Last week, two grandparents took their three grandchildren and their new 12 week old puppy to a Glasgow park expecting a fun day out.
They let their puppy off lead and, as all inquisitive babies do, he ran up to other people and their dogs to explore, meet and greet.
As he ran towards one dog, that dog’s owner shouted to the grandparents to call their puppy back and stay away.
But they couldn’t. He was only a puppy and hadn’t learned a recall. Helplessly they watched disaster unfold. The other, large dog grabbed the puppy round the head. In what seemed like an age but was only a minute or so, both owners managed to grapple their dogs away from each other as the grandchildren screamed in the background.
But too late for the puppy. Although the local vet tried everything he was too badly hurt and died later that morning leaving the grandparents bereft and their grandchildren horribly upset by the incident.
Despite the puppy’s death, the other owner will not be prosecuted. Because his dog was securely on a lead. It had apparently bitten another dog before and was under a control order to be kept on lead in public places, which the owner was fully complying with. It’s likely a muzzle order will also be added.
But it’s too late for that puppy. I hope such a tragic accident never happens to you or someone you know. Perhaps you’ve been to one of our classes before and wondered why I rant on and on about not letting your dog run up to other people or their dogs, ever. Well, here’s one reason.
Hoping it never happens isn’t good enough though. When you get a dog you also take on responsibility to train them properly. And that includes training a great recall. To keep your dog safe (and polite) off lead, you need a good recall – you need to be able to call your dog back anytime they’re heading for another dog or person.
With a good recall, your dog can enjoy more, safe, freedom. They can be off lead more often, in more places if you are confident they will always come back.
If you need to improve your recall, come along to one of our Reliable Recall Masterclasses. Find out more by going to the website here: https://www.downdog.co.uk/Clinics
One of my missions in life is to help all owners enjoy their dogs, safely. A good recall is a vital part of that.
Keep training and keep safe,
Carol