A Shy Dog, a New City, and the First Week of Walks

"He takes time to trust people"

Ziggy is a young Lagotto Romagnolo who had just arrived in Rome from New York with his family. They found us the way more and more people do now: they asked ChatGPT for a reliable dog walker in Rome, and we came up first.

The first thing they told me was that Ziggy is shy. He takes his time with new people. He's also full of energy. Without a proper outing, he spends the day restless and chewing on whatever he can find.

That combination is common, and it changes how the first meeting should go.

Step 1: We meet before we walk

We never start with the walk. We start with a conversation.

On the first day, I sat down with the family for about twenty minutes. We talked about Ziggy's routine, his habits, what worries them and what makes him happy. Meanwhile, Ziggy was left to decide about me in his own time.

He didn't need long. Before we'd finished talking he was sitting between my legs, asking for cuddles. When we set off, he followed me straight away, looking back at the door two or three times, then trotting on happily.

A shy dog doesn't need to be won over. It needs time and space to make its own choice.

Step 2: On the leash in the city, free when it's safe

Rome's streets are busy, so our dogs stay on the leash most of the time: on pavements, crossing roads and anywhere with traffic. Letting a dog off the leash is something we do only in parks and safe open spaces, and only once we know the dog is reliable and comes back when called.

With a new dog, that takes a little time. We walked about ten minutes to the park around Castel Sant'Angelo, one of our favourite spots in Prati. Ziggy met other dogs, explored, and came home tired and happy. I spent the walk getting to know him: how he reacts to traffic, to other dogs, to new places, and how closely he listens.

Step 3: Building confidence, one walk at a time

On day two, I noticed how well Ziggy responded when called. He checked in with me often and came back when asked.

By the third walk he'd earned his freedom in the park. Now he runs free, chases the ball and plays with his new friends, and he's been a joy ever since.

Step 4: Teaching something new

The family had mentioned that Ziggy doesn't really play fetch. He'd grab the ball and run off with it.

So we made it our project. Within four days, Ziggy was bringing the ball back. We're still working on the "drop it" part, since he'd rather turn it into a game of tug. But every walk now means an hour of running, fetching and playing with his new friends at the park.

That's the part owners don't always expect. A good walk isn't just exercise. It's where a dog learns, gains confidence and burns off the energy that would otherwise go into the sofa cushions.

The daily routine

Two weeks in, Ziggy has a routine. Every day I ring the bell and he barks, until he sees who it is. Then either he rolls over for belly rubs, or he dives under the sofa for his favourite game: *try and catch me*. It's not fear. It's a game, and the whole family has joined in.

Then we're off: an hour in the park, the ball, new friends, and a calm, happy dog back home for the rest of the day.