Pet column: New to dog walking? Forget the over-the-top ‘walkies!’
Back in the 80s, there was a blockbuster film called “Gremlins” that centers around a boy who receives a strange, yet utterly adorable and cuddly creature as a pet, which then spawns other creatures that transform into small, destructive, mischievous monsters that all wreak havoc on the whole town. It was kind of like a Jekyll and Hyde kind of thing, but with small furry Ewok looking creatures.
It was awesome.
I was reminded of it the other day when I was chatting with my friend DJ about the new rescue pup she just adopted, who goes by the name Charlie.
Charlie is just about as cute as it gets. He even looks like a Gremlin (the cuddly kind, anyway), and has the coolest under-bite ever, which gives him a sweet, yet mischievous look that apparently works to his advantage most of the time. He’s quite the charmer.
“He is just the sweetest boy most of the time,” DJ said. “He is absolutely perfect when we are at home.
But when we go out for walks, he turns into a completely different dog. My little angel turns into a ferocious demon the minute he sees another dog in the neighborhood!”
She went on to explain that the moment he sees a dog out on a walk, he barks, lunges and generally freaks out like he just found out he failed a paternity test on Jerry Springer.
People used to refer to this type of behavior as leash aggression. These days though, we use a more appropriate term: leash reactivity.
Leash reactivity is a common behavior issue where a dog becomes aggressive or over excited when on a leash, typically in response to other dogs, people or stimuli.
I wanted to understand a bit more about the psychology of it, so I called my dear friend, Carlos F. Morales, Certified Professional Dog Trainer-Knowledge Assessed, a well-known canine expert and founder of Canine High School in Long Beach, CA.
I’ve been friends with Carlos for years, so he was the first person I thought of when DJ told me about Charlie’s issues on the leash. As expected, he gave me some great tips to pass along to DJ and to my readers.
Here are some steps to manage leash aggression in dogs
Don’t hype up when it’s time to go for a walk
Carlos explained that while it’s fun to get your dog ramped up and excited about going for a walk, it can actually get them over-aroused from the beginning, especially if they love going for walks in the first place — which only makes them react more intensely when triggered.
“When you act excited to go for a walk, you’re elevating whatever emotion your dog is going to have while on a walk,” Carlos explained.
Instead, you want to be very calm and move more leisurely while you put on their no-pull harness and leash. You want the dog to have the time to process what comes along with the leash, allowing them to have some agency and give consent to having it on.”
This is especially important if your dog tends to get overly excited once they see a leash and run around the house with excitement.
Don’t chase them around the house with a leash because when you do this, you’re teaching them a “catch me if you can” game that will get really old, really fast!
Identify your dog’s triggers
Pay close attention to what triggers your dog’s reactivity while on a leash. Is it other dogs, people, bicycles or something else? Understanding the triggers is the first step in addressing the problem.
If you know there are certain triggers for a dog’s reactivity, avoid that trigger. It’s just that simple.
“If I take my dog to a house he doesn’t like every day and he loses his mind and I keep taking him back, I’m teaching him to lose his mind!” said Carlos.
Go to a different space. Avoid passing yards where you know dogs or other animals may be that would trigger your dog and other dogs in the neighborhood.”
Keep them moving
When a trigger happens (and triggers always happen), don’t make them sit and watch.
“We forget as humans that triggering moments are not the best training moments,” Carlos said.
So our instinct is often to try a sit/stay command when our dogs get aroused. So we start insisting, ‘SIT! SIT! It’s OK! It’s OK!’ when it’s really not OK.”
Instead, he advised to remove your dog from the triggering situation as quickly and calmly as possible.
If you’re new to having a dog, take it slow
When you’re introducing a new pet to your neighborhood, you don’t need to explore the entire neighborhood on the first day. Carlos suggests viewing your dog walks (at least in the beginning) as an opportunity for social interactions rather than a mode of exercise.
Dogs are curious, in-the-moment creatures who aren’t necessarily interested in walking in a straight line and seeing how many steps they can get in that day.
They’d rather sniff around, see who’s out and about, and find something to chase and play with. So if you’re more concerned about keeping your heart rate up, go without your dog.
Especially when a neighborhood or community space is new for your dog, it’s always best to keep those walks short and sweet. Carlos says in the beginning you can even just walk down to the end of your driveway and call it a day. Then, gradually walk a little further.
In time, as your dog acclimates to the surroundings and has the time and agency to choose how they want to engage, they will be more likely to manage triggers with less anxiety.
If you’re interested in more insights on how to manage leash reactivity, Carlos and his team are a great resource. Call them at 562-270-3961 or caninehighschool.com
As a child, Jack Hagerman founded and operated his own make-shift animal rescue — taking in stray cats, injured birds, and the occasional bunny. As an adult, he co-founded a critically endangered livestock conservancy on his farm in the Midwest, where he cared for and rehabilitated more than 400 animals in 17 different critically endangered livestock species. He formerly worked with Pasadena Humane and the Santa Fe Animal Shelter and Humane Society. When he isn’t working with animals, he’s writing about them — hoping to create a better world for our animal friends, one witty tangent at a time.