During our Puppy Manners Course and our Teenage Loonies Course, we learn about recall and leash protocols. For instance, when it is important to leash up your dog or recall your dog away. An example of this was during a recent training walk with a client and puppy. During this walk we experienced a common scenario with another dog and owner who would have benefitted from learning what we cover in class.
Whilst out on our walk, a friendly and boisterous dog came bounding over to greet our on leash puppy. We stood calmly as he approached. He crashed with exuberance into our environment chasing the puppy and trampling all over him whilst the dog’s owner yelled “don’t worry he’s friendly”. I shouted back “no problem – can you please recall your dog away”. I didn’t have a problem with the dog approaching us. But his exuberance and boisterousness was causing the puppy distress and he was becoming very agitated. The owner was very obliging and started frantically calling her dog back to her. The dog ignored her and continued to trample over our puppy. In order to get things back under control – I leashed up her dog myself and walked him back calmly to his owner, whereby she apologised and put him back on leash.
So the moral of this story is “Acknowledge the Leash”. If you see another dog on a leash as my client’s puppy was, please leash up your own dog and keep under control. You can then ask the owner if they can meet calmly. If you don’t notice that the dog is on leash, no problem! Just recall your dog away when the other owner asks you too. However, if you cannot recall your dog away from a another on leash dog – that IS A PROBLEM. This means you need to get help from a professional so you and your dog can master this essential command.
