My Chihuahua Did This Today: How I Handled It Without Picking Her Up
FYI your small dog isn't being stubborn.
When Min put the brakes on like this during our morning walk today, I realized it was something I needed to write about.
Many owners of small dogs will simply pick the pooch up. Sometimes there might be a tug of war.
I don't do either.
I made her leash even looser, to let her know that she had a choice.
Having choice is very powerful motivation to act.
I leaned forward, looking like I was going to run off in the opposite direction.
Dogs are hunters. They rely a lot on their vision.
I'm pretty sure Min knows that I don't/can't run.
But my position said that I might.
The potential to run after me was what triggered her chase drive.
What I looked like to her: I was prey.
To a dog, anything that looks like prey is something to chase.
Dogs love chasing.
As soon as I positioned myself into an awkward crouch, Min noticed.
She started to chase me.
I wasn't running at all.
But I got exactly what I needed from her.
She moved herself towards me.
No force or coercion.
I gave her a choice.
She chose exactly what I needed her to do.
I walked a pug years ago that would do this everytime it was time to go home. I tried everything, bribery with treats, I even changed our walking route and I let her pick any direction she wanted etc but the direction was always the opposite of home lol. She just wanted to stay out all day, eventually I would have to pick her up and carry her otherwise I would’ve been late for my other walks. She was a ton weight too, very overweight but she was a very comical wee thing.
Nanette… In my lifetime of living with dogs that no matter what size they are or what breed, there’s always a great chance that while you’re out walking them that there’ll be something that will make them halt & “freeze up”… Whether it’s out of fear, curiosity or something that they may want to chase. Option #3 (chase) can often be a bad idea, unless you release the dog to allow it to run.
…When it happens with our dog, I don’t “yank” on the lead or raise my voice (he’d give me his own “F.U.” look), i just drop down to one knee & just wait patiently with the lead “slack” so that there’s no strain or pressure on his neck. It only takes a few minutes before he walks over, sits beside me & gets ready to continue walking. I think it all depends on the dog, their temperament & the situation as to how they’d react & how best to approach it. But, that’s just my opinion.