You might be wondering - what do free living dogs have to do with leash reactivity? 

Before the current life we have with pet dogs in Western countries, dogs were free living. And in many countries around the world including India, Turkey, and Mexico, you will still find tens of millions of free living dogs whose lives are drastically different than those of pet dogs in the U.S. 

What does it mean for a dog to have a good life? Is it the autonomy to move about as they please? Or is it a roof over their head, a soft bed, and taken everywhere on leash, at the direction of a human? 

In order for us to help reactive dogs, we need to understand who dogs are without all of the artificial constructs we have placed on them, including leashes and fences. What is it about barriers and humans that have such a dramatic influence on a dog's behavior? What can we learn about free living dogs that will help us better support our pet dogs? 

Tell me what you think about this episode by emailing me at [email protected]

About Kapil:

Kapil Patwardhan works to serve free-living dogs in India. He plays many roles - as volunteer providing medical aid and food for dogs in Pune. As an educator, helping the community coexist with dogs by understanding body language and reducing conflict. As an author, he has written two children's books, using story telling to aid children learn empathy and rest words street animals. As an independent researcher, he works on different research projects focussing on understanding the dog side of the human-dog relationship by collecting ethnographic data on free living dogs. While dogs take up most of his 24 hours, he finds time to step away from the dog world by performing stand up comedy and playing professional darts.

Tours: https://getfloof.com/collections/2027-dog-study-and-immersive-experience-tours

Free ebook of the kid’s book - https://ibh-hundeschulen.org/tipps/neu-der-hund-der-zur-schule-geht/

For courses on helping reactive dogs for both pet parents and dog professionals go to www.jessicawheatcraft.com

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