Dog owners, most especially new ones often have this burning question in mind: in bringing their dogs to dog parks, what could be better: letting them meet other dogs on leash or off leash? There are dog parks which have the off leash meeting rule.
However, not all dog owners agree to this particular rule, most especially those who can’t fully control their dogs who have weak impulse control. Experts think otherwise. According some seasoned veterinarians, letting dogs meet off leash is actually a better idea than on-leash. It may be a counterintuitive concept, but here are some valid explanations.
Dogs are perfect empaths. They read human emotions and react just as quickly as you have felt them. With the presence of a leash, you may be transferring certain emotions to your dogs. This dogs’ sensitivity to our emotions can be compared to the instance when a lightning hit Benjamin Franklin’s kite string. The said lightning struck and affected the key at the end of the kite string. Similarly, for dogs, when their owner feels something, and they are holding the leash, they would absolutely feel the same emotions.
For example, you are with your dog on leash, when you suddenly see another dog. Human reaction would be to tense up a bit, and be a little anxious with concern—thinking your dog might not like the company of another dog. Your dog will mistake this tension as something negative, most especially if they feel you tightening the leash (even though you do it unexpectedly and unintentionally).
That tension and pull back will build up their tension and will eventually lead to him or her feeling threatened, not just for himself or herself but for you. This may escalate to him or her letting out a loud growl. The other dog will give out a similar response, resulting to defensive poses, and worse, an ensuing fight.
Now if you are the type of dog owners who don’t tense up at the sight of other dogs, your dogs’ restrained state is also viewed as another major issue. Because he or she is restrained, your dog will think he or she is stuck, and that he or she cannot get away from a so-called danger. The usual scenario would be this: your dog will attack, making things worse.
Keeping your dog on leash at a dog park is not very advisable, according to animal behavior experts. What you can do instead is survey the area and evaluate. Observe how the other dogs are interacting. You can weigh in if the dogs are sociable, just the right kind of goofy and rascal, and as much as possible controlled by their owners through barks of commands. Once you have assessed the situation, you can test the waters and release your dog off leash. Let them sniff around and play with other dogs, off leash.
A last minute reminder though, let us still be extra cautious of dog parks situations. We don’t want our dogs to get stuck in a difficult situation. As long as you know you have a friendly dog, joined in by his or her equally sociable comrades at the dog parks, then everything should be easy.