Welcome to Dog Parkology, a show that looks at the concept of dog parks
through our relationship with dogs, with each other, and with the land.
Our dog parks can take many forms.
They're not limited to the traditional fenced in areas of grass or dirt.
They can be anything.
Whether you're going for hikes in the woods or running on a beach,
as long as you're making sure to be responsible and respectful of others
when having your dog off leash.
This is outdoor writer Annette McGivney.
It's very important for an off leash walk in wild places
that your dog has good recall.
That means that they come back to you whenever you call out to them,
no matter how distracted they might be, chasing something, or barking.
Or wanting to engage with another dog, that when they hear your signal, which
could be calling their name, or you may have a whistle or other device,
they turn around and head towards you.
Maybe you're lucky enough where you have a kind of dog that will always come back
to you when you call, but that doesn't mean for all the rest of us that we can't
take our dog off leash in wild places.
It just means that we use a device called an e collar, which is not a shock collar.
Having an e collar gives you a sense of security that the
dog will be able to come back.
The device against their neck vibrates or beeps or both depending on how
you set it and it breaks their attention when they're really fixated
on something and they turn around and they're like, Oh yeah, my owner.
They come back where I live in Colorado, I love to do off leash
dog walks with my yellow lab.
Trudy, now that I have an eco, I know I can communicate with her.
It's worked wonderfully for me.
I've had two dogs in the past when this technology with Ecos wasn't
available and I was hiking up this trail with my two dogs coming down.
The trail was a black bear.
My two dogs went after it.
And next thing I knew, the dogs were running towards me,
coming back down the hill.
I'm sure the bear must have raised up on its hind legs and
growled and scared the dogs.
So I was so relieved, but now I know if that same thing happens in bear country
today, I've got the e collar, I feel like I can control Trudy and not be scared.
be subjected to that same risk for Trudy, myself, or the bear.
90 percent of the time, she comes back without me ever even
having to use the e collar.
But just knowing it's an option, when she's too far, she may not hear my
voice, or she may not want to pay attention to my voice in the way that
the e collar, with its vibration and beeps on her neck, gets her attention.
Such a relief to me and it keeps her safe and it keeps wildlife safe.
We're trying to be responsible in the outdoors with our dogs but we're also
trying to enjoy nature at its best.
which is off leash.
Please also check local rules to confirm off leash walks are permitted
on the public lands you are visiting.
Thank you for listening to this episode of Dog Parkology.
I'm Jenna Blum, your narrator.
This show was created by As It Should Be Productions, the
creators of Dog Save the People.
And dog walk meditation podcasts with executive producer, Scott Benalio
and producer and editor Jack Summer.
Be sure to check out the entire season of dog parkology by following
the show on Apple podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
You can follow us on social media.
A dog parkology and dog save the people.
You can visit our website, dogparkology.
com to learn more about the show and to buy custom design merch like our t shirts.
If you know of any great dog parks in your area, or you've created your
own dog parkology moment, You can email us at dogparkology at gmail.
com.
We'd love to hear about your experience.
And if you've enjoyed listening to this episode, please share it with a friend.
Enjoy a trip to a dog park today, or wherever you go with your dog,
to appreciate nature, meet others, and make a better life together.