Encountering off-leash dogs

Photo by Anne Cutler.

I recently took a walk with a friend on a big section of a popular trail in town that runs along a river. The trail system spreads for miles around the city and it’s a very popular route for dog people, for obvious reasons. In just an hour of walking, we saw tons of people with their dogs: A pregnant woman with her older shih tzu and pomeranian puppy; a little boy with his all-white American bulldog; an elderly man and his elderly mixed breeds; a parade of labs; a woman and her chubby Australian shepherd; a woman and her very vocal dachshund; a young guy and his Great Pyrenees…

The one thing that did surprise me, however, was how many of these dogs were off-leash, despite the fact that there were many signs posted along the trail stating that all dogs have to be leashed. None of these off-leash dogs seemed particularly “dangerous”–the two old dogs were so slow that they were barely walking, and the young lab who was off-leash was so fixated on the stick in his owner’s hand that he wasn’t looking at anyone else. We also saw a young male spitz/collie mix who seemed to either be a stray or to have been left behind by his humans, because he wasn’t with anyone. (He ran off in the woods before we could get that close to him to look for identification tags.)

Confession: I can be as guilty as the next person about sporadically breaking leash laws. Dublin and Dally are never leashed when we’re at the park in my hometown, mostly because the park is sparsely populated. If we do ever see a dog, we leash them, but they’re usually romping free, and Dublin, for one, is extremely responsive to verbal commands. I’ve hiked a trail with Bo off-leash, too, but it wasn’t an official trail, so there were no leash laws governing it. In general, though, I always leash and try to use common sense about it. It’s safer for everyone. So, I know this. I just wanted to admit my hypocrisy up front.

But. On this particular trail, seeing these many off-leash dogs did make me a little nervous about using this trail in the future. It’s not like it’s a sparsely used park or an unofficial path in the forest; this is a heavily trafficked trail system, used by all sorts of people: Dog people, young families, teenagers, bikers, runners, and even the city’s homeless.

What if we have a dog who isn’t great with other dogs rushing up to him or her? Our dog would always be leashed, but you can’t control an unleashed dog from rushing forward. (*Side story: Zoe and I narrowly escaped a potentially frightening situation like this. I was walking her in her neighborhood, and a young German shepherd was loose in his front yard. There were college students standing out in the yard, too, but none of them were looking at the dog, who started to charge toward us, growling. I stopped behind a hedge and shouted over it, “PLEASE leash your dog!” Thankfully, they heard me and grabbed the dog and we could continue without fear for our lives…)

How do you prevent this situation from escalating–an unleashed dog rushing up to your leashed one? Have you ever encountered this before?

36 ways to socialize my future dog

A classy poodle being socialized in Austin, TX. Source: Flickr user pooneh

“Socialization” is a popular buzzword among dog people. Most behavioral problems in dogs tend to be linked to their owner’s failure to “properly socialize” them. I’m inclined to believe that this may very well be the case. I imagine this is why so many people are talking about it.

I think about the challenges of socialization a lot, especially since we’re planning to adopt a young adult dog. I’m often afraid that it will be “too late” to socialize a dog that may have had its bad social skills reinforced. I’ve heard many people say this isn’t true, but I still get nervous about it. Is it extra-hard to socialize a dog when you’ve already missed that “critical socialization stage” in its youth? I try not to worry about it too much.

That said, we’re blessed to live in a very dog-friendly town and surrounding area. My town has a pedestrian mall that welcomes dogs. Our city is filled with beautiful parks, including three off-leash dog parks, and is surrounded by the lovely Blue Ridge mountains and its many winding hiking trails. I want to take my dog everywhere, as much as this is possible. I want a dog who is calm, happy, and trustworthy in almost every situation, but I know that this takes a lot of time and patience.

While I’m waiting on our future dog, here’s a cursory list of all of the people and places that I’m planning on introducing him or her to:

1. Old men.
2. Old women.
3. Men of all shapes and sizes.
4. Women of all shapes and sizes.
5. People wearing hats or masks.
6. People in wheelchairs.
7. Teenagers, who congregate freely on the pedestrian mall in large packs. They will not be difficult to find.
8. Young children (ages 3 to 10). Start off with kids we know and can trust around the dog.
9. Babies. Introduce from a safe distance at first.
10. Homeless people on the downtown mall.
11. Busking musicians on the streets.
12. People of different races from Guion and myself.
13. People on bicycles.
14. People walking their dogs.
15. Training class, which we will enroll in.
16. Dogs on the downtown mall, which won’t be hard, because there always dozens and dozens of them.
17. Dogs in the dog park.
18. Cats! Is there any safe way to do this?
19. Other small animals like rabbits, mice, guinea pigs. Echo concern on #16.
20. Livestock, if at all possible.
21. Riding in cars.
22. Riding in a boat.
23. Eating outdoors at a restaurant; handling the business of sitting patiently while we’re eating and waiting while being tied to a table.
24. Outdoor concerts.
25. All types of staircases.
26. Hiking trails and state parks.
27. Picnic areas.
28. Lakes, probably Lake Monticello.
29. Rivers, specifically the Rivanna.
30. PetsMart in town.
31. PetCo in town.
32. Horse and Dog Lover’s store downtown.
33. Veterinarian’s office and exam room.
34. Dog groomer’s.
35. Urban Outfitters on the downtown mall (which allows dogs inside).
36. Backyard cookouts and potlucks.

OK. I can only come up with 36 places/people/things right now. I’m sure there are more.

Do you have any creative suggestions? What are some of the ways that you socialized your dog? Do you have any special advice for a newly adopted adult dog?