Walk This Way?? Please don’t approach us!!

On leash, off leash; this topic can rival religion or politics. So can the choice to socialize or not when walking one’s dogs. For some people, walking their dogs is their quiet time of the day, being alone with their thoughts, while reconnecting with their canine loved ones. For others, it’s a time to connect with other dog lovers who are doing the same. These two purposes are at odds with one another so the potential for conflict is great.

To socialize or not to socialize, that is the question!

I am of the former group. I would prefer that my private time with my dogs be undisturbed by others. It’s important to me. I choose the most remote areas of the places that I take my crew to walk. If there are too many cars there, and sometimes one car is too many, then I leave for another locale. I am very wary of areas where dog owners break the leash laws. I avoid them like they are radioactive.

It’s not just myself that I protect. My dogs are amazingly well trained but they are still dogs whose first instinct is to protect, both themselves and me. They are first and foremost mostly guarding breeds. The exception is Trent, whose heritage is not a guarding breed but he does have a history of being frightened and therefore reactive, towards dogs whose approach leaves something to be desired. He has come a long way with this issue. My goal is no setbacks.

The reason for the divide between these two types of dog walkers is very simple. The more private group as a whole, understands a good bit more about dog behavior than the more social group. In my experience, the more social group has either very tolerant dogs or one of the breeds that has little in the way of body awareness but a strong love for everyone. Don’t get me wrong, loving everyone is not a bad thing in theory but respecting others personal space is equally important. The loving everyone breeds tend to primarily include Labrador and Golden Retrievers, though there are exceptions within all breeds.

Overly social dogs are fond of the direct approach. This is typically frowned upon by the majority of the dog world. Humans stride straight at one another, arms outstretched for that all important bonding ritual, the handshake. This exact scenario is considered a direct threat to most dogs. Dogs meet one another by a curving approach, never straight on. They avoid eye contact when meeting strangers while we humans seek it out. Dogs feel threatened by prolonged direct eye contact. So do many humans for that matter but civility is required by us. This is not the case with dogs. A fearful dog will feel the fight or flight instinct faster than other dogs, though all will feel it when inappropriate.

Well meaning strangers sadly think that it’s okay to let their off leash or even on leash dogs head directly towards other dogs who are strangers to them. “They just want to say hi”. This causes anyone on the receiving end of such an ordeal, to either recoil in terror, head hastily in the other direction, shout at the human (and dogs) approaching to stop RIGHT NOW PLEASE, or all of the above when necessary. Any can come off as unfriendly. This could not be further from the truth. We just want to keep ourselves and mostly, our dogs safe. Please do not mistake dog behavior knowledge for rudeness.

I and others who are both private by nature, as well as “in training” with our dogs, just want something different from a walk or hike than you and your social butterfly dog do. Please respect that. If you meet us in another context, we probably have a lot in common; among the commonalities, a great love for our dogs. View us as a friend whose privacy you respect. Socialize with those who invite it. If you see someone with a dog who doesn’t immediately head your way, then waive and head the other direction, leashing your dog immediately (if off leash) especially if the locale requires it. We will thank you profusely in our heads and hearts.

Dear readers, I know how I handle the above situation. How do you handle it? I can’t wait to hear!