Bayou season: leashed trails and alligators.

When the water warms in April, alligators are active again in the bayous, the retention ponds behind master-planned neighborhoods and the parks along Buffalo Bayou and Brazos Bend. A dog at the water's edge is at risk, and a dog that swims in a bayou is at real risk. Texas Parks and Wildlife posts the guidance; the short version is distance.

The rules near water

• Leashed on every bayou trail, no exceptions, even for the dog with a good recall
• No swimming in bayous, ditches or retention ponds; the lake and the pool are for swimming
• Walk the trail side away from the water, and keep the dog on the far side of you
• Dusk and dawn are alligator hours; walk at midday on water trails in spring

The recall that matters

The moment that hurts a dog is the one where it sees a bird at the water's edge and goes. A recall that beats that is built on a long line, in fields first and then at the lake, with the dog never given the chance to rehearse ignoring it. It is the piece of training we build in every Platinum stay and finish in VIP. Until your dog has it, the leash stays on near water, and that is not a failure, it is the rule.

Where the water is

Houston families sometimes picture alligators as a Brazos Bend problem. They are in Cypress Creek, in the retention ponds behind Bridgeland and Towne Lake, along Buffalo Bayou inside the loop, in the lakes at Kingwood and the golf course ponds in The Woodlands. Any warm, slow, brushy water in Harris and Montgomery counties can hold one, and a five-foot alligator is more than a match for a Lab. Texas Parks and Wildlife's guidance is to keep pets leashed and back from the water's edge, never to feed alligators, and to report one that has lost its fear of people. That last point is why a dog should never be allowed to drink from or wade into a bayou.

• Cypress Creek and the Kickerillo-Mischer Preserve trails: leashed and back from the bank
• Retention ponds in master-planned neighborhoods: fenced or not, the dog stays out
• Brazos Bend and the state parks: posted rules, always leashed, and a leash you can hold

Spring's other water hazards

Snakes are active from March, and cottonmouths like the same banks. Fire ant mounds swell after every rain and a dog that stands on one learns fast and badly. Toads emerge on warm wet nights and a curious dog that mouths one can be poisoned within minutes. The hazards guide covers what to do for each; the training answer for all of them is the same. A dog that walks beside you on a loose leash and leaves what you tell it to leave meets none of them. That is the everyday value of a structured walk and a solid leave-it, and spring is the season that proves it.

Written by

Best Dog University Team

Board and train trainers in Cypress, Houston. 16+ years, 900+ dogs. About our team