Posted: Fri Jul 29, 2011 8:50 am Post subject: Picnics in park - becoming a nightmare
My 2 yr old lab has much improved with recall but the last week has been a disaster. He has run off and grabbed someones sandwich as they relaxed in the park. Trying to get him back is a nightmare as of course a treat is no competition to half a chicken sandwich - it is so embarrassing ! And he is now taking balls etc off kids. Someone advised me to put him on a long lead but when all other dogs are off lead it is very difficult to control.
I now try to anticipate and put him on the lead keeping him at my side with a tasty treat and then letting him off again when we are clear of kids and picnics. Should I continue like this or just stop taking him to the park ?
You are not alone with greedy lab and the temptation of stealing food off picnicers, but, yes I would keep him on lead when there are picnics within eyeshot, or go to an area for dog walking without the picnics.
I hate the stress when out with my two, so avoid the kiddy and picnic places like the plague in school holidays and sunny weekends .
I`d continue as you are, CJ is the same, if he sees picnickers and he has stolen from them in the past, its very hard for even the most normally well behaved Lab to resist the call of free food, after all we never feed then at home do we
I tend to avoid the beach during busy times during summer as mine love to chase around the dunes and there is bound to be a family sitting there with a picnic....... bearing in mind the beach has a dog friendly side and a non-dog side from May-September you can guess where the dog hating public like to go - yes, the dogs allowed side!
i'm the pretty much the same as Georgina, I avoid busy times to walk my 2 off lead mainly in the school holidays
Although they are pretty good at recall the temptation to pinch food that looks to a Labradors eyes to be going spare is far too much to cope with
so I tend to walk the same walks but back on the lead before they even notice anything that could cause worry
forgot to say mine are not necessarily drawn to the food - people sitting down are the target as they can be snogged easily, then if there is food the dogs will notice it!
oh! I can see Kira being the same! Definately a lead jobby I reckon! Wonder if those screw in lead holders work well on a beach...and a lead long enough to wander but not long enough to take after Yogi bear...
I too avoid the typical picnic and kids playing hotspots, if I want to go to the beach at this time of year then its either very early before the sun worshippers are up and out or on dull dreary looking like it might rain days! I tend to stick to the golf course woods, my local field, river although again I walk there early as it gets busy later on hot days!
If you have to walk in this park then a long line is probably the best option as even though your boy is just being a typical youngster, if someone did make a complaint then you may end up having to keep him on lead all the time in the park courtesy of these dog control orders! Its a nightmare, I have a very food orientated GSP so I really have to have my wits about me (roll on winter ). Fishermen are the other ones I have to watch for as even though the Labs steer clear, I know at Leo's age he won't....
Thanks for the advice. It is a little hard to avoid picnics and children playing as we are in the London suburbs and during the school holidays the parks are really busy & weekends are even worse. So I find it is best to take Jake to the park slightly " off peak" during the week and then on the weekend I tend to walk him round the back streets and avoid the parks. It is definitely less stressful.
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