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One problem with our new neighborhood is there are not many interesting parks nearby. Ace’s worst leash behavior comes out when we are in more exciting areas, so today I will be driving him to a park and maybe the dog park to practice loose-leash walking with more distractions.
It’s awfully cold in Fargo already (windchill currently 10 degrees), so I’m not too excited about walking. I might have to bust out Ace’s camouflage vest. He hates his vest and doesn’t understand it keeps him warm.
An important part about teaching loose-leash walking is to challenge the dog, but not to challenge him too much. Ace is ready to work with more challenges such as oncoming dogs and heeling while off leash, but before getting to that point I had to work with him on boring streets, in parking lots and at obedience class. He has always been the best behaved at obedience class because he knows that’s where we work on heeling, and he is expected to behave.
Since dogs learn from repetitions, that explains why Ace heels so well when it’s just him and I walking down the street. We’ve done it for miles and miles since the day I got him! Sometimes it takes hundreds of repetitions before a dog learns a command or behavior, so it’s no surprise that so many dogs act out of control when their owners bring them to a new place.
When our dogs act inappropriately and embarrass us, it’s easy to remove them from the situation and never return. But in order for dogs to learn how to act in all situations, they need to practice in all situations. When puppies are being trained as future service dogs, their foster families bring them everywhere they go in order to expose the pup to as many environments as possible. The typical family dog rarely gets out of his yard, so it’s no wonder he practically strangles himself when his owner attempts to bring him to Petco once a year.
For dogs that pull, my suggestion is to start small. First practice heeling indoors, then in the backyard, then in the neighborhood and parking lots nearby. Then progress to more challenging places.
This is day six of my 30-day challenge to work with my dog on loose-leash walking. Click here to see my other 30-day challenge posts.
Don’t forget that the top commenter between last Friday and this Friday will win a copy of “Chicken Soup for the Soul: Loving Our Dogs.”
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November 8th, 2008 at 3:48 pm
Yeah – good point about being embarrassed. It is absolutely vital to have repetition with a dog so that they can remember the behavior.
I’m excited that my Gustav knows that he always walks on the street side of the sidewalk when we are in the neighborhood. It didn’t take long and he does “forget” sometimes but I just move him to the correct side. He always stays by my side and I keep him off of people’s yards by always having him on the street side. This way, when he does his thing it isn’t so horrible for the “victim’s” yard and not so embarrassing for me. (I say victim since picking up after him is like picking up after a horse!)
November 8th, 2008 at 5:54 pm
Haha! Nice work with Gus.
November 8th, 2008 at 8:38 pm
Good article! baby steps for over excitable dogs is very good advice. Too many people don’t assess their dogs and work with in their limitations. Just because a dog cant do something today doesn’t mean it wont be able to in a few weeks or months with adequate work and training.
November 9th, 2008 at 5:32 am
Thanks for the tip, Lindsay. That red collar looks wonderful on Ace, by the way!
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November 9th, 2008 at 9:44 am
Breaking things down is almost always the key to success. Can’t wait to hear how your adventure to the dog park went. Brrr…10 degrees? I hate winter. It’s not that cold here yet, and I’m already ready to hibernate. LOL
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November 9th, 2008 at 10:17 am
We worked on polite walking all of our dog’s life. He was usually quite good but the sight of the lake where we took him swimming was always just too much. He never could contain himself. Now he is old and sick. I don’t have a tight leash because he is always behind me, walking painfully slowly. I know soon I will be walking by myself. I can’t believe I am saying that I miss the days when his body was quivering – trying to listen to me but not being quite able to ignore the squirrels who were just out of reach. Time passes too quickly
Suzy
November 9th, 2008 at 2:07 pm
Thanks for putting things into perspective, Suzy.
My old golden had a problem with anxiety and would cry and howl when she was nervous, which was anytime we took her somewhere or if someone came over. It drove us nuts her whole life. Now that she’s gone, I’d do anything to hear her again.
I imagine that years from now I will look back and wish I could see Ace obsessing over a tennis ball.
November 9th, 2008 at 6:17 pm
Loose leash walking is so hard for us because we couldn’t really do the baby steps. It was either in the apartment and puppy class (perfect; no distractions) or potty walks on NYC streets, nothing in between!
November 9th, 2008 at 6:39 pm
Yeah, I can totally see how that would be a challenge, Biggie!
November 10th, 2008 at 5:57 pm
Yikes. I thought Utah was cold. You need to move somewhere warm!