Woman Asked to Dog Sit—but There's a Problem: 'Not Safe'

Newsweek

3 hours ago

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A woman's first day of dog sitting took an unexpected turn when her furry companion strongly resisted having a leash put on.
In a TikTok video, the creator captured the confusing facial expression—somewhere between a scowl and a growl—that the dog made every time she tried to come close to her with her leash. Newsweek spoke to professional dog trainer Ali Smith about the dog's behavior and how the new sitter can take on the challenge.
"Dog sitting day one and she won't let me put her leash on," the creator captioned the video. "That collar took me abt 2 hours to put on I sat on the couch and she finally came up to me and let me put it on."
A dog growls on the couch with its owner.
A dog growls on the couch with its owner.The video shows the dog making a threatening face each time the sitter approaches, making it clear she was not thrilled about the process.
The clip resonated with many TikTok users, who offered varied perspectives on the dog's behavior.
"Call the owners," a top-liked comment read. "This is not safe behavior!"
But another commenter noted the importance of distinguishing between genuine aggression and a dog's quirky expressions.
"For me, it depends on whether they're growling or are showing physical signs that they don't want to," they wrote. "I have a dog that I dog-sit and she looks terrifying, but that's just her grinning 'hello.'"
Another user jokingly wished their dog had similar self-preservation instincts: "I wish my dog had boundaries like this. She would literally let anybody take her."
An Expert Weighs In
Newsweek spoke to Smith, CEO and founder at Rebarkable, a puppy-training platform, about the different perspectives on the situation and why the dog might be resistant to the leash.
She offered expert insight into why a dog might react negatively to a collar or leash—even with someone familiar.
"There are two core reasons that a dog can be weird about a collar, or any piece of equipment," Smith explained. "That's, one, a lack of familiarity [and] two, poor associations with the collar."
She added that the lack of familiarity is usually addressed in puppyhood through the process of socialization. Poor association, on the other hand, is simply learned over time. The pup in the video's aversion could have to do with anything related to the collar—even the sound of the buckle, she said.
Smith elaborated on how negative experiences can shape a dog's perception: "Similar to how our dogs often learn vets means bad things happen, if a dog gets 'corrected' via a collar, or physically moved with a collar or similar, they can swiftly build negative associations."
For those facing similar challenges to the creator, she offered practical advice to ease the process.
"Don't always aim for getting the collar on," she advised. "Even showing pup the collar and them not running away can be a good thing. Reward heavily with tasty treats or play, and you'll start seeing your dog's uncertainty of their collar disappear."
Newsweek reached out to @m6069884 for comment via TikTok.