Off-leash Skills 101 at Point Isabel: A Training Idea with Legs
A happy Port Isabel user shows off their fine stick. photo: Ellen Soohoo
As many Bay Area dog lovers know, Point Isabel Regional Shoreline is a multiuse regional park that allows dogs off-leash. It’s also the single busiest spot in the entire East Bay Regional Park District (EBRPD). Other parks may get as many visitors - an estimated 1.5 million visit Point Isabel every year - but those parks often extend over hundreds or even thousands of acres. Point Isabel and North Point Isabel combined are only about 50 acres.
That’s a lot of people and dogs in a small space. Given the numbers, conflicts are remarkably few and far between. But successful off-leash dog walking is so much more than just slipping the leash off your dog’s collar. It’s a learning curve and a skill for both dogs and their persons.
The Light Bulb Moment
In 2023, a Point Isabel Dog Owners (PIDO) board member had a brainstorm. Why not offer short, one-off training sessions at Point Isabel to pass along what long-time recreational dog walkers have often had to learn through trial and error?
PIDO’s mission is to keep Point Isabel clean, safe, and off-leash, so basic skills training seemed like it would be a great fit. Training your dog to return to you when called is fundamental for any off-leash outing. An emergency recall word and special treats can be lifesavers. Being able to anticipate potential problems is essential.
"I actually had to lobby kind of hard for it,” recalls Mary Barnsdale, who was on the PIDO board at the time and came up with the idea of on-site training at the park. “One board member even said dogs would be too distracted by bikes going by the nearby Bay Trail. They haven’t been.”
Birgit Hafermann at PIDO’s Off-leash Skills workshop. photo: Mary Barnsdale
Off-leash Skills 101 Is Born
The traditional model for dog training is usually a series of classes that happen over several weeks, not a single 90-minute session. But when Mary connected with veteran dog trainer Birgit Hafermann of Birgit Hafermann Dog Training, things clicked and Off-leash Skills 101 became a reality.
“Birgit got it right away,” Mary says. “We were both convinced that in 90 minutes you can share valuable techniques that people can start using right away. The people who become familiar with those act as role models and other park visitors pick up on them, too. Over time, the training benefits the off-leash dog walking community as a whole.”
Birgit developed the content, PIDO applied to EBRPD for permits, and the rest is history. Today Off-leash Skills 101 is offered in small group sessions at Point Isabel several times a year. It has become one of the most popular activities provided by PIDO, which offers the sessions for free as a service to the community. When Birgit is unavailable, trainers Vero and Judy with Holistic Dog Training step in to conduct the sessions.
Several Off-leash Skills 101 participants have become so hooked on training with their dogs that they’ve gone on to pass the American Kennel Club’s Canine Good Citizen (CGC) test, which PIDO offers twice a year at Point Isabel at a reduced cost. The professional trainer who conducts the tests for PIDO is Lea Orloski of Canine Centric Dog Training.
Get On the List Now for Upcoming Classes!
To sign up or get on the waiting list for PIDO’s Off-leash Skills 101 or the CGC test, email skills@pido.org. The next Off-leash Skills sessions are tentatively scheduled for Saturday, April 25 and Saturday, June 13, from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., and the next CGC test is tentatively scheduled for the morning of June 14 (permits for both are pending approval by EBRPD.) Both the class and the test will take place near Mudpuppy’s Tub & Scrub and the Sit & Stay Café at 1Isabel Street in Richmond. Hope to see you there!