Restricting dogs to on leash only is becoming more and more common place. So how did we get here? In my opinion the majority of people have no interest in dogs, a large proportion do not want dogs in society at all, a small minority like and/or own and a tiny friction are dog enthusiasts. Add to that the fact there is a general move to a litigation at every opportunity within society.

With that in mind is it any wonder every instance of a negative dog interaction with society leads to further restriction. With more densification of dwellings and increased population the frequency of negative interactions has increased I assume. Could it be a general lack of basic training left councils and property owners with no option but to restrict access to on leash only so as to remove liability. However, I wonder if this avenue is actually exasperating the situation by further removing the onus on the owner to train their dog to behave politely in society.

While the laws (Control of Dogs act) historically focused on control of the dog in public there seems to be a move away from "control" to "on leash". It would seem to me a large number of dogs on leash are still out of control, lunging across at passers by or other passing dogs, pulling on the leash with the dog dictating the walk (very prevalent with the proliferation of retractable leashes, but that's another topic) and generally a lack of self control by the dog and lack of training by the owner.

By ensuring the dog is kept on leash the importance of training a dog to walk politely, ignore passers by and behave appropriately is fading. As a result of poor behaviour and more importantly a lack of willingness of some owners to clean up after their dogs we are losing more and more access to society, parks, beaches etc.

I need to stress the importance of keeping a dog on leash in general society so as to protect every member especially if dogs are not well behaved. But it is a shame we are losing more and more access for our dogs and while it could be impossible to train a dog for every eventuality if we continue to restrict access to society for our dogs, how can we train dogs to behave in society.

So I plead with all dog owners/handlers to consider the level of training they have achieved with their companion and if there areas for improvement. I also suggest the training is seen not as a short course with a professional (although this is essential in the beginning) but that is it a continuous life long dedication to practice, improvement and repeat in new locations and with new distractions.

As dog training should be fun for the dog as well as the handler how much better would our relationships with our wonderful four legged companions become as a result. Let me close by asking each owner/handler to consider their dog as an ambassador for all dogs each and every time we venture forth together with our best friend.