Poor guy has really challenging behaviour when you take him on walks. He dragged me down a grass incline today. Honestly I am scared of taking him out again.
It isn’t his fault though. His owner got him as a lockdown dog and she hasn’t raised a dog before.
What’s more she leaves him on his own far too much so he is too excited when he does get out.
My neighbour texted me at 9:30pn last night and asked if I can give him his lunch AND dinner. He was alone all afternoon/early evening. No wonder his behaviour is challenging.
I give him his lunch weekdays when his owner is at work. I can handle that but have lost confidence in controlling him out on the street.
Should I just make excuses as to why I can’t take him out or should I be honest and spell out his behaviour is too much? I don’t want to fall out with my neighbour over this
I would actually continue feeding the dog lunch and I would play with the dog. But I would also explain that the dog is too pent up to be taken on walks because he’s too hard to control.
The owner needs to walk the dog before work and after work. That way, the dog will be out more and easier to walk midday.
Does anyone else care for the dog? Or did they used to? Spelling out the behavior is probably going to be awkward, but it ultimately gives the owner more useful feedback than “Wow all my pet sitters keep quitting for no particular reason.” Some people take that information badly, though. I have a friend who I don’t visit anymore because her dog jumps on people and knocks them over. I am too physically fragile to be knocked over. I haven’t told her, because I’ve seen her get frustrated when others tell her that her dog has dangerous behaviors. She knows about her dog’s issues already, and is taking steps to address them. She just gets disheartened when people point it out.
If she wasn’t aware, I might feel differently. It’s already a bit awkward, because I’m pretty sure she knows why I don’t visit.