Is your zigzagging dog misbehaving or following natural canine instincts?
From puppies to adult dogs, sometimes dog owners have to train the dog and the dog has to train the owner
“Who’s walking who?” This is one of those questions that onlookers ask while you walk your dog, especially a dog who hasn’t been leash-trained and is fighting to control the walk the entire time. While this power struggle may be entertaining to them, all that zigzagging and pulling can be less than enjoyable for the dog owner. However, while zigzagging may be a nuisance, sometimes it’s not always the dog’s fault.
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Here are 10 reasons total why dogs zigzag that may be the owner’s fault or the dog’s fault. Use these as a reference to self-correct dog walks with puppies and untrained dogs.
Dog walker’s fault #1: You’re killing the smell vibes.
Dogs experience the world primarily through their noses, not their eyes (unless you have an insane dog like mine who has slapped a wild rat on the head like a game of “Hungry Hungry Hippos” on two occasions). If you’re marching along like you’re trying to beat the morning commute, your dog may keep darting left and right to sniff interesting scents before you can yank them along.
Recommended Read: “Let’s take a walk: 21 best dog harnesses ~ The pet shopping trip you didn’t know you needed to take”
Dog’s fault #1: Every smell is a breaking news story.
Dogs have up to 300 million scent receptors. What looks like random zigzagging to you may simply be your dog following overlapping scent trails that humans can’t detect. It's a little like someone speed-racing in downtown Chicago while you're trying to window shop. They didn’t notice that mannequin’s outfit, but you did.