Queen's Park dogs and owners to be taught good canine manners

Westminster Council has responded to complaints about anti-social, irresponsible dog owners by providing £5,000 worth of training for residents of Queen's Park, reports Jennifer White in K9 Magazine.

Sessions, which will be free of charge, will cover diet and exercise, basic commands, controlled walking on the lead, cleaning up after the dog and separation anxiety.

The aim is to reduce the number of incidents of dog fouling as well as increasing the number of better behaved dogs (and owners, who are, after all, the ones responsible) on the streets.

A BBC report on the news quotes dog trainer Chrissie Chambers as saying:

"The classes are called socialising as it is to socialise people and their dogs and to try and give them a better perception of different breeds and owners. Young people, many of whom have pets for macho reasons or as a fashion accessory, are generally given quite a bad reputation…but a majority of them are good owners and want to learn to socialise.”

Great to see a council tackling the problem in a positive way!