Just want to take a good-old fashioned dog walk around the neighborhood? Without stress??? It is really not a lot to ask.
We live in a suburban neighborhood and I’ve been studying the science of neighborhood dog walks for 10+years.
There are two things that stand out as issues in this realm:
- Dogs having poor manners on lead
- Dogs reacting aggressively to others (often other dogs)
These two issues can be interrelated.
Poor Leash Manners
This one is pretty self-explanatory. It is hard to enjoy the walk when your dog is pulling and acting up.
Here are my keys to success:
1. Take note of your dog’s state of mind.
If she is bouncing off the walls, needing to release energy, then you should take care of that for 10 minutes before the walk. Find a way for your dog to run sprints for 10 minutes. At our house examples might include retrieving, chase/be chased, recall practice, or a game of hide-and-seek.
First make sure the dog has gotten sufficient exercise before you expect her to “obey” you. High-energy dogs simply need to release their pent-up energy before they can concentrate.
2. Start the walk quietly.
The beginning of the walk sets the tone for the whole walk. If your dog is typically hyper at the beginning, you may want to start dedicating the first 15 minutes to just getting out the door calmly. Don’t worry, this won’t be necessary forever. Your dog will eventually catch on, if you are consistent.
3. Pack treats.
I have friends and family who will skip over this step – too much trouble. I get it. But… when you fully appreciate what you can accomplish with treats, you will want them handy!
Essentially treats are a communication tool. Treat = “Yes, that’s what I want.” No doubt you dish out the “no!” when it’s warranted… Well, in fairness to your dog, be prepared to tell her “yes!” with the same exuberance. She will learn much faster this way. To really boost the communication, I like to also use a clicker with the treats.
If improving your basic walk is a #1 training priority, then pull out the #1 treat for this. I’m talking little pieces of steak, hamburger, cubes of cheese. You and your dog know best what is #1. If your dog’s stomach gets upset by natural foods such as these, then you likely have a general diet issue to address.
Maggie, a reactive dog, is first learning to be calm around dogs she already knows.
4. Train a “sweet spot”.
There are a few things I reinforce (i.e. treat) on our walks:
- Sage gets the “jackpot” reward when she quietly looks at another dog. She has come to understand this quite well, and she looks at me for treats now, when she sees another dog 🙂
- Logan gets the best reward for maintaining loose leash.
- Rio gets rewards specifically at my left hip. This is the “sweet spot”. I needed to be super clear to him where he should be, as he used to zig-zag and trip me!
I actually reward all of my dogs for all of these things. The list above shows my #1 priority for each individual dog.
Dogs Reacting Aggressively
My neighborhood is loaded with dogs – I love it! Yet, sadly, I observe that most of them push each other’s buttons! I hope to help reverse this trend.
Dogs can react for a number of reasons:
- Being restricted by a leash can make a dog feel vulnerable. You can help by always trying to maintain a “loose leash”.
- Some dogs do NOT like seeing other dogs behaving poorly. My Sage feels the need to correct the other dog!
- A dog may give a “look” to your dog, and then your dog may growl back. Did you notice the original “look”?
- The best defense is a good offense. If your dog has learned you get tense around other dogs, or that other dogs are trouble, she may just cut to the chase and react as soon as she sees another dog.
Sage, normally a reactive dog, was actually attracted to Micah because he was SO calm.
My keys to success are:
1. Do not go over threshold.
Simply do not push your dog beyond her comfort level. Change your routine to decrease the frequency of her reactions. She will appreciate this and trust you more.
If I see a hyper dog, I know it could make Sage uncomfortable, so I create more space between us and the hyper dog. I normally do this by going on the other side of parked cars or landscaping. This enables her to remain calm (under threshold).
2. Decide what you want and start training.
I do all of my training the same way – K to College. First decide what the desired behavior is, then break it down into steps, then train one step at a time. The more specific you are, the better the training will go. I find I do best when I write/type my training plan.
For my most reactive dog, Sage, I started enjoying our walks more when I lowered my expectations. Here is our routine:
- Desired behavior: We walk calmly past another dog, with Sage at my side, and Sage glancing at the dog and checking back with me for positive feedback. We remain about 15 feet apart from the other dog (along one side of the street while the other dog walks along the other side).
- “Kindergarten level” was at a longer distance, say 50 feet, walking past a dog that totally ignored us.
- We are probably at “high school” level now, walking calmly past a calm dog, 15 feet away, with lots of treats.
- “College level” will be walking past a hyper dog.
We have been doing great. In fact, she loves her leash walks more than anything, I think. This is somewhat surprising for a hunting dog, but I see her prance and smile up at me, and there is no mistaking her enjoyment!
3. Rewire the brain.
Rewiring the brain is totally possible! And totally takes patience. The concept is simple – help your dog feel good when she sees another dog (or sees anything “scary” such as a man, child, etc.).
- Watch your dog. When she looks at another dog (even from a great distance), mark this look (say “yes” or even better, click.)
- Always treat right after you mark.
- Once you see her catch on, and offer happy looks at another dog, you can add a verbal cue. I use “look at that dog”.
- Keep repeating, always under threshold. She’ll start to associate other dogs with treats, yum.
4. Be your dog’s advocate.
Your dog knows when you are “for” or “against” her. ALWAYS be “for” her, even when she is embarrassing you! Using the methods described in this article, and acting as a calm leader, Sage has come to trust me.
A note about neighborhood dynamics – the issue is contagious. At first, Rio didn’t pay attention to other dogs when we walked around the neighborhood. Bless him, he has been my easiest dog when it comes to meeting other dogs! But then one day we walked near a dog that really lost it on us! She barked, lunged and pulled her mom towards us. From this experience, Rio decided he better start putting his guard up. The next few walks he initiated trouble with other dogs, and I had to really concentrate on these principles myself. I’m glad to report, we’re doing well again ;-).
