog to walk ahead of you or even behind you, as long as the leash is slack. Focus on your movement, the way you walk, the connection with your dog, and allow your dog to find that rhythm. If someone is approaching, go wider and encourage your dog to come in closer to your side, so your dog is not pressured in any way. When I refer to pressure, I mean passing a person without feeling overwhelmed or tempted to jump on them. This is added pressure for many dogs.
If a person is approaching with another dog, cross the road, move onto the nature strip if it is wide enough, or move onto a median strip. This gives your dog more room, where it is likely to make better decisions and remain calm and neutral. There is no need to press on and see if your dog can pass it on the same side. This sets it up for failure. Yes, sure, some passes can be very successful, but what if the other dog now lunges at your dog? What if your dog lunges at the other dog? What are we learning here? Your dog might be excited, conflicted, or nervous of the other dog approaching. How about we teach it that no matter what we it might be heading into, we can reduce the potential for emotional dysregulation by taking that pressure off and simply moving over?
The same goes for passing people, as mentioned above. How often do I hear, “How do I stop my dog jumping on people when on walks?” My question would always be, “Why is your dog close enough to do that?” Can you see how a simple change such as moving over can suddenly resolve that issue? Space is crucial when it comes to walking our dogs with less drama. Over time we build in proximity where the dog can control its urges as people are closer. But at the start, provide space so your dog understands the concept of simply passing.
When I work with emotionally dysregulated dogs (reactive), about 70% of them actually can pass dogs and people without reacting, providing they are given ample space and time to process the situation. Too often on their regular walks, there is pressure, there is little time to observe and think, there is not enough space to feel safe. And the fallout is reactivity, lunging, growling, screeching, barking.
If we provide dogs with enough space and time to think about it all, they often can manage to keep their emotions in check!
Allow the dog to observe a passing dog or person. Let them watch from all angles. Let them observe the various movements. Try not to rush your dog off too quickly as you may be interfering with their attempt to emotionally regulate.
Question 11. Become more aware of when you or your dog says it has had enough, no matter how soon into the walk it is
As mentioned above, your dog can talk to you and express its emotions. You just need to learn to decode it. Body language is key for dogs. They have no voice, and the more observant you are, the better you will be at recognising the earliest of signs.
On your walk, if your dog is overwhelmed, besides the behaviours mentioned above, you might also see planking, where the dog literally lies down and refuses to move. This often happens when they have become sensory overwhelmed and their brain has shut down. Think about a puppy or anxious dog immersed in a traffic-dense area: the noise, the smell, the movement. Now imagine how its senses are being impacted and how, at some point, the brain might reach capacity to cope and just turn off. When we see a dog that is glued to the ground, this is what is happening.
Think about how your dog might feel when it attempts to walk down a street full of barking, shouting dogs. Now, if your dog has never walked that street or has not yet learned there are things called fences that hold them in, your dog will find that barking very threatening and may start pulling, weaving erratically, or planking. These again are all signs your dog has had enough and needs to go home.
I always look for three behaviours as my emotional gauge when I take my dogs out. First one: can you and will you eat? Second one: can you make eye contact when asked, and will you offer eye contact of your own accord? Third one: can you follow a simple instruction? If your dog can achieve all three, then emotionally, your dog is stable and likely to make good decisions throughout the walk.
It is also totally okay to start a walk and call it quits. You are far better off acknowledging that you or your dog or both, are just not enjoying the moment, or feel rushed or disconnected and that it is better to pivot and head back home, than persevere where frustration creeps in, leading to communicating poorly with your dog and reacting in a negative way towards your dog. We also don’t want to set the example that walking can be erratic and rushed. Will the dog be disappointed? Maybe or it might feel relieved! I can admit there have been times when I have set out to go for a walk, was a little rushed, dogs a bit aroused, we hit the street and there is ‘nobody home’, no listening, just pulling along, and I can feel myself getting frustrated and my inside voice is telling me this is not fun. So we just turn around, I tell me dogs in a kind voice, ‘this is not working today’, and we just go home. For a moment or two after the gear comes off, they stand and look at me and I reassure them all is okay, it just wasn’t a quality walk. Do they understand me? Who knows, but they understand my tones. I am not angry at them, I am not yelling at them. And within a minute they go back into their beds to settle or wander into the yard for a play. This is far more beneficial than pushing through a walk where nobody is having fun.
Summary
So what is the take out on this blog? What are we aiming for?
- Slow down, breathe, avoid rushing
- Ask your dog if it wants to go for a walk
- Ask yourself if you want to go for a walk
- Ensure you are prepared before you set off, equipment, reinforcers, time
- Take the surroundings into consideration
- Become more aware of changes in the environment that may impact your dog
- Ask your dog what it wants to do on the walk, whether it might have preferences
- Slow down, breathe, avoid rushing – just to remind you
- Observe your dog, the body language, the behaviour throughout the walk
- Focus on your connection, communication, provide space and time
- Know it is okay to call it quits if nobody is having fun
- And one more time…..slow down, breathe, avoid rushing!
