Now the summer is upon us most people are off on their holidays. Many people will head off for sunnier climes and leave the family dog and hope but other owners LOVE to take their dogs on holiday with us, but it is only fair to consider if your dog would enjoy the experience on offer....
As you may know, Dave, my lab, is a frustrated greeter (he gets SO excited when seeing new people/dogs, he barks because he's on a lead and can't say hello - the anticipation of the greeting is just too much!), there are so many places I go that are dog friendly, I feel bad leaving him at home. Part of our ongoing training is to teach him it's ok NOT to say Hi, to encourage walking past, calm greetings and to make sure he GET'S IT RIGHT! This is similar to many clients I work with via our 121-training programme.
Currently we go to places that are open so I can see where the other dogs are, he’s on a long lead so he can run around and we keep our distance from other dogs. At the moment in this environment we’ve progressed from barking at every dog, to noticing them, having a look and automatically choosing to come back to me for a treat! Amazing progress which I am so pleased with but we now need to transfer these skills to other situations and dogs being closer to us. Dave is extremely sociable and well-mannered once he’s said hello so joining friends on walks and meeting friends for swimming helps him to get his doggy fix without the exciting meet/greet, but for those who need a little more support our new Walk with us programme can really help
In time, I hope Dave will continue to overcome this, but for now, we only visit busy places in the winter, when it's raining or mid-week so it will be quiet and I know he will succeed. We are busy looking forward to our summer holiday to the Lakes but I am a little worried as to how I can manage his excitement and not undo all our training. We’ll be adapting our holiday, avoiding busy places, enjoying walks on quiet trails and hopefully we’ll get it right!
Are you taking your dog on holiday? It is worth considering that for some dogs, a day out or holiday can be overwhelming, stressful or just too exciting. If they are nervous, anxious or reactive we may be putting them into situations that they find scary.
Every dog is different! Just because your dog doesn’t create a nuisance it doesn’t always mean they are happy…
Dogs may whine and bark, spin on the lead clearly saying - this is TOO MUCH!
However, just because your dog is quiet and calm it doesn't necessarily mean they are happy.
If a situation is TOO MUCH they may 'shut down' and be calm, quiet and FREEZE just to cope!
Before you take your dog on holiday take a moment to consider
🐾 Is your dog ok around strangers and new dogs?
🐾 How busy is the place you're going to?
🐾 Have you test-driven the environment?
🐾 Are there things for your dog to do and enjoy?
If you are not sure how they’ll cope, look into your options of leaving them at home either with family or a licensed boarder, they may well be happier. Our aim as dog parents is to help your dog to enjoy life, sadly this does mean that sometimes they have to miss out.
Are you taking your dog on your holiday? Get in touch if you have any concerns or would like some training support to help you prepare. Potter Paws is a Dog Training School in Buckinghamshire.