I walk the beasties in the morning. In Magdalena’s case, it is closer to accurate to say she walks me.
She’s a Siberian Husky, and still enough of a puppy that she has great enthusiasm when it comes to her walk. I wrap the leash around my hips so she doesn’t drag me down the street when she tries to bolt out the gate.
That being said, it is a challenge to keep her under control and walking in the right direction. She doesn’t (usually) chase squirrels, but she has tried to run after a bird on several occasions.
When she sees people, or another dog, or people walking another dog, she wants to charge ahead at full speed to meet them. Sometimes the other dogs walked on the other side of the street, and as they passed, Magdalena wanted to bolt across the street to meet them. Right in front of a car. Twice.
It isn’t easy trying to hold back a Husky running across the street. I managed to hold her back so she didn’t get run over.
But lately, she has encountered three other dogs during her walks that were friendly enough to meet. I will usually ask the owners of the dogs if they would mind letting the dogs meet. Not all dogs are good with other dogs. (Major Tom gets aggressive with other males, but is perfectly fine with females). If the owner says OK, I’ll let Magdalena ease her way over to meet the dog. So far when she has meandered over things have gone well. She’ll sniff the other dog, and maybe lick their chops. The tails are usually wagging so I’m not too concerned about a fight breaking out.
It is good to get her socialized this way. She is learning to get along with other dogs, and people. This is a Good Thing(tm) in the long run. Should she escape and run off (which has happened several times – you can’t chase her. She thinks it is a game if you do. You just have to let her come back in her own time) then being able to get along with other dogs and people will go a long way to getting her back home safely.
If you’d like to support my efforts, why not buy me a chocolate chip cookie through my Ko-Fi page? https://ko-fi.com/jhusum