Just wondering if anyone allows their dogs a few minutes daft play with other dogs every now and then?
Reason being I have had some real improvements training recently with our 18 month WCS and this morning walking home after training, I saw a couple who have a lovely young show cocker who has always got along really well with our dog. We stopped for a chat and then let them both off for a mad charge about chasing each other about (until she had run the legs off him )
After all the recent weeks of training, training, training, it was nice to see her just running about being a pup again for a while, most other dogs she won't play with but this little fellow she always does.
Nothing wrong with dogs playing when it’s something you allowed. Some trainers are of course ‘anal’ about letting dogs do anything ‘dog’ unless they’re front and center.
Boils down to control, if you have, great, if you don’t then things will get worst for you. And no, just positive reinforcement won’t do it. It’ll look good, but it’ll be built on hope.
I think the kind of play you describe with another dog they already know and get along well with is wonderful for them and probably except for actually working the best exercise they can get. Clearly they enjoy it a great deal.
I have had no experience with "off lead dog parks" which seem to be getting very popular here but I have a lot of reservations about them. I can't see letting my dogs loose with a bunch of strange undisciplined dogs under very little control. It seems to me it would be very stressful for all but the most confident and assertive dogs and a recipe for disaster.
I'm suspicious of people who don't like dogs, but I trust a dog when it doesn't like a person. - Bill Murray
Unusually for me I actually took a dog on holiday to the seaside last week, it appeared everyone has a dog there, mostly oos! I had no problems but my dogs tend not to want to interact with every dog they meet as they "play" in their own group at home so aren't really very interested in strangers as at home they only really see strange dogs when working and aren't interested in them. The big issue is how the other dogs will react as there have been a few dogs badly bitten in the poplar places even in rural north Herefordshire but it does give you the chance to see how good your recall is when you want them to stop and come in!
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