Your Dog — November 2017

All together now

76 Your Dog November 2017 http://www.yourdog.co.uk

I

n the UK, we have an amazing 8.5

million dogs, and 24 per cent of

households own a dog — but despite

being a nation of dog lovers, more than

half of the country’s dog owners only have

one dog. That’s a lot of canine singletons,

for whom their only contact with other

dogs is during walks.

While the UK hasn’t got the same sort

of dog parks as the USA, most of the dog

walking areas (especially around urban and

suburban areas) are pretty popular with

local dog walkers, so our dogs will often

get a chance to meet new friends while

out and about. Combining dog walking

and fi tness is also a good social event,

and many people use it as a chance to

meet up with friends, walk the dogs, and

have a catch-up at the same time.

In theory, these get-togethers sound

like a fabulous idea — canine and human

friends sharing some exercise in the great

outdoors, but in reality, how do dogs

— especially singleton dogs — cope with

suddenly being part of a large, social

canine group?

KNOW YOUR OWN DOG

The answer is pretty much the same as we

do! Some people are introverts and can’t

cope with the thought or reality of being in

a crowd of people. Others are extroverts,

so that is their idea of a perfect day. Some

are social butterfl ies and love being in

a large group; others are not that

interested in other dogs and would

rather enjoy their own space. Dogs are

as different as we are.

The secret is to know your own dog,

and not expect every dog to enjoy the

company of lots of strange dogs — but

for those who do, it can be the chance to

enjoy some real ‘dog time’.

How a dog will react to being in a large

group is pretty unpredictable, although

you will get some ideas by looking at their

breed and type. The gundog breeds, for

example, which were developed to be

social and friendly to everyone (as they

would have to work with lots of strange

dogs on a shoot), are generally the canine

extroverts, and, providing they have

been well socialised as puppies, these

get-togethers are their idea of heaven.

LIKE-MINDED OWNERS

Breed walks are becoming popular too,

and are a chance for people who own

the same breed to meet. One person

who runs these is Paul Keevil with his

Dandie Dinmonts.

He refl ects on the dogs’ behaviour:

“When they fi rst meet, there is a mixture

of excitement, with wagging tails and

pulling on the lead to meet. When

Well-matched dogs

can have heaps of

fun on a group walk.

Carolyn Menteith

DipCABT, KCAI, is

a dog trainer, writer,

and broadcaster.

She is a member of

INTO Dogs and an

accredited animal

behaviourist (ABTC).

Carolyn is passionate

about bringing the

principles of

reward-based training

into the public eye.

ABOUT CAROLYN

Will your dog actually enjoy meeting

others for a group walk? Carolyn

Menteith investigates.

76-77 yd pack MJ AMCC.indd 76 19/09/2017 15:15