How To: Dog Walking With Strays Around.
Dog walking can be tough….specially when there are more than one dogs involved. When we walk our dog, we often feel scared or worried about a tiff with the street dogs. Even though most stray dogs are friendly, we can’t be 100% sure about how they’ll greet our pet, which is why we want to be cautious.
As pet owners we need to be careful with the interactions between our pets and the strays. It’s a tricky journey when it comes to building a relationship with strays but not an impossible one.
Get to know your canine companion
Each dog and for that matter, each human has its own character. Your aim should be to try to decipher what their personality is and see if your dog is playful with other dogs or likes to battle every new dog it sees. Start with recognising agitation and stress signals, it’ll go a long way in making dog walking easier.
7 ways to make dog walking easy
- Keep an eye on the other dog but don’t make eye contact. You should never assume that a dog you meet will be well-behaved. Maintain your composure. Your dog will detect any anxiety or fear you are experiencing and will become protective as a result.
- Keep your dog on a leash at all times. If you don’t know what you’re doing, you won’t be able to control the situation. Also read this article about training your dog to walk off a leash here.
- Make room if you’re out walking and notice another dog approaching, cross the street or lead your dog as far off the route as possible to let the other dog to pass. If you can place a fence or a car between you and the other dog, do it.
- Speak to your dog. Train him to identify particular vocal instructions so that when the dog passes, he can stay calm and silent.
- Stay away from danger. Another dog off-leash is one of the scariest things you may come across on a stroll with your dog. Even when they are accompanied by their owner, they frequently sprint ahead, which your dog may interpret as aggressiveness. Even if the unfamiliar dog is amiable, things might escalate if your dog reacts defensively. Keep your dog calm and, once again, use your body to put distance between them before they start fighting.
- You could carry a stick or water spray to keep aggressive dogs away. Don’t use it unless you 100% have to. It’s something you can carry with you for safety.
- You can also bring some snacks/treats with you. It might help other street dogs ease up towards you and your dog and let you enter their territory. So, if you want to avoid using a water spray or a stick, this is another option. You’ll be able to feed some starving dogs while also making new furry friends.
There’s also this very informative article if you want to learn more.
These tips will help you and your dogs in various situations and make walking your dog a not-so-tough activity. Remember – not everything or every action against these street babies has to be violent unless they’re aggressive.
Happy dog walking!