How to be safe when walking your dog

What do we need to do to be safe when walking our dogs.

There has been some terrible incidents reported nationally recently. It’s a wake up call to us all to be more careful and to be safe when walking our dogs.

It’s a pressure cooker out there with more people owning dogs who don’t understand that taking a dog for a walk is not simple. Scratch the surface with any dog owner and there is a litany of problems. The issue with dog walking outside the home is that suddenly there are even more variables that can go wrong. We can start however making sure we are okay.

FIVE questions to ask yourself NOW are:

1. Is my dog calm when I pick up the lead?
2. Does my dog immediately come when called and voluntarily sit to have its lead put on?
3. My dog stands silently and calmly next to me waiting for the door to open.
4. Do you step outside first to make sure its safe with your dog silently standing behind you?
5. When I walk out of my front door is the lead loose and my dog calm and relaxed?

If the answer is NO to any of the above then take stock.

You are leaving the house with a fully charged adrenalin filled predator who does not trust you.

The solution is to learn dog listening so you understand how your dog thinks.

Practical (non behaviour) based ways to be safe when walking your dog.

Physical Strength: Can you physically hold your dog on a lead if it wants to charge away from you?

Correct Lead/leash: Do you have the right lead to hold your dog close to you?  I have tried many types of leads and the only one I use now is a soft, thick, 100% woven rope slip lead. There is no clip to fail, no harness to wriggle out of, I can very quickly and easily lasso my dogs and know I have them safe.

Time of the walk – go out when it’s the quietest in your home area.

Where you walk – choose places with as much space as possible, where you have clear vision for as far as possible so you can spot potential dangers and stress points and avoid them to prevent anything happening.

Preparation: Always carry food rewards with you. Know your dog and your regular walks so you are fully prepared. When I teach dog listening I ask people to do the walk they want to do at the time they want to do it without the dog. Research the best directions, places you can avoid trouble, where to cross roads with the best all round vision. Stop and listen, be really aware of whats happening around them.

My Personal Story

Lupin, my springer, had become very reactive to other dogs when she was on lead. I wore a hi-vis jacket asking people to ignore me as I had a dog in training. I needed to create as much space between us and any other dog walkers as possible. I did not want her to be surprised by another dog round a corner. We avoided narrow roads, alleyways. If I wasn’t feeling calm and prepared we didn’t go out. If it was very windy we didn’t go out. I had to negotiate the village with its shops, cafes and roads to get to the beach. I chose the quietest access to the beach and always walked at low tide so there was plenty of space. The beach gave me excellent 360 vision to avoid all other dogs giving us as much space as possible away from them. If I could see another dog running about crazily I recalled Lupin back on lead and walked away from them at 90 degrees. Our body language told the other dog we were no threat they would ignore us so we could walk past calmly and then let Lupin off the lead again. Once I learnt dog listening I never had a problem again and over time with me making the right decisions Lupins reaction distance to other dogs reduced.

Humans like dogs respond to danger the same way.

Run away – The safest option is flight, so avoid any confrontation. We never walk head on towards another dog on a lead, always turn away. NEVER EVER TURN YOU BACK on a dog though, then you cannot see whats happening. Always turn 90 degrees, use peripheral vision, reduce your threat so the other dog calms down.

Freeze – animals hide, or freeze in the hope of avoiding a confrontation. If there is nowhere else we can walk to, we stop as far away as possible, shorten the lead, stay still and let the danger pass us by.

Fight – given no option every animal, even a hamster, when they have no choice will go for attack and use teeth and claws to survive.

To be really safe learn Canine Communication, learn dog listening so you fully understand canine behaviour. Knowledge is power and this will prevent anything bad from happening.