04/06/2024
Reflections on Social Work with Hazel and Gaia
This social walk was with Hazel and Gaia, each with their unique personalities and behaviors . The goal was to have them walk parallel to each other, maintaining a comfortable distance to ensure they did not feel stressed or uncomfortable.
Hazel the dachshund, a happy greeter, has the desire to meet and interact with everyone. Her enthusiasm, while endearing, can sometimes be overwhelming for other dogs. On the other hand, Gaia, a sensitive Chihuahua, prefers to keep to herself and is not as happy on meeting and greeting others.
To accommodate their contrasting personalities, I decided to maintain a sufficient distance between them during their walk. This strategy proved to be effective. Gaia was able to relax and enjoy her surroundings, sniffing around without any signs of stress or discomfort.
Hazel, despite her desire to meet Gaia, was successfully redirected by her owner to maintain the necessary distance. There were a few instances where Hazel attempted to close the gap by pulling on her leash, but these were managed by changing the direction, and the walk proceeded smoothly.
In conclusion, the social walk session with Hazel and Gaia was a nice experience.
It demonstrated the importance of understanding and respecting the individual personalities and comfort levels of dogs during socialization exercises. It also highlighted the role of effective handling and direction from the owners in managing their dogs’ behaviors during such interactions. This experience has provided valuable insights that will undoubtedly be beneficial in future social walks sessions with dogs.
I think I could have done one thing differently.
Instead of just telling Hazel’s owner what to do, I could have used the hand signal and I could have moved a bit towards her. This might have made it clearer for her to stop pulling on the leash. But overall, it was a good experience that will help in future dog walks.
https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D6D5hQ1eCuQY%26t%3D1s&h=AT3HEvs7xuMJgfFCphPxBWRDwm865vsFMrNEifncP9MNr3AVTKUEW0I-cle2L8bMLFcBMexxoC8VaRf5vyFVEuHsJFEozg8500xlho4LHFCOZ43RUTvfnnBSik30dsFCnSouA-Eaybf5yhlpzZSMKS4&s=1
Reflections on Social Work with Hazel and GaiaThis social walk was with Hazel and Gaia, each with their unique personalities and behaviors . The goal was to ...