The wonder of parallel walking
Dogs may be worried or afraid of many things: other dogs, unknown people, specific types of people (men with hats, children, people with canes ...) and so on. They may react by hiding and trying to escape or by barking, lunging and other behaviours. When helping a dog overcome such issues, we look at the whole picture, identify the reasons and make changes in the dog's lifestyle. One of the steps that may be part of the process is parallel walking.
Dax and Kike having a parallel walk.
Parallel waking is an exercise of walking side by side with the thing that usually worries a dog or makes him react. It can be used in a multitude of scenarios as it helps dogs get acquainted with other dogs, people, and other parts of the environment. Facing these things head on would likely be too stressful, while walking side by side at a comfortable distance helps the dog remain calm, think and learn new things.
Parallel walking is very often used to help a dog overcome issues with other dogs or simply as a way of introducing dogs that don't know each other yet. In this scenario, we need another dog and handler to help us.
The setup is easy: we need to choose a wide enough space and consider the characteristics of each dog as we make the selection. Distance is very important. We need to make sure that both dogs are comfortable at the distance we are using: we want to see them move in a relatively relaxed way, exploring and sniffing, and of course we want the leash to smile as much as possible. If we see that the dogs are relaxed, we can gradually reduce the distance between them.
When meeting other dogs, fearful and shy dogs need a little extra time to feel confident and be able to communicate. Boisterous and outgoing dogs might be overly excited. Using people as barriers is a very efficient way of reducing the tension. The "barriers" also walk in parallel between the two dogs. They provide protection, and as the dogs are getting more used to one another the people acting as barriers can be removed until the dogs are left with their own handlers.
People acting as barriers.
A parallel walk may not look like much - especially if it is done right. It may look like two dogs walking along, ignoring each other, but be sure that cogs are turning in their clever heads and new behaviour patterns are being formed. 10 or 15 minutes of parallel walking are more than enough for one session, and afterwards the dog needs a chance to rest, sleep and process. The results can be nothing short of spectacular.
It is important not to rush parallel walking encounters. If you need more sessions or a lot of distance, that is absolutely fine.
As always, equipment plays a vital part during this exercise. A long enough smiling leash helps dogs use their body language freely. A comfortable H harness reduces stress and prevents injury.
We recommend that you look for a knowledgeable and ethical trainer to help you and your dog overcome behavioral issues. Many can be found here.
