Dog Advice Topic: City Dog Safety

Bella,
I just moved to the city from the suburbs and it's a whole different world for my pup. What are the things that I should think about as far as keeping my dog safe in the big city?
-Cautious in Chicago

CiC,

There are quite a few things to think about to teach you and your doggie 'street smarts' here in this metropolis. Here are some of the big ones:

Your dog may be fabulously obedient and never leave your side. Your dog may be the superstar with the perfect response to "Come", but the city is filled with distractions. You never know when a cat or squirrel may run across the street enticing your sweet dog to follow. We are still animals with very strong instincts that have kept us alive for hundreds of years. Keep your dog safe and leashed when out on walks. There are plenty of fenced-in dog friendly areas in Chicago to allow him to just be a dog, safely.

When visiting dog parks, scan the park for bullies and collars that may not be safe. Go to the other side of the park to avoid these hazards. It is your right to be at the park and to allow your dog to be safe. Do not be afraid to speak up if another dog's behavior towards your dog makes you uncomfortable.

Prong and choke collars (any training collar for that matter) do not belong on playing dogs. Teeth and collars can get stuck. One or both dogs can get terribly injured. Steer clear, speak up or leave. Just keep your dog safe.

If a fight breaks out, it is important to grab both dogs at the same time and by their hind legs to pull them apart. NEVER stick your hand in between fighting dogs. Even if it is your dog, you risk a serious injury.

To keep your dog's social graces after being involved in a dogfight, soon after invite a doggie buddy over so he can be reminded that not all play escalates to a fight.

Everyone wants their dogs to say hi to each other. If you have seen or known a neighborhood dog to be less than friendly, it is ok to cross the street or go in the other direction. It is much more important to keep your dog safe than to let him say hi to every Fido, Bruiser and Spike.

In addition to that, do not assume that every dog is friendly and walk your dog right up to them. Take me for example, I love playing with other dogs off leash but I get a little nervous on leash and I really don't like dogs running up getting right in my face. I don't know how many times Brandi and I have been walking down the street and someone just runs up with their dog and lets them jump all over me. Brandi is always telling people not to approach us but some people just don't listen. Not all dogs like to socialize and really very few should do it on leash.

I know you are all busy and it is tempting to want to multi-task by taking us dogs out on walk while grabbing a cup of coffee or picking up your dry cleaning. It is unsafe to tie us outside a restaurant. We could be taunted by someone who dislikes dogs, attacked by an aggressive dog with no protective shelter or even stolen. Any dog can be stolen and used for dog fighting. I hate to even say this but the one word you have to think of when you tie your pup outside on the street is "Bait".
Keep us safe and lose the extra five minutes by separating our walks from your daily errands.

We can learn a command called "Leave It" (taught at Collins Canine's obedience classes to help your dog learn to avoid food on the ground. It could be spoiled, it could be poisoned (there was actually a local dog hater who placed poisoned meat all over a park and a few dogs died after ingesting it) or it could be something not meant for dogs to eat. Keep some yummy treats with you to reward us for ignoring the chocolate bar someone dropped out of their backpack or that nasty pizza crust on the ground.

And that's the bark on the street!
Bark up!
Bella

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