I love to see dogs bounding freely, don’t you? My question is: ‘Does your dog run free in dog friendly safe beach areas?’
Your dog may still be a puppy and you are not able to let your puppy off lead at a beach or similar. It is such fun when they are old enough and reliable enough, when they have reached the stage where they have a really reliable recall back to you when you are both out and about.
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You can always put them on a long lead to allow them some sort of freedom away from your side when you either on leash dog friendly parks and beaches. This way you can call your dog back to you quickly if you can see an issue arising that they would not be comfortable with.
I prefer my dogs to not run free in enclosed park areas as I have seen too many dogs that have the tall poppy syndrome put other dogs at risk emotionally who are either not ready to be leash free or have reactive issues to other dogs whom they are not sure of. This can be quite scary to an uninitiated dog who has not yet reached the stage where he or she is not confident around other dogs.
It is up to you as your dog’s carer and leader to protect your dog and not ask more of your dog than what they are ready to accept according to their age and temperament.
So, how does your dog run free in dog friendly safe beach areas? Let me know!
Here is how I prepare for this adventure.
When I first take my younger dogs to the beach they are on a long lead and I regularly call them back to me for a treat and then encourage them to leave my side.
If I have my older dogs with us, this of course makes the younger one feel a tad left out as they are not able to keep up with the older dogs who have more freedom. It doesn’t take them long to accept their restrictions and enjoy coming back for their treats.
I am always aware of the other dogs who are running free as even though these other dogs may be friendly, I do not know that, nor do my dogs.
I had an incident once when a larger breed of dog came running at full speed towards my dogs, with this dog’s owner yelling ‘my dog is friendly’… of course, my dogs didn’t know this dog was friendly, and one of my dogs took off in absolute fright. We were not that far from a busy road and lo and behold she in stress mode ran straight onto the road. Thankfully a kind lady stopped, called my frightened dog, and put her in her car.
Meanwhile, I am rounding up my remaining dogs to put their leashes back on, then headed towards where I had seen my frightened dog running, and when I got to the road, she was nowhere to be seen. I felt sick to the pit of my stomach. I searched and searched feeling dread that I had lost her.
Thankfully, my dog had a collar on her that had my mobile number embroidered on it and this kind lady was trying to phone me to let me know she had my dog. I was not aware of this as I had left my phone at home.
In utter despair, I realised I could be searching all afternoon to no avail and decided to go home and cry my eyes out and decide what further action to take. It hadn’t even dawned on me that someone may be trying to phone me, I was too distraught.
Thankfully, when I arrived home and picked up my phone to let my husband know what had happened, and there was this message from the kind lady who now was looking after my dog. This lady was driving round and round hoping to find someone searching for a lost dog.
I immediately blubbered my thanks to her, we met, and I was informed that my now relaxed dog had enjoyed being driven around.
Does your dog run free in dog friendly safe beach areas? If yes, please be aware that you still need to be vigilant and not take your eyes off your dog and the surroundings.
This encounter was such a blessing, I thanked this lady profusely and thanked my God in Heaven for my dog’s safe return.
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Until next time…
With Love, Success and Inspiration
Robin Oliver
www.robinoliveronline.com/blog
