Meeting people on the street with your dog

I'm always a little leery when people approach me while walking Misha. She's afraid of people, so I never know what her reaction will be. Also, people tend to think small dogs are so cute and they reach down without thinking.

Misha has gotten better on our walks. She used to be terrible. Any time anyone passed us, she would bark and lunge at them. Thankfully, most people are not put off by a miniature dog with a temper. She has gotten better over time. We can now share the sidewalk with people as long as they don't have a dog with them or they are not the mail carrier.

Yesterday, we had another breakthrough. I met someone from my old neighborhood. We stood and talked for about 10 minutes. Do you know that my little brat stood at my side and didn't say a word? In fact, she acted very much like a dog who knows how to behave. I was really surprised. Maybe I was walking the wrong dog.

I'm beginning to think 3 is the magic number. Meaning, now that she is 3 years old all that training is paying off.

How does your dog react to people on the street? Is your dog friendly, fearful, or protective? Can you walk by them without too much fuss?

 

Three may very well be the magic number. Actually it depends on the dog. I am not so sure about other breeds but Bangkeaws, in general, tend to mature later. So a Bangkeaw at two years is still a frisky mischievous puppy. At three, it settles down. This is when it becomes dangerous because it won't bark much. Just bite.

 

Victor, what is a Bangkeaw? I don't think I've ever heard of that before.

My Lab mix started to settle down at 3. At 5, she became a very lazy dog. I remember 3 was when Sierra started to do my commands when I said them. It was as if she suddenly figured out I meant for her to do them and not someone else.

Misha is still quite frisky, but she has stopped doing things like biting when she plays. I didn't think that she would ever learn that one. Even though her teeth are small, they still hurt.

My brother's Yorkie has been completely different. They got him at 6 months and he had already mellowed out. He still did puppy things but he didn't have that wild energy about him.

3 years old must play a significant part in the their maturation. They still need more time to settle down, but it seems that at 3 some of the lights start going on.

 

I don’t need to walk my dog except for Shakira since she’s big from the common dogs seen in the neighborhood and passersby, though most would find her beautiful, keep their distance because of her size. Browny usually just follow behind or walk side by side with the girl, I really don’t have a problem with him when he’s with us. He’s more of a problem when he knows nobody is present thus he’s the boss of himself and would snarl or nip someone he deemed suspicious. The rest of the dogs have their walk along the neighborhood like stray dogs. Anyway, the neighbors are already familiar as to which dog belongs to whom and dogs in the neighborhood have the sense not to cross the boundary. I think animals have instinctive understanding about territory.

 

A Bangkeaw is one of the two recognized dog breeds from Thailand. The other recognized breed is the Ridgeback. Bangkeaws are still very wild in their temperament. Apparently the wolf in them is just under the skin. That's why although Bangkeaws take part in beauty contests, I have yet to hear of Bangkeaws being trained for work. Not that they cannot work. It's just that they are too independent-minded to really want to do as they are told.

This is a Bangkeaw puppy.


This is an adult Bangkeaw doing what it loves best, which is getting wet.


And here's how one Bangkeaw puppy spends its day:

 

I am incredibly leary of meeting new people when I'm walking my dog. I always say 'he's very timid around strangers so go slow' Then I let them slowly approach and I watch him for any signs of stress. I also always carry treats in my pocket to reward him for good behavior.

 

Victor, thanks for the photos and video of the Bangkeaw. What a beautiful breed! The puppy in the first video looks like it would be huge grown up.

MakingCents, I feel the same way. People tend to think that because small dogs are cute that they are harmless. They don't realize that a small bite hurts, too.

Normally, if people ask to approach Misha, I tell them that she's afraid of people and that she might bite. That usually makes them approach more slowly and they don't try to pet her. But, they insist on yelling "hey, puppy puppy" as they walk by.

 

Those are cute dog and puppy photos.
I had tried walking our recent dog just to meet my friend in a neighbor and he was too scared. He was too scared to be brought out of the compound and to meet new people.
I think it is because of his history being a stray dog when he was still a puppy in which passersby sometimes hurt him or chase him away because he tried to be friendly or follow someone to adopt him.

 

Thank you. Good to know that I might have started you on the first step to becoming a Bangkeaw lover.

Actually the Bangkeaw is not a big dog. It's smaller than a Labrador. The odd thing is that although the Bangkeaw is native to Thailand, it has a double coat which is more common for dogs in cold climates. Maybe it has something to do with the history of the development of the breed.

The Bangkeaw was domesticated from a cross between a wolf and a village bitch and the people who adopted this breed were living on river houses floating on bamboos rafts. So from the very beginning, a Bangkeaw takes to water very much like a duck. That probably accounts for the double coat.