Dog Park Responsibilities

Calgary has many dog parks; some are great while others leave a lot to be desired. For city living they offer our canine friends a chance to run, smell, play and explore without a restricting leash. However dog parks can be very dangerous and lead to behavior problems in dogs. Here are a few things you need to know if you are a user.

 

 

The City of Calgary has bylaws that include having your pet licensed, picking up after your dog and keeping your under control. However officers are rarely around and under control seems to mean different things to different people.

You can’t control other people or dogs but you can do a lot to protect yourself and your dog while using a park.

 

1.      If your dog has a history of aggression then stop using off leash parks. Contact a reliable and educated dog trainer and work on the issue instead of hoping “socialization” will solve the problem; it won’t.

2.      Make sure your dog has strong obedience skills this includes a recall away from dogs, other animals, garbage, toys and people. This isn’t a “your dog comes sometimes” but your dog comes every time skill. If your dog can’t do this then please go to a training class and stop letting Fido run free. Recall is fairly easy to train so just get to work and you’ll be enjoying the park in a much safer manner. If you call your dog and he/she doesn’t come then immediately go get him/her. Standing there and hoping your dog will change its mind will not solve the problem.

3.      Carry a device to break up a dog fight or attack. This includes an air horn (they come in a variety of sizes and you can pick one up at Canadian Tire) or spray shield. I carry these even for on leash walks and they work on coyotes as well. Only use if there’s an actual dog fight.

4.      Do not bring a dog to the park if he/she isn’t feeling well, has an injury or is in season. This isn’t fair to your dog and he/she would prefer a shorter walk or an on leash smelling adventure instead.

 

5.      Don’t let your dog maul other dogs. Just because your dog is a puppy and wants to wrestle or mount other dogs doesn’t mean another dog is going to appreciate that. Dogs often have a lower tolerance for this as they age and some dogs aren’t comfortable playing until they know/trust the other dog. Respect this and recall your dog.

 

6.      Remember to take breaks during rough and wild play sessions. Sometimes two dogs meet and they are having a great time racing around and wrestling. Wonderful. It’s still a good idea to occasionally recall your dog back to you for a few seconds break, reward them for coming and then letting them play again. This keeps your recall strong and also allows the other dog to decide if he/she still wants to play.

 

7.      If you are bringing children with you to the dog park it’s important to remember that not all dogs are safe and bite prevention measures need to be in place. Teach your kids how to greet dogs safely and always ask before petting. Do not allow your child to run around wildly screaming or caring toys (especially dog toys). Just because you trained your dog doesn’t mean someone else has. Keep your kids safe since they don’t know better and it’s easy for an overexcited adolescent dog to knock them over.

8.      Keep your dog close to you. If Fido is across the park you can’t do anything if something goes wrong. A good recall is great but remember you have to be nearby if your best friend gets into trouble.

 

 

Don't Dogs Like Walks???

Lately I've had lots of new puppy clients signing up for private lessons and group classes. It's just that time of year. So hand in hand with nervous new fur parents are the countless questions; which I do love to answer!

The one I've been hearing the most is why does my puppy lie down on walks?

It's actually rare when I don't hear this one so please know that this is a common puppy behaviour and there's nothing to panic about. And there could be a few reasons why.

#1 - Your puppy could be frightened
#2 - Your puppy might not like his/her collar, leash, harness, etc.
#3 - Your puppy might be tired (walks can really cause them to crash quickly depending on the age and muscle a dog has)
#4 - Your puppy might not want to go in the direction you are going or at the speed you are walking
#5 - Your puppy might have a growth sprut and is more tired than usual or sore
#6 - And rarely but not to be ruled out: your puppy could have an injury but this is easy to rule out if he/she is walking/running around normally at home or off leash

There could be a few more reasons but those are the most likely culprits in my experience. So now that begs the question: What should you do?

First off I would like to recommend that your puppy be on a harness and not a collar (especially any device that tightens). All of my puppies without exception wear an Easywalk harness or Sensation harness. Sophia Yin has a great article on dog training equipment and her recommendations that can be found here.

Secondly it's important to take shorter walks and maybe more frequent than longer ones. The length depends on the dog, breed, outside temperature, etc. Large breed puppies like Newfoundlands will get tired very quickly.

And finally try to stay exciting when your puppy lies down. Teach him/her how to hand target or chase a toy. Get the movement going again but don't get into a tug of war with the leash as it will just increase the dog's urge to pull in the opposite direction. If your puppy is truly tired then take him/her home. If he/she is scared then spend some time in that spot, maybe share a few cookies and let your puppy assess where he/she is.

Contacting a good positive reinforcement trainer can help as well. They can provide guidance on what your individual puppy needs and can help you teach him/her.

Whatever you do don't give up on going for walks. They are a very important part of socialization and your pup does need to learn to walk on leash. Try to make your walk a relationship building experience between you and your new puppy. Don't Army march down the street but stop smell the flowers, play games and talk to your new furkid!

As a personal aside when Marco was a baby he became like a dying fish whenever I attached his collar, harness or leash. It took him 2 months to accept that these pieces of equipment were necessary! So we took really short walks for training/socialization purposes, practiced in the basement to eliminate distractions and did most of our exercising off leash in a designated park. I am happy to report that after 4 months of age he walked like a champ on leash.