If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

……………………………………………………………………..
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.”

……………………………………………………………………..
One of the most important things to teach a dog is to stay. But there’s more to it than that. Teaching a dog to sit and stay is one thing, but if she can learn to lie down and relax for long periods of time, even better. There is a big difference.

A dog that reliably lies down, stays and relaxes when told is a dog that is under control, calm and nonthreatening. She is safe because she is focused and will pay attention to her owner. She knows how to control herself, which means she can be taken almost anywhere. She will not charge after a strange dog or person. She will not run into the street. She will not demand attention when her owner is busy or trying to have a conversation.

Think of the German shepherd that works as a service dog, calmly lying beside her owner’s desk all day while he works. Think of the Lab that sits quietly in a boat for six hours waiting to retrieve a single mallard.

It’s not natural for a dog to be bouncing off the walls, panting nonstop and jumping up on everyone. It’s just that we see this behavior so often that it seems natural. We are more likely to be surprised when we see a dog that’s calm!

The problem is, most dog owners do not teach their dogs to stay at all. And the ones that do are satisfied when their dogs stay for a few seconds without distractions. I’m guessing if you read this blog your dog stays better than most dogs. However, there is always room for improvement.

A good goal is for any dog to be able to lie down and stay in one spot for a half-hour even with medium distractions such as other dogs, kids running, toys being thrown or someone knocking on the door. I’m not talking about a dog lounging around the house for five hours. I’m referring to structured staying in one spot when told. Although, telling your dog to stay while you watch TV is a good time to practice.

Some examples of when it’s convenient to have a dog that stays for a half-hour are:

1. When guests are over for dinner and you don’t want to confine your dog to a kennel

2. When you take your dog to an outdoor restaurant

3. When you want to bring your dog to a soccer game

Of course, when teaching a dog anything, it’s important to work in small steps. My mutt is to the point where he will stay for a good 10 minutes with small to medium distractions. He is far from reliable in many situations such as on the agility course when he’s rearing to go or when someone rings my doorbell. Mostly it is because I haven’t worked with him or challenged him enough. I know he is capable. After all, he will stay reliably off leash when I throw a tennis ball! That’s proof that with enough repetitions, my mutt or any other dog can learn to stay in most situations.

The key is to build from you and your dog’s comfort levels and slowly work up to longer periods of staying with more and more distractions. For example, if you want your dog to stay while guests are over for dinner, practice having her stay in one spot every time you eat. A dog bed works great for this one.

And remember, you don’t have to wait and praise your dog after you release her. Praise her while she is calm and staying!

How reliable is your dog with the “stay” command?

…………………………………………………………………………………..
A fun game I taught Ace last week was to “find it.” All this really means is I hide an object, and the mutt goes and finds it using his nose. Since Ace is mixed with some kind of hound, I wanted to bring out the scent side of him rather than always focusing on his retrieving side.

You could have your dog find anything. Treats or a toy work well. The reason I taught Ace this game was to challenge him to search for an object rather than obsess over it in a game of fetch where he mindlessly chases a ball.

To teach Ace “find it,” I had him sit outside in a baseball field. There were pieces of litter scattered around, and I picked up one piece of paper the size of a gum wrapper. I held it in front of him and said “smell.” At this point he had no idea what that meant but he naturally smelled it. Then I told him to stay and walked about 30 feet out and randomly walked in zig-zags and discretely dropped the paper so he didn’t know when or where.

I walked back to Ace, released him and said, “Find it!”

Since Ace is naturally a retriever, he immediately went to work searching for this piece of paper, first making big circles and then gradually targeting in on where he smelled the paper. He found it within a minute or two and brought it to me. At this point he was already becoming fixated on the paper, so we ended our game. Since then, I’ve played “find it” with Ace once or twice every day on our walks using a random piece of trash like a bottle or piece of plastic. Since it’s pretty easy for him, I’ve been making it more difficult by burying the object in the sand or hiding it on playground equipment or in a bush.

The game doesn’t have to be played outside. Try teaching your dog to find a treat by making it really easy at first. It’s OK if she sees where you put it until she gets the hang of it. Once she figures out the game, you can make it more challenging.

Have you played “find it” or a similar game with your dog?

(Image from flickr.com)