Canine Karma on Walks

This weekly tip is again written by Angie Kieffer, a wonderful pet sitter with Angie’s Pet World.

I was with my canine friend Seiki. We were walking down his favorite route.  As we came around the corner, we both saw a stray dog.  I wasn’t sure how Seiki was going to react to this wanderer, so I stopped in the road about 50 feet away and asked Seiki to sit and wait.  The stray dog barked at us, and I’m sure he was saying, “Hey!  Why are you sitting? Come over here and meet me.  I wont hurt you.  I want to be your friend!”  I didn’t buy it, but Seiki had his attention on the dog and wanted to go meet him.  Seiki, is well trained.  He stayed in a sit waiting for the “OK” to go.  I was very pleased with his continual effort to listen and stay. I’m not sure if Seiki knew that I was doing this for his safety.

As I watched the dog, who was twice the size of Seiki, move to the left side of the road I gave the “OK lets go” command to Seiki.  We walked down the right side of the road.  I kept my eye on the dog and watched Seiki’s behavior, which was great.  He did not stir and he stayed by my side with his leash loose. He matched my energy.  He knew what I was feeling and what I wanted him to do.   The other dog had his hair up on his back and did a predator-like prowl as we passed it. I was amazed that the other dog knew to stay away.  I felt very proud to be walking with Seiki who listened and was open for praise.

As a professional pet service provider, I’m always hoping that I have this kind of opportunity. Johanna Teresi is the owner of Seiki and has trained her dog so well!  She has dedicated many hours of loving time into her dog, and he knows the boundaries when he is on a leash. From learning about dog behavior and training techniques through Johanna and Seiki, I have grown not only in my business but also in my personal relationship with my dogs.

I am grateful for the new knowledge of dog energy.  If I remain calm and grounded, the dog I am with will pick up on that.  Because I remained calm and watched before I continued on towards the stray dog I knew that Seiki would follow my lead.

I encourage you, to learn more about your dog and his / her behavior.  Avoid confrontations with an off leash dogs when your dog is on leash.  Even if the off leash dog looks happy, you never know what might happen.  An off leash dog and an on leash dog can be trouble and fights can easily be created.

Some of my favorite tips for walking dogs are:

• Take time to train your dog.
• Walk your dog on a leash.  This creates a stronger bond between you and your dog
• Go to dog friendly places.
• Bring treats with you especially for training.
• Take bags with you. Its always kind to pick up after your dog.
• Stay hydrated.  Bring water for you and your dog, and maybe a collapsible bowl for him to drink from.
• Take time to rest.  It is very important for both you and your canine pal.
• Give your dog a job to do.  If have a dog back pack, you can put bottles of water in it.  Some dogs really enjoy a job to do.
• Identification is a must for your dog. If he gets loose you want to have a way for people to know his name and contact information for you.
• Allow off leash romps too. It’s always a great reward for your dog to be able to run faster than you!

I hope you and your dogs have fun on your walks!

Angie Kieffer of Angie’s Pet World

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