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©Scott Sheaffer, CBCC-KA, CDBC, CPDT-KA, USA Dog Behavior, LLC

“Did you notice something in what I say?”

— Scott Sheaffer

My wife and I were walking around a Junior College near our home last week when we observed something that was distressing to both of us. A young man was walking his beautiful adolescent-looking German Shepherd. This man was almost a parody of what I hate to see in abusive dog owners: muscled up with a tank top, yelling “heel” every three seconds and constantly jerking the leash. Upon closer observation, I noticed his dog was wearing a metal prong collar.

The dog was clearly stressed and fearful. What to do?

We’ve all been there. You see someone mistreating their dog out in public and you don’t know what to say or do. Generally speaking, people don’t do things to intentionally hurt their dog; they just don’t know better - at least that’s been my experience. Sometimes we observe poor treatment of dogs and it’s not all that egregious, and other times there’s no doubt the dog is being abused.

I am certain about one thing, dog owners who are not treating their dogs humanely do not wish to hear any input from a bystander. I have a theory for why this is. First, people generally don’t like to be told what to do. Secondly, people who are treating their dogs badly tend to know they are and are already self-conscious as a result. Any kind of quick suggestion to them is going to be met with hostility.

This is how I handle these situations. I simply walk over to the dog owner and admire their dog (which is easy since I really like dogs). Since I’m a dog behaviorist, I’m aware of some great dog training websites, books and articles authored by respected and credentialed dog trainers. I’ll first chat with them for a bit and then mention that they should look at one or two of these websites, articles and books I found helpful when training my dogs. Did you notice something in what I say? I tell them this information really helped me when I was training my dogs. I am careful not to comment on what they are currently doing with their dog or any of the equipment they might be using at the moment (e.g., shock collar, prong collar). I, of course, do not tell them that I am a dog behaviorist or in the dog training business - they, most likely, really wouldn’t care.

What can you do? I recommend doing the same kind of thing. When you observe someone training their dog in a way that is clearly abusive, start by first building a relationship. Walk over to them and let them know how much you love dogs and talk about their dog. Tell them about any positive-reward, professional dog training websites, articles and books you may have used that helped when you were training your dogs. Ensure that you don’t comment on their current dog training techniques as this will almost certainly cut off any interest the dog owner may have in what you have to say.

You have to plant a seed first. There are times when I see new clients whose dog is wearing a shock collar or prong collar. There are other times when I meet for the first time with a client who is leash-popping or hitting their dog right in front of me. Do you think I comment right away? No. I don’t want to alienate the client and shut down communication before we even get started. I surgically bide my time. I’ll first establish a relationship with them as well as my competence as a dog behaviorist. Once that is done, usually in the first session, we can then have a discussion about these things. I don’t think there has ever been a time when I do this that the client hasn’t really listened to what I have to say and then took the proper steps to correct things.

As much as we might want to, we can’t be saviors to all mistreated dogs. However, using a measured approach, we can help some of the dogs that need our assistance.

If you would like to learn about websites, articles and books that can serve as reference material, please contact me with your specific request and I’ll send you some information.

How do you handle these kinds of situations? Do you have a way that has proven to be successful? Let me know of these and I’ll share them.

For further reading: Why do people abuse dogs?