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From the car to the dog park is a challenging area for most dogs to walk on a loose leash. Ace (not pictured) and I went to the 45th Street dog park in Fargo today to practice some on and off-leash heeling. There were no other dogs at the park, so it was a perfect time for Ace and I to practice.

Like most dogs, Ace is often in an excited mode before we even get out of the car at the dog park. I always make sure he is relaxed before I let him jump out. That means he sits and waits until I say “OK.” He never lunges out of the car anymore. But when he used to, I put him right back in and had him jump out on my terms.

The mutt did very well walking from the car to the gate. I had his choke collar on, but it wasn’t really necessary. I took his leash off and we practiced off-leash heeling for the next 20 minutes or so. I made sure to walk randomly, turning into him and away from him and to walk over tennis balls.

The dog park is a great place for Ace and I to work because there are tennis balls everywhere. He gets a double challenge because he is expected to leave the tennis balls alone and heel. One thing I’ve noticed about Ace’s tennis ball obsession is that when we are in a working mode, he leaves them alone. When we’re not working, he easily becomes fixated on anything.

As far as loose-leash walking goes, Ace is doing very well. The only thing that distracted him today was the trash scattered everywhere. Apparently paper, plastic bottles and other pieces of garbage are full of tempting smells. It took a lot of focus from Ace to leave the garbage alone.

Really, the only time the mutt ignores me if he decides he has to go to the bathroom and he can’t wait. I think I’ve unintentionally trained him that he can stop and go to the bathroom whenever he wants as long as it’s in the grass. But it is really annoying sometimes. The only way I know how to fix this is to make sure I give him time to go on my terms so it won’t be an issue for him to make his own “pit stops.” By the way, when a dog is on Prednisone, he has to pee about every hour! Poor Ace.

Although our walk was a half-hour at most today, Ace came home and crashed a lot harder than when we go for a longer walk in our own neighborhood. That just shows how important mental challenges are for dogs.

Doesn’t this pitbull look a lot like Ace?

This is day 15 of my 30-day challenge to work with my dog on loose-leash walking. Click here to see my other 30-day challenge posts.

(Image from latimesblogs.latimes.com)

Breaking Ace’s fixation

Note: This is part three of a three-part series on my dog’s tennis ball obsession. Click these links to read part one, My mutt has a fixation and part two, 10 signs your dog has a fixation.

Just like any addiction, rehabilitation takes a long, long time. In Ace’s tennis ball case, I have two options. I can either continue things the way they are and allow him to obsess over a ball until he ends up hurting himself, or I can begin the long process of correcting his behavior.

Obviously I am going to correct the behavior or I wouldn’t have chosen to do this series. The problem is getting started because I know how difficult it is going to be to follow through.

My goal is to have a dog that can control himself around a ball and play in a healthy way where he never becomes fixated. He will respond to all commands even if he has a ball. He will have the ability to stop playing and leave a ball alone without me hiding it or putting it away. Most of all, he will be able to play and socialize with other dogs as well as accept verbal and physical attention when there is a ball in sight.

Here are some rules I have set for Ace to begin right away:

1. No fetch playing for 30 days (at least).
2. No dog park for 30 days (but we’ll stay away as long as needed). The reason for this is there are balls everywhere and I can’t enforce my new rules if Ace is off leash in a big area surrounded by tennis balls.
3. Ace will begin a more regular, intense exercise program of at least one hour of running or walking at least five days a week.
4. Every day I will have Ace practice calm energy by lying on his side in a submissive position with a ball beside him. He will lie like that until he is totally relaxed and ignoring the ball. Depending on the day, this could take 30 seconds or an hour. He will also have to do this any time he brings me an object expecting me to throw it for him.

Once Ace has shown some improvements, I will move on to some challenges for him:

1. When Ace can manage to ignore a ball while lying down, I will move on to him sitting and then just being loose in a room with a ball, ignoring it.
2. Once Ace can leave a ball alone in a room, I will work on more mental challenges with him such as me throwing a ball while he sits and stays at my side. We will practice heeling by weaving around a yard full of balls with Ace on leash and then off leash.
3. Ace will get to play with a ball himself if he is totally calm. If he is even close to that fixated state of mind, the ball will be put on the ground and he will lie beside it.
4. I hope to return to normal fetch playing, but Ace must remain calm and in control of himself the whole time.

I have no idea how long this whole process will take. Maybe six months, maybe two years. Or maybe I will never be able to correct Ace on my own. It mostly depends on how well I am able to stick to these rules. If anyone has any suggestions, I’d like to hear them. My ideas are influenced by Jon Katz and Cesar Millan, but I don’t know anyone personally who has actually tried to break his or her dog of an obsession.

Click these links to read parts one and two of this series, My mutt has a fixation and 10 signs your dog has a fixation.

Image from flickr.com

A pit bull mauled a 9-week-old boxer puppy last week at a local dog park in Fargo, shaking the pup and refusing to let go. It’s a scene that has happened or could happen in all dog parks: one dog attacks another dog.

Aggressive behavior at the dog park cannot be avoided completely. Going to the dog park is always a risk. Dog whisperer Cesar Millan and author Jon Katz  say dog parks are disasters waiting to happen. There are just too many unbalanced, nervous, excited dogs together. A few months back, I wrote a post on 10 things to consider at the dog park. But most of that post included tips only you can control. What happens when someone doesn’t follow the dog park rules? The dog parks in Fargo are managed by the park district. None of the rules are enforced. Even if a dog attacks another dog, animal control does nothing. Law enforcement only gets involved if a human is the victim.

Keeping all this in mind, here are seven things to consider at dog parks for your own dog’s safety, since you cannot control it if some idiot brings his aggressive dog into the park.

1. Find out what law enforcement will actually enforce in your area.
Maybe your police department has its act together a little better than Fargo’s finest. Find out what the laws are and how they are enforced. Don’t be afraid to report questionable dogs and owners.

2. Keep your dog in the appropriate area for her size.
Most dog parks are divided into at least two sections, based on the size of the dogs. I am guilty. On quiet days when there are only a few dogs at the park, we will all bring our dogs to one side. I do always ask the little dog owners if it’s OK first, but it’s not OK. In the attack I mentioned earlier, the adult dog mauled a puppy that shouldn’t have been on the big dog side in the first place. Certain dogs see small animals as prey. My mutt chases squirrels and rabbits all the time, for example. Really, could you blame a lab mix for mistaking a Chihuahua for a rodent?

3. If a dog is questionable, be safe and leave the park.
If there is a dog I don’t trust, or a human who is irresponsible, I make the choice to leave the park with my dog. It’s not worth it to stay and risk a bite or a fight.

4. Do what you can to control your own dog.
I don’t do this often enough, but it is a good idea to walk my dog before we go to the dog park. If you walk your dog for a half-hour before you go to the park, she can get rid of pent up energy. The dogs that enter the dog park in an excited state of mind are the ones most likely to be challenged by a dominant dog. Practice entering and exiting the park with your dog under control and practice the recall so your dog will come in all situations.

5. Know what you will do if a fight does occur.
Most of the time when dogs appear to be fighting, they are just playing roughly or working out who is the dominant one. It usually sounds worse than it is and neither dog gets hurt. But when one dog attacks another dog and it escalates, what will you do? Dog trainer Jeff Millman over at Watch and Train suggests making a loud noise by hitting a garbage can or yelling to distract the dogs. He also said to try throwing toys at the dogs, spraying them with water or covering their heads with jackets. Another option is to pull the dogs apart, but know there is a high chance the dogs will bite you.

6. Have veterinary emergency information handy.
Program your dog’s vet number into your phone. Know the hours of the vet’s office and where the local animal ER is located. You never know when an emergency will occur.

7. Remember all animals are unpredictable.
I wish I could trust Ace 100 percent. I don’t think he would ever bite another dog because he is very submissive, but how do I know he wouldn’t? I don’t. Animals don’t just bite out of aggression. They bite if they are scared or excited, too. Like I said, Ace is normally a submissive dog, but there are a few dogs he will bark and growl at. Behavior like this is often what stirs up a fight.

Have you seen any fights at the dog park? What did you do? Do you think dog parks are safe?

(Image is of my parents’ dog, Sophie, and my uncle’s dog, Radar.)