Safely Navigating Your Condo or Apartment Building with Your Dog
Living in close quarters in a condo or apartment building can be challenging when you have a dog and you share common areas with other pet parents and their dogs. This is especially true if the dog is reactive, growling and barking at people and other dogs. Dogs are dogs and we can never guarantee that our dog or another dog will not react in a negative way to a stressor or trigger. This is why it is crucial that you implement some simple protocols to navigate through your building and keep your dog and yourself safe.
Here are a few tips for keeping everyone safe when navigating your condo or apartment building with your dog:
1) If your dog is reactive or has aggressive tendencies toward other dogs or people, try using a gentle leader or front-clip harness. Both offer you better control over your dog when they are on a leash. A gentle leader fits over the dog’s nose and applies gentle pressure to discourage barking and lunging. Both allow you to redirect your dog’s momentum away from whatever triggers them so you can remove yourself and your dog from the situation. For more information, check out these articles: Finding the Best Front Clip Harness and Gentle Approach to Dog Training and Walking.
Note: Never use a retractable leash especially for dogs over 50 pounds. Retractable leashes are dangerous to the dog and to you. They can cause bodily harm to both of you. According to the North Shore Humane Society, “Retractable leashes allow your pet to travel a great distance away from you, and dangerous situations can occur in the blink of an eye. For instance, an aggressive dog can escape a yard and reach your pet many seconds faster than you can retract the leash. The reaction time between a retractable leash and a traditional leash differ greatly.” For more information, check out, “4 Reasons Retractable Leashes Are Dangerous.”
2) If your dog has bitten or attacked another dog or person, the use of a muzzle should be considered a viable option. Your dog will need some training to wear a basket muzzle, but it will prevent your dog from biting another dog or a person when triggered and will give you peace of mind when out and about with your dog. “Muzzle Up! Advocacy, Education, Training.”
3) Elevators, hallways and passageways in a building can be a particularly difficult challenge. You need to keep your dog on a short leash when navigating through hallways and elevators throughout your building, holding the entire leash in your hands with just enough length for your dog to walk right at your side. Precautions need to be taken to ensure there are no other dogs within close proximity when walking through your building and riding elevators.
4) You and your dog should always stand well away from the elevator door while waiting for the elevator. This allows your dog plenty of space and can help prevent any aggression issues. Once the elevator arrives, if it is empty, you should step all the way in and have your dog sit behind and to the side of you. When exiting the elevator with your dog, go ahead first and keep your dog behind you. If there is another dog in the elevator, do not go in, just step aside and wait for the next elevator.
5) When navigating through your building’s hallways, you should stand with your dog behind you and wait when you get to corners. This gives you time to peek around the corner to see what might be there, helping to decrease any surprise encounters.
6) Train your dog to heel and remain at your side, wait and stay, and be less reactive to stressors and triggers. Engaging the services of a professional, fear free trainer can be very helpful in learning these necessary skills to keep your dog safe.
A negative encounter between your dog and another dog can be traumatizing, dangerous, and result in serious injury to your dog and you. Precautions must be taken, and protocols implemented to ensure the safest, most stress-free environment possible. Keeping your dog and you safe is the most important part of developing any protocol or plan to navigate through your condo or apartment building.
©Zenn Doggie Massage 2024
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