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On day 28 of our challenge, Ace and I went for a walk in a park he’d never been to. This park is near downtown and we were there around noon when many people were walking over their lunch breaks. This was good for Ace because it was different than most parks we go to where it’s just us and maybe a few other people. The park was lively, with people coming and going, strollers, runners, dogs and squirrels everywhere.

The squirrels were the most distracting for Ace. These squirrels weren’t scared of us like the ones at our usual park. They were too busy sorting garbage to care about Ace and I, so I made him sit near them. Ace was pretty good. He wore his choke collar and allowed me to bribe him with treats. I normally don’t like using a choke collar, because they are pretty worthless with him. His coat is too smooth and it slips down to the thickest part of his neck. But lately he’s been wearing it and I’ve been able to keep it high enough on his neck where it is effective.

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Today was day one of my 30-day challenge to take my dog somewhere new every day. The goal of this challenge is to get Ace to learn to behave in new places, mostly to control his excitement levels. The challenge is also a way to continue working on heeling and basic obedience.

For our first day, Ace and I walked in a different part of the neighborhood. This was a really simple way to go somewhere new on a day when I didn’t have a lot of extra time. All we did was walk one block west of where we normally walk, and this brought us a different world - new yards, no people, new dogs and new smells. Ace walked nicely because he was wearing his backpack (filled with books) and a pinch collar. I practiced telling him to sit every time I stopped. We saw a new playground we will visit sometime soon, and also remembered an aquarium store that might allow pets inside. We’ll have to try it out.

It’s funny how we get in the routine of walking the same path every day. For the past year, Ace and I have walked the same six or so different routes from my front door. There are dozens of other streets we could take, so I look forward to the rest of this challenge.

Feel free to take part in this challenge. Where did you walk your dog today?

Click here to see all my 30-day challenge posts.

About a month and a half ago, I challenged myself and others to walk our dogs every day for 30 days. Thirty days is a reasonable amount of time to realistically do something every day. After those 30 days, it is easy for whatever I’m doing to become a habit. It’s a nice way to make a change.

So, I have come up with a new challenge, to bring my dog to a new place every day. I figured this could easily go along with walking your dog every day, so for anyone still doing the first challenge, the two could easily be combined.

The reason I came up with this challenge is because Ace has an issue with getting overly excited and pulling (OK, choking himself) in new places. As a way of training him to chill out, my goal is to expose him to as many places as possible so he learns to behave in any environment. Taking him to a new place may be as simple as walking in a new part of the neighborhood. Other examples could be driving to a different park, visiting a pet store, a friend’s house or walking in and out of a vet’s office. There are endless possibilities. I will probably be visiting a lot of parks, because that’s where he gets the most excited, especially if we drive there.

I am officially going to start the challenge tomorrow, May 1, 2008. Let me know if you’d like to participate in the challenge as well! Just take your dog to a new place every day for the next 30 days. If you already walk your dog every day, then you could simply walk to a new place every day. This will provide a mental challenge for your dog, plus it will make the walk more interesting.

During the next 30 days, my goals are to:

1. Take Ace to 30 new places.

2. Decrease his anxiousness/excitement in the car.

3. Cure Ace of his whining issue when he wants something.

4. Help Ace control his excitement in a new area or his favorite places.

5. Practice random basic obedience such as sit, stay and down in as many places as possible, so he learns to listen no matter where we are.

6. Improve Ace’s response to the heel command.

7. Work to perfect Ace’s heeling without a pinch collar or Gentle Leader.

8. Work on Ace’s off-leash heeling.

9. Continue using treats for positive reinforcement.

I plan to post where we end up going over the next month and the progress I see.

Where would be some other good places to go?

Click here to see all my 30-day challenge posts.