Last Friday morning we joined hordes of other people in Newtownards to watch the NHS Spitfire fly over Ards hospital then land at the airport. We took Gus with some trepidation – as regular readers will know, he barks at planes that fly over our house, so we weren’t sure how he would behave. We planned to arrive early to give him plenty of time to settle.
Newtownards was ridiculously busy with a lot of people having exactly the same idea as we did, to walk along the sea wall and find a spot to watch from. Which created traffic chaos. When we arrived there was plenty of space in the Londonderry Park car park, but people were still squeezing their cars onto the verges and pavements, despite the new traffic islands on the Portaferry Road.
Gus coped well with the heavy traffic – he actually coped better than me. I hate the noise and the buffeting from the slip streams as large vehicles roar past me. (I had to abort a walk along Glastry Road the other day for the same reason as I couldn’t face walking round the narrow s-bend as the road was busy for round here.)
We walked along the sea wall, trying to keep our 2m distance from everyone else. The airport was quite busy. Gus barked once at a small plane that went overhead but I suspect only because he’d been aroused by an off-lead terrier coming up intrusively for a bottom sniff before I managed to chase it off.
We found a good spot opposite the cross runway and I settled myself on a handy boulder with Gus lying at my feet to wait. The spitfire arrived a little earlier than expected, announcing its presence with that unmistakeable Merlin engine throaty growl. It circled the hospital then came round for a fly past of the airport before making its final approach and a perfect landing.
The dog next to us barked his head off, but Gus just lay by my feet and watched. That ten minutes of relaxation prior to the Spitfire arriving were sufficient to allow him to stay calm and therefore not react. The neighbouring dog had been allowed to interact with every other dog going past and had had a small altercation with one.
It was a good example of how arousal affects dog behaviour. If you have a dog who arouses easily and reacts to certain triggers when they are out and about you need to plan how to help them keep as calm as possible. Your two best friends are time and distance.
Being constantly on alert and barking at things can affect your dog’s health – and it’s not great for your mental health either. Come along and find out how to help your dog and yourself. This course can help both of you.
Here’s what one previous attendee said:
“I hoped this course would produce better behaviour, less reactivity, help me spot the signs that he may react and learn what to do if other dogs off lead were to approach and how to deal with owners. The course has been a Godsend from start to finish. It has given me an understanding of both my dog’s and my own reaction to triggers. I would recommend this course to anyone who has any concerns re reactivity.”
Keep training and stay safe,
Carol