It’s time that I throw my dog, and therefore, myself under the bus. On one of our usual park outings, I was throwing the ball for my Standard Poodle, Vivi. She’s typically obsessed about her ball and is stellar at engaging in active games of fetch. Well, this morning was different. She chose to follow her nose and stumbled across a takeout box with yummy food remains smeared on it. As I noticed her interest in the box, I started moving toward her to determine what caught her eye (or should I say nose) with such intensity. However, when I moved toward her, she started trotting away from me with the box in tow. It wasn’t that crazy game of “catch me if you can,” where the dog always wins, but it was definitely a trot with a purpose. I’d say, it was more of “leave me alone until I finish licking the remains of food left on this box, then I’ll come back to you when done.” Either way, in that moment, I had a choice to make. I could get upset at her for not staying with me or completely switch tactics to get her to leave the box alone. By examining the risks involved in my choices, and her motivation for “defying me,” I chose to use treats to get her to move in a different direction, and it worked!

I always tell why clients that if you can control the environment, you can control the dog.

So what is the point of this story? Well, on this particular day, I got complacent with my dog being off leash and forgot that I can’t always control the environment out in public. Furthermore, it was an opportunity to evaluate why my dog chose to wander off. Similar to dealing with a young child who doesn’t listen, I came to the following conclusions:

  • My dog wasn’t doing it to intentionally irritate me and it’s clear that licking the box was rewarding to her
  • It wasn’t the end of the world, and wouldn’t result in a trip to the emergency room if she licked the food or chewed the box.
  • This situation wasn’t worth a confrontation that could potentially damage my relationship with my dog.
  • Overall, it was not worth my time or energy to get angry.

No matter where we are and who we are with, it is best practice to be prepared for the “what if’s” in the world.

When I got Vivi’s attention with the treats, and she left the box alone, I spent about two minutes brushing up on training “leave it,” using the box as the item to leave. I was able to do some quick training and reward her for better choices with treats I always have on hand in my treat pouch.

The next day when we returned to the park, Vivi again chose to take a break from the ball and wander off to sniff. But this time, when I called her back, she quickly responded and was rewarded with some yummy morsels. In that situation, off leash in a distracting place, I had proven my worth to her. I taught her it was in her best interest to listen to me, and the result made us both happy.

Now, when I’m Out N’ About with dogs, I always carry my treat pouch because it holds my car key, phone, a credit card, poop bags and dog snacks. Many people carry a few treats in their pockets, or not at all. They often ask, “Will I always have to carry treats?”. My response is “Do you always have to carry a small first aid kit in your car, on a hike, or a trip?” I have used my first aid kit more often than I can count. The real moral of this story is that when you are out with your dog, you never know what may happen or when will be the perfect time to do some quick and easy training. Lastly, I learned that fanny packs are making a comeback and are now back in style…