I found a lot of clarity in Sarah Stremming's Cog Dog Radio episode on the three R's of off-leash reliability. My dog is never off-leash in public spaces because of her prey drive and her hyperarousal around pretty much everything in the world. It's helpful even just to have the language to say that she lacks the necessary environmental stability (thanks, people who bought a doodle puppy during a pandemic). Likely, she always will.
That is to say that engineering this thing we call "voice control" can be incredibly complex and even unattainable for many. Those dogs, which may actually be the majority, still deserve to be able to move their bodies and experience freedom in nature. I find it hard to reconcile the obvious need for responsible dog management and the resulting exclusivity of off-leash spaces. In light of this dilemma, thank goodness for Sniffspot.
I hear you so much here! (And am fully in on the love for Sniffspot. I've actually gotten to help with some of their writing over the years! 😁)
I think the exclusivity idea is one of the reasons I value clear expectations in different areas the way I do. I feel like having an understanding of what behavior is expected in a given place—and then that understanding actually matching reality—can enable handlers to thoughtfully enter environments without facing such potential for setbacks and surprise. (Most off-leash legal areas exclude dogs like Scout who aren't comfortable being approached by dogs they don't know, even if signage indicates otherwise, like on this day in SF.) And hopefully in the long run that thoughtfulness could create more opportunities for people and pets at different levels of training / with different personalities and aptitudes / etc to feel fulfilled... though of course that's idealistic. If I could design the world (oh, what a fantasy! I love hypotheticals with zero resource constraints haha) there'd be shared spaces requiring voice control like hiking trails, beaches, etc that aren't designated "just" for dogs—and then different "degrees" of dog parks.
Regardless, the conversation is always a good reminder that we and our dogs all have our own myriad experiences and struggles. It's definitely difficult to think of a scenario that always works for everyone.
If you could design the world, I'm sure I would like it a lot better! :)
The part about clear expectations (and people following them) is key, I think. It's a bit like driving a car. If everyone on the road is following the same rules, we all know what to expect and how to navigate it. When someone decides the rules don't apply to them and makes up their own, that's when it gets dangerous.
Like you and Scout, my dog and I are not necessarily excluded from off-leash areas because of *our* behavior. It's mainly because I won't put my dog in a position where strange dogs will inevitably run up to her. She and Scout have that discomfort in common! Her being stuck on a long line, which is the responsible way for us to be in those spaces, makes it even more unfair.
Ultimately, it always comes back to what you said about the difficulty/impossibility of accommodating everyone. But if more people would just try a little, and try to follow the same rules as the people around them, we'd get a lot closer. I have so many thoughts on this, since I live it every day, so I appreciate your openmindedness and kinship as a fellow Person with So Many Thoughts!
I found a lot of clarity in Sarah Stremming's Cog Dog Radio episode on the three R's of off-leash reliability. My dog is never off-leash in public spaces because of her prey drive and her hyperarousal around pretty much everything in the world. It's helpful even just to have the language to say that she lacks the necessary environmental stability (thanks, people who bought a doodle puppy during a pandemic). Likely, she always will.
That is to say that engineering this thing we call "voice control" can be incredibly complex and even unattainable for many. Those dogs, which may actually be the majority, still deserve to be able to move their bodies and experience freedom in nature. I find it hard to reconcile the obvious need for responsible dog management and the resulting exclusivity of off-leash spaces. In light of this dilemma, thank goodness for Sniffspot.
I hear you so much here! (And am fully in on the love for Sniffspot. I've actually gotten to help with some of their writing over the years! 😁)
I think the exclusivity idea is one of the reasons I value clear expectations in different areas the way I do. I feel like having an understanding of what behavior is expected in a given place—and then that understanding actually matching reality—can enable handlers to thoughtfully enter environments without facing such potential for setbacks and surprise. (Most off-leash legal areas exclude dogs like Scout who aren't comfortable being approached by dogs they don't know, even if signage indicates otherwise, like on this day in SF.) And hopefully in the long run that thoughtfulness could create more opportunities for people and pets at different levels of training / with different personalities and aptitudes / etc to feel fulfilled... though of course that's idealistic. If I could design the world (oh, what a fantasy! I love hypotheticals with zero resource constraints haha) there'd be shared spaces requiring voice control like hiking trails, beaches, etc that aren't designated "just" for dogs—and then different "degrees" of dog parks.
Regardless, the conversation is always a good reminder that we and our dogs all have our own myriad experiences and struggles. It's definitely difficult to think of a scenario that always works for everyone.
If you could design the world, I'm sure I would like it a lot better! :)
The part about clear expectations (and people following them) is key, I think. It's a bit like driving a car. If everyone on the road is following the same rules, we all know what to expect and how to navigate it. When someone decides the rules don't apply to them and makes up their own, that's when it gets dangerous.
Like you and Scout, my dog and I are not necessarily excluded from off-leash areas because of *our* behavior. It's mainly because I won't put my dog in a position where strange dogs will inevitably run up to her. She and Scout have that discomfort in common! Her being stuck on a long line, which is the responsible way for us to be in those spaces, makes it even more unfair.
Ultimately, it always comes back to what you said about the difficulty/impossibility of accommodating everyone. But if more people would just try a little, and try to follow the same rules as the people around them, we'd get a lot closer. I have so many thoughts on this, since I live it every day, so I appreciate your openmindedness and kinship as a fellow Person with So Many Thoughts!