03/01/2024
“You shouldn’t pick up your dog” shouts a stranger as their husky jumps and paws at my chi x, whilst they chase their dog from 200 meters away. ⁉️
Ironically, when Loki joined my family, I was opposed to picking him up. As a result, he feels very confident on the ground, and far less confident in my arms.
The ground gives his communication skills freedom to thrive! He is able to communicate dog-to-dog as nature and evolution intended, and this results in conflict resolution 80% of the time.
Another 10% of the time however, dogs fail to find a common ground, which causes Loki to seek comfort by asking to go “up”. When he does that, I will always pick him up, as he has the right to feel afraid (or more likely uncomfortable).
What happens next:
👉Loki has no need to react because help is always available.
👉Loki hates being picked up, so when he asks to be, I know that the situation has gone “too far”.
👉I pick him up without warning in unavoidable situations (public transport, crowds, busy roads)
👉We practice “uppies” at home for a treat almost daily.
What happens in the remaining 10%?
Well, Loki can be the bad guy. This usually happens either at night, when he is uncomfortable and hyper vigilant. Another reason is pain, which only happened about thrice.
So is it okay to pick up your dog?
Yes. Because often we can’t control the environment.
It is not a matter of swiping your dog off the ground when anything goes wrong (according to humans). It is a thoroughly calculated technique which involves training and consent.
Let’s make our dogs happy, not perfect ❤️
