Hi,
Later this week I have a new dog walking job. I have walked dogs for my local shelter that I volunteer at but never someone elses dog.
Any tips as far as the initial greeting ? should I bathe myself in beef juices before I go??? please..seriously.. any suggestions would be helpful.
new dog walking job!! any tips?
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When my dog walker came to meet my dog for the first time he totally ignored her. If she jumped at him he just stood there, not looking at her. When he sat down she tried to get on his lap (35kg GSD, it was a sight) and he ignored her. she soon reliesed that he wasn't very interesting and went to lie down.
Apparently he does this with all his dogs and has never been bitten or attacked. I think it is a case of not being a threat and not being that interesting to the dog to start with.
although now she knows when he arrives that its play time she bounces him out the door when he comes round, because she is so happy to see him.
Apparently he does this with all his dogs and has never been bitten or attacked. I think it is a case of not being a threat and not being that interesting to the dog to start with.
although now she knows when he arrives that its play time she bounces him out the door when he comes round, because she is so happy to see him.
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catrinsparkles
- Posts: 54
- Joined: Fri Jun 13, 2008 6:54 am
- Location: hampshire
I think it completely depends on the dog really.
I have used the technique described above with dogs that i know are aggressive. I used to dog sit for a GSD that had bitten the last two dog sitters and i was it's last chance before she was struck off the books. After completely ignoring her barking and lunging for half and hour she came over plonked her head on my lap and did a big long "i'm defeated - your not scared of me" sort of grumble/sigh. She was delightful from then on!
This technique is great with aggressive dogs, but the owner of a very friendly dog might feel you were off hand and not friendly if you did it with a dog who was very friendly!
When walking a dog i think the most important thing to do is to watch their body language and think one step ahead of them! If you are going to walk them off the lead you need to have eyes on the horizon looking out for what may happen rather than waiting until it has and reacting then.
Good luck!
I have used the technique described above with dogs that i know are aggressive. I used to dog sit for a GSD that had bitten the last two dog sitters and i was it's last chance before she was struck off the books. After completely ignoring her barking and lunging for half and hour she came over plonked her head on my lap and did a big long "i'm defeated - your not scared of me" sort of grumble/sigh. She was delightful from then on!
This technique is great with aggressive dogs, but the owner of a very friendly dog might feel you were off hand and not friendly if you did it with a dog who was very friendly!
When walking a dog i think the most important thing to do is to watch their body language and think one step ahead of them! If you are going to walk them off the lead you need to have eyes on the horizon looking out for what may happen rather than waiting until it has and reacting then.
Good luck!
Dogs are aggresive because they feel threatened, and any dog, whether they are small or large is capable of feeling threatened. As a dog walker meeting a new dog you have no idea what that dog is going to be like. And just because they are fine with you coming straight in a fussing them when their owner is there doesn't mean they will be fine when you next enter the house alone.
Ignoring the dog shows them straight away that you are no threat. And if an ower has a problem with that I'd reconsider walking their dog. You are going to be the one on the sharp end of the teath, (no matter what their size).
Ignoring the dog shows them straight away that you are no threat. And if an ower has a problem with that I'd reconsider walking their dog. You are going to be the one on the sharp end of the teath, (no matter what their size).
Dogs are aggresive because they feel threatened, and any dog, whether they are small or large is capable of feeling threatened. As a dog walker meeting a new dog you have no idea what that dog is going to be like. And just because they are fine with you coming straight in a fussing them when their owner is there doesn't mean they will be fine when you next enter the house alone.
Ignoring the dog shows them straight away that you are no threat. And if an ower has a problem with that I'd reconsider walking their dog. You are going to be the one on the sharp end of the teath, (no matter what their size).
Ignoring the dog shows them straight away that you are no threat. And if an ower has a problem with that I'd reconsider walking their dog. You are going to be the one on the sharp end of the teath, (no matter what their size).
When I hired our dog walker (husband/wife team) one of the things that impressed me the most was watching them interact with my dog during our consultation.
During our consultation the wife interacted with my dog a lot (cuddling and petting) while the husband asked me questions. We discussed what I currently walked my dog and how often I was interested in having her walked. Since they also petsit we also discussed where I keep supplies (like food and urine neutralizer). They also reinforce any training I've been doing with my dog.
I've been home a couple of times when they stop by to walk her and I'm very happy with the fact that she is simply thrilled to see them. They also leave me a daily report, which indicates if she peed and how many times she pooped. Some times the daily report has something funny my dog did while on a walk.
The first thing I do when I get home at the end of the day is rush to read our daily report.
Good luck with your new job, let us know how its going.
During our consultation the wife interacted with my dog a lot (cuddling and petting) while the husband asked me questions. We discussed what I currently walked my dog and how often I was interested in having her walked. Since they also petsit we also discussed where I keep supplies (like food and urine neutralizer). They also reinforce any training I've been doing with my dog.
I've been home a couple of times when they stop by to walk her and I'm very happy with the fact that she is simply thrilled to see them. They also leave me a daily report, which indicates if she peed and how many times she pooped. Some times the daily report has something funny my dog did while on a walk.
The first thing I do when I get home at the end of the day is rush to read our daily report.
Good luck with your new job, let us know how its going.
