[nagdu] Dogs Off Leash

Wed Aug 17 18:59:34 UTC 2011

Hi Tracy:

Well, Bogart is one of those dogs who looks for dogs who like to play aggressively. He always comes back covered in dog saliva and probably did his fair share if sharing his as well. He goes up to other dogs, barks and turns to run. If they don't run after him he barks at them again and lets out his ever so embarrassing howl. "Please pleae play with me!!"  Oh brother. I have found him to be very dog wise though. My girlfriend watches him when she is with me and points out when he is approaching a dog who doesn't look interested or has it's hackles up. Bogart doesn't do any of his foolishness with them but just saunters off to find a real playmate.

I've learned to listen for the different kinds of snarling/growling/barking etc that means play and that means trouble. I think a lot of this comes down to your dog and your dog parks too. One of the things we like about our dog park is that it is in a good part of town so most of the people there have well trained well behaved dogs and so it is friendly. The odd time I've been to dog parks in other parts of the city that, shall we say is not as well to do, I have found there to be more aggressive dogs and/or owners who don't look like they really have control  over their dogs.

It is about knowing your dog, knowing your environment and assessing the risks. Not to harp on the poodle thing over and over again, but poodles generally are very loyal dogs and like to check in. This means that they go off running about but then come galloping across the field to run into you and say I'm still here, glad to see you are too.

Last night Susan and Iwent to the dog park after work since it is still nice and warm here and found a sunny place to sit in the big field and just enjoyed all the dogs, as did Bogart. :)

Gary

----- Original Message -----
From: Tracy Carcione <carcione at access.net>
Date: Wednesday, August 17, 2011 6:19 am
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Dogs Off Leash
To: "NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users" <nagdu at nfbnet.org>

> There aren't any dog parks anywhere near my home, so it's a moot 
> point,but it seems to me that, if I were to take Ben to one, I'd 
> have to have
> faith in my neighbors judgement of their own dogs.  Twice 
> recently, I've
> let Ben meet neighbors' dogs, who they said were very nice, and 
> those dogs
> have snapped at Ben.  One of them snarled at him, and got 
> close enough to
> have spit on his ear.  It's made Ben a bit wary of 
> strangers.  Maybe
> there's something about his cocky Bubbatude that rubs some dogs 
> the wrong
> way.  He gets along with other dogs just fine.  Too 
> bad there aren't any
> other guide dogs handy; they're just the kind of non-aggressive 
> playmateBenny would enjoy.
> A friend of mine takes her dog to a dog park in Manhattan with no
> problems.  City dogs do tend to be well-socialized.  
> But it seems a bit
> chancy to me. I don't want my sweet boy to get snapped at, or to 
> get more
> nervous of other dogs than he is.
> Tracy
> 
> > Gary,
> > I'll add too that you are lucky to have a partner that is both 
> interested> in helping you assess safe off-leash areas, and 
> who's judgement you trust
> > in that regard.
> > My husband is great in many ways. He made a wonderful dinner 
> for us last
> > night.  He got us a gift I'd been wanting.  We had a 
> fun evening after our
> > daughter went to bed.  There is something we are going to 
> go see this
> > weekend and he knows how much it means to me and how much our 
> daughter> needs to see it even though she may or may not 
> remember or understand. But
> > my God, I would never trust his ability to assess the safety 
> of an
> > off-leash situation, nor would I trust him to respond 
> appropriately should
> > my dog (no guys, I don't have a dog at the moment) do 
> something silly.
> >
> > Just saying this so that you don't assume the rest of us are 
> heartless> bastards that could care less about our dogs' happiness.
> >
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-
> bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
> > Of GARY STEEVES
> > Sent: Tuesday, August 16, 2011 4:44 PM
> > To: NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog Users
> > Subject: Re: [nagdu] Dogs Off Leash
> >
> > Hi Wayne
> >
> > You make some good points. All the places I take bogart off 
> leash are
> > defined off leash areas be that parks or trails   
> that we hike on. The off
> > leash park we use the most is in a bit of a bowl of a field 
> with 3 of the
> > 4 sides being a short sharp hill. The bottom of the field is 
> our sea walk.
> > The only danger I worry about here is bikes but bogart has also
> > demonstrated his wisdom in not venturing onto the paved 
> pathways.  But
> > being sure about trafic safety for off leash adventures is 
> very wise and
> > goes with what I was saying about using ones brain to assess 
> the risks.
> > There will always be a risk but I cannot have my dog leashed 
> at all times
> > since he would never get the exercise he requires. Therefore I 
> identify> safe areas for us to do this in.
> >
> > Gary
> >
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: Wayne Merritt <wcmerritt at gmail.com>
> > Date: Tuesday, August 16, 2011 12:24 pm
> > Subject: Re: [nagdu] Dogs Off Leash
> > To: "NAGDU Mailing List, the National Association of Guide Dog 
> Users"> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> >
> >> Letting your dog be a dog is all well and good, just don't 
> lose your
> >> common sense while you do it. For instance, don't let your 
> dog run
> >> free in a park, that just happens to be sitting by a 
> moderately busy
> >> street. One of the things that they do at The Seeing eye during
> >> training is read a letter bya  former graduate. The
> >> graduate said that
> >> he knows the area, knows that there's no traffic where he 
> lives, but
> >> in a moment when he assumed that things were fine and there 
> was no
> >> traffic, his dog got out, ran toward the road, and there just 
> happened>> to be a car coming. After you hear one of these 
> letters once or twice,
> >> you begin to have seconds thoughts about letting the dog run free.
> >>
> >> Wayne
> >>
> >> On 8/16/11, Larry D. Keeler <lkeeler at comcast.net> wrote:
> >> > I think those program folks don't want you "or them" to 
> lose a
> >> valuable dog!
> >> >  I think its great to let dogs be dogs once in awhile!
> >> > Intelligence is always claimed but rarely proven!
> >> > _______________________________________________
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> >>
> >> --
> >> Follow me on Twitter at:
> >> www.twitter.com/wcmerritt
> >> My websites:
> >> www.wayneism.com
> >> www.whitecaneday.org
> >>
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