More play with Poppy

Some Q&As with Mark the trainer:

Q: Poppy seems to be running free right next to a road.  Isn't this irresponsible?

A: Poppy is a very high energy young dog and enjoys and can really benefit from some intense exercise.  Because I wanted to give her the opportunity to run and play on a large scale I did training with her with a remote training collar to learn the boundaries of the park and to come reliably and enthusiastically when called.  This training went really quickly and easily for Poppy and gave her the opportunity for real freedom to play and exercise particularly with other dogs.  Also the street this park is on is a dead-end street with very little traffic.  I would not allow her this freedom in a highly trafficked area or a high speed road regardless of good training.

Q: Why not use the dog park instead?

A: I don't recommend dog parks in general but especially not for any dog with training issues. Dog parks in general are extremely unstructured and uncontrolled environments quite often with dogs that are very inappropriate and owners that make little or no meaningful effort to control their dogs.  In the case of a dog like Poppy taking her into an enclosed space with ten or twenty people would be a complete emotional overload and unproductive experience for her. A consistent rule of training is that we try to only expose dogs to levels of stress that we can help them overcome through reward-based training in a controlled and productive environment.