Situational Awareness and Leash Etiquette

There is nothing more relaxing than a peaceful walk with your companions.   The above four dogs are expert walkers.   The guardian is tuned into, or situationally aware of everything in the environment and thus keeps the dogs from harm.  Through unspoken energy, and verbal or hand commands one can see teams of dogs, who may not even live together, walking gently along with a handler.   Some people have trouble walking just one dog, it pulls or lags, drags you off into the bushes to sniff, barks at passing people or lunges at dogs behind fences.   When this occurs it is usually because the dog lacks respect for the human holding the lead, and the human is not showing leadership.

I used to walk my four dogs,at the same time, twice a day, for a couple of miles and rarely ran into difficulties.   Knowing who is in charge and being aware of the environment allows you and your animal greater freedom.   A leash is not meant to be used as a tie out, thus, when you place your dog on a leash and go some where, it is important to be mindful of everything at the end of that six feet.   Six feet, the length of most standard leashes, can allow for a lot of problems.   Stray dogs can approach, children can get bitten, and being too close to the street at a corner may cause the death of your pet.   Time and again I have seen dogs unsupervised on walks.   Flexi leads are the worst for this.   They can allow your pet to make a sudden dash into the road long before you have a chance to hit the brake on the handle and possibly, with a big dog, the cord might sever entirely.

It is your job to be alert to potential threats as you are exercising your pet.  Be cognizant of bushes that come up to the sidewalk and driveways on the other side where a car backing out would have no chance to see you.  Look for other dogs and cats that may be loose in yards so when your pet gets close enough to see them and jerks on the lead, you are ready and holding firm.  If you stop and talk with people , be courteous and do not allow your dog to sniff or scratch them, instead make them stay back.  Not everyone loves dogs and many do not want dog fur or slobber on their clothes.  Don't allow dogs to urinate on lawn ornaments, children's toys, car tires, or even the home owners proper lawn.   Curb your dog.  By that I mean let your pet use the area of grass that lies between the sidewalk and the street.  This area, although maintained by the home owner, is usually owned by the city.   Always bring bags to pick up after your pet makes a deposit.   No one, even fellow dog owners, wants to clean up after your animal. 

Use the time when walking to teach.   Some commands, if repeated often when walking, may one day save your pets life.   There are a few that come to mind.   Wait:  This one is often used if you need to stop forward movement for any reason; tying a shoe, fixing a collar, or crossing a busy road.   Use this word with a slight pulling back on the lead and waiting till the dog stops walking forward, then praise..... not just good... say " Good Wait " .  The dogs needs to know what they did right or wrong.  Just like saying only no... only good tells them nothing much.  There may be an occasion that your pet darts out the door and is about to run into the street, saying Wait! may save its life.  Another command is  OK Cross.  This is used when the roadway or driveway or area you are crossing is clear of traffic and it is safe to go.   The dog should be waiting, then when the "OK Cross" is given, step forward and the dogs usually hurrys to follow.   There is the  Heel command but I do not use that in relaxed walking situations.   Instead use "Walk"  to get a dog who has his head down sniffing or has stopped too long and you wish them to move on with you, as well as  "Easy"  with gentle tugs back on the leash when the dog is straining at the end of the lead.    There is always a place and time for heeling but a true heel is a difficult position to maintain and not something for a mile long walk.  If you have sidewalks in your area, walking your dog on them helps to maintain shorter nails.  Using the command "Sidewalk" when your dog is on it, then reenforce with "Good Sidewalk" helps them to know where it is proper place to walk.

Whenever you take your dog out of your yard, home, or car, you need to be situation ally aware.   Going to the vet, keep the lead short, not allowing the pet to "visit" with other animals who are in the waiting room.   In the park, unless leashes are not the law, keep the dogs on lead and away from playing children or picnicking families.    When walking, being aware of dogs in fenced yards and being prepared is an important tool.  On more than one occasion I have had a fence break open or a door swing open when a group of dogs, or just one dog, was excitedly leaping against it.   The animals charged mine and wanted to fight.  Seeing it from the dog who just got loose point of view, we were invading his turf by walking past the house.   There are not a lot of options in a full on dog fight so always be thinking ahead.   Same with children playing outdoors who may dart over to pet your dog.   Your dog may be very nice at home or if approached correctly, but startled by having a person, adult or child, charge at them, is disconcerting for an animal who may have a bit of protective instinct or insecurity about themselves.   Never make the mistake of believing YOUR dog won't be the one to bite.   I have had grown men charge me when I was walking my German Shepherd Dog in an effort to get the dog to bite them.   By being aware of your situation, environment and possible hazards you will soon condition you and your pets to have a wonderful and peaceful time together no matter where you roam. 

**The situation awareness information in this article gave me the idea to write the post and was graciously given by Rising StormClouds, who writes articles on http://risingstormclouds.blogspot.com/


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