Inside every neighborhood there is a debate. Usually it’s quiet and understood to be kept among neighbors only. The hushed character is partially because the advocates of one side of the debate know they are breaking city, county or state laws, while the other side may just want to not have to fight about it or bring “the law” into the equation.
What is “it”, you ask?
“It” is the debate over whether or not every dog, no matter the training, the temperament, the desires of the dog or owner, should absolutely be on leash where the leash is lawfully required and maybe even when it is not lawfully required.
As a dog trainer, I’ve heard all the excuses. “My dog behaves better off leash.” “He listens to me.” “A dog needs freedom.” “I don’t want to crush her spirit.” “He enjoys sniffing around.” “She chokes herself.” “The leash is a form of slavery.”
I’ve also been guilty of breaking the leash laws. Just recently, my two chihuahua mixes were loose in the fence-less front yard. I was with them and watching for possible danger. Along comes a nice young woman with 2 small terrier mixes on leash. They were pulling out front which means that they were jazzed up and on alert. My dogs for the first time in a long time didn’t listen to me to retreat toward the front door but rather sidled right up to them.
Now they were not negatively aggressive to the other dogs in an obvious way, but I was not surprised that the terriers reacted with threats of charge. Not their fault. It was my fault. I had to scoop up my dorky dogs and apologize. It could have ended in a bite or injury. And the owner should not have to worry about her dog being approached by even a couple of happy-go-lucky “friendly” dogs.
In fact, that woman’s terriers should not have to deal with the invasion of personal & pack space by two “friendly” dogs. Notice that I keep putting that word “friendly” in quotes? There. I did it again. That is on purpose.
There is a huge misconception that dogs who don’t immediately fight another dog are automatically considered “friendly” or “safe”. That is not true. It’s all wrong in terms of how the canine thinks about these approaches. Invading the space of another dog, especially a group of dogs/humans, is a violation of boundaries and is, by itself, not matter the “intent” of the invading dog an ACT OF AGGRESSION. In other words, most dogs I observe on the street or at a client’s home or in a group class are a bunch of bullies for a long time before teeth are ever involved. We all know bullying is not okay.
This means that my happy-go-lucky, curious chihuahuas were actually being aggressive. It does not matter that they were playful or in a good mood of sorts. The behavior in canine understanding of proper socialization was aggressive because it lacked respecting the other pack’s space. It lacked the time needed to go through proper DISTANT and NOSE-ORIENTED introduction. Those terriers had every right to respond as they did with snarl and a stiff jump and huff to let my dogs know they crossed the line.
This brings me to another point that seems to be lost by those who proclaim that their dogs are friendly. In making such a proclamation, there is absolutely no regard for the hapless victim of said “friendly” dog. Your dog could be friendly, but what about the other dog and the owner. I’ve known people who are afraid of dogs in general except for their own. And most people have dogs who are reactive, fearful or still in training to some degree and your “friendly” dog is setting them back. Way to be selfish instead of thinking of your neighbor.
Did I forget to mention I am a dog trainer? Oh, yeah, I said that part. My dogs are, indeed, fairly well-trained. One of those chihuahua mixes actually does set work for film and TV. They are also my demo dogs to show people what they want to achieve and how they achieve it in terms of obedience for their dogs. And yet, my dogs failed that moment. Or…more appropriately, I failed. I took for granted my control over my dogs and expected them to be 100% obedient 100% of the time. That’s an unreasonable expectation, thus I failed by putting them in that situation. The consequences of such failure could have caused a great deal of harm - physical and behavioral - for four dogs altogether.
To be more accurate about my faults, I did cause behavioral harm to that lovely woman’s two terriers. From now on, they are going to be more agitated and alert on their walks. They will react more forcefully and sooner than they did on that morning I stupidly relied on my dogs’ obedience. That lovely woman will now have to find a way to help her terriers overcome that aggressive invasion of space and, certainly, others will judge her for dogs’ behaviors. And it wasn’t her fault…entirely.
Look how I switched a bit there and I will explain. Taking my dogs out of the equation, anytime dogs are in front of their owners rather than lining up their heads and peripheral vision to your particular gait - slow or fast - you are telling your dogs that they are in charge of two important things: 1) protecting the pack and 2) investigating/owning the environment. This makes you and your leash just a dead weight anchor in their missions. This causes frustration, excessive pulling, choking, dog aggression, leash reactivity in general and disobedience. It is upon the dog(s) to determine the relationship of the pack, which includes you Mr. or Ms. Dead Weight Anchor, to every other pack you encounter. To do that, they insist on invading space or giving warnings with body language or vocalization. You and your dog(s) eventually pass by this approaching pack and thus your dog(s) learns that the pulling, growling, invading of space (basically dominant behavior) caused the threat to leave. Now all this aggressive leash behavior becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy, a reinforcement upon itself.
Space is a commodity for which dogs vie or compete to gain control from other dogs and humans. Of this commodity, there are 3 aspects - personal, positional and territorial. If you are not in charge of the environment and the protection of the pack by maintaining the proper personal, positional and territorial space in your home and on your walk, you are creating anxiety and it will result in aggressive behavior over time. So when another dog that is off-leash invades the space of another pack, this is an act of aggression even if all the tails are wagging. And if that encounter happens without reference to the owners, well, good luck having any control of the dogs if something goes dangerously wrong.
So let’s get back to the friendly dog issue. A wagging tail is not equivalent to harmless and friendly. A wagging tail could indicate fear. A wagging tail could indicate dominance and warning. A wagging tail could mean “I’m over-excited and unpredictable and therefore a danger to you.”
Avoid making mood judgments of an approaching dog and respect the space and temperament of all packs. This is best done by making sure everyone is on leash and no one "says hi” up close and personal. Let’s remember that we live in the city…a motorcycle whizzing by with a backfire could startle a well-trained dog and you may find yourself having to suddenly chase your spooked dog. If that dog is off-leash, the chase could be long and dangerous.
I know, I know, your dog has never done that before…. But dogs are animals and there is nothing that makes them 100% solid and that moment they do something they have “never done before” could be horrible experience for all involved or even their last moment on earth.
Your dog may be friendly, but it is your responsibility to ensure that everyone, including your dog, feels safe in any environment. A leash, when properly used for communicating with your dog rather than controlling it, is your best tool to accomplish that sense of safety for you and your neighbors.
To learn proper heeling technique and properly addressing distractions or leash-aggression, I invite you to attend one of my monthly Heeling Workshops. Contact me at hello@kazzidogtraining.com or thatdogtrainingshow@gmail.com.