Is Your Dog Safe?
One of the interesting aspects of my job is that I hear all sorts of stories from my clients about things that happen to their dogs; the good, the bad, ugly, and the scary.
It’s the scary ones that haunt me and sometimes make me a bit paranoid. So here are five of my top dog safety tips, inspired by many of these horror stories, in no particular order…
The tether. Tethers are fantastic tools to help keep a dog safe when we can’t have eyeballs on them at all times. They are also a great way for us to manage a dogs environment so that they don’t have access to things that are potentially dangerous for them. Examples Would be tethering your dog within your line of sight while you weeded the garden, or tethering your dog, while you’re enjoying cocktails, and hors d’oeuvres with friends to keep your dog from potentially eating. Some of the food you are enjoying. Please note, do not leave your dog unattended while tethered.
Car safety. Besides the incredible danger that having an unrestrained dog in a vehicle is to the actual dog, having a 50 or 60 pound projectile in your vehicle during a car, accident, or even a short stop, can be very dangerous to you as well. Making sure your pet is properly restrained with either a Safety tested seatbelt or crate while riding in the car is a wonderful way for your dog to still enjoy car rides with you all being as safe as possible. Check out the Center for Pet Safety for dog seatbelts and crates that have been crash test rated. Also check out Impact Dog Crates and Sleepypod seatbelts and carriers.
Leashes and fences. The saddest stories I hear from dog guardians are the ones where dogs “have a good recall until they don’t”. If you choose to allow your dog off leash without a physical fence, then you better make sure that recall is 100% no matter what distraction may present itself. This might be a bit controversial, but I do not believe that there is such a thing as a 100% recall and therefore do not believe dogs should ever be off leash without a physical fence. Using a long line is a great way to provide your dog with freedom, while still providing them with a “seatbelt“. Invisible fences are not recommended. The behavior fallout from these devices is extreme (more on this in a future blog post) and you can read more HERE
Just because they can doesn’t mean they should. Limiting your dog’s use of slippery floors (tile, and hardwood) without throw rugs as well as not allowing them to jump in an out of high vehicles or on and off of other platforms of similar height, is a great way to help keep their body safe from injury. I often hear people say “my dog can jump up and down off of a 6 foot platform” the problem is just because they can doesn’t mean that one day they won’t hurt themselves. Even dogs who compete in agility competitions have chiropractors, physical therapists, acupuncturist, and a set of warm-ups and cool downs, just like human athletes, do to help keep their bodies safe. Encouraging your dog to jump up and down off of high heights, and allowing them to run reckless on slippery floors, is an invitation for a knee, hip or back injury.
Avoid dog parks. I know, I know, many people love taking the dogs to the dog park and many dogs enjoy playing with other dogs. (Many also don’t but again, that’s for another blog post.) However, dog parks can be free-for-alls where dogs who may not enjoy playing with other dogs are taken to “socialize”, where dogs can become overstimulated very easily, which can cause over arousal which can lead to aggression, where a dog, who is tired, old, or may be a little icky, can become bombarded by large groups of dogs and lash out to protect themselves. Sure, there are plenty of people who take their dogs to dog parks daily or weekly who don’t have any problems. However, I know a large number of dog guardians whose dogs have been seriously injured, both physically and emotionally, and, in one or two cases, sadly, killed in dog parks. When there are other ways of finding dog friends for your dog to enjoy an off leash play with, it seems a bit like Russian roulette to choose a dog park for that type of enjoyment.
Sara Sokol is owner of Mr. Dog Training in Brunswick Maine; A positive reinforcement dog training facility, offering both virtual and in person classes, that has been voted best training in Maine for 8 years in a row..
