Over-stimulation is a common issue for dogs in crowded public places, learn to look for your pet's signs of stress and decide if they are a good fit for the environment.
 This dog is pulling, ignoring it's owner, and panting heavily |  The smaller dog is exhibiting fear and anxiety, while the larger dog is exhibiting over-excitement |
 | these photos were found in basic Google searches and are simply to give photographic examples of behaviors, I do not own them  |
Fairs, races, and parades are common places to find dogs. Many people enjoy bringing their pet along, and some even dress them up. It is important to know if your dog is enjoying it, however. Next time you are at a fair, look around. Spend a minute looking at the dogs, do they look happy, calm or relaxed? While some do, most are quite stressed. Many dogs will exhibit the following stress signals:
excessive panting
eye rolling
drooling
yawning
pulling on the leash
shaking
whining
restlessness
tight mouth and eyes
Dogs can easily become overstimulated in these crowded settings. Think about it: your a 20 pound animal and everyone is moving around unpredictably. You aren't sure what things you should look at as a threat or not. On top of it all, you smell EVERYTHING. Dogs olfactory senses are estimated to be more than 10, 000 times stronger than ours, so think about the magnitude and multitude of smells they are experiencing. Compound this with their owner being constantly distracted and ignoring their cues and you have a recipe for stress. It takes a rare dog to be comfortable in that situation. However, don't lose hope for bringing your dog to the fair. This can be a great socialization tool, but its up to you, as the owner, to be responsible. Give your dog breaks, give them water and space to go potty, and pay close attention to their signals of stress. Most importantly of all, keep calm and collected, because your pet feeds off of you more than anything else.
excessive panting
eye rolling
drooling
yawning
pulling on the leash
shaking
whining
restlessness
tight mouth and eyes
Dogs can easily become overstimulated in these crowded settings. Think about it: your a 20 pound animal and everyone is moving around unpredictably. You aren't sure what things you should look at as a threat or not. On top of it all, you smell EVERYTHING. Dogs olfactory senses are estimated to be more than 10, 000 times stronger than ours, so think about the magnitude and multitude of smells they are experiencing. Compound this with their owner being constantly distracted and ignoring their cues and you have a recipe for stress. It takes a rare dog to be comfortable in that situation. However, don't lose hope for bringing your dog to the fair. This can be a great socialization tool, but its up to you, as the owner, to be responsible. Give your dog breaks, give them water and space to go potty, and pay close attention to their signals of stress. Most importantly of all, keep calm and collected, because your pet feeds off of you more than anything else.
