A Plea to All Dog Guardians

Given my recent experience working with a dog who is reactive on leash, I have a new level of compassion and understanding for the guardians of leash reactive dogs.  My post this week is a plea to all dog guardians - to please be more alert and aware when you are out walking your dog.

Those of us with leash reactive dogs go out of our way to set our dogs up for success. We know they are potentially going to react to seeing another dog, so we take measures to ensure everyone's safety and yet, time and again, we encounter people whose actions work against us.

When you see a person move their dog off the sidewalk, either up a driveway or a walkway of a nearby home, or to the other side of a bus stop bench, please know that there is a reason for it.  Please help us by managing the behavior of your own dog.

- Please do NOT allow your dog to approach us - we have moved out of the way on purpose
- If your dog is on a retractable leash, please DO press the button that stops it from expanding, so your dog can't get all the way over to where we are standing
- Please do NOT stop and look at us.  Our dogs can only handle the stimulation of another dog looking at them for so long before they lose it, so the more quickly you can walk by, the better it is for everyone

In wide open spaces, like the beach, please do NOT let your dog off leash if you can't get them to come back to you immediately.  When you see a person walking on the beach with their dog leashed, please trust there is a reason the dog is on leash.
- Do NOT allow your dog run up to a leashed dog.  There is no way the outcome is going to be pleasant.
- Please do NOT tell us, "My dog likes everyone" because your dog is only one-half of the equation.

And one final note:
- If you are on your cell phone while you are walking your dog, please HANG UP so you can pay more attention to your dog and your surroundings

The people who attend the reactive dog classes with me each week are faced again and again with these types of scenarios, so I am writing this on behalf of them and everyone else who has a dog who is reactive on leash.

It is stressful enough to try and manage a walk with our dogs without having to encounter people who seem totally unaware of what's going on around them.  We are trying to teach our dogs that it is safe to be around other dogs. We are trying to give them positive experiences on leash, so they don't have to be so fearful when they are leashed.  Please help us by being more in tune with your surroundings.

Our goal is to help our dogs feel safe and comfortable - and if you could assist us with that, we would all be extremely grateful.