Who's in charge here?

I was always a cat person. In fact, when my sister learned that Oz, who had been Kathy's dog, had essentially adopted me, she turned to Kathy and said, "What have you done to my brother!"

I had a couple of dogs growing up, but we lived on the outskirts of the country, and they could be let run in the fields by the house. In other words, I had never walked a dog, except for some clumsy attempts to help my dad when I was home.

They were clumsy because I'm not very good at being in charge of things. I cooperate well, and I've got initiative up the wazoo, but I had giving orders. That includes to animals. The result has been an interesting walking style. I guide Oz by getting her to associate me with all things good: W's, swimming, visiting other dogs, cats, etc.

This has resulted in a division of labor. I'm in charge of security, which means handling cars and aggressive dogs. She's in charge of friendly greetings. We split the route selection. When we're on the road, we have standard routes, and whatever looks best that day, that's where we go. When we're in the woods, we alternate. She sometimes guides us by smell. I sometimes guide us by eye.

This sounds very haphazard, but it works. I usually keep one finger on the leash. I don't care if we weave or stop, so long as we don't get hit by cars or accidentally threaten other walkers. She's happy to go about anywhere so long as we're outside, and since we both like visiting her dog friends, we got along fine.

Greg