Q: When I walk my dog and he sees people — or other people walking their own dog — he barks and pulls or walks on his hind legs because he’s so excited. It’s so embarrassing that I avoid taking him for walks, or I turn in the opposite direction when I see people to avoid my dog making a scene. He also pulls, but I bought a harness to replace his neck collar, which helps with that. Do you have any recommendations?
Alan Simonian
“Hickory Hills, Illinois
Dear Mr. Simonian,
A: It’s not clear what it is about your dog’s behavior that is embarrassing you. Is he being aggressive with people and other dogs? If so, the onus is on you to teach him to feel secure enough not to be afraid of others so that he does not begin acting out to protect himself. Until he becomes confident enough to be around others, he should be walked in quiet areas to the extent possible — both to minimize opportunities for acting aggressively and also to make him feel calm until he learns that other dogs and other people are not going to harm him. The harness you have started using can also help here because it affords much more control about the direction your dog goes in than a simple neck collar.
If your dog is not acting out of aggression but is simply delighted to be around others — both dogs and people — then the aim is to let him interact only with those who would appreciate his exuberance. You can also teach him to remain calmer in the presence of others by training him to accept a verbal cue from you followed by a treat in exchange for not overdoing it.
What you should not do is waste your emotional energy feeling embarrassed. Dogs do all kinds of things that people find embarrassing — humping other dogs, jumping on people they like, and so on. To a dog, such behavior is perfectly natural. It’s our job to help them acclimate to the rules people live by so that they are accepted in our world.
