TEACH YOUR DOG NEW TRICKS
Barge Beagle – sniffing out good finds for crews with canines
CURRENT advice from the Canal & River Trust is to limit walking along towpaths during the Covid-19 pandemic. This is due to their narrow width, making it difficult to adhere to the social distancing rule of remaining two metres apart when meeting others.
There are also those who live and work either on, beside or close to our waterways to think about, including our community of liveaboard boaters. While we may not be permitted to enjoy these to the full right now, we do have time to undertake research and plan future visits.
Heading away from the towpath, more open spaces can be easily found, some of which are very special. For instance, the Hemingford meadows and further along the upper reaches of the River Great Ouse at Godmanchester is Portholme, Britain’s largest meadow, dotted with wildflowers and sweet scented grasses, enough to trigger a dog’s nose into twitching spasms! When planning your visit, pencil in the pretty Chinese Bridge which crosses a backwater of the river.
Many disused gravel and sand pits border our network of canals and rivers; those which have been adapted into nature reserves will provide an alternative to a narrow towpath. Rickmansworth Aquadrome in Hertfordshire on the Grand Union Canal, the Attenborough Nature Reserve on the River Trent near Beeston and Priory Country Park near Bedford on the River Great Ouse are just a few examples.
New tricks
For a lot of dogs, experiencing the new or different can be just as beneficial as a good walk. If you cannot get out and about for the permitted daily exercise, try some new games at home, in your boat or, if you have one, your own garden. Brush up on some training techniques to keep both yours and your dog’s mind busy or teach your best friend some new tricks; the simple act of learning to sit on an upturned bucket requires concentration and balancing skills.
Change dog toys daily, removing the former one right away so your pooch cannot see it. This will stop them becoming bored or used to seeing it each and every day.
A handful of treats thrown on to a lawn will provide dogs with some snuffling material. Scent hounds, like Barge Beagle himself, love this game and even after all the treats are eaten the scent remains to provide nasal exercise!
How about giving your pooch some quality pampering and grooming. If blessed with sunny weather, having an outdoor bath can be great fun!
Fresh air is wonderful, even if you cannot walk far, so allow your dog to sit on deck, close to the boat but not obstructing any right of way, or on the roof of your narrowboat. There are still scents and sounds out there for you both to enjoy and with fewer people about these are more pronounced; listen out for birdsong, wildfowl on the water, hooting of owls in the evening.
Make the one walk a day an event, look to nature for hope and just because we have to stay at home, you and your dog need not miss out on activity and fun. It is time to think outside of the box and that has started me thinking – a simple cardboard box always makes a good toy for a dog and that’s entertainment!
Stay safe and well – Barge Beagle.