OMG! The dog is loose!
Okay I see this just about every other day. Some one is chasing a loose dog and they are panicing.
“Oh My God the dog is loose!!! Call out the National Guard. Get SWAT on the Phone. Don’t Let him run in the street!!!”
Then they get a hold of him and they start swearing a blue streek or “spanking” the poor dog.
That happened just this morning. We were walking along and saw a woman with a couple of dogs. No big deal, it looked like she had them on leashes and so about four houses from her we started to cross the street so that we wouldn’t meet face to face. About that time another woman came running out of her garage and she is waving down the woman that has the two dogs. The woman with the dogs stops and is tring to hide behind a large garbage can.
Now I realize my dogs are big scary dogs, really they are cuddle babies, and most people just don’t want to come near them but this was different. These two women were in a panic and nothing had happened.
So as we approached the woman with the dogs, from the other side of the street, one of her dogs started pulling and barking at us and got loose.
Both women started screaming and swearing and chasing this poor dog who is now excited and scared and probably a bit agressive. He wants to sniff my dogs.
My dogs stand there and are watching all this as if it is a three ring circus. They move close to me and begin to tangle as the loose dog circles them trying to get a sniff and stay out of arms reach of his frantic owners.
The scene was becoming so loud and crazy, the neighbors were coming out to see what was going on. One man stood right in front of me as I was becoming wrapped up May-pole style and bid me “good morning”.
INSANITY!!!
Finally the dog got his sniff and his owners chased him off toward home. As we began to move off, I heard more swearing, telling the poor dog that he was never going to go walk again, and finally a yelp. I can only assume that they were hitting him.
Okay folks here’s the deal…
If your dog gets loose, the thing you need to do is attract him back with what ever it is he loves.
If you are chasing him, he thinks it is a game. If you are angry or frustrated he is going to be frightened and not come to you. But if you are the best thing in the world, he will want to come to you and be guided by you.
Okay lets back up a step as well. In the first place it is your responsibility as the human to not let your dog get loose. If you are walking and you know your dog can get out of the collar he has on then get a different collar.
I use a choke chain.
A choke chain is a chain that tightens up when pulled, and if you use it correctly, it will loosen just as easily.
That was this ladies problem today. She had a standard leather collar on the dog that he could slip his head out of. Had she had a choke chain on him, he would not have escaped her and the leash.
I know that a lot of people don’t like choke chains but if your dog is a threat to get loose, you need something he can not get out of, and choke chains work.
And if he gets loose, don’t scream, don’t swear, just be the person who he would want to come to. And if all else fails, keep a pocket full of his favorite treats handy.
For those of you who have a dog park you go to, train your dog to come with a whistle. let him loose in your back yard and blow the whistle and call him, when he comes give him a treat. Do this a couple of times a day for a week or so. Finally he will come with just the whistle and no treat. But I’m a big softy, I give them the treat in the car after the park.
And please walk your dog. it is good for both of you.
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