Ace and I headed over to Lindenwood Park in Fargo Saturday for a much-needed walk. We have to drive there, but it’s only a few miles away. I thought this park would be good for Ace because it’s full of trees and squirrels, and he’s only been there a few times. The mutt got some quality sniffing time in.
Even though it was so cold, I was surprised to pass only two people the whole hour we were out. Ace heeled without a leash as a runner approached us and then a walker. I didn’t trust him 100 percent to stay in heel position, but I trusted him not to jump or chase. To my surprise, he remained in heel position and barely glanced at the people. Good boy! It would’ve been another story had either of the people had dogs along or chosen to acknowledge the mutt. Instead, they ignored us and continued on their way. Of course, I would have clipped the leash back on Ace if there had been any dogs involved.
One reason Ace heels well off leash is because he can’t pick up any tense signals from me through the leash. Sometimes owners (myself included!) will anticipate a dog’s behavior and unintentionally pull or tighten the leash before the dog even does anything wrong. All this does is make the dog more anxious and encourage her to pull or lunge.
As for Ace, he did a lot better than I expected on our walk. I broke it up into sections of heeling on leash and heeling off leash. I like having a dog walk at my side, but there is also something great about watching a dog frolic around just being a dog. That’s why I rewarded Ace with time to run. I always make sure to call him every few minutes when he is running and then release him right away so he doesn’t associate coming to me with getting back on the leash. We also spent some time playing fetch. I was surprised that even when I allowed Ace to be “free,” he preferred to walk at my side most of the time. This isn’t normal for him, so I’m hoping my practice has paid off, and it wasn’t just the Prednisone.
We never made it to the dog park because after we left Lindenwood, we were both too cold to do much else. I made Ace wear his vest, which he was not thrilled about. But when it’s cold out, he shakes without it. It sucks for black dogs with short hair. They are always cold in the winter but hot in the summer.
This is day eight 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.”
That’s quite a sporty vest Ace is wearing – looks good on him. Abby suffers from the black dog syndrome too.
Ha! I love the vest.
Yeah, Gus gets very hot since he’s got very thick fur that is black. It has REALLY cooled off here next to the coast now (but without the snow). You and Ace should move here to SoCal and he’d be really comfy!
Ha, black dog syndrome! It’s true.
I didn’t know bloodhounds had such thick fur. I’m sure Ace would love California. He hasn’t swam in the ocean yet. I’d love to see a wave take him out.
I always think it’s funny that Twist often scores higher on his off leash work in Obedience than the on leash. I think you’re right, part of it has to be the nerves of the person going right down to the dog through the leash.
Maries last blog post..Today is a good day!
Haha, that’s interesting Marie. I’m sure that’s a big part of it.
The vest is fab, Ace looks super-swish!
Looks like a beautiful spot for a walk, and I’m following the 30-day challenge with interest. Best of luck!
Ace looks quite macho in his vest. Good choice of fashions.
(I’ve read the Chicken Soup book)
that’s quite a vest. I’d be terrified for him to wear it here though.. too many gun toting hunters
I’m actually kind of embarrassed by that vest. Camouflage is not really my thing! But it fit Ace and keeps him warm. I got it because all the other dog coats were more fashionable than useful. The vest was made to prevent hunting dogs from getting hypothermia, so I figured it would work for the mutt.