Dog Park Dos and Don'ts by Pedigree

Dog Park Dos and Do Nots – Brought to you by Pedigree

A dog park can be a terrific place to exercise and socialize your dog. But it can also become a place that traumatizes him. Your experience often depends on the behavior of your fellow dog-owners. A few unmannerly people can ruin the experience for you and your dog. For a more pleasurable bark park experience for all, just follow these simple rules of etiquette:

DOs

Come equipped. Bring a bowl and water from home. Towels for cleanup and to cover car seats are a good idea, too. After all, romping, running groups of dogs have a way of getting very dirty. And don’t forget to bring something to clean up after your dog.

Let your dog be a dog. If you don't know the difference between rough play and real dog fighting, spend some time observing dogs playing in a group.

Many owners have been known to panic the first time they see their dogs on the bottom of a dog pile.

Make sure your dog wears ID. Either a tag or information on your dog’s collar will do. Replace training collars (choke or pinch collars) with buckle collars or a harness before letting dogs loose to play—training collars can get caught in the teeth of other dogs, with dire consequences.

Keep your dog on-leash until safely inside the park. Then remove your dog’s leash after you enter the off-leash area. Mixing on-leash and off-leash dogs can cause stress in the leashed dogs, which may lead to aggression.

Supervise your dog’s play. It may be tempting to bury your head in today’s paper—but don’t. Be ready to interrupt inappropriate play whether your dog is the perpetrator or the victim.

Limit your use of toys or food treats to avoid potential conflicts. You can adjust this rule depending on how many dogs are in the park when you visit.

Make sure your dog responds to basic commands. "Come," "sit," and "leave it/off," are the most important ones—they can help you control your dog if necessary, and help prevent him from provoking others.

DON’Ts

Don’t bring a dog with behavioral problems. If your dog's behavior is unpredictable, he should be carefully socialized in environments more controlled than a dog park.

Don’t bring your dog if he has been sick in the last 48 hours. When in doubt, visit your veterinarian.

Don’t discipline another person's dog. If you find another dog's behavior unacceptable, take your own dog out of the park rather than correcting someone else's dog.

Don't feed other dogs. You don't know if their owners allow it, and your treats might upset another dog's diet or digestion.

Don’t stay if your dog isn't having a good time. Some dogs enjoy a small circle of friends but aren’t keen on crowds. Some enjoy park play as puppies, but less so as they mature.

One final guideline worth following: don't wear white clothes and don't bring a freshly groomed dog. Neither of you will come home unmarked.

Vote For Our Beloved Reveille!

Although Reveille is no longer with us ~ vote for him anyway. He's been entered and the group can receive $250 from Animal Attraction. You may need to "sign up" using the link below first: http://animalattraction.com/PhotoContest/Home?entryIndex=1&listStartIndex=21#theEnd. Then look for the heading 'Photo Contest'.

Check out this picture from a photo contest on AnimalAttraction.com, a really cool online community for pet lovers that also helps homeless pets.
http://animalattraction.com/PhotoContest/ShareMyEntry/7011

Whoever wins the contest gets to select their favorite animal shelter or rescue group to receive a $250 donation from AnimalAttraction!

Rhea's Adopter Staying In Touch

Rhea is doing well. I just got her groomed the other day too and she now looks like a white tailed deer. They took a bunch of hair off around the backs of her legs, so she doesn't look as cute as she used to. But, she's a happy dog, for the most part. I try to take them down to auditorium shores at least 3 or 4 times per week and Rhea LOVES to swim. Ossa also swims, but she's scared to go in too deep!

Rhea at 4 mos. of age after playing in the mud!

Here she is now!

Paris Hilton! No Way!

PARIS - She's a beauty that needs donations to help finance her heartworm treatments.

2 yrs old, PB German Shepherd, female. Paris has a very nice personality, but this poor girl is heartworm positive, as well as having the upper resperatory crud from the shelter. She needs to be spayed. It appears that Paris has been used for breeding and could use lots of TLC.

If you are interested in adopting Paris, please go to our website, copy, paste and complete our adoption application then email it to us.

From One Of Our Newest Adopters

Thunder (was Hero)

[Thunder] is doing really well. We went to our first training class on Wednesday evening, kind of orientation. We are practicing what they suggested before the first class with dogs next week and he is SUPER smart! It's amazing how quickly he learns. Abby has trained him to wait for his dinner with it sitting right in front of him with only a word and a hand signal. He went camping with us for two weeks to Inks Lake State Park and absolutely loves to run and play in the water.

He is also doing great with agility in our back yard, can jump about 1 1/2 feet and run over the a-frame.

He still loves the dinosaur chew toy you brought with you, loves to play fetch with it! He looks funny dragging that big toy around. He and our other dogs have actually become fairly friendly. Brie, the larger dog, doesn't really play with him but she occasionally licks his face and accepts a lick from him. One of Abby's friends has a Border Collie puppy about a month older than Thunder and we have had several play dates together. They were fast friends and it's really funny to watch them play together.

I appreciate your concern for these dogs. You do a great service for them. We are very grateful and happy with Thunder. He and Abby are inseparable!

Blessings, (Adopter)

Some Dogs Live Where Cats & Squirrels Rule!

Here is a pic my husband Ken took of our two boys in our back yard today!
I know you remember Dax adopted through you in 2005 and Jedi was a stray who "just happen to"show up in our neighborhooed right after Rita came through in late August 2005. Today, the boys had once again chased a squirrel up the tree and was trying to get him. His buddy/bro Jedi is sitting there on the ground waiting for a chance to get the squirrel too! They never have gotten a squirrel yet. Although, Dax has scaled our brick wall which borders part of our yard along a park that is right behind us in many attempts to get those squirrels! We then have to get in the car and drive to the park which borders are lot and retrieve him!

Our son in law gave us a great idea and that was to put up a plexi-glass panel by using some kind of glue/cementing it on the brick wall right in the corner that he liked to use to scramble up and successfully get over the wall. Now, when he is running to that very corner he hits the plexi-glass his paws just slide down. Sorta sounds like chalk on a chalkboard. It doesn't hurt him and he can't over the brick wall - so we can relax knowing he is still in his yard! But of course we never leave him outside for long periods of time unless we are with him or if we are gone then he is always safe inside our house.

Last vet check...Dax weighed in at 107lbs of love.Hope you enjoy the pic!Love,(Adopter)