The Expandable Leash and Other Poor Choices

      Expandable leashes mark you as a lazy dog owner.  They impede training.  They are unsafe.  You have ceded control to the animal you have an obligation to protect.  Your dog can be twenty feet or more away from you and in the street before you are able to react or retract.

      Sidewalk your dog on the parkway or street side not the property side.  Do not allow roaming on residential front lawns.  People (even dog people) don’t want your pooches’s poop plopped on their flower beds.  And no fake pick-ups.  The phony bend over is execrable.  Your dog's waste is your responsibility.  Bag it.  Stow it.  Throw it in a suitable receptacle.

     You should be walking your dog not only for the exercise that benefits you both but to increase your bond with and knowledgeable appreciation of a species superior in character and intelligence to many humans.  So pay attention.  Get your phone out of your ear, your downcast eyes off your text screen and walk your dog with a fixed four foot lead.

    Once you get these basics in line, I’ll address the other numerous mistakes you make when you encounter my giant breed and me in the neighborhood and at the dog park. 

        Have a nice day.