Timing and being aware of your surroundings are great tools to prevent having a really bad day. (Photo: chihuahua nestled in the crook of a man’s arm. The man is wearing a wristwatch. See what I did there?)
You’re hanging out with your dog off-leash. Everything seems to be going well. You’re playing a bit of fetch. Your dog is returning to you as he (almost) always does and you’re capturing a picture of him for Instagram.
You throw the ball, your dog races after it…and in the blink of an eye, he’s
crossing a street to visit a dog on a leash who you didn’t see coming. Bad news: that dog is reactive on the leash. You try to call your dog, but it’s too late. There’s no way he’ll come back now. The owner is screaming at you, putting tension on her leash, and now there’s a dog fight.
Your dog may not find other dogs distracting. Perhaps it’s people on bikes? Joggers? Squirrels? Cats?
We’ve talked about recall a lot, but we haven’t talked about timing and it’s REALLY IMPORTANT.
There’s no worse feeling than seeing your dog running full tilt toward something that could hurt him (Photo: a bull terrier runs across a field)
The leader of any pack of dogs is ALWAYS scanning the environment for threats.
When you play fetch with your dog, you’re tapping into your dog’s natural instinct to chase prey. The two of you are a pack, and hopefully, YOU are the leader of your pack. This makes it YOUR job to scan 360 degrees and be aware of things that could possibly set your dog up for a negative experience (runs headfirst into another dog who is aggressive and gets into a fight), a deadly experience (bites a child and needs to be put to sleep; runs in front of a car; or eats something that kills him,) or sets the general public up for a negative experience (jumps on a jogger who is TERRIFIED of dogs.)
Her thumb’s up day turns into a thumb’s down day if your dog bites her (Photo: woman jogging giving a thumb’s up)
BEFORE you throw the ball, you should be aware of your surroundings. If there’s a kid on a bike coming and your dog chases bikes, recall your dog (leash them if you have to) and wait until the child goes by before throwing the ball again.
Clients always ask me: “How do I scan around and not get super stressed out. I feel like I’m on guard/on edge all the time.”
I answer: “You’re scanning the area to keep your dog safe. There’s nothing to be afraid or panicked about. Just look around calmly. Don’t overthink it.”
Look. Owning a dog is a HUGE responsibility. It’s your job to teach your dog how to overcome all of his behavioural issues BEFORE unclipping the leash in a public place. If you don’t know how to rehabilitate your dog’s behavioural issues (fear of cars, aggressive to dogs and people, chases ATVs/farm equipment) find a trainer who can help you.
If you know your dog doesn’t have perfect recall, you need to teach it to them for their own safety. Not to mention the safety of the public. How AWFUL do you feel when your dog knocks a little kid off his bike? Scares a jogger by jumping up on them? Body checks your mother or grandmother and she breaks her hip? You don’t need that kind of stress in your life, so be aware of your surroundings.
There are some dogs who may arrive to the park while you’re there playing fetch with your dog who your dog doesn’t get along with. TIMING! Don’t risk a dog fight, so that you can play five more minutes of fetch. Clip on the leash and go BEFORE this off-leash dog sprints up into your dog’s face after you’ve already leashed up. Anticipate. You’re a Dog Leader now. Make quick decisions that benefit your dog and your own mental health. Advocate for your dog’s space.
When you leave the park, don’t spend time being annoyed that you missed out on five minutes of fetch. There’s plenty of other things to work on on the leash to tire your dog out MENTALLY. This is your opportunity to teach your dog to walk nicely on the leash (aren’t you tired of joint pain?)
Aren’t you tired of joint pain? (Photo: Woman being pulled/dragged forward by a Mastiff on a leash)
Remember: I’m not asking you to go be that one meerkat at the zoo who is on patrol (so adorable!) I’m suggesting that when you’re more aware of your surroundings, you can keep your pack safe and time your recall BEFORE your dog is too distracted to obey.
I’m not asking you to be a meerkat, but if you were, we’d be friends. (Photo: meerkat standing on a rock)
Every day won’t be perfect, but most days are pretty awesome.
Celebrate those great moments with your dog.
Have an awesome weekend, Dog Leaders!
Alyssa
Photos by: Angelina Litvin @linalitvina (chihuahua nestled in the crook of a man’s arm. The man is wearing a wristwatch. See what I did there?), UpSplash image (a bull terrier runs across a field), andrew dinh
@andrewdinh (woman jogging giving a thumb’s up,) Upsplash image (Woman being pulled by a Mastiff on a leash), Tim L. Productions @timlontano (meerkat standing on a rock.)