Field Trip Fun!

What do two Coton de Tulears, a Brittany Spaniel, an Afghan Hound, a Labrador, a German Shepherd Dog, three mixed breeds, a Golden Retriever and a Boxer all have in common? They all had a great outing at the Sensible Puppy Field Trip this past weekend. Eleven puppies aged 14 weeks through 6 months enjoyed the warm spring weather at Holliday Park, along with several hundred other Hoosiers and their dogs, bicycles, boom boxes, strollers, picnic baskets and more.

(You can view the slide show to the right)

We taught the puppies to greet people politely, to climb a rock wall, to navigate playground equipment and to be comfortable in the hubbub of a busy park. Those in attendance were able to check off many socialization contacts in their Sensible Puppy Notebook.

Our current STAR award puppies led the way. Ava, the German Shepherd Dog, looked gorgeous, confident and under control. Sammie, the pretty black Lab-cross, was friendly and relaxed around the noises, too. Lady, a lovely a Brittany Spaniel, seemed to relish taking the lead, showing everyone “her” park.

Other puppy class grads seemed happy to be out and about with their owners as well. Bailey, a Coton de Tulear, looked great, walking nicely and sporting his new red Gentle Leader. Bella the aristocratic Afghan made several new friends, and I was thrilled to see her confidence! Sophie, a Coton de Tulear, learned that even little dogs can climb rock walls with alacrity.

Nearly all the current class members were present. Edna, a mixed-breed, paid excellent attention to her owner. Ali the Boxer was great at loose-leash walking. Clearly, he has been practicing this skill. Dyce the Doodle learned that play structures could be fun. Orion the confident black Lab puppy greeted strangers happily, and wondered about a baby in a stroller: is that a kid with wheels or a vehicle with eyeballs? Drew the golden retriever clearly loved the commotion of the busy park – he wagged his tail the entire time.

The trip was definitely worthwhile as a socialization and training opportunity. Next month will be somewhere altogether different – be sure to mark your calendars and keep those fourth Saturdays open for field trips!

Well-Trained (and Well-Socialized) Dogs Have More Fun

During Spring Break a few weeks ago, my friends Becky and Cathy invited us to join them for a hike in the Morgan-Monroe State Forest. My sons came along as did 5 dogs – Two golden retrievers, one Labrador retriever, a Brittany Spaniel and a Vizsla.

The hike was lovely. It was nice to see a bit of wild Indiana before the bugs and humidity come along! Even more wonderful, though, was the realization that our hike was pleasant because our dogs enjoyed great freedoms. They splashed in the creek, explored upturned tree-roots and raced up and down steep embankments. They tried to retrieve rocks tossed into the water by the boys. They laughed their way through the mud and rolled in the great "doggie-bliss" perfumes they found.

All of the dogs were fabulous with my boys, although only three of them live with children. All of the dogs considered the running, jumping, shrieking, climbing and splashing that the boys did to be normal behavior, and they were right. None of the dogs chased wildlife. All the dogs got multiple treats and praise for “working” so hard doing our hike. They were trustworthy enough to enjoy off-leash freedom. When they checked in on their own, they were rewarded. When they came at our calls, they were rewarded.

When another hiker and dog appeared on the trail, we asked our dogs to down-stay. All five of them did, immediately. As the elderly man passed by, his pretty little border collie growled threateningly at us, especially at the children. She glanced warily at our dogs, her tail tucked to her belly. Her pretty little face was contorted with fear. Her owner tightened up her leash, and she stuck to his leg like a burr on a sock. The kindly man, smiling and chatting to us, was unaware of his dog’s body language, which said, “I’m scared – don’t come near or I will bite.” I don’t even think he heard her growling.

Suddenly, I was jolted by the contrast. Here’s a dog who had a ton of potential, probably…but why was she so afraid of all of us? I wanted to ask the man, “Did you take her to puppy class? Has she seen children, before? Why doesn’t she trust other dogs? How is it this beautiful, sensitive girl is such a snarling, defensive-aggressive menace?

Some would cry “abuse!”, but I know that the simplest explanation is usually accurate – and this dear old man probably knew nothing of early developmental “windows” for socialization and likely never considered training his attentive little companion. The most likely reason for her behavior is a lack of positive experience with strangers, children and friendly dogs. She’s probably never seen 5 calm dogs on a down-stay. That is not normal dog behavior! I felt sorry for the old man and his dog, as they continued down the trail. She’ll never be off her leash, and he’ll never know the pleasures we were having, watching our dogs gamboling in the woods.

I look forward to a return visit to that lovely place. There are miles of trails for us to explore. It was refreshing on many levels. I am glad that my lifestyle and my friends include well-socialized and well-trained dogs. We have more fun than the other guys.