Ready or not, here we come! (Photo: Two large off-leash dogs barrelling toward the camera lens)
Sometimes you do everything right and other people’s off-leash dogs still manage to throw a wrinkle into your on-leash walk.
You’ve studied dog body language, you’re aware of your surroundings while out walking, your own energy is confident and calm, your dog listens to your commands around distractions, you’ve stepped up and told dogs to “Go!” and have been amazed at the results. What’s next?
Here’s the final puzzle piece we’re going to tackle before moving on to other topics next week: what to do when you’re with other people and other dogs (walking with friends and family members) and you’re approached by off-leash dogs. This time, your own well-behaved dogs who have awesome recall are off-leash and under your control.
Can your dog perform this behaviour outside and around distractions (like off-leash dogs?) (Photo: a dog doing a down-stay on his bed for a treat)
I thought this was a no-brainer. Pointing and saying “Go!” was working so well for me — until this happened:
I was walking off-leash with Magic, a friend, and her one-year-old whippet mix. We were strolling across a wide open sports field, when two German Shepherds came gunning at us with no owner in sight. They were really far away, so I was surprised that they even cared we existed, but they very much did. As they approached, I assessed their behaviour as excited. Excited dogs can definitely start fights. They rush into other dog’s personal space (usually their face), ignore social cues (turning of the head, stiff body posture, lip curls,) and when your dog gets snappy (because the rude dog ignored the subtle cues of “give me space”) the other dog responds by snapping back. This can obviously escalate to a fight, especially when the humans get tense and nervous.
As the dogs barrelled toward us, my friend was super nervous and leashed her dog. I stepped up in the front (way in front) and guess what happened? The dogs decided not to mess with me. One sprinted past on my right, the other on my left, and went straight to the rest of my pack like a magnet. I spun around as one of the dogs jumped on my nervous friend and Magic corrected it. I directed Magic to leave it. She did. I told her calmly that that was “Good.”
I stepped in front of my friend and her dog again. This time, the dogs backed down and ran away.
All before the owner was even in view!
When she did stroll by she was staring down at her phone, completely oblivious that her dogs were causing other people drama.
If your dogs are off-leash in a public place, this shouldn’t be you (Photo: woman staring down at her cellphone)
We all got off lucky that day. The German Shepherds’ greeting was very rude and had we not owned well-trained, balanced, and well-socialized dogs, there would have been a very ugly fight.
This next story surprised me even more! Ready?
My partner and I were playing fetch with Magic in a very spacious park. As usual, we were out in the open, so that we can be aware of on-coming doggie traffic and calmly assess. We are the type of polite people who leash our dog when we see on-leash dogs, even at a distance.
Two off-leash dogs were approaching from quite far away. Their humans were pushing a stroller. They were so far away, I honestly didn’t think they would bother us, but I was wrong (again!) The standard poodle started sprinting straight at us. This is incredibly rude behaviour, and yelling “he’s friendly” is not acceptable, by the way. You’re too far away to do ANYTHING about your dog, and my dog could be fearful, aggressive, just got home from surgery, etc.
Now, these people didn’t even yell “he’s friendly” and they certainly didn’t even TRY to recall him. I turned to my husband and simply said “you’ve got her?” He had her favourite ball, so he was pretty sure he could keep her attention on him.
I turned my back on them and walked confidently toward the sprinting poodle, pointed, and yelled, “GO!”
The poodle did go. I had a moment of “YAY! This is really working!” Just a moment.
Bye, Mr. Poodle! (Photo: black standard poodle running)
My partner didn’t have a chance to leash up Magic. Like most people, he was kind of standing there, aghast that this poodle was gunning for us in the first place. He was also amazed (like I was) that me pointing and directing it to get lost actually worked. So he wasn’t looking at Magic anymore or telling her what to do.
As I happily watched the poodle turn and run away, all of a sudden, Magic sprinted after it. I didn’t need back-up, but I certainly got it.
Now, it’s the other people getting a taste of their own medicine. They are picking up the Boston Terrier and watching in horror at the Rottweiler coming after their poodle. Not only do they have a stroller with them, the woman has an infant in a sling.
They don’t know what I know.
That’s not just any Rottweiler.
Magic is a wonderful canine citizen who wouldn’t hurt a fly. And Magic has incredible recall.
One “leave it” and “come” and Magic turned and ran back to me before ever reaching the family, or catching up with the poodle.
They were extremely lucky their dog didn’t stir up the wrong hornet’s nest, because there’s a lot of unbalanced dogs out there with zero recall who would have made their morning very, very ugly.
After that incident, I was on the hunt for information. I hadn’t accounted for the variable of walking with friends who are nervous around off-leash dogs. I hadn’t accounted for walking with other people, period.
I found a great solution from a colleague in the States. Here’s what they advise: Have a discussion with the people you will be walking with before you head out for the walk. Who will stay calm and confident and take control of your pack? This person can ask for down-stays and calmness. Which one of you will step up and tell the off-leash dog(s) to “Go!” Bonus points for carrying an extra leash and simply returning the dog to their owner.
Having a conversation beforehand is a complete game-changer.
When you and the person you’re walking with have a strategy in place, you’re far more likely to succeed, because now, you’re a functioning pack. You’ve communicated. You have a solid relationship as a group. You can handle anything.
This conversation also helps ease your nervous friend’s mind, because now there’s a plan. Just like an athlete, when you’ve mentally prepared for what game-time is going to look like, you’re much better able to perform well, keep a level head, and achieve your goal.
I hope this helps you as much as it helped me.
Have a wonderful weekend, Dog Leaders! Happy training!
Alyssa
Photos by: Patrick Hendry @worldsbetweenlines (Two large off-leash dogs barrelling toward the camera lens,)Honest Paws @honestpaws (a dog doing a down-stay on his bed for a treat,) Daria Nepriakhina @epicantus (woman staring down at her cellphone,) Kieran Wood @kieran_wood (black standard poodle running,)