Controlling Your Dog in Public Places

Most of us wouldn't give a child $100.00 in cash and then turn them loose in a candy store. Likewise, it's not a good idea to take a hyper dog out in public when he's got a back account full of pent-up energy.

Expending that energy prior to going to new and exciting places with your dog is the best method for ensuring your four legged companion is more docile and easier to control when other animals or people come into close proximity. The key is for you to be fully charged and your dog to be about 75 per cent depleted of energy. Of course, that begs the question, how do we exercise our dogs while retaining our own energy at maximum prior to a public outing? If we walk them or play with them, we expend our own energy as well. That's where the treadmill or spring pole come in very handy. If you don't have such equipment, don't despair. There are plenty of other creative ways to drain Rover's energy while retaining your own. Here are a few suggestions:

Have a family member play or walk him first, then you take over for the public experience.

If he loves to play fetch and is good at retrieving, do that. Throwing a toy will be minimally draining to you, and your dog will expend lots of energy.

Buy a cheap laser pointer and let him chase the dot around the floor as you relax in a chair. I've found that nearly all dogs will go nuts over that magical red dot.

If you like to skate or roller blade, teach your dog to pull you along on them. This is something you should only do if you're an expert at maneuvering with wheels strapped to your feet. If you're an amateur, you'll end up burning as much of your own energy as your dog as you try to remain upright and avoid running over him, which, of course, defeats the purpose.

Once your dog has got a heavy pant going and has tired of the activity, it's time to hook up and head out to the dog-friendly coffee shop, obedience class, or park. Don't let him rest in between play time and public outing time, that will defeat the purpose. Dogs are marvelously resilient creatures and they recharge quickly. The new experience of the public adventure will be enough to perk him up. However, with little reserve energy to draw on he will be much easier to control when that crazy cat runs across the street in front of you or some playful stray comes bounding happily up to have a sniff.

Although I've been known to rant against prong collars, they do have their place, and as one expert I have a great deal of respect for recently pointed out to me, if it weren't for the quick control afforded by a prong collar, many dog owners would give up on ever controlling their hyper animals and we'd have a lot more in shelters headed for euthanasia. If you happen to be one of those owners, try this energy draining method along with the prong/pinch collar and see if things get easier for you. The pinch collar will be there for insurance and confidence, but you'll end up having to rely on it less.