"Who's walking who?" - Some helpful stranger

Watson was excited to walk along the NYC Marathon route before the runners got there. Don't tell him that he'd never survive an actual marathon.

If you walk your dog anywhere that people can see you (or even if you don't and you post video online) someone at some point probably told you that "letting" your dog walk ahead of you is giving your dog some kind of power.

I haven't questioned any of these helpful self-declared experts but I assume they're talking about some outdated beliefs about dogs always trying to gain power over us. These dominance myths are all about how if the dog is ahead of us they feel superior to us.

"This walk is for him. If it were for me, it would happen a lot later in the day and wouldn't be so long." - Me, replying to these Helpful Hatties in my dreams.

Here are some reasons that dogs might walk ahead of their handlers:

• They smell something cool and want to get closer

• They have a naturally faster pace than humans

• They see something cool and want to get closer

• They see something scary and they want to get further away

• Dogs have no guilt, no shame, no morals, they do what works for them

• They know where we're going and they know it's going to be fun for dogs so they want to get there faster

• They're bored and want to do fun stuff

• Squirrel! (or Rat! or Cat! or Dog! or Pigeon!)

My previous dog, Ed, was smart. Really smart. His whole life I let him walk ahead of me, I let him walk out the door in front of me, I let him choose toys and games, and I walked away from things with him if he told me he needed to. If these sidewalk canine specialists are right Ed was clearly trying to dominate me and take over the world. So my question is, I gave him every opportunity to rule the earth for over a decade and he never did. What was he waiting for?!?!?!

He wasn't waiting for anything. He was never going to take over the world and if he had he wouldn't have known what to do with it. He was trying to meet his needs and one of the greatest gifts he gave me was helping me seek out the education that showed me that my job was to help him meet those needs in ways that were safe for both of us.

Long story short, your dog isn't trying to "dominate you," they're trying to meet their needs.

Seek out dog trainers and other pet professionals who can help you figure out what your dog's needs are and how you can meet those needs safely.

Got questions about how to meet your dog's needs? Let's figure it out together!

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