Be Responsible and Respectful

There was a dead rotting skunk, 50 meters or so from where we played ball.
The ball was more motivating than the skunk … for the time being.
But every now and then she’d get a whiff and veer off course.
You could see it in the way she scented the air.
If that skunk had been alive, I can absolutely guarantee that no positive motivation would have been strong enough to keep her at bay.
And the negative would likely have to be quite high in order to convince her to stick around.
She’s bred to hunt and kill – even though she is adorable.
She’s not a descendant of this, she comes by it directly through her mother from a working/hunting kennel.
I’m not ignorant to this.
I don’t take stupid chances with extreme drive hunting dogs.
My point? I’m getting there.
Don’t put your dog in a position to fail.
Don’t take unnecessary chances with game bred or super high drive dogs.
Set your dog up for success.
Know the dog that you have, and respect what they were bred for.
Not all dogs need to be off leash at all times … most don’t.
And if they are, you’d better have a damn good recall or stop command.
Don’t put other people or animals in a position for them to get hurt or even killed just because you want your dog to have some freedom.
Be responsible and respectful.
Long lines are wonderful tools.
E-collars are great where appropriate.
But an e-collar alone is a not a complete fail safe when there is a competing motivation that really tickles your dogs fancy, like really tickles it.
I’ve seen dogs blow through full stim on an e-collar when prey is around … It does happen.
Be smart and be responsible.
Be prepared to keep your dog on the leash and walk away.
It is NOT your right to have your dog off leash.
In fact, there are leash by-laws in most, if not all, municipalities.
There are dog parks if you feel the need to remove the leash on a less than trained dog.
And if your dog likes to blow you off, visit other dogs or people and chase wildlife, do not un-clip that leash, that dog is NOT off leash trained, no matter how much you think it is, nor how much you yell out, “it’s ok, he’s friendly.”.