"I'm scared to walk my dog in public"
I hear this all of the time.
And, frankly.. I don’t blame you. I do not take my precious babies out into the public either. Why?
There are so many variables that could set my dog up for failure.
My dogs: Zeus, Zoey, Robyn and Buster all have different strengths and weaknesses.
Zeus:
Strengths: Extremely attentive and working on being consistently obedient to his momma
Weaknesses: Wicked dog selective, dog reactive, high energy.
Zoey
Strengths: Alpha female who basically ignores all walks of life. The most social but the least interested. Not reactive.
Weaknesses: Picky with dogs : intolerant to other dogs who are bratty, loud, big. Loves all humans. Very vocal. Little bit shy.
Robyn:
Strengths: Super social..loves dogs and people. Does not have bad intentions or a bad bone in his body. Absolutely beautiful.
Weaknesses: Doesn’t pick up on social cues, obsessive with anything he can destroy, has separation anxiety, won’t back down from a dog.
Buster:
Strengths: The most social, super tolerant, very submissive, handsome. Wicked affectionate.
Weakness: The least obedient, super strong, stubborn, very intolerant when told to do something he doesn’t want to do. Nippy with humans and resources.
With that breakdown of different skill sets, strengths, weaknesses, and preferences… the only place I can really bring my dogs without risking them encountering a dog off leash or another unforeseen variable..is a field. And if you know The Ranch, we’ve got a field.
When we bought our house (where The Ranch is located) we were specifically looking for “a place we would never have to leave” , “somewhere that would feel like we are on vacation”, and “ a dog’s paradise”.
Even though we have everything my dogs need on the property at The Ranch.. I still romanticize about brining my dogs with me on a walk on a beach. Or even, just a walk in a city to sight see.
Even though it would be fun for me as a human to have my dogs with me, I couldn’t risk putting them in a situation to fail. I worry about so many variables that I can’t control like:
Dog off leash
Human that thinks “all dogs like me”
Stray cat
A firework going off
Poisonous water source
Hot pavement
Human who is scared of my breed
Dog’s that also struggle with socialization
What if I have to go to the bathroom in public?
Dog’s that are reactive on leash
Bicyclist
Humans that will feed my dog or tease my dog
etc.
Since my dog’s aren’t perfect (most dogs AND humans aren’t perfect) I don’t trust the public and the environment to set my dogs up for success.
It’s not worth it for me to take my dogs hiking on Mt. Monadnock and have a golden doodle off leash run up to my 110 lb pitbull and cause problems with my leashed dog. My dog would instantly be at fault just because of his breed.
But before you start feeling bad and thinking that I am limited based on the breeds of dogs, or my dog’s temperament, or the level of training they have… ask yourself: What makes your dog happy.
Make a list of things that truly make your dog happy. And you will see, going out into the public is a romanticized and selfish thing that us humans want for our dogs. We humanize dogs so much and it really puts them in a position to fail.
I do all sorts of fun things with my dogs that are very controlled and very safe. Here’s a list:
I bring them for rides. Everywhere. I take my dogs to any appointment, quick errand, or long drive that I can. I waste tanks and tanks of gas on keeping the AC on. My car is full of fur. But my dogs love car rides.
I bring my dogs for hikes in my woods or trails that are not populated..like power lines. I go at odd times of day. Usually the path isn’t groomed, we get scratched and covered in ticks. It’s often sort of gross and we get muddy. But my dogs love to explore in the woods.
I bring my dogs to rivers and ponds where there is no public access so that I am not dealing with other people and dogs. Sometimes the water is rushing so fast that I can’t drop their leash and they can only stand in a running river. But my dogs love the water.
I bring my dogs through drive throughs to get cookies and snacks. This positively reinforces that they don’t have to react (bark like crazy) when they see a human outside the car. I can’t bring my dogs to public picnic areas. But my dogs love drive thru’s.
On my list of things I do with my dogs, you will notice I did not include activities like walks on the beach, dog parks, family cook outs, etc. It’s not that my dogs are bad. It is that I can’t control what other people, animals, and environmental things will happen in the public.
In the rare occasion that we have brought our dogs to a public spot or a spot where there are other people and dogs, I follow these rules:
We don’t greet dogs. I don’t know the dog, so I can’t put my dog in a place to have a bad experience
We always have our dogs leashed and we choose gear accordingly (harness, martingale, gentle leader, prong collar). I need control of my dogs.
We never ever go into the public without another human. It’s a buddy system. In the event we have an issue, we need two humans to resolve the issue.
If we encounter a dog off leash, Kristin passes the dogs to Cam. Cam walks back to the car. Kristin walks the stray dog back the other direction and looks for a human. Kristin asks the human, can you please leash your dog. My dog’s aren’t social. (Ouch, this hurts me to say my dogs aren’t social. Because it makes my dogs look bad and it makes me look bad. But ask yourself, would you rather a blow to your ego or would you rather $1000 in vet bills or worse , a law suit?)
I always bring an extra leash incase my gear fails. I can’t take any chances
We go out into the public at odd times of day because we aren’t there to socialize.
I typically bring a collapsable water bowl, a can of compressed air, and high value treats. That way I can rein in my dogs attention and give a “non contact” warning or distraction to any random animal that comes across us.
I manage every single situation. When I walk into the vet’s office for example, I tell them: Hi, my car is a toyota highlander. I have my 2 dogs in the car. The car is running, the AC is on, they have water. I want you to know they are in the car and they are not hot incase anyone complains.
If you choose to bring your dog into the public, you have to be in control, you can’t be afraid to speak up about your dogs, and you need to prioritize safety over fun and enjoyment.
Not every dog is at the same level of “social” or “friendly”. These terms are over used and are not well defined.