”Leash Training PeopleDog trainer and Canadian pet columist, Joan Klucha, shares her insights on ‘why’ to walk dogs on a leash. “I’m weary of hearing a dog’s owner shout out, ‘Oh he's fine’, said Joan, “as their unleashed dog rushes toward a stranger and their leashed dog.
As a
canine trainer what I hear is, ‘I'm giving you fair warning that I have no verbal control over my dog and no desire to leash him. He does whatever he wants even if it is an inconvenience to you, your dog and your overall walking enjoyment. My dog and I are having a grand time while he runs amuck and I fully expect you to manage your dog accordingly’.
In order to understand another person’s circumstance you have to walk in their shoes. And walking in another
person’s shoes doesn't seem to be a quality many people want to try on, heck those shoes might hurt after all. But when you live in a community, practicing compassion and consideration are a must for us all to get along.
So let’s take a moment and walk in another person’s shoes.
Leash laws have many purposes, one of them is preventing unnecessary conflict and confrontation between dogs that can lead to an injury due to human error. So
having a dog that is not under verbal control in a situation that requires it - yet is allowed off leash - can lead to conflict.
It may be true that Fritz is a very social dog, and even though he refuses to come when called, he is a friendly dog to whomever he meets. So I understand why Fritz’s owner doesn't see a problem as he rushes up to other dogs. But what Fritz's owner is not considering is the possibility that the ‘strange’ dog is not social, or even
friendly.
The leashed dog may have behavioral issues that its owner is desperately trying to correct during training walks. So having Fritz run into his space may likely set back the training.
Fritz could also become a victim of a preventable dog bite if his owner had done the appropriate thing and either leashed Fritz when the leashed dog was approaching, or called him back and walked in a proper unleashed heel
position.
Maybe the dog Fritz is running towards is a young dog being trained to walk nicely on leash, and since it is unreliable off leash, the owner is being responsible and has it leashed for training and safety reasons. Yes, there are some people that take dog training seriously and want a well trained, reliable, social dog and are working to achieve it. They don't think that leashing a dog on a walk will scar it emotionally and impede its blossoming
personality.
Or the dog Fritz is running towards has been abused, attacked previously, is newly adopted, has an injury, is recovering from an illness or surgery and is required to be walked on leash for training/therapy. The dog needs to get out for a walk and it is selfish for Fritz's owner to not realize that the dog should happily accept his friendly, intimidating, untrained dog’s advances.
Taking control of our dogs and being
responsible for their actions so they don't infringe on another's walking enjoyment with their dogs is part of the silent agreement we make with our community when we choose to bring a dog into our lives. When you adopt a dog, it affects the lives of everyone around, not just yours.
Remember - your dog is a reflection of you!
Look beyond your needs and see how your choices affect another person. It is time to see through the eyes of
others.”
