Dog-Friendly City; Not-So-Dog-Friendly Dog

Like any crazy dog mom, I think my baby is the best dog that has ever stepped foot on this planet. She graces us with her existence every day and anybody in her presence ought to be grateful. The problem is that every dog parent believes the same about their own canine babies. Could it be possible that every dog is the best ever? Perhaps. While we figure that out, though, I have to navigate everyday life knowing that not every person is going to think my dog is the best. Pepper has some traits that some people may even find...bad? Irritating? They’d be wrong, of course, but that doesn’t mean their space and comfort shouldn’t be respected. Although Austin is an extremely dog-friendly city, I’ve experienced some challenges with Pepper in public spaces.

First off, Pepper is a dachshund through and through. Dachshunds are known to be aggressive, stubborn, and notoriously difficult to train. They’re funny and adorable, but their size can fool you into letting them off easy and not disciplining them to be obedient. Pepper is my first dog ever and I did a looot of research on dachshunds and puppies in general before deciding I wanted to take the leap and adopt her. She is now about to turn 4 years old, so she’s a full-fledged adult dog now, and she turned out great. She is potty trained, crate trained, knows basic commands and is good at learning new things, lets us know when something’s bothering her, is good at being home alone while we’re at work, etc, etc. She is, however, a very nervous pup. I think she’s very aware of her size and vulnerability, and her reaction to feeling threatened is always aggression. She barks at strangers who run up to her suddenly or try to pet her too quickly and she’s scared of any dog bigger than her, which is 90% of dogs that she encounters. As much as I appreciate Austin’s love for dogs, I can’t help but always be on edge whenever we take Pepper out in public.

So, how do you balance making the most of a dog-friendly city when you have a not so dog-friendly dog?

Avoid off-leash spaces.
This may seem obvious if your dog isn’t great with other dogs, but I’ve had some trouble in Austin with people not abiding by the leash ordinances of the city. When I’m perusing the city on my own, I love this. Who doesn’t love strolling around and suddenly being greeted by a fluffy stranger? But my mindset changes completely when I’ve got Pepper with me. A dog casually coming up to us in a supposed leashed area can instantly turn messy if Pepper happens to feel threatened, nervous, or just generally feisty in that particular moment. It’s hard for me to explain to a stranger why regardless of how friendly and well-trained their dog may be, it isn’t necessarily the case for all other dogs. We learned our lesson the hard way a few years ago when we went hiking in a highly trafficked trail in Austin, designated as a “leashed” area. I quickly realized that people will always treat hiking trails and parks as off-leash no matter what signs and ordinances may say otherwise. A big rottweiler-looking dog ran up to us and Pepper got scared and barked at him. The dog reacted, barked back at her, and then grabbed her by her belly and had to be wrestled to the ground to let her go. Needless to say, it took a while for us to go back to any trail with Pepper, and our attempts to make Pepper feel safe and calm around other dogs were significantly set back. So, always, always check the leash/off-leash policies of any place you plan on visiting. If you’re unsure, it usually helps to read the comments that people leave on google/yelp/etc. Better safe than sorry, as we now know.
Stay calm.
They say that dogs can read people’s energy and I one-hundred percent believe that to be true. Dogs will pick up on signals from your body language and it’s important that no matter the situation, you help keep your dog confident and relaxed. I’m a very neurotic person, as it is. Combine that with my over-protection of Pepper and you’ve got a recipe for disaster. So I’ve had to learn to stay confident, or at least fake it, when I’m confronted with a difficult situation and I’ve got Pepper with me. I’m not always the best at this, but it’s something that I make a conscious effort towards now. For example, let’s say we’re hanging out in a dog-friendly patio, having an afternoon drink, chit-chatting it up with some friends. Suddenly, we hear the excited pattering of a running child, making their way towards us to meet the cute puppy. This energy will signal to Pepper that she’s being threatened. Something small and crazy is running towards her with outstretched arms and she must protect herself and her humans. If I let this kid run at Pepper and try to pet her, Pepper will be pissed. She’ll bark and growl and this innocent child will be scared and sad, and possibly scarred for life. Their parent will look at me disapprovingly and I just don’t want to deal with all that, obviously. So I’ll calmly grab Pepper, reassure her as much as possible, and when the small person reaches us, I’ll inform them that this puppy isn’t the friendliest. Pepper will stare at the child and I’ll let her get a sniff. Best case scenario, Pepper will be too tired to care and let the stranger get a small pat in. But by staying calm, I’ve reassured Pepper that we’re not being threatened and that she can let her guard down. Although you can’t control your surroundings, you can control how you react to them. I’ve found that keeping a calm demeanor and reassuring my dog as much as possible, brings down the severity of any situation by at least 50%, and that way Pepper has a fighting chance of...not getting into a fight. So just chill, man.
Exposure.
This tip really belongs on any article about dog training and desensitizing your dog to new environments. We tried our best when Pepper was a puppy to socialize her and expose her to different situations and places, but maybe we didn’t do enough. I’m done dwelling on what we could’ve done better, though. The situation is what it is and all we can do now is try to strike a good balance between bringing her out and letting her explore with us and not overwhelm her or tire her too much. Pepper’s favorite thing in the world is being at home with us where she has all her favorite toys, all the familiar smells, all the comfiest blankets, and all of our attention at her disposal. I like doing things, though. I like going to new places and old places and I love parks and outdoor spaces. I want to be able to enjoy these things with my pup. I don’t want to put her in uncomfortable situations, but I also don’t want her to stay at home all alone while we’re out having fun. The only thing I can do about this is to keep exposing her to people, dogs, loud noises, and the unknown. She’s come a long way from where she was a few years ago. I can usually keep her calm around dogs now and she’ll even let most of them come up and have a sniff or two. We always reward her with a treat or a positive reassurance when she’s being good and I find that she now get excited along with me when we’re going out for an adventure.

At the end of the day, Pepper and I will both be perfectly happy having a big family cuddle and that makes everything else irrelevant. If Pepper never wants to be best friends with a big St. Bernard, that’s cool with me. I just won’t take her to a St. Bernard meet-up. If she doesn’t want to be pet by an entire classroom of toddlers, that’s fine with me too. It’s important to me to know her limits, but not to hold her back where I know she can improve. I love Austin’s acceptance for our four-legged family members, but with a reactive dog, you just need to be extra aware and careful. Don’t beat yourself up when things go wrong, learn from a situation that went awry, and above all do what’s best for your pup. I’ll keep exploring the world with Pepper as long as she’s healthy and willing and she’ll reward me with wet kisses and the best purest love I’ve ever known.