Ditching the walk for training at dog friendly stores!

Calgary dog owners are lucky in the sense that not only do we have many off leash area’s for our dogs, there are also an abundance of dog friendly stores. Each year it seems like there is a few more that become dog friendly and with conscientious owners focusing on taking their well behaved dogs we can continue this wonderful trend.

Are you ready?

Having your dog in a store filled with new smells and new people is not an easy task. Many dogs can barely hold themselves together outside the doors of a store let alone inside of one. Before taking a canine friend shopping with me at a dog friendly store I want to have an idea of what might go wrong. Somethings I look for is the dogs ability to manage their arousal around strangers or other unfamiliar things. If the dog during a walk is more focused on getting to every sniff they want or every person they see – I would not take the chance of going into a store filled with shoppers.

Before you go

Though many chain stores are starting to become dog friendly like Winners or Chapters – it is important to ensure the specific store you are visiting is. Calling ahead or going in without your dog at first is the only way to do this (unless there is a sign on the window). Be prepared to leave at any time, if your dog gets overwhelmed, or over aroused. If you have never visited a dog friendly store with your canine companion, having a game plan going in and multiple valued rewards of your dogs choosing can really help set you up for success.

The Benefits

During the winter months (or the hot summer months) it can get a bit tricky to satisfy the exercise needs of your dog. By upping the anti of distraction level and focusing on a training walk instead of a body burning exercise walk you can help tire them out and stay warm. It is important to remember these dog friendly shops are not dog centered. Which means taking your dog to run through the aisle or turning the store into a play time is definitely not an appropriate. There are; however, many more benefits to utilizing these stores than just staying warm. These stores are the best real world exposure your dog can get. They can help generalize behaviours like loose leash walking, position changes and cues, polite greetings and assumed leave its. The more locations you can train at the better your dog will generalize the behaviours you want them to be good at.

Inappropriate Dogs

Local dog friendly stores should never be used as a training opportunity for those dogs who struggle seeing other dogs, people or have severe reactions towards novel objects. If your dog is overtly nervous of people or severely reactive to dogs it is your responsibility to help your dog learn more appropriate behaviours. It is a privilege to have our dogs shopping with us, some dogs will enjoy these outings, while many others may prefer to stay home. If your dog will potentially practice inappropriate or scary behaviours towards the general public, please reach out to a local educated dog trainer rather than visiting these shops.

Visiting highly distracting areas such as Bass Pro Shop or Rona can really mentally exhaust your dog while solidifying and generalizing good manner behaviours you have already started working on. There will be many other paying customers who are not there to visit your dog. To ensure each shop remains dog friendly our dog(s) should showcase behaviours that are becoming of a good canine citizen. Unless otherwise requested you and your dog should assume the other customers (and dogs) are simply distractions. Be aware that most items are merchandise which means your dog accidentally breaking or marking it can be serious cause for concern. As a handler your expectation should be that your dog is well behaved enough that they do not interfere with anyone else’s day to day life or make the employee’s job any harder. Your dogs expectation should be that their handler will remain engaged with them and to advocate for them if they become uncomfortable.