A Walk in the Dog Park

Since we got Stick Dog, we've utilized our local dog park frequently. He's such a ball player and gets so stoked when when get in the car and turn down the "right" street. He's just like a kid! He isn't interested in playing with any other dog, he just want me to constantly throw the ball, over and over again. Other dogs want to play with him but he is so focused on the ball that he ignores them.
We've met some very interesting people at the dog park. Some of them are just plain old weird. Some of them consider their dog has the soul of a human, has rights like a human and there for Dog Park is a country on its own with separate laws to govern it. Leash free mean no leash required, not leashes are banned.

Stick Dog has developed a terrible habit of not wanting to go home when play time is over. This started nearly a year ago, when the Girl called me at work and said that she couldn't catch the little bugger and was running out of time. It was nearly 5 so I told her to leave him there and I'd stop by on my way home from work and pick him up. 20 minutes later she called me and said she was finally able to catch him.

After that, I took him to Dog Park, and he pulled the same thing on me, so I told him to go and get a drink at the fountain and when he got there I snatched his collar. The next time I went, the same thing happened when it was time to go home and I told him to go get a drink, but he wasn't having that, so I thew the ball into the catch gate and he went in to retrieve it and I shut the gate and took him home.  The next time I went, he wouldn't have anything to do with going to the catch gate or even close to the gate area. It took me nearly an hour to catch him. The same thing happened when dh took him.

I consulted with a few trainers we know and they all said, "get a long lead so that when he stays 20 feet away you can still step on his lead and eventually he will learn". So we've utilized that piece of instruction and got a long lead for him to drag along with him when he chases the ball. It causes him no problem, what so ever, we play ball and when it's time to go, I can reel him him and we go home and he is tired and happy, and so am I.

However, this lead causes problems with some people at dog park. I've heard this phrase, "you have to take his leash off because this is a leash free park". Really. Does she not know that everything outside of the park is "leash on" Leash free is not a requirement to enter into the dog park. It is a good thing to not "walk" your dog on a leash in a leash free area because the dogs on a leash are prone to be more aggressive, but we don't hold on to the leash, Stick Dog drags it behind him.

Yesterday was the best reaction I have ever gotten. As we were walking into the park, some lady comes speed walking toward us yelling, "will you please take off his leash?" and we both replied no. She started her tirade of how our dog's leash would break her dogs leg and the leg of other dogs. I told her he wouldn't even play with her dog, he won't trip her and he was just fine, as would be her dog. She started screaming and yelling and throwing a fit, "gonna call the cops" and she hauled her dog out of the park. When she got to the gate she screamed a loud, long scream like a child does when they are throwing a tantrum. REALLY! The only thing missing was stomping her feet. Then she went out.

About a minute later she came back in with her dog on the leash, walked him to the folks at the table, who were drinking a box of wine, asked for some paper and pencil to write our car license down so she could report us for having our dog on a leash....really. So we stayed about an hour and when we were done we left. She was sitting down on the curb waiting the whole time. So I told her she could go back in now.

I was so disturb by her behavior, the names she screamed at us were unbelievable, but her screaming like a child was the top! I get sick of people who believe their dog/cat/fish/rat have special rights. I love my dog, treat him with love and respect, but he will obey me. I am responsible if he bites, runs away, knocks over trash cans or makes too much noise. The only way to teach an animal to behave is the same way we teach children to behave, consequences. Our particular issue is he just doesn't want to go home, he wants to play ball all day and night and when you can't catch him....any suggestions besides the long lead? Didn't think so.