Am I Boring My Dog? (24 page)

For the full range of possibilities, including carting, hunting, Schutzhund (which is as scary as it sounds), sheepherding, skijoring, tracking, and water sports (though not synchronized swimming), see DogPlay (
www.dogplay.com
). To find events in your area, check the American Kennel Club (AKC;
www.akc.org
) event search option or Google the name of your city and the activity you’re interested in. Many pet stores post events, too.

The following are the five most popular sports and are open to the greatest number of dogs.

Started in the late 1970s in London, and modeled on horse show jumping, agility has come to mean many things to many dog people—all of whom agree it’s a blast. Essentially, you direct your dog through an obstacle course—which almost always involves seesaws, tables, poles, tires, and lots of weaving around and jumping—and are judged on both time and accuracy.

Sure your dog can sit and stay in the privacy of your own home, but can she—and you—perform under pressure? Various levels of command conformity range from the Novice Long Sit (no whining permitted) to Advanced Scent Discrimination, where your dog must identify leather and metal items that you’ve touched. Who knew there were arenas in which strong body odor was a plus?

If Frankie was more coordinated,
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this is the competition I’d most want to try. Nicknamed “dancing with dogs,” it sets obedience to music, with routines that participants create. Costumes may or may not be part of the proceedings.

You know your dog’s a natural, so why just toss a Frisbee around the park when you can impress far more people with his prowess? Events include “toss and fetch” (a.k.a. “mini-distance” or “throw and catch”), a straightforward skill demonstration using a single disc; and “dynamic freestyle,” the Cirque du Soleil of the sport, involving short routines to music with multiple discs. Expect lots of spinning, leaping, and other physical pyrotechnics.

If both you and your dog play well with others, this relay-style agility competition with hurdles and tennis balls may be your sport. If no pooch misses a hurdle or drops a tennis ball, the team that completes the course with the fastest time wins.

Also popular with mixed breeds are Earthdog, which simulates tunneling for simulated rodents; Strong Dog, similar to Earthdog, but the faux rodents have to be brought back to the handler; and Lure Coursing, chasing something fast-moving across a real, not simulated, field. See the National All-Breed Sporting Association (NABSA;
www.go-k9sport.org
) for details on these games.

Definitely; both stated and implicit. The former are usually posted and easy to follow (though not everyone does), but observing the latter is equally important if you want to fit in with the regulars. Dog parks are similar to playgrounds, with a bit more snarling and public peeing but no less snobbery and gossip.

First, a definition: A dog park—sometimes called a dog run—is an enclosed area set aside for dogs to play together off leash. Some are spacious enough to offer separate areas for big and small dogs; others are parking lot size. Some are verdant and lush; others have dirt for décor. Picnic benches and tables may be provided; sometimes it’s BYO folding chairs. Water and baggies for cleanups are usually available.

Not all dogs (or owners) are good candidates for dog parks. Again, shyness and aggressiveness are equally problematic. I took Frankie to a dog park about a month after I got him, without any preparation or training. He spent the entire time trying to jump into my lap or attach himself to my leg.

Frankie never did warm up to the dog park, which probably had more to do with occurrences in his mysterious past than with my foolish full-immersion introduction to it. Still, if I had a do-over, I would have come to the park during off hours—very early or following the after-work rush—when fewer dogs were around, and try to ease him into a new and stressful situation.

No matter how friendly your dog, some training—at minimum, obedience to a recall—is essential. There are bound to be renegades—their owners would say free spirits—at any dog park, but it takes two to tangle. Before you go, observe and have your pup engage in play, so you get a sense of what falls within the realm of normal. As per Chapter 6, it’s important to know the basics of Doglish, especially your pup’s dialect, so you can read body language effectively.

Finally, on the first visit, quit while you’re ahead, i.e., while your dog is enjoying herself. Stay no more than 15 or 20 minutes. Your dog will look forward to returning if she’s tantalized, not overtired. And if she forgets all her training, and doesn’t want to come to you when you’re ready to go home, cut her some slack. This is a new experience, and if she doesn’t want to leave, it’s been a successful one.

When you go:

If your dog is tethered while others are running free, she’ll be vulnerable, which is a prelude to a scuffle—as is the fact that she’s likely to be protective of you if you’re literally attached to her.

As I noted in the earlier daycare center section, collars can be dangerous during rough play. If you’re in a secured area, there’s no reason to leave one on. If you don’t recognize your pup without his tags, you shouldn’t be taking him out of the house.

It’s usually verboten, anyway, because all the dogs will sniff them out—and you don’t want to be beset by the hungry hordes. And food is not only a source of dissent among canine contenders; bringing it will also annoy other owners whose dogs may be on a diet. If you do have treats and there’s a particularly insistent pup, always ask the owner if it’s okay to give her something. That’ll go a long way toward smoothing any fur you’ve ruffled.

Water can be a source of strife, too, if it’s not provided by the park. In that case, it may be a good idea to restrict drinking to before and after your park visit.

It’s hard to keep track of pooch playthings under the best of circumstances, and with large numbers of dogs in motion … forget it. You definitely don’t want to bring along anything your dog is protective of and will fight to defend. Or that you’ll fight to defend. Maybe it’s a guy thing, but I’ve noticed that some men seem bound and determined to bring home
their
dog’s tennis ball, no matter how old and dirty, rather than one belonging to someone else’s pup.

It’s important to keep an eye on your dog while you’re in the park, but there’s no point bringing him there if you’re not going to let him have fun. Helicopter owners annoy both dogs and humans.

If your dog is bullying other dogs, it’s up to you to get him under control—and to not bring him back until he’s learned better park manners (that doesn’t include talking in his indoor voice; raucous barking is what dog parks are all about).

Ideally, you’ll be aware when a fight is about to break out and command your dog to return to you and/or create a distraction. But if there is a fracas and it involves your charge, you—and the other owner—need to try to disentangle the dogs. Some possibilities for accomplishing that include making a loud noise such as clapping, throwing water at their heads, spraying them with citronella, or tossing a ball at their butts. For larger dogs, some experts suggest that each owner pull on the dog’s back legs. Never grab a collar or otherwise put your hand near a dog’s head; getting close to the teeth of an upset pup is a sure ticket to bite land.

The worst part of a dogfight may be the aftermath, when the humans get into the act. Try to stay calm, even—especially—if the fight was clearly the other dog’s fault, and your dog is injured. Garnering sympathy for the plight of your poor pup, both on the part of the offending party and among witnesses, is more likely to get your vet bill paid than making yourself obnoxious. Don’t forget to gather names and contact information.
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In most cases, it’s hard to assign blame, so drop the defensiveness, own up to your dog’s role, and split any costs.

If I seem obsessed with feces, it’s not because I’m a clean freak or a coprophiliac. It’s just that we, the collective dog community, have to put our best feet forward because if other people put their feet forward into something stinky, they’ll blame the dogs, and try to get dog-friendly facilities shut down.

RV or motor home. I never thought I’d write those words in a travel advice context, but if you’re vacationing with family or friends, it’s a great canine conveyance.

I saw the error of my snobbish ways when my friends Linda and Daniela bought an RV for their two-dog household. They came back from their first trip, to the California coast, raving about the experience.
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They never had to worry about finding dog-friendly lodgings or coordinating bathroom and food stops for people and pooches.
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And they always had easy access to hiking trails and other outdoorsy attractions. I’m not suggesting that you necessarily go out and invest in your own gas guzzler (Linda and Daniela are otherwise very green, honest), but depending on fuel prices and your city of residence, renting one might be cost effective as well as convenient.

Because buses and trains are not an option—except if you go with a charter; see the following question—your next best bet is car travel, which I’ll discuss in question 80.

Planes? Unless you have a dog small enough to take into the cabin, don’t mind traveling separately from your pup,
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or can afford a charter (see question 80), air travel is a bad idea. The pressure and temperature in the hold vary, making a noisy, noxious (think inhaling jet fuel fumes), and already terrifying experience even more terrifying and uncomfortable. And dogs can’t even take chill pills. According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, sedatives and tranquilizers can create respiratory and cardiovascular problems at increased altitudes. They can also mess up your dog’s equilibrium—which means she can’t brace herself when her carrier is moved. And who wants a dizzy dog?

Even in the cabin, dogs with pushed-in faces, such as Pugs, are at an increased risk for breathing and heart problems. And because the carrier must fit under your seat—your dog won’t be comfortable in the overhead baggage bins, the contents of which may shift—that limits the size of your accompanying dog. At 11 pounds and normally nosed, Frankie would be a good flight candidate but so far, I haven’t attempted it; I’m afraid he would balk at removing his shoes and taking everything out of his pockets for the security check.

That said, I know a lot of people and small dogs who travel happily together. Indeed petite pups are such popular flight companions that JetBlue recently initiated a JetPaws program (
www.jetblue.com/jetpaws
), with, naturally, a line of jet-friendly accessories. Even if you’re not on the airline’s route, log on to the website for useful information on pet jetsetting, including the required documentation. Other airlines usually embed information on their carry-on canine policy somewhere on their websites. Make sure you verify that policy, including all fees (JetBlue, for example, charges $100 each way per doggy passenger) by phone well in advance of your flight and before you make a reservation.

Only one cruise line, Cunard, allows dogs on board, and then only for transatlantic crossings on the flagship
Queen Mary 2.

There are a limited number of kennel slots, and getting your dog’s documents approved takes months of advance planning. All in all, canine cruising is only for those who have lots of time and money. But if you fall into that category, why not take your dog to the continent for the grand Smells of Europe tour?

Not really (although some Border Collies I know could probably organize trips for themselves and their people). Most of the companies that assist with travel arrangements are geared toward relocations rather than vacations. The closest you’ll come is the Dogtravel Company (
www.dogtravelcompany
net), which is not a travel agency but a members club for the pup obsessed. The annual membership fee is inexpensive but travel can be pricy because the trains and planes used are all chartered. Still, if you choose a popular route or can gather together a large group, it might not cost all that much to have your Great Dane sitting next to you in the cabin (though I can’t say what kind of leg room you’ll have).