This morning I find myself with more time on my hands, so I decide to take Deuce and Rio to Fort Marcy for a walk.
As I get out of the car it appears that someone is giving prizes for bringing your dog along! There are lots of dogs in the park making their rounds with their guardians.
At a distance I spot what it appears to be a convention of white yappy dogs. Even from a distance I can hear them.
Deuce and Rio are happy to sniff here and there as I struggle to remind Rio that pulling on her leash will just set her back.
We do our rounds and I try to avoid the “convention”. I notice that I am not the only one with this idea as I see that others who are walking larger dogs are keeping to the periphery.
I am delighted to see that Deuce and Rio are ignoring all of the dogs around them. They have learned that when on leash they can look at but not interact with dogs. Having this rule in place not only allows for a more relaxed walk (no expectations), but it also really helps in not having dogs say “hello” to one another when they are restricted by a tugging leash. This is just a slippery slope for frustration (and sometimes even fear) for most dogs.
Rio flashes a glance towards a little dog who appears not to be a part of the “white convention”. I spot her glance and I slip her a treat for that. Since they don’t get to interact with dogs on leash, I make an effort of “paying” them for politely and at a distance saying hello to them.
Ah, sure enough it never fails! At the convention some dogs are getting into spats as their owners respectively hold on to their leashes the best they can.
Speaking of yappy dogs, I was reading about a study that points out the fact that small dogs not only tend to vocalize much more than larger dogs because in general smaller dogs are under-socialized or constantly being picked up by their owners creating (in most cases) a buddy system that gives the little one confidence. Sort of like a younger brother bringing to the schoolyard his older and stronger brother just to show those bullies a lesson.
But in fact, the study found that the brains of small breed dogs are wired differently; making their yappyness not only a consequence of perhaps a less than confident dog but also as a result of genetics. Apparently, neurochemicals related to reactivity are more abundant in toy dogs than in larger breeds - with the exception of the Havanese and Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.
As I try to stay clear of the dogs visiting the park we get to practice U-turns and lying down when cars are driving by. Deuce surprises me when on his own without a prompt or a cue he lies down as a car is slowly passing by. Wow!! Talk about RTO… months of practicing this lifesaving behavior.
My alarm goes off and I head towards my car - time to get back to work. I leave the park thinking of the canine-convention and I feel happy to see that so many people are choosing to spend this morning with their yappy friends. I promise myself that the next time I see a yappy dog “yapping” I will be more empathetic, now that I know it is all not due to bad manners but that they too are submitted to brain chemicals and genetics.
As I get out of the car it appears that someone is giving prizes for bringing your dog along! There are lots of dogs in the park making their rounds with their guardians.
At a distance I spot what it appears to be a convention of white yappy dogs. Even from a distance I can hear them.
Deuce and Rio are happy to sniff here and there as I struggle to remind Rio that pulling on her leash will just set her back.
We do our rounds and I try to avoid the “convention”. I notice that I am not the only one with this idea as I see that others who are walking larger dogs are keeping to the periphery.
I am delighted to see that Deuce and Rio are ignoring all of the dogs around them. They have learned that when on leash they can look at but not interact with dogs. Having this rule in place not only allows for a more relaxed walk (no expectations), but it also really helps in not having dogs say “hello” to one another when they are restricted by a tugging leash. This is just a slippery slope for frustration (and sometimes even fear) for most dogs.
Rio flashes a glance towards a little dog who appears not to be a part of the “white convention”. I spot her glance and I slip her a treat for that. Since they don’t get to interact with dogs on leash, I make an effort of “paying” them for politely and at a distance saying hello to them.
Ah, sure enough it never fails! At the convention some dogs are getting into spats as their owners respectively hold on to their leashes the best they can.
Speaking of yappy dogs, I was reading about a study that points out the fact that small dogs not only tend to vocalize much more than larger dogs because in general smaller dogs are under-socialized or constantly being picked up by their owners creating (in most cases) a buddy system that gives the little one confidence. Sort of like a younger brother bringing to the schoolyard his older and stronger brother just to show those bullies a lesson.
But in fact, the study found that the brains of small breed dogs are wired differently; making their yappyness not only a consequence of perhaps a less than confident dog but also as a result of genetics. Apparently, neurochemicals related to reactivity are more abundant in toy dogs than in larger breeds - with the exception of the Havanese and Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.
As I try to stay clear of the dogs visiting the park we get to practice U-turns and lying down when cars are driving by. Deuce surprises me when on his own without a prompt or a cue he lies down as a car is slowly passing by. Wow!! Talk about RTO… months of practicing this lifesaving behavior.
My alarm goes off and I head towards my car - time to get back to work. I leave the park thinking of the canine-convention and I feel happy to see that so many people are choosing to spend this morning with their yappy friends. I promise myself that the next time I see a yappy dog “yapping” I will be more empathetic, now that I know it is all not due to bad manners but that they too are submitted to brain chemicals and genetics.
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