Dog Etiquette

Fritz, Braden, and I aren't the only ones trying to adapt to California--our German Shepherd is having to adjust to some drastic changes as well.

His new back yard is a wee-bit smaller, the neighbor dog barks at him every time he steps out on his own lawn, and the concrete sidewalks are hot on his feet. In the past, being put on a leash meant he was about to walk in to the vet's office (and even the vet usually let him roam free once inside). Walks were through the woods with miles and acres of trees to pee on, squirrels to chase, and scents to freely follow without the restraint of a leash. Now, he has to have the leash on every time we walk out the door (at least during the day--at night, when less people are out, I let him off the leash as long as he stays close). 

The big question has been the proper way to handle the pooping situation. He doesn't like to go in our little yard, and so he waits until we are on a walk through the neighborhood. This has caused some concern about the proper etiquette when walking one's dog! Is it OK for Laird to walk up into the lawns of the houses we pass? What happens if he pees on their bushes (which he is bound to do)? And, worse yet, what happens if he poops on someone's grass?! I know I have to pick it up, (can't leave the house without plastic dog bags attached to the leash), but even if I pick it up, will the lawn-owner be mad? Yet Laird isn't too keen on squatting on the hard pavement when there is lush grass just inches away.

This is very stressful! Laird and I don't know the rules for living in suburbia. There was no need to pick up after the dog when he had acres and acres of forest to do his business. And there was no need for Laird to stress out about comfort when there wasn't any concrete for miles. This is important to Laird and I because we don't want to start off on the wrong foot (or paw) with the neighbors! 

After watching the other dogs strolling through the neighborhood, both Laird and I have relaxed a bit. All of them are a fraction of the size of Laird, and half of them don't pick up after their little lap dogs. They might think that because they have little dogs who have little poops that no one will notice. The problem with that is a person doesn't notice the little pile until it's too late and its stuck to the bottom of your flip flop! 

So I'm not going to worry about the dog etiquette anymore, and I'm going to allow Laird the comfort of squatting on the grass since I always pick up the piles off other people's lawns, tie them into a bag, and carry that bag with me for the rest of the walk. 

But if we figure out which little dog keeps leaving surprises on the sidewalk, we may be "out" of bags the day he uses the comfort the little fluff-ball's lawn....