Your+Dog++May+2019

HAVE A PLAN!

Unstructured walks lead

to anarchy; you don’t

want to be that dog owner

who never sees her dog,

from the moment he has

his lead unclipped until

whenever he deigns

to reappear!

But the glory of walks

is the amount of freedom

that your dogs enjoy. You

can have both, if you only

arrange the walk with all

the cunning and foresight

the versatile human brain

can deploy.

First of all, put the

headphones away and

switch of your phone,

because this is the most

joyful time you can spend

bonding with your dog,

and your full attention

is necessary; the rest of

the world can wait for an

hour. First your dog will

probably need to have

a wee, so there is no point

in trying to interact until

he is comfortable. Then

it’s good for him to spend

10 minutes or so having

a casual snif about,

learning who and what

has passed by recently.

This can be of -lead if your

dog is reliable, or on-lead

if he is a work in progress.

If the latter, have a treat

in your hand before you

unclip the lead, gain your

dog’s attention: ‘Petal,

look!’ and throw the treat

behind you. This brings

his attention back to

i nding proximity to

you rewarding, rather

than him charging away

to i nd entertainment.

For best results, some

of the walk should be

training, some reinforcing

training already complete,

some allowing the

dog to investigate his

surroundings, stretch

his legs, enjoy a plethora

of scents, and generally

unwind at his own pace,

and 15 minutes of calming

at the end of the walk.

STAY ALERT

Wildlife is a challenge at any

time of year; never forget that

dogs are hunters by nature, no

matter how gentle they may

be in the home. Ditsy young

animals may not recognise that

they are in danger from dogs

until it is too late, and there

are ground-nesting birds to

consider as well.

Keep your dogs out of the

undergrowth, and watch out

for them suddenly getting

a scent and disappearing after

it — easier said than done!

Livestock will have young

as well; keep your dog

on-lead near sheep, for many

a reliable dog with sheep can

be completely undone by the

shrill bleats and erratic leaps

of lambs.

Cows with calves will often

attack dogs on sight, so keep

out of their i elds even if it

means turning back. Horses are

generally l ighty, and can hurt

us without really intending to,

so it’s best not to go into i elds

with these either, whether or

not they have foals.

Joggers and cyclists will

More on how to get the most out of your spring/summer walks. June issue

on sale May 7, or why not subscribe? Turn to page 40 for our latest of er.

M

o

Next

month

On your walk, avoid

standing water that

might be contaminated

by run-of from

agrochemicals or

vehicles, and keep away

from ponds and lakes

that might contain

toxic blue algae. Fresh

running water is safer,

but check i rst for

dumped litter that

might injure your dog.

TOP TIP!

enjoy longer daylight time as

well, and may suddenly appear,

provoking your dog to chase or

even nip. Watch out for horse

riders, too, who are vulnerable

if a dog runs at them. Horses

defend themselves i rst, and

don’t wait to see if a dog means

it or not. They can injure

a dog badly if they panic and

lash out, or they might bolt,

endangering themselves, their

riders, and anyone in their path.

With an unreliable dog, it’s

best to put him on a short lead

anywhere you might encounter

something he might chase.

Other things that can af ect

dogs include l apping kites,

loud bangs from agricultural

bird-scarers, adders, which will

try to avoid us but are torpid in

cooler temperatures, and scary

looking noisy things in the

sky, such as hot-air balloons,

paragliders, and hang gliders,

drones, or model aircraft.

A pocketful of tasty treats

can make most potentially

frightening things a lot less

worrying, but ideally you have

to start the treat process before

the dog becomes reactive, so

keep a good lookout.

Remember, too, that there

are other walkers to consider,

such as elderly people, who

don’t welcome dogs that might

knock them over, and the very

young, whose parents might

not have warned them not to

charge up to a strange dog.

The quote: ‘The price of

freedom is eternal vigilance’ is

just as apt for our little world as

it is for wider issues.

“With an unreliable dog, it’s best

to put him on a short lead...”

14 Your Dog May 2019

Given the choice, most dogs

would opt for a woodland walk.

10-12 YD Walks CS(SW)ok.indd 14 26/03/2019 09: