Strange dogs and strangers: Keeping dogs safe
When your dog has admirers, and you don’t know who to trust
Cockapoos are gorgeous. They’re a breed of dog that is just always going to grab some people’s attention. I regularly walked three. And I knew as soon as I picked up the leash, I was going to do a lot of stop-and-start walking, especially around strangers. When you’re in an open environment where everyone is walking dogs (usually city streets), it’s not nearly as big of a deal. But in smaller neighborhoods where people pay entirely too much attention to everything going up and down their streets, dog walkers (and dog owners) can start to feel like they’re under a microscope. Dog owners quickly grow accustomed to the attention. They know who to trust and who not to trust.
But for dog walkers who are still getting used to the neighborhood and the dog, this can be a bit overwhelming if you’re not on your Ps and Qs at all times. This can especially become a problem with overzealous strangers. Here are three to consider when walking new dogs.
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Allow the dog to let the dog walker know who strangers are.
I’ve walked a lot of really adorable dogs. But I have never been challenged quite so much with any other breed more than Cockapoos. (It could be purely coincidental.) For example, one week, I was stopped three separate times by strangers who claimed to know the dog. Before dog walkers assume these strangers are telling the truth and let them pet the dog — you’d be surprised how many astoundingly rude people will do this without permission — closely monitor the dog’s behavior.
In one example, there was no question that the Cockapoo knew a woman packing up her car. First, she yelled out, “Is that [insert dog’s name here]?” Second, the Cockapoo yanked me forward to get to her. The two ran up to each other, embraced and it was more than obvious from the way the Cockapoo jumped all over her.