%20(1).png)
A Guide to Dogs at Community Sport
- Dr Prue
- Mar 3
- 3 min read
Like most families with school-age kids, our weekends are spent chauffeuring around our sons to their sporting events and more often than not Banjo comes with us for a little outing. Whilst the kids battle it out on the field, Banjo is usually surrounded by toddlers keen for a pat. He’s in his element. So Banjo got us thinking... what are the unspoken rules of dogs attending community sporting events?
Pick up their poo
Rule #1 – pick up #2! Whilst this might seem obvious there is nothing worse than sliding into goal only to find you’ve slid into something else… Make sure you have a poo-bag handy in case your dog chooses an inopportune moment to do their business.
Check dogs are allowed
Some sporting ovals or events may prohibit dogs, even on a leash, so be sure to check before attending with your pet. It is also worth checking if the club has a policy on bringing dogs to training or games.
Keep them on a lead
It might be tempting to give your dog a run off-lead whilst watching the match or whilst the team is warming up but with the likelihood of other dogs being present this isn’t a good idea. Even if your dog is well behaved others on-lead may not be, and this can lead to aggression and injuries. This is one of the most frequent things we witness at games as most owners are doing the responsible thing, but it only takes one off-lead dog to cause a problem. Also consider even the friendliest of dogs may be scary to children so it is best to keep them on lead so you have full control and the other end of the lead should be controlled by an adult, not a child.
Never leave them unattended
Often dogs are tied to a post at matches whilst you run to the toilet or play your match. Whilst your dog may be perfectly fine with this you shouldn’t trust everyone else to treat them nicely! Young children may approach them, other dogs may be walked past, or someone may feed them something inappropriate. For this reason, it’s best to keep them with you always or ask someone to hold them whilst you duck to the loo.
Get them involved!
We love nothing better than seeing a dog wearing the team’s colours! Make sure your dog is trained to tolerate the outfit (lots of treats!) and is comfortable moving in it but other than that go for it! Every team should have a four-legged mascot!
Don’t take anxious dogs
Sporting matches often involve a lot of children and most of these children love the opportunity to run up to a dog and say hello. Whilst many dogs love nothing more than a pat, some may feel really anxious at this invasion of their personal space and if cornered or pushed could react aggressively. This is their natural reaction to feeling threatened and should not be discouraged. If your dog is not well-socialised or does not like people (or a particular subset of people e.g. kids, men, people wearing hats) busy games might not be the best place to take them and they are likely hating it anyway. If you do take them be sure to communicate clearly with others that they don’t like being touched to avoid injury.
Don’t go crazy on the sausage sizzle
Who doesn’t love a sausage sandwich at the end of a match?! Although tempting, avoid giving your dog sausages as these are one of the leading causes of pancreatitis, a life-threatening disease we see commonly in vet hospitals. Instead take a small handful of doggie treats to give them and better yet use these to reward calm, positive behaviour.
Train them to behave the way you want!
Your dog will likely be super excited the first time you take them to Saturday sport and this likely means they’ll bark, jump and even struggle to be controlled on the lead. Always have a handful of their favourite treat in your pocket and work on rewarding the behaviour you want from them. If they’re sitting or lying down calmly, praise them and give them treats. Ignore undesirable behaviour and if they are being disruptive, it’s worth stepping away to calm them down. If despite your best efforts your dog is quite the barker, it might be worth leaving them at home as barking can be quite distracting for the players.
If you are uncomfortable in the sun, your dog probably is too!
Banjo loves nothing better than a miserable rainy day so he can lie in the biggest dirtiest puddle and frolic in the rain. Such a water dog. However take him to a cricket game in Summer and by 9am he’s panting like crazy and seeking out the shadiest patch. So if it’s hot be mindful your pet probably won’t cope well with being in full sun particularly with limited access to water. Hard surfaces can also get very hot so best to leave them at home if it’s going to be a scorcher.
Comentários