As much as we’d like every dog walk to go smoothly, things don’t always go to plan. It’s easier to control what happens when we’re at home with our pups, but when we’re out of the house there are all sorts of unexpected surprises that could pop up.
Some dogs are better at coping with the unexpected than others, just like humans, but we can make it easier for them when something surprising happens on a walk – using some of the best dog treats. And certified dog trainer Melissa Goodman of Mission Pawsitive has explained just what we can do in a new Instagram post – with some help from Rosie the dog.
“It’s not every day you bump into horses in your suburban neighborhood,” begins Goodman, “I took this as a great learning opportunity since Rosie has never seen them before.”
Rosie passes the horses with caution and handles the situation well, but it’s clear she’s feeling stressed (try these ways to destress your dog) and she even turns down a treat Goodman offers her. “I take her a little further to allow her to watch them at a safer distance for a few minutes and she is able to take treats then,” she explains.
Because Rosie’s happy to take treats from Goodman while further away from the horses, they return to pass the animals again. Goodman gives Rosie a treat every few steps, rewarding her for looking at the horses in the hope of creating a positive association, but walking past the horses is up to Rosie. And when they get back close to the horses, Rosie’s more comfortable than she was at first.
“When interesting surprises like this happen, take a few minutes to let your dog observe, take it in, and make it a positive experience,” Goodman summarizes. She adds in her caption that, even if your dog doesn’t show any fear or hesitancy at all, it’s still a good idea to reinforce it.
Particularly if you’re already dealing with anxiety in dogs, it can be tricky when the unexpected happens during walks. Here’s how to calm a dog down during periods of high anxiety for some extra advice, but following Goodman’s advice is a great start.
We can’t totally avoid the unexpected. Sometimes in life, things won’t go exactly to plan, and we can’t change that. But what we can do is make things easier for our pups and give them the tools to help cope during these times, and help them form positive associations.
