That is one talented Boston Terrier!!

A while back we announced the release of the amazing Ottawa Dog Park Finder which is a listing of all of the dog parks in Ottawa derived from a listing from the City.

One downfall of this is that unless the city lists it in its notes, there is no way to search by parks that are fenced in, so I thought I would pose the question to my lovely and awesome readers.

Do you know of any dog parks that are fenced in?
You can just leave the name of the park as we will be able to search for it in the Ottawa Dog Park Finder.

As we compile a list, I will look into how we can use this info for the next version of Parkfinder so we can make it better!

This is a fabulous, fun mental exercise; it’s great for bonding and to build confidence in dogs that lack it. This game is especially good if your dog feels uncomfortable with a specific family member.

• Start hiding a ball or favorite toy in plain view (behind you) while sitting on the floor and telling the dog to “find it”.
• Then put on a jacket or a sweater with a hood and hide the toy on you while the dog is watching, put the dog’s favorite item it in your pockets, in the hood, up the back, get him excited and then tell him to find it.
• You can use a treat as well if the dog is not interested in toys presently.
• Once he knows the game, tell him “stay”, and then leave the room, hide it on you and return to sit and let the dog go at it.

The main reason for hiding it on you in the beginning, is that it makes the dog eager to interact with you physically (he will sniff you from head to toe, shove his nose in your pockets, down your neck, push up the back hood to get the toy).

With a shy or fearful dog you don’t need to make a move to touch the dog, allow the dog to do all the contact.

Before you know it, the dog can find several toys by name in difficult hiding places- upstairs on top of a door frame, on top of dressers or tables, under quilts and pillows, in the laundry basket, under the bed, or anywhere!

Go try it out!

You need to invest a fair amount of time and energy to train a really reliable recall. One reason why owners are having problems with recalls is because dogs learn contextually, also called” place learning”. Lack of generalization is acutely evident in the recall. The park is a very different context than the home environment where most training sessions take place. Another explanation is that the dog does not associate the word “Come” with the act of returning to his owner. Remember, dogs do not learn words as cues very easily and are most likely responding to context and visual body cues when they follow your requests. It is possible to teach your dog to respond reliably to a verbal request, but it must be done in a specific sequence for the dog to learn.

Another reason is that the bar is simply set too high. Maybe you have practiced coming when called in your quiet, fenced back yard but nowhere else. A recall in a small, familiar space with little or no distraction is the equivalent of a Kindergarten recall while a recall at a public park or in the woods is the doggy equivalent of a Ph. D. There are many “grades” in between that must be mastered before attempting a higher level recall. The most common reason a dog may not return when called is that it’s never been rewarded. Worse coming may have led to punishment in the past. It doesn’t matter whether this punishment was intentional, such as yelling at your dog for coming too slowly, or unintentional, such as only calling your dog at the end of a play session, clipping on the leash and leaving the park or calling your dog and throwing him right in the bathtub, the result is the same. The dog has learned that coming to you when you call for him generally means bad news for him or at the very least, the end of fun. If your dog does not like to come to you when called it is a sign there is something amiss in your relationship or that your dog does not know what you would like him to do when you call him.

The good news is the solution is the same regardless of the reason your dog doesn’t come when called. Thoroughly teach him and then reward him for doing it. Reward him by letting go play again. It can take up to the age of 18 to 24 months to achieve a really reliable recall.

I integrate my recall training with every pleasant thing I care to offer my dogs. Dinner is a good one, handing out fresh bones to chew on. I set myself up so the dogs are away from me and interested in something, then I call and they fly to me. I have to actually work at trying to sneak away from them in the forest. I call them for a game, for a walk, for a car ride or for a cookie. Take advantage of all the opportunities right at your fingertips. You will be amazed how many recalls you can do in just one day.

Play come games, – dog games helps to create a good association to form a reliable recall, which is one of the things every dog needs to know. Every person in the family takes turns calling the dog and rewards when she comes. Rewards vary from person to person, and can include enthusiastic attention, a ball toss, food, and a toy and so on. The dog has to go to the person who called her, otherwise he’ll be ignored and no rewards happen. The dog learns to come to every family member and the game tires her out. Engage in chase games where your dog chases you.

Never call your dog to come if you can’t enforce it. Manage with a long leash, but avoid reeling your dog in as much as possible. Instead, step on the leash to prevent him from going where he wants to, wait until he gets bored, looks at you and (hopefully) comes when you call with an upbeat voice.

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(Ottawa Dog of the Week for May 10th/10)

“Spence is a ridiculously good-looking, 3-year old, purebred Basset Hound – at 65lbs, he is a big boy! He was living in a barn until a wonderful couple rescued him when he was only 13 weeks old. They got him vet care and got him to me – his forever home! Now healthy and happy, he loves people and dogs – loves the park & loves chewing on sticks. Goes for daily walks around Centretown and to Jack Purcell or Lansdowne dog parks.” – Spence’s Mom, Becca

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