SCARED TO WALK YOUR DOG AGAIN? WHAT TO DO NEXT

Scared to walk your dog again? What to do next…

Sometimes your dog starts to feel ready to go out again before you do.

Perhaps walks had been stressful for a long time. There may have been barking and lunging, pulling, freezing, chasing or a frightening incident that really knocked your confidence.

You may have reduced walks for a while, changed what you were doing and started to see your dog coping better.

But then you realise that you are still carrying some of what happened.

You still remember the dog appearing around the corner, the lead tightening in your hand, the barking, the adrenaline or simply that horrible feeling of wondering what might happen next.

And even if your dog seems more ready, you may not feel ready at all.

Humans have a learning history too

We talk a lot about a dog’s learning history, but humans have one too.

If walks have repeatedly felt stressful, unpredictable or frightening, it makes sense that your body starts preparing for the next problem before anything has even happened. You may find yourself scanning ahead, avoiding certain routes, tightening the lead or feeling tense as soon as you leave the house.

That doesn’t mean you are causing your dog’s behaviour.

It simply means your feelings are part of the picture too.

You and your dog have both been through those experiences, and you may need different amounts of time to feel safer again.

You don’t have to prove you’re ready

The good news is that you do not have to prove either of you is ready by going straight back to a full walk.

The next step could be putting the lead on and spending a minute in the garden. Opening the front door and watching the world for a few seconds. Walking to the gate and back. Driving somewhere you both find easier. Going out at a quieter time. Walking with someone you trust.

Instead of asking:

Can we go for a walk yet?

it can be much more helpful to ask:

What feels manageable for both of us today?

That is a very different question.

Make it easier for both ends of the lead

You can make things easier for yourself as well as your dog.

Choose somewhere familiar. Go at a time when you know it’s likely to be quieter. Keep the first few outings deliberately short. Take really good rewards. Have an easy way home. Ask someone supportive to come with you if that helps.

It can also help to decide before you leave what “enough” looks like. Perhaps you are only going to the end of the drive, or spending five minutes somewhere quiet.

Having that plan can take away some of the pressure to keep going just because you have already started.

Most importantly, you are allowed to stop before anything goes wrong.

You do not have to wait until your dog is struggling before deciding you have both done enough.

Progress isn’t measured in distance

A successful outing might only last five minutes.

It might not even get you to the end of your road.

It may simply leave you thinking, Actually, that felt okay.

And that matters.

When your confidence has been knocked, a few calm, uneventful minutes can be far more useful than pushing through a longer walk while feeling tense and overwhelmed.

Progress is not measured by distance.

One of the things I’ve thought about much more while writing the follow up to STOP! Walking Your Dog is that rebuilding walks isn’t only about whether the dog is ready.

There are two of you involved.

Both of you may need time, successful experiences and permission to take smaller steps.

The goal is not to force either end of the lead back to where you were before. It’s to gradually build something that feels better for both of you.

If you would like to hear more about the new book as I share previews and launch updates, you can join the wait list here:

https://puptalk.co.uk/book-two-wait-list/