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Walking Your Dog: City Dog Walking
Navigating Around Obstacles
Once you start walking your puppy, you will be amazed at the obstacles that will crop up as you walk down the street. Light posts, parking meters, bus and stop signs, bike rails, waste barrels, fire hydrants, groups of people waiting for a bus or getting off a bus, along with other dogs and people are only some of the obstacles you and your puppy will face.
These obstacles may not seem like a big deal until you combine them with pedestrians and groups of people congregating on the sidewalk. And one of the best ways to avoid large groups of oncoming people is to navigate your puppy onto the curb side of lights posts and parking meters.
Moving Obstacles
Also be aware of moving obstacles such as bicyclists, in-line skaters, kids running and dogs walking on or off-leash ahead of their owners. When approaching moving obstacles, don't have your puppy on a long lead. You don't want your puppy or your lead getting wrapped around a moving obstacle.
Your best action with a moving obstacle is to shorten the lead and give it room to pass. Don't get tense by choking your puppy with too tight of a lead. Another good option is to stand still with your puppy and relax while the moving obstacle passes you by.
Safety Zones
A safety zone is any area that widens the space between your puppy and an oncoming object. It can be an entrance way to a store, the curb side of a parking meter, or an area that's off to the side. The curb side of parking meters are perfect safety zones because most people don't walk on that part of the sidewalk. Think of safety zones as a way of controlling your space on the street. For example, if you see a couple of kids on bikes racing down the sidewalk or a person running, you can navigate to a safety zone and keep you and your puppy in a safe position. This is the best way to avoid accidents or close calls.
By controlling your space, you also send a strong message to other owners coming by with their dogs that you are protecting yourself and your puppy. You gain control of your space and this can diffuse a tense situation, particularly if a full-grown dog does not like your puppy.
You can also use the safety zone method if you see another puppy owner approaching and you are in a hurry and do not wish to spend the time having the puppies mingle with each other. Here's a good safety tip: Puppies on leashes should never play with each other. Their leashes will get tangled and you will put your puppy in a precarious situation when you have to drop your lead to get out of the entanglement.
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