Taking Your Dog to Crowded Places

Maestro gets fidgety after sitting for too long. He needs stretch his legs before listening to the next band. Photo by R-M Arca.

Spring has finally arrived in Calgary. The sun has been shining brightly. People have been sporting shorts and capris. Even the family dogs are eager to sit in the backyard and catch some rays.

Outdoor festivals will be starting soon too. Lots of people will be out and about, not to mention loud music and all sorts of sounds.

Can you take your dog with you? Well yes, sometimes. However, to make it a pleasant experience for the entire family, you have to train together.

I've been taking Maestro out to festivals since he was approximately three years-old. Some festivals don't allow regular dogs on-site, but events like the Calgary Folk Festival take place in one area of a park. Maestro and I join the other families with their dogs and chill on the "free side of the fence".

I think the first time, I drove downtown and parked really close to Prince's Island Park. I picked one of the quieter times to head to the park and it wasn't too hot. Maestro and I brought snacks, water and poopy bags along with a blanket and his Doggles. We didn't stay too long - probably just a couple of hours.

With each passing event, Maestro came on longer festival "adventures". A few years back, he got his own backpack to carry his gear. It makes him feel special.

A few things I've learned along the way are:

• Know Your Dog: Do you know the signs your dog gives out when stressed? Angry? Hungry? Frightened? Needs to relieve him or herself? Tired? Overheated? You need to keep a vigilant eye on your pet and react quickly.

• Know the Area: When you arrive, scout out the area. You need to know where are the quiet areas that you can take your dog for a timeout. Also, you have to find a shady spot for your furry friend so he or she doesn't overheat.

• Keep an Eye Out for Irritants: If your dog has a fear of big truck engines or displays with loud generators, pick a different route. If you see a bunch of noisy kids or dogs up ahead, a little distance will do you good.

• Keep Together: You can't help your dog if you're 20 feet away and he or she is in distress. The bigger the crowd, the more important it is that you have your dog on a tight leash. It's as much for your dog's protection as everyone else's.

• Train your dog: If your dog doesn't know the equivalent of "heel", "come", "leave it", "stay", "stop", then your dog isn't ready yet.

Here are some informative articles I've come across on dogs and crowds:

Dogs and Crowds from Cats and Dogs Naturally

Dogs and Crowds from Paddington Pups

Dogs and Crowd Control from Cesar's Way

Cesar's article especially is worth a read.

First Look at the Green Interactive Feeder for Dogs

Green Interactive Feeder - Eat Slow

Maestro and I saw a really neat dog food dish on a recent jaunt to a neighbourhood pet store. It's perfect for a dog who dog eats too fast.

Called the Green Interactive Feeder - Eat Slow, it turns eating into a bit of a hunting and peck game. Fashioned after blades of grass, a dog has to root around to get to the food. It's quite different from the normal anti-gulp bowls I've seen.

The bright colour and design caught my attention right away. Maestro normally doesn't gulp his food down, although I've had to slow him down on a couple of occasions. Now, we do know a dog who does on a regular basis. We don't want him to get gastric torsion, so this eat slow dog dish alternative looks intriguing enough to try.

Anti-gulping dog feeder up close

Here's a video showing some dogs trying out the Green Interactive Feeder:

Locally, Maestro and I found the Green Interactive Feeder - Eat Slow at Pet Valu. We'll have to get back to you on whether our other fave pet stores carry them. You can purchase this funky dog feeder online on Amazon.

Pet Blogs of Note

Making a Splash

One Google search reveals a plethora of pet blogs (239,000,000 results to be exact). Here are a few that Maestro and I have checked out in our travels.

Calgary Human Society's Happy Tails Blog

The Happy Tails blog puts the spotlight on pets staying at the SPCA seeking a family and a place to call home. There are success stories posted as well.

Oh My Dog!

Oh My Dog! was voted the best dog blog in 2012. Written by freelance writer Maggie Marton, OMD provides everything from reviews to DIY pup projects and from training tips to funny stories about her pups Emmett, Lucas and Cooper.

Thoughts Fur Paws

Thoughts Fur Paws is run by JL Smith. She brings awareness to sticky issues and provides a voice for our furry friends who cannot speak.This pet advocate writes about animal welfare causes and legislation, the politics of pets, the puppy mill industry, pet charities and shelters. She also has all things cat and dog: information on breeds, behaviour, nutrition, pet health.

Vet Street

Vet Street is a comprehensive blog and website that contains a wealth of information. Whether you are looking for a vet, tips on pet health or training, it's worth a look.

Bandaging Your Dog

Maestro pulled a shoulder muscle earlier this month. It didn't seem like a serious injury, so brought out his Maestro-sized "ice" packs (frozen A & W take-out ketchup packs), cracked open his first aid kit and attempted to figure out the best way to wrap his leg. Here are some really vet videos that I tracked down to help:

ACE Bandage to Support a Dog's Shoulder

How to Apply a Bandage on a Wound on a Dog's Paw:

This video includes natural healing products, such as honey and aromatherapy:

Maestro isn't too crazy about the bandaging process. However, he seems happier now that I've figured out how to wrap the ACE bandage around his shoulder properly.

About Dog Intelligence Tests

Ever wonder just how smart your dog is? There are several websites that offer dog IQ tests.

Maestro and I tried one for fun. I figured he'd do pretty well, as terriers are pretty smart.

However, my concern with the dog quiz is that it  was extremely treat oriented. A dog who is treat trained is going to score extremely well. Conversely, a dog who couldn't care less about treats may not do as well.

Maestro is praise-oriented, so I used his favourite snacks for this exercise to get him going. However, he is used to hunting for snacks (Hide & Hunt), so any delay that was experienced was due to him thinking "Oh, she could have hid a treat here. Or here. She hid something over here last time. Or last, last time."

He scored 36 - genius level. It took him 5 seconds to answer most questions. Some of our funnier moments included the following:

• During the blanket over the shoulders test, Maestro didn't do anything initially. I suspect it's because I have sometimes placed a blanket over his head when we play Hide & Hunt (He has to sit and wait until all the treats are hidden). I had to encourage him to escape from the blanket. He backed himself up and out of the blanket in 8 seconds.

• For the long-term memory question, there was a slight delay because Maestro thought we were playing Hide & Hunt. He began to hunt but still managed to switch gears and find the treat in 6 seconds.

• Problem-solving: I put the treat in a dark spot under the bed. He whined a little until he scented the treat. It then took him 8 seconds to wiggle far enough to get the treat.

• Language Comprehension question: Maestro cocked his head and looked at me like I was an idiot for saying "Fridge" and "Movies". His expression really seemed to say, "You're not at the fridge. What do you mean?" and "What do you mean, "movies"? We're not at the kotatsu table."

• The final question: He did try to go around the cardstock on the right side. Then he tried to stick his nose underneath. Maestro's solution was to push the lap desk out of the way (to the left of the cardstock, on the floor) and paw at the barrier until it broke. See below:

DSC_0059.jpg

It took him 55 seconds to come up with his plan.

Here is a list of some dog intelligence quizzes that I found. We tried the first one:

• Dog IQ Test pets1st.ca - Resources for you and your pet

• NBC News - How Smart is Your Dog?

• Animal Attraction - Dog IQ Quiz