Why You Shouldn’t Walk Your Aggressive Dog
Yes, this is a very strong statement, but allow me to explain why you shouldn’t walk your aggressive dog in public. As a professional dog trainer, who works mostly with reactive dogs, there’s a reason for this strong position. Of course, it’s a free country and you can make your own decisions, but are your choices making things worse? If you share your home with a reactive dog that displays aggression in public, take a moment and think twice before leashing your dog up.
Do Public Walks Help Your Dog?
Think about this question from your dog’s perspective. If your dog lunges, barks, growls, shakes, refuses to walk forward and displays fearful body language, then your dog doesn’t like public walks. Most pet owners walk their fearful dogs in public, hoping their dogs will overcome their fears.
This is a tough way to change your dog’s behavior; it’s equivalent to asking a fearful person to walk along a bed of snakes, so he learns snakes are safe. When dogs are afraid of people or other dogs, yet are asked to walk amongst them, they are just as terrified. Plus, walking a fearful dog in public will only deepen a dog’s fearful behavior, so she will react aggressively more often.
Change Behavior With Minimal Distractions First
Pet owners wanting to change their dog’s fears is completely understandable, and what’s best for the dog. Start in a quiet environment with a certified positive reinforcement dog trainer, and move at your dog’s pace. Think about it this way: It’s best to teach a fearful person snakes are safe by introducing one snake at a time. Hold the snake far away, while giving the person $100 bills when he chooses to look at it without freaking out.
Pairing good things with scary things works, but must happen in a controlled environment to be effective. Once a dog learns that scary things make good things appear, she will become less fearful—however, this takes time.
Your Dog’s Aggression Causes Ripples in Public
When dogs bark and lunge at other dogs or people in public, it sends out a negative ripple effect. No one enjoys being barked at by a scared dog—not even other dogs. When this happens, dogs, puppies, people and children learn that dogs are scary and learn to avoid them. Soon, they become fearful of other dogs all because a dog behaved aggressively to them once. Yes, it can take one bad situation to scare a dog, puppy, person or child permanently.
Walking an aggressive dog in public definitely makes the situation worse for everyone, especially your fearful dog.
How can my dog get enough exercise if I don’t walk him? I live in a townhouse with no yard. He was a rescue and he is part black and tan hound and we think part Rottweiler.
If you dont exercise an aggressive dog it will get much worse. Not walking will always lead to problems.
b/c of your title, i can’t give a shred of credibility to what follows. largely, i don’t disagree, but when you begin by alienating an entire population of fearful and mistreated dogs being rescued by folks with hearts of gold, i can’t support your sentiments.
you seem to assert that over reaction is fear based. but what if it isn’t? what if the dog enjoys the routine of lunging, barking, growling at other pups on walks? more personality and habit than b/c in each case they’re genuinely afraid? my dog seems disappointed when walks end before she can get her fuss on. and we had 2 trainers from the time she was 4 months to 10 months. she was not over reacting then.
b/c not all trainers are created equal, one trainers tactics reversed all the skills she learned from her breeder as to how to walk on leash (refusing to allow me to pick her up after a Harley started up right next to us — the loudest thing my dog had ever heard in her short 4 months of life). she suggested using a 25 foot leash to improve confidence — which she had before the LOUD exhaust terrified her — and to overcome the noise aversion the experience imprinted. that just caused more leash silliness and absolute regression to how to walk on leash that took nearly 2 years of my retraining to eliminate.
i believe it’s just wrong and somewhat aggressive to say b/c my over reactive dog causes ripples i should avoid walking her in public. despite what you wrote, i find myself doing just that. you cannot possibly know what stage of desensitization we’re in. whether today is a good or bad day of that training.
but not just b/c of how she will react, b/c of the large numbers of dog owners with expandable leashes that allow their dog to come within my dogs personal space,..or worse yet, owners with no leash at all. they by far are the worst offenders of “ripples” since reactive dogs react twice as badly to off leash dogs, which are completely out of their owners control, despite what they would have you believe. at least my reactive pup is harnessed with triple straps and within (not under) my control at all times. at all times.
instead of helping owners with challenging, reactive dogs by sharing desensitization strategies, you demonize them for the “ripples” caused to others, further warranting other folks to now call animal control and other authorities for being afraid of how a dog reacts to theirs “in public”. with your title, you have just given a death sentence to so many troubled dogs. it’s truly shameful and seems a huge conflict of interest from someone in the animal training profession.
This is a horribly unhelpful article. What is one to do to exercise a reactive dog
Sorry you feel that way about this article. If a dog dislikes other dogs, walk them at night or in locations with a minimum amount of distractions (other dogs). Daily mental enrichment is key. So many people walk their aggressive dog in public, assuming it will help the dog….. but it actually makes it much worse. If you’re scared of spiders, it’s impossible to walk among lots of spiders. Also, find a great positive reinforcement dog trainer that can help you and your dog’s aggression.
Hi. Thankful for your arrival. I’ve live in an apt complex and have for 8 yrs. No breed or weight limit always enjoyed walking my dog but have anxiety, looking both ways before going out. Another owner has 2 aggressive dogs. They walk by first floor windows and freak out on my poodles laying on top of loveseat. My dogs bark but their dogs sound vicious and keep looking back at my dogs still barking. They have grown same little. Owner went court 3 days ago for 2 counts of dogs at large and no city license .my land lady seriously does not care. A very small boy practically dragged by a pitbull with no control. I reported it to landlord she couldnt care less. I’ve seen while in my car of the dogs get off his leash and run off. Owner made no attempt to go look for him, went back inside. Its irresponsible to allow this 7 yr old to walk this or these dogs. Its is there duty to supervise a child while learning but I’m sure the dogs weigh more than him. There are ones here that have a German shepherd who will back me up, a lady with a husky, a gal who was chased by one whole walking her dogs. Animal control said they will talk to them about the 7 yr old walking these dogs. I happen to know the dad doesnt work and is available to walk them himself or at lease go with child to supervise. My dogs are 8 and 10 pounds. They are companion dogs. O take medication for anxiety and now 3 times I walk my dogs. I’ve purchased a harness becoz my little dogs love everyone and will run up to other dogs to sniff. Their dog owner told me that I a hole in a tall wooden fence close by had a hole on it and each of was the dogs nipped each other in the nose . Over seen the owner of problem dog little trying to dig under fence to other dog which he can’t even see. I carry a knife with with me now and considering buying a postal. I would take a bite over my dogs any day zone bite and that’s all it would take. I live in MO. My lease says something about about aggresive dogs but surely I would need proof. Even with other signatures. Thank you colleenpmurray56 at gmail.com
Taking your dog for a morning and evening walk will help them stay fit and that can also make them tired so that they sleep early after taking their dinner. If dog is aggressive in public its better to take them for walk on early hours where he alone able to play.
Yes, thank you. It’s horribly inconsiderate and rude to make everyone around you deal with your aggressive dog. I feel for these dogs and their owners, but honestly, when my dog and I are enjoying a public outing together, it’s upsetting and scary for both of us to be assaulted by a dog that shouldn’t even be there in the first place. Sorry, but your dog is not my problem. Get help, work through the issues, and THEN try bringing them in public when they are ready and able to handle it.
I had this very problem early on with Saber. Walking him past dogs and keeping him focused on me with treats, while dogs walked past him stopped his behaviour. His behaviour was most certainly not fear based, as he didn’t bark or growl. He just laid down to pull them in with a false sense of security and then attacked.
He doesn’t do this any more and is well behaved when walking on the lead past other dogs. Excercise and changing a dogs mental state in different situations leads to a calmer healthier dog.
Dogs need to learn social interaction, saying don’t walk your so called aggressive dog in public is just silly in my opinion.
That’s true stop walking your dog can build aggressive in public to stop being aggressive a weekly or twice is important for dog walking.