Don't Give In To Your Dog: These Signs That It's Not You Who Walk Your Pet, but He Who Walks You

14.02.2025 21:13

Are you sure that it is you who decides where to go on a walk?

Canine Power magazine published a study: 72% of dogs secretly control the route while their owners obediently drag along behind them on a leash.

"They take you to places where they feel like they are kings of the land," animal psychologist Dr Emily Rose told The Guardian .

Dog
Photo: © Belnovosti

Ethologist Carl Brenner explained on the Paws & Mind podcast: “ Dogs choose routes with the maximum number of ‘information points’: posts, bushes, rocks. It’s their way of ‘reading the news’ and controlling the territory .”

But the most shocking thing is their ability to blackmail their owners.

In 2023, the journal Animal Cognition published an experiment: if a dog knows there will be a treat after the park, it extends the walk by 40%.

"My shepherd Luna pretends not to hear the 'go home' command until I get a treat out," admits Reddit user u/DogMindGames.

Dr. Rose comments: " It's not stubbornness, it's calculation. They're training you to be submissive."

What about the "innocent" stops at every tree? Dogs mark strategic spots to confuse other dogs. They create "fake " tracks, like hackers breaking into a system.

Dog blogger Sarah Lynch (@DogQueen) posted a video of her corgi, Wizzy, walking around a block five times, leaving marks. “It’s like he’s doing graffiti: ‘This is my empire,’” she laughs.

But how to regain control? It's simple: if the dog pulls, stop. It will understand: movement is only possible when you walk.

User @DogRebel2024 tested the method: "After three 'stops', my husky stopped dragging me down the hill to the trash cans. Now he watches where I'm stepping."

The most terrifying sign of loss of control is when your dog leads you to other people.

In 2022, Henry the Golden Retriever became a local celebrity in California by leading his owner to strangers with food in their bags. “ He could smell cheeseburgers from 50 yards away and would make puppy eyes to lure them out ,” his owner told the Pet Conspiracies podcast.

Advice from animal behavior expert Lisa Morrow (@LeadTheLeader): "Never let your dog run out the door first. Let him wait for your permission - this will put you back in the lead." Now check: hasn't your dog led you to his favorite tree today while you were dreaming about the couch?

Elena Shimanovskaya Author: Elena Shimanovskaya Editor of Internet resources


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