I just got back from a conference; one of the vendors had an interesting product: a back pack that isn’t really a backpack. Instead it has two bags and they hang from the shoulders like a vest rather than along the back. There are two clip on straps in the front – one across the breastbone just below the collarbone and another across the pelvic girdle, used to support the pack while seated. Such an ingenious idea; you don’t have to remove your pack while waiting or using public transportation. There is another strap, which really comes in handy for dog walkers – a nylon clip belt that supports the pack by resting the pack on your hips.
I haven’t tried this on an actual dog walk; this backpack solves a couple of problems:
- Putting all the dog’s equipment somewhere, be it leashes, treats, balls, frisbees and plastic bags. In addition, there are the things the sitter needs, such as cell phones, car keys and in cooler climates an extra layer of clothing.
- Righting the forward posture that almost invariably comes as part of dog walking.
It also a great pack for people who like to hike and intend to be gone for more than a couple of hours. They now have a place to put their keys, maps, water, power bars (or other energy bar) and a water resistant light weight jacket in case the weather changes.
Maintaining posture is important. One of the things I notice about a back pack that sits on a person’s back is the tendency, as the day wears on or the pack is more than a few pounds, for the walker to to tilt the center of gravity forward as the trapezius starts to tire. Putting the center of gravity forward creates a pelvic tilt that turns off the muscles in the back of the legs, creating low back pain. Pelvic tilts due to forward leaning posture is one of the leading causes of chronic low back pain. Eventually the person develops an intractable knee problem and it becomes painful to walk the dog, especially dogs that like to walk ahead, as most dogs do.
Dogs, like other animals, respond to energy and body language much more readily than people do. Sometimes our frontal lobes, the pride of being human, gets in our way. A hunched over posture sends a very subtle signal to the dog that the handler is not in charge. Submissive dogs or dogs that are lower on the totem pole in a pack tend to walk with their tails lower and their heads hunched forward. The top dog or pack leader walks with its tail high, head and ears perked up. In a human, what the dog is really responding to is the shift in the power center from the center of the body to outside the body.
Walking tall, with the shoulders back, head held high sends the dog quite a different signal: now the dog has no reason to think it is in charge. The dog senses the strength coming from the solar plexus, which is where it should be. All commands, like heel, wait, stop, sit or down originate from the power center and the dog responds appropriately. While the dog may not heel, the dog will not pull on the leash as much except when he has to go or senses a prey-like animal, like a squirrel. It is very difficult to train a dog out of predatory behaviour, like lunging after squirrels.
Since dog walking requires certain equipment, especially for those who do it professionally, having the right equipment is important. A pack that sits on the handler like a vest goes a long way as that frees the shoulders to issue commands or signals to the dog through the leash. A leash is not just a tool to restrain a dog from running off and hurting herself; it is also a tool that can be used to communicate with a dog and if used correctly, the dog will respond to it. Dogs are pretty strong animals, and for many of the larger ones, even those that weigh as little as 25 lbs, issuing a correction or command with just the handler’s arms does not transmit enough force to the leash to be effective. Getting the entire body behind the leash gets the dog’s attention, as that snapping sound stops a dog in his tracks almost immediately.
Mechanically, getting “behind the handler’s body behind the leash” implies that the handler issues the commands from the power center – the solar plexus. To do that, the handler must be walking with shoulders back, back straight and head up. It is not possible to maintain that posture if the handler is hunched forward, with a ten pound bowling ball hanging off the neck. No wonder people who walk that way tire more quickly. In the standing tall position, whether running or walking, the propulsion happens at the solar plexus, and the legs follow along and the job changes to counteracting the force of gravity, which the legs do very well. Such a posture is biomechanically efficient and the walker can walk much more quickly and handle the dog or dogs much more easily. That solar plexus center is known as Chi.
In this position, the handler has better control over the dog and can react much more quickly when the dog decides that the handler is much less interesting than the adjacent flower bed, or worse, the curb. That also allows the handler to issue commands like Wait with authority so the dog really does stop her forward motion (assuming, of course, that the dog understands the word Wait).
So if you really want to get out and walk your dog so that the experience is a pleasurable and allows you to bond with your dog, stand tall, put the dog on a shorter leash and hold it with both hands in front of your navel. The dog will soon get the message that you are in charge and soon you can walk your dog with your arms at your side, which is a much more natural position without the dog bolting at the sight of a moving leaf.
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