When “yuggles” ask you to walk the dog, they’re not setting out to ding your yoyo; They’re trying to relate and connect to the person who’s entertaining them/ performing in public. Most yuggles don’t know any other tricks besides the most iconic, walk the dog. Rather than dismissing their attempt to form a connection by spitefully explaining why you can’t walk the dog, try saying something like “Well, I’d prefer to not do walk the dog here, yoyos are expensive but I can do this!” , and show them an arm grind or another fun trick that a non yoyoist would find entertaining. Something very simple but entertaining.
If possible, look for some carpet/grass to do walk the dog on. They’ll love it.
If you really want to keep to yourself while throwing in public, decline as kindly and as simply as possible “sorry, but I’m practicing for a contest” or something similar.
Remember, people ask to see walk the dog because they find you interesting. A change in perspective can turn the “walk the dog” question into a compliment, rather than a request to ding your yoyo.
this has been a conundrum for people ever since yo-yo’s started becoming more “precious” to players than their daily interactions with people on the street.
i make it a point to walk the dog whenever i’m asked. if i had my gold ronin, then i’d do it with my gold ronin. to me it’s a matter of principle and it’s taken me many years to come to a place where i think i have a pretty healthy understanding of my yo-yo’s and their “value”.
If you do it in public, it will draw attention, and it’s sad to say, but you can’t have a private moment yo-yoing in public with all those people around. I know how you feel though. One day, I was weed whacking on my front lawn, and I always wear headphones. My neighbor pulled up in the street in her car and asked me to turn the weed whacker off and come over there. I turned it off, took the headphones off, and I walked 40 feet over there after turning the machine off, interrupting my song, thinking she had an emergency. She started some idle chit chat. I was short with her, because you should never bother someone who has something covering their ears. Mine were not even earbuds, they were old fashioned style headphones. And, I got out of rhythm and focus with the work I was doing. If you had a hat, collecting change, you might want to take requests, otherwise under the circumstances, I don’t think it’s polite for people to even ask. If I saw you yo-yoing with earbuds, and no hat collecting change…I’d just watch you…not bother you…that’s it. Any perception of you being rude, would mean that they were rude first. But, I think you will always get that yo-yoing in public…sad but true. People don’t understand that just because you’re yo-yoing, does not mean you are trying to draw attention from them.
My solution, unfortunately, would be to not yo-yo on the ferry. Even carrying a cheap plastic will further engage them, which you don’t want. If you walk the dog, it is not what you want to do…because you want alone time. Doing an arm grind…same thing. I see a no win situation. I probably would find another time…unfortunately.
It has never happened to me, but if it ever does and that person is very pushy about wanting me to do it then I would have to tell them I would if they don’t mind giving me the amount of money I paid for it beforehand so I can buy a new one that isn’t damaged after doing walk the dog. I have a feeling that this would change someone’s mind about how bad they want to see somebody “walk the dog”.
I yoyo for my students all the time and walk the dog does not come up nearly as much as the eiffel tower! I showed it to them once, and since then, that’s all they ask for I’ll throw out an insanely intricate freestyle, and at the end…silence- shortly followed by, “now do the eiffel tower!” Sometimes when I am asked for this trick, and I’m feeling playful, I tell them that I am “so awesome;so amazing that my yoyoing ability has actually transcended the yoyo itself! I will now peform the eiffel tower without the use of a yoyo!” Then I dramatically remove my yoyo from its string and put it in my pocket with magician-like poise and exagerated but deliberate hand motions (all the while as they watch slack-jawed in silent, eager anticipation for the wonderous event that is about to ensue), and then I proceed to anticlimactically wrap the yoyo-less string arround my hand to create the iconic eiffel tower. Fun Stuff (for me anyways:D)
But back to the walk the dog dilemma, I usually just do an arm grind as well. My favorite thing to do though is get them involved. I usually ask one of them to hold out their booger picker (pointer finger) really tight, and then I throw a good strong sleeper into a plastic whip and carry it to their outstretched finger for a finger spin-they love it!
I’ll throw out an insanely intricate freestyle, and at the end…silence- shortly followed by, “now do the eiffel tower!” Sometimes when I am asked for this trick, and I’m feeling playful, I tell them that I am “so awesome;so amazing that my yoyoing ability has actually transcended the yoyo itself! I will now peform the eiffel tower without the use of a yoyo!” Then I dramatically remove my yoyo from its string and put it in my pocket with magician-like poise and exagerated but deliberate hand motions (all the while as they watch slack-jawed in silent, eager anticipation for the wonderous event that is about to ensue), and then I proceed to anticlimactically wrap the yoyo-less string arround my hand to create the iconic eiffel tower. Fun Stuff (for me anyways:D)