A person who first became the owner of a dog will have to learn a lot of new things. Not only about care, training and feeding. He will have to master an unusual set of rules – dog walking etiquette. Zoo TV channel has collected the most valuable tips from experienced dog breeders on the culture of walking pets. It is clear that special areas for walking in most of our cities are a rarity, not to mention megacities. Most often, you will have to take your pet to the nearest park, if there is one, or just to the yard.
So, a few unspoken laws of dog walking etiquette.
- When you go out with the dog to the territory where others are already walking, say hello. Even your pet observes this ritual, be polite too.
- Before you let your dog off the leash, teach him to come when you call – this is necessary both for his safety and for the peace of others.
- If you know that your dog is aggressive and likes to fight, choose as companions those dogs that he will not touch. Or walk alone.
- If the dogs are aggressive towards each other, it is better to immediately breed them in different territorial zones. If the moment is missed, and the fight nevertheless began, the owners take away their pets.
- Dogs in heat, as well as sick or recovering animals, are not brought to places of common walking.
- Small, fragile, easily injured pets should not be walked along with large and strong ones. Some dogs kill small members of their own species like rats or cats. This can happen so quickly that you don’t even have time to take the pets away. It is better not to risk it, especially if your pet has a mischievous character and likes to provoke other dogs.
- Stroking, and even more so, treating someone else’s dog is possible only with the permission of the owner.
- On a general walk, metal collars are removed from dogs. Otherwise, playing catch-up and frolicking, they can hurt each other. It should be born in mind that the appearance of a dog in a strict metal collar, and even with spikes, is considered a grave sin of the owner. This can be taught.
- Don’t let your dog run with a leash that drags on the ground. Teach her to stop on your command and not to go out onto the roadway without you.
- If you are training a dog in public walking areas, do not wave your arms so as not to frighten and provoke other animals to aggression.
- When you see someone nearby training their dog, don’t meddle in with advice.
- Do not drive away stray dogs that are on your walking area. If it is not obvious that they are sick and contagious. The fact is that strays are able to convey to domestic dogs the knowledge necessary for survival in the pack. They play carefully, have a huge range of sound signals, body movements, postures and stances – all this is worth learning for your pet.
- The walking area is cleaned by all dog owners. It is up to you to keep the common walking area clean. Explain to the neighbors in the yard where it is better not to feed cats and birds, where you should not leave bottles and tins.
- If someone’s dog is lost, take care of it. If possible, take to yourself, or attach somewhere for a while, put up ads, contact animal search services. You and your beloved dog are also not immune from sudden separation. Just imagine what a pain it is for both, so help the lost animal.