29/09/2023
Open season begins at Aberavon Beach on Sunday (October 1st) where our dogs are allowed back onto the beach. As owners it is our responsibility not to abuse these privileges of having such a wonderful space available to us.
Whether your dog is friendly or not, if you cannot recall your dog in such an environment with a 100% success rate they should be on kept on a leash or long line.
Do not put yourself, your dog or others into a 50-50 situation. It only takes one negative experience to have a lasting impact on your dog.
Your dog may be friendly but are they well mannered? Rushing up to another dog in an over aroused state is an anti social behaviour and one that could lead to multiple outcomes.
1. They have a great time, but this only reinforces that anti social approach that not all dogs may be tolerable too. It also devalues you as the dogs handler as they will seek that reinforcement elsewhere. This can then become problematic when you want your dog to walk nicely on a lead. Now they want to ‘say hello’ to every dog they pass which leads to one frustrated dog as they are being held back or pulled away, creating a ‘leash reactive’ dog.
2. They get corrected by the other dog for being rude. This may seem like a minor incident but now two dogs have had a negative experience. If a dog (on both sides of this interaction) experience enough of these patterns they will begin to associate other dogs negatively and the spiral of reactivity begins.
3. A dog fight breaks out. The worst possible outcome that many people when in the heat of the moment are not experienced enough to handle.
Respect the lead. Respect other people. Respect the dogs.
