Snickers and I went to our first Indiana meetup last weekend. It wasn’t a Shiba meetup, unfortunately, because I haven’t yet figured out where we’re going to hold those. It was a general meetup, but with a twist. It’s a new group in Indianapolis called the Downtown Dog Walk, which gets together every Sunday night and walks along the canal or through downtown to a bar or restaurant with outdoor space and then hangs out outside.
You know how people say New Yorkers are rude? And, of course, we New Yorkers can’t figure that out because we’re SO NICE. We think the tourists are rude because, well, they’re always in the way. And GEEEEZ they take FOREVER to do or say anything. Clearly, if you look at what I just said objectively, you can see that it’s just cultural. New Yorkers are speedy and efficient. Outsiders think that’s rude, while we think you’re being rude when you slow us down. 😛
Apparently doggy etiquette has regional differences also!
I’ve always been proud of how well socialized Snick is (for a Shiba). He had tons of friends at our dog run in Hell’s Kitchen and a ton more in our Shiba Meetup group. He’s never been friendly with random dogs on the street, but it didn’t matter too much because New Yorker’s have a pretty strict code of sidewalk etiquette for dogs… Most dogs in NYC are kept on a short leash under close control of their humans. Sidewalk greetings are controlled, if they are allowed at all. Most people I know accept this as normal, as is the fact that dogs aren’t that comfortable greeting each other on leash anyway. Leashes restrict their movement and therefore their body language. They can’t follow the proper routines for meeting and getting to know each other and they also cant fight or flee if necessary. Therefore many dogs are defensive when meeting for the first time on leash and they get snarky with each other.
Imagine my surprise when I walked up to the meetup last weekend and people were standing around letting their dogs run all over the place! Some of them had a good 10 feet of leash and none of them were under control of their owners. A couple of them dashed up to Snick as soon as we got there and, of course, Snick tried to put the smack down on them for being so brash. Honestly, I was little taken aback when no one apologized to me for not controlling their dogs. I took a few steps back away from the group though and assessed the situation. "Hmmmm…." I thought. "These dogs are all running around willy nilly. These dogs are pretty much getting along with each other this way. Do all these dogs know each other already? Doubtful. These dogs have learned to meet and greet on leash! This is normal for them!"
So… I found myself in a position of explaining to people that, although Snickers is quite a social boy, he’s not at all used to being around other dogs on leash. Once the group started walking, Snickers did much better (although he did want to walk up front). We walked with the group organizer and his very friendly dog. Snick was clearly happy and comfortable to be walking on sidewalks, between buildings, and around cars again. 🙂 The rest of the meetup went fine and I learned that doggy etiquette rules can be different in different places, just like human etiquette rules are!
And, yes, we’re going back this weekend. After all, we need to practice our on leash behavior!
That’s so interesting Jenna! I never knew about that doggie etiquette in the city. Out here in the country (NJ) most owners just let their dogs do whatever, so leash confidence is a big training issue. Snick is a smart dog and I am sure will figure out the culture curve quite quickly.
this is intriguing. I can’t wait for follow-ups. Notice the shapes of the dog bodies, and how they get more curvy the friendlier they are. This is a good clue to watch, now with all the space to move. I’m sure Snickers will catch on to the new ‘rules” of D.E. in a more rural setting, but it might be equally as fascinating to see whether the people as well have different actions?? Oh what fun!
I have an opinion about this. You must have noticed by now that walking your dog is not very popular in the midwest. I think that those with dogs who are not friendly to other dogs on leash just stay home. If everyone understood that not all dogs are friendly on leash and just kept a little distance it would be fine. But so many times people can’t imagine that you’d walk a snarky dog and they just let Fido have all the liberties he wants, dancing around at the end of the leash, dragging the owner over to check out your dog. It’s very interesting to me to hear that in the city people control their dogs. Not surprising now that I hear it, just very different. And of course, this is just my perspective on the whole thing. Not everyone is like that, but so many times dogs actually out and about on leash are walking their owners.
Michelle, that makes a lot of sense. I’m sort of comparing apples and oranges. The dogs that we’ve met on leash here must be a small subset of the dog population. The dogs we met on leash in NYC were a more broad representation of the whole, because almost all the dogs in NYC have to be walked… it’s the only way they get outside.
I have the option of both…allowing my dogs in the backyard and walking them…and I choose to do both. My belief is actually that ALL dog owners should be responsible and mind their pups either on or off leash. It is the owners responsibility to teach their pups doggie etiquette and how to approach another dog because you never know how the other dog will react no matter where you are. My dogs are always under my control and look to me for direction. I would never place my pups in a situation where they would cause harm or get harmed. All dogs love a walk, its a shame to not allow them that luxary just because they are snarky.
I agree with Jenn, except for her referring to walks as a “luxury”. In the city, unless your dog is a working dog, walks should be considered a necessity, even if you DO have an enclosed yard. Walking is not just for potty breaks; it is exercise and reinforcement as to “who is the boss”. Two long walks a day helps keep your dog more obedient AND contented – that is – less likely to engage in unwanted behavior form boredom, such as chewing your Jimmy Choos! Of course, if your dog walks YOU or is otherwise not in your control, well, then, this is all a mute point!
Julie – You are absolutely right. In the city, walks are a necessity! Jenn lives in the middle of nowhere though. Her yard is probably humongous, like the one I have here in Indiana now, so walks aren’t necessary for lots of exercise and interaction.
Yesterday, I took Snickers to downtown Indianapolis and went on a long walk along the canal. Neither of us had been on a leash walk for a long while and we enjoyed it very much.