How to Walk a Dog Safely

Walking a dog can be easy. But walking a dog safely? That's where it gets a little trickier. And if you don't know how to do it--I'll show you how to walk the dog.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Adjust your dog's collar to where she can't slip her head through. Then make sure it's not too tight by seeing if you can slip two fingers underneath.

2. Put your hand through the leash handle and wrap it around your hand and wrist for a better grip. Use a harness if your dog likes to pull. Harnesses allow for a better grip and more control. Also, the pressure is distributed more evenly when you pull so that it’s not all on the dog’s neck.

3. Bring water along for your dog if the walk will be lengthy. If he starts to pant, stop in the shade to let him drink and cool off for a few minutes.

4. Adjust the pace and length of the walk to your dog’s age and health. If your dog is lagging behind, go slower rather than force her to keep up with you. Shorter and more frequent walks are better for senior dogs and dogs with arthritis.

5. Look both ways before crossing the street (in case you forgot that from when you were six). If it's at night, it's a good idea for your dog to have on a reflective collar and for you to wear reflective clothing or at least reflective tennis shoes.

6. Clear the way or walk in another direction when you see people with dogs approaching. Only allow your dog to approach another dog if the owner says it’s OK. Also, try your best to steer clear of stray dogs and cats.

7. Keep your dog out of bushes; there may be cats, other small animals or perhaps stickers or poison ivy. Also, steer clear of parked cars. Cats often hang out underneath, especially when it's cold. Plus, your dog could bump his head on the fender or bumper. Steer clear of metal signs and poles for the same reason and keep your dog from walking under chain link fences that often have sharp edges. Also be mindful of sprinkler heads on which your dog could hurt a paw.

8. Leave your dog's leash on at all times when walking in public. The only time it's OK for a dog to be off of a leash is at a designated off-leash dog park.

Tips & Warnings

• If your dog gets into bushes, always check the coat for burrs, stickers and thorns.
• There are portable dog water bottle/tray combos that have a string attached to wear over your arm on a walk. Pet supply stores also carry lightweight doggy backpacks for dogs to carry their own water.
• Some people prefer retractable leashes that allow the dog more room to wander and can be pulled back when necessary. Just keep in mind there have been reports of people injuring their hands and losing fingers, and dogs getting hit by the handle or wrapped in the leash. Also, it's illegal in most places if the leash extends out more than 6 feet.
• Never tie your dog up in the street or in a parking lot while you are running errands. You are risking your dog's safety and the chance of being stolen. You may also be risking the safety of passersby if your dog gets frightened.
• Use a choke collar for training purposes only, and only if you know how to use it properly. Choke collars can cause whiplash, dislocate neck bones and even injure a dog’s voice box. They can also bruise and damage the skin. These collars may also become embedded in the fur, especially with longer coated dogs. Prong collars are more humane and work great for training.
• Don't walk dogs on hot pavement; it can burn their pads. Check to see if the ground is too hot by placing your hand or bare foot down. If you can’t hold it down for more than a few seconds, chances are it’s too hot for your dog. Save summer walks for the early morning or evening hours.
• Keep your dog from drinking out of puddles or eating grass. Puddles may contain harmful substances such as motor oil or antifreeze and grass may contain toxic fertilizer or insecticides. Don't let your dog eat off the ground period—there could be any number of dangerous substances including rat poison and even fruits that are toxic.

[diggitydogg]

on 5/17/2008 but you can call animal control in your city to come pick them up, although there's a slim chance they'll get adopted. There are also private "no kill" shelters and rescues which are unfortunately usually filled up, but it may not hurt to try calling around. If it's a purebred like a Shepherd or Pitbull there are breed rescues that might be interested (Pitbulls are usually destroyed pretty quickly at city shelters). With private shelters you usually have to pick the dog up and drop it off, so always be careful and make sure the dog's not aggressive. Thanks for the idea for an article. I'll try to do one.

[diggitydogg]

on 5/17/2008 That's terrible that people allow their dogs to roam around and even worse that there are so many strays. I hate seeing that. I guess you're in NJ (your zip code). I'm in Los Angeles and I never see stray dogs and when I travel I'm amazed at all the ones I see. Plus LA just passed a mandatory spay/neuter law. If you have an off leash dog park nearby, that might be a solution for more exercise so you can shorten the walks, but of course you can't be there all the time. If you are able to find any of the owners of the unleashed dogs maybe you can say something to them. You can do it in a nice way and say something like you saw their dog almost get hit by a car. If a dog has a tag on and is friendly you can try picking it up and bringing it home just in case it ran away and the owners aren't aware (but that doesn't sound likely in your situation). As far as the stray ones. I hate to say it

[Angie08899]

on 5/16/2008 Yeah, this was a good one.. My question is this, maybe you could do a how-to on this - I've moved to a pretty shoddy neighborhood because of rising rents..the problem is there are A LOT of stray dogs and careless owners who have their dogs off-leash. I live in a small apartment, so I HAVE to walk my dog a couple times a day. How can I best keep us safe and stave off loose dogs?

[airesflora]

on 11/29/2007 Very nice article Melissa!

[diggitydogg]

on 11/18/2007 That's a very important tip to include, which a lot of people don't know. Thanks!