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Having front steps and a yard provides excellent opportunities to interact with passers-by, and this of course, includes dogs and their owners.
My 14 year old chiweenie (Chihuahua/Dachshund) was loose in the yard taking her first potty break of the day. A new mom with a baby strapped to her front and a German Shepherd walking on a short leash by her side began to pass by. I'm sure there's a joke about German dogs going to a bar in here but I digress.
As the mama, baby, and dog went by, my dog Angel sniffed, looked up, and saw them. Even though she's well trained, she's still capable of making the kind of shrill bark known to dogs with little dog syndrome from time to time. Training dogs never means a dog won't bark or lick or eat crumbs off the floor. It means they're less likely to do these things when sane leaders are around.
My Angel, I could tell was thinking about a bark. So I simply and confidently made the shush sound (see video below). Our dog knows this sound well as I use it as a first defense against doggy cray cray (craziness). Angel then simply looked at the family and went back to sniffing/peeing/marking. The German Shepherd also heard my sound and carried on gently with his own pack.
From this intersection of potential interactions it was clear that both the lady and I had done our homework on keeping dogs calm when noticing each other. The mother remarked that it was so nice to have such a peaceful moment and I agreed. Our much earned peace was invisible but felt among all parties. This is what you want when you and your dog walk by others.
That mama displayed leadership by having her German Shepherd right by her side rather than the dog leading her and the child by being in front. She displayed calm friendliness as well as focus. I did my part by being aware of my dog and keeping her on track with being calm when others pass by.
I always say, if your dog is crazy, it's probably because you are. Moments of serenity are often overlooked or forgotten because out-of-control dogs are more dramatic. However it takes a lot of patience and effort to make a moment like this just a little (or a lot) more sane.
That mama and I and our dogs shared a moment of calm unity and community respect. What a great way to start the day!
I hope my two miniture Dachshunds are as polite and civil as Angel when around other dogs. But when they're inside our house or the back yard and they hear a truck or a person they bark like there's no end to the noise. Until I call them on it and 'shush' them. They settle down reasonably quickly but they wouldd prefeer to continue barking at the suspected intruder!