How to trust your dog on a walk?
Trusting your dog is not taking a risk: it is getting to know him. Discover how to build a solid relationship to enjoy more free, natural and serene walks.
Richard Costaglioli
5/1/20264 min read
This is a question that many owners ask themselves:
"What if my dog leave?"
"What if he fight with another dog?"
“How do I know if I can really trust him?”
At Buddy Doggy, it is a reflection that we have with every new arrival in the pack.
After hundreds of walks with dogs with very different characters, we learned an essential thing: trust is not given, it is built.
It is based on a balance between three elements:
The time spent getting to know your dog
Respect for its limits
The quality of the relationship created with him
Trusting your dog does not mean authorizing everything. It means learning to understand him enough to know what he is able to manage.
Trust begins with observation
Each dog arrives with its story, character and experiences.
Some dogs are naturally close to humans.
Others are more independent.
Some of them love to meet new dogs.
Others need more distance.
There is therefore not a single method valid for all.
Before giving a dog more freedom, you need to get to know:
His reaction to other dogs
His level of excitement
His ability to return to calm
His listening in different environments
His possible fears
Dog behaviour specialists remind us that a dog constantly communicates through his body language: posture, look, tail, ears, body tensions.
Learning to observe these signals allows you to anticipate rather than react too late.
Trust with other dogs
One of the biggest concerns on the walk concerns the meetings: "What if they fight?"
However, an interaction between dogs does not need to be perfectly calm to be normal.
Dogs communicate a lot by:
The movement
The smells
Changes in posture
The game
The little adjustments between them
A growl, a distance or a dog that sets a limit does not necessarily mean a fight.
The real question is: Can my dog communicate properly?
At Buddy Doggy, each new dog is gradually integrated into the pack.
We observe:
How he approaches other dogs
How he reacts when a dog refuses contact
How he manages his excitement
If he is able to listen despite the presence of the group
The goal is not to have a dog that loves all dogs.
The goal is to have a dog capable of understanding situations and responding to them correctly.
Building the recall: why would my dog come back to me?
The recall is probably the exercise that represents the most confidence.
Many owners think: "My dog knows his first name, so he should come back."
But for a dog, returning sometimes means abandoning something very interesting:
A smell
Another dog
A game
An exploration
The recall must therefore be constructed as something positive.
A good recall comes with:
Repetition
Positive experiences
A solid relationship with his human
A dog returns more easily to someone with whom he feels connected.
Trust works in both directions:
Your dog learns that he can count on you.
You learn that you can count on him.
Natural follow-up: when the dog chooses to stay with you
One of the most beautiful signs of confidence on a walk is not necessarily a dog stuck to the foot.
It is a free dog that:
Explores his environment
Regularly check where you are
Adapts his distance
Comes back naturally to you
This is often called natural follow-up.
It develops when the dog understands that walking is a shared activity, not just a time when it is controlled.
At Buddy Doggy, we work a lot on this concept: Leave autonomy while maintaining a connection.
Test the limits gradually
Trusting your dog does not mean removing the leash overnight.
Freedom must be gained gradually.
For each new dog, we move forward step by step:
Step 1: Understanding the dog
Who is he?
Is he cautious? Curious? Impulsive? Stressed?
Step 2: Test in a secure setting
His reactions are observed with maximum control (e.g. on a short leash, long leash, with a muzzle, with a GPS, with conscious owners in front, with an educator...).
Step 3: Gradually increase the difficulty
More distractions.
More distance.
More autonomy.
Step 4: Constantly re-evaluate
A dog evolves.
An anxious dog can gain a lot of confidence.
A very excited dog can learn to better manage its emotions.
Today's limits are not necessarily those of tomorrow.
The role of affection and connection
Confidence doesn't just come from exercise.
It also comes from the daily relationship.
A dog that feels understood develops more easily:
Listening
Of cooperation
Emotional stability
Modern methods of dog education today place a lot of emphasis on cooperation rather than coercion.
The question is no longer: "How do I control my dog?"
But rather: "How to become someone my dog wants to follow?"
Can we trust all dogs?
Yes, but not in the same way.
Trusting your dog also means respecting who he is.
Some dogs will be able to enjoy a lot of freedom.
Others will always need a more present framework.
It's not a failure.
Respecting a dog's limits is part of a balanced relationship.
In summary
Walking confidence is built with:
✓ time
✓ patience
✓ observation
✓ positive experiences
✓ a good understanding of the dog
A reliable dog is not a perfectly obedient dog.
It is a dog that we know, that we understand and with whom a real relationship has been built.
The Buddy Doggy philosophy
At Buddy Doggy, each dog moves at its own pace.
Our goal is not only to walk dogs, but to create a relationship where they can learn, explore and evolve in confidence.
Because a beautiful walk is not based on control.
It is based on the connection.
Author: Richard Costaglioli
