Dog Walking Etiquette

When we walk our dog, there are some untold actions we should take. This is to both not unduly upset other people walking in the area, but also to demonstrate that we are a responsible dog owner and know how to control our dog properly.

Things you should do

• Always keep your dog under control at all times.
• Keep your dog on the lead where instructed to do so or near roads.
• Supervise your dog if off the lead at all times.
• Always carry dog poo bags and pick up any dog mess your dog does.
• Keep your dog away from other people and dogs, unless you know the other person or dog and both parties are happy with that interaction.
• Know your dog and his reactions and body language, so that you can read the situation while your dog is meeting and greeting other dogs.
• When greeting other dogs, follow a 3 second rule, allow 3 seconds to greet then call your dog away. 
• If another dog is approaching and you can see that your dog is not happy with this, turn around and walk the other way. Do not put your dog into a situation where he will feel trapped and forced in fight or flight mode. 
  

Things you should not do

• Do not allow your dog to run up to children or unfamiliar dogs. You do not know if that child or dog has a fear, and it could provoke the wrong time of interaction.
• Do not allow your dog off the lead if he has poor recall. First go back to basic training and use a long line until you have trained a reliable recall. 

It is not always easy to know what you should do when out walking your dog, especially if you have recently got your first dog. It all comes with time, but for now you have a small list of things to work from.