04/05/2026
I’ve stolen this but it’s a great piece about the complexities of dog walking!
Walking past another dog is never just that. It's a decision, often made with incomplete information, about shifting distance, changing arousal, and at least two dogs whose needs may not align.
When I walk with Juno, my responsibility is to read the conditions in front of us and make decisions that protect her safety, support her confidence, and respect the other dog(s) as an individual too.
Some passes are relatively straightforward:
🐶A dog who is already on lead, or whose human sees us and calmly leashes them, gives me useful information immediately. The lead is not the whole story, of course, but it changes the conditions. It tells me the human has noticed us and understands that their dog’s behaviour matters in a shared space.
🐾A human wearing a treat pouch is not a guarantee of competence, but it often tells me something similar. Leash or no leash, when the dog is engaged with that human, moving with them, responding to cues, taking food, or showing a pattern of orienting back, there is usually some reinforcement history in place for the dog and the human. There are probably skills. There is at least some acknowledgement that the dog’s behaviour is being actively supported rather than left to unfold around everyone else. I am also more likely to trust their decision if they choose to not leash their dog.
🐕Another easier pass is a dog engaged in something that appears to be highly reinforcing and currently organising their behaviour. Fetch can fall into this category. A dog who is strongly oriented toward the ball, the thrower, and the next repetition of the game may be less likely to allocate behaviour toward us. Note, this doesn't automatically make it safer, either. High arousal, resource focus, frustration, and sudden changes in direction can alter the picture.
🐶Dogs moving slowly and mindfully can also be easier to pass directly. A dog who notices us, remains soft, continues at their own pace, and shows no intention of closing the distance is different from a dog scanning, loading, accelerating, or orienting directly toward Juno.
🐾Similarly, dogs who notice us but seem disinterested or avoidant are generally a safer bet for us, though we want to be mindful of how they are feeling about our proximity.
Then there are the passes that can be fine but require more careful monitoring:
🐩A dog wandering and sniffing may also be engaged in something reinforcing, notice us, and go back to their activity. Often that's a cue for me that we are good to go, but mindfully. The value of that activity and the value of our presenece may shift as we approach to pass. Reinforcement value is not fixed and behavioural allocation changes as the environment changes. So, our presence may become more salient, more interesting, or more concerning as distance decreases.
🐶A dog on a long line often gets extra space from us. They may be learning. Their human may be deliberately balancing freedom with safety. Passing too closely can interfere with that. It can make us unnecessarily salient and change the conditions for a dog who may be working on disengagement, confidence, movement, regulation, or simply existing in public without being overwhelmed. The amount of space depends on what the situation is asking for.
And then there are the situations I avoid.
🐕If the human is repeatedly yelling “no” or calling the dog’s name, I create distance.
🐩If the dog is running up to other dogs and the human is not paying attention of how that is being receieved, I create distance.
🐶If the dog is loose, highly interested in us, and the human is on their phone or nowhere in sight, I create distance.
🐾If the dog stares, freezes, stalks, accelerates, rushes, or moves directly toward us with intensity, I do not wait to see whether things will improve. Juno does not need to become part of that experiment.
🐕If a dog is on a retractable leash, it's hard for me to evaluate the safe-zone distance. There are a few exceptions I will make depending on the dog.
🐶I also move away when the other dog is clearly struggling with our presence. That part matters. Creating space is not only about protecting Juno; it's also about recognising that another dog may need distance from us. If our proximity is making their situation harder, then moving away is the appropriate thing to do.
Sharing space with other dogs and humans is about the ability to read the whole scene. The lead matters. The human matters. The available space matters. The path width matters. The dog’s current reinforcement landscape matters. The dog’s body language matters. Juno’s body language matters. Distance matters because distance changes value, emotion, and behavioural probability.
Walking thoughtfully with a dog means knowing when to pass, when to pause, when to arc away, when to cross the road, when to turn around, and when to give another dog the space they are asking for.
