Making dog walks fun for all
12/04/2018 - Blog
How to take the misery out of walking the dog and turn it into a fun experience for everyone
Taking your dog for a walk is not only essential for his and health and wellbeing, it’s a pleasure. Or at least it should be. Unfortunately, for many dog owners, “walkies” is a chore, hard work, embarrassing, painful or a combination of all those things. It needn’t be that way. The experts at CK9 Training are here to help make walking the dog into a fun experience for everyone.
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Exercising the dog is a pleasure when your dog trots along beside you with a nice loose lead and his focus on you.[/caption]
Pulling on the lead
It’s a real misery when your dog pulls so hard on the lead that you are dragged along and he sounds as though he’s choking. Loose lead walking is an important skill that you and your dog can work on together.
First of all you need to figure out why your dog is pulling so hard – after all, it can’t be comfortable for him. So what would take away his urge to run like the wind with you dragging along behind him? Is he afraid of something around him and trying to escape from it? Does he think that the destination is better than the journey?
At CK9 we don’t believe in rough handling a dog or any cruel methods of persuading him to slow down. We think you need to offer him a really strong incentive to walk nicely. And that’s the whole ethos of our reward-based training methods. With the right training methods and plenty of practice, most dogs can learn not to pull on the lead….even seniors.
Why not phone the CK9 team for a chat? Together we can work out the best way to help you and your dog to walk comfortably side by side.
[caption id="attachment_4474" align="alignright" width="300"]
These puppies are learning to greet new dogs nicely. It’s important that your dog knows how to behave around others of his species. He needs to know when it’s OK to play and when the other dog wants to be left alone.[/caption]
Reacting badly to other dogs
Unless you have ever tried walking a dog who reacts badly to other dogs, it’s hard to understand what it feels like. You are forever on the alert, getting ready to avoid the canine on the horizon. You are tense – even before you leave the house. You walk at unsociable hours to try and avoid meeting other dog walkers. It’s not nice but believe it or not, it can get better. All you need is help from somebody who understands how dogs think and what makes them react in certain ways.
You’ll notice I’ve used the term “reacting badly”. Not every bad reaction is one of aggression. Some dogs are very afraid of other members of their species. They might react by showing fear – tail between the legs and running away if they can.
In some cases, your pet may get in a muddle by being too friendly and too exuberant with other dogs and get snapped at whilst saying hello.
Socialisation not only teaches dogs how to live in the human world. It teaches them how to behave around other dogs too. Puppies learn much of their doggy body language whilst still in the litter with their brothers and sisters. But that learning needs to continue once they join their human family.
If you and your dog are experiencing problems when meeting new dogs there are some training techniques that can help. For safety’s sake they’re best practiced with expert supervision though.
Talk to a dog behaviourist for advice before you start trying to correct reactive behaviour.
Poor recall
I can still see that video in my head. Remember Fenton chasing a herd of deer through Richmond Park while his poor owner shouted and shouted for him to come back.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GRSbr0EYYU
It’s so important that your dog can enjoy free time off the lead but be trusted to come back the second you call him – no matter what else is going on around him. Good recall could save a dogs’ life.
Recall can be taught at home. Often the dog will respond brilliantly in the house or in the garden but as soon as he’s distracted by big world sights and smells he switches his ears off and ignores his owner.
Training is brilliant for recall. Just like lead pulling, it’s about teaching your dog that the reward for behaving well is so much better than any alternative. Fenton’s deer chasing will have given him a rush of endorphins (a bit like the feel-good factor we experience from a physical exercise like playing sport). That endorphin rush made his behaviour self-rewarding. So there’s a strong possibility he’ll want to do it again. IF Fenton knew there’d be a fab reward for returning to his owner – that video might never have been filmed.
A tactical approach to recall training – even in a seasoned non-listener – can bring speedy results. And a qualified dog trainer can help you achieve that.
Jumping Up
It’s great to meet a friendly dog. I love it. But I don’t appreciate having muddy paws landed on my clean work clothes uninvited. And I don’t like that “ooooofffff” moment when a hefty pooch jumps on my tummy before I’ve braced. Neither do I like seeing dogs jumping on small children.
A dog walk should be a sociable event. It’s great to stop and chat, to let people admire your pet and when your pet greets them nicely you feel sooooo proud. If you’re battling to persuade Fido to put all four paws on the ground, it’s not easy to make conversation and the dog walk becomes arm-achingly disappointing. Don’t let that happen
A dog can still make new pals without making a nuisance of himself or hurting anyone. He just needs to learn to curb his enthusiasm. We call that impulse control and there are a number of ways to teach and reinforce it. Your friends and family can help you to practice the techniques and your dog will enjoy the mental stimulation of learning new ways to say “hello”.
Resolving problems and enjoying your dog walking
When you have a calm, polite dog by your side, you feel awesome. When other people pass compliment on his manners and his temperament you feel even better. No dog is perfect, but any dog can improve and the team at CK9 are here to help you do that.
Call us – tell us what it is about your dog’s behaviour that spoils your walks together. We can help you to overcome problems so that you can really enjoy time spent with your canine companion.
Contact CK9 Dog training https://www.ck9training.co.uk/contact
Helpful Information
Training walks for adult dogs https://www.ck9training.co.uk/adult-dog-services/adult-dog-training-walks/
Training and life skills for puppies https://www.ck9training.co.uk/training-your-puppy/
Dog behaviour consultations https://www.ck9training.co.uk/dog-behaviour-consultations/
Exercising the dog is a pleasure when your dog trots along beside you with a nice loose lead and his focus on you.[/caption]
Pulling on the lead
It’s a real misery when your dog pulls so hard on the lead that you are dragged along and he sounds as though he’s choking. Loose lead walking is an important skill that you and your dog can work on together.
First of all you need to figure out why your dog is pulling so hard – after all, it can’t be comfortable for him. So what would take away his urge to run like the wind with you dragging along behind him? Is he afraid of something around him and trying to escape from it? Does he think that the destination is better than the journey?
At CK9 we don’t believe in rough handling a dog or any cruel methods of persuading him to slow down. We think you need to offer him a really strong incentive to walk nicely. And that’s the whole ethos of our reward-based training methods. With the right training methods and plenty of practice, most dogs can learn not to pull on the lead….even seniors.
Why not phone the CK9 team for a chat? Together we can work out the best way to help you and your dog to walk comfortably side by side.
[caption id="attachment_4474" align="alignright" width="300"] These puppies are learning to greet new dogs nicely. It’s important that your dog knows how to behave around others of his species. He needs to know when it’s OK to play and when the other dog wants to be left alone.[/caption]
Reacting badly to other dogs
Unless you have ever tried walking a dog who reacts badly to other dogs, it’s hard to understand what it feels like. You are forever on the alert, getting ready to avoid the canine on the horizon. You are tense – even before you leave the house. You walk at unsociable hours to try and avoid meeting other dog walkers. It’s not nice but believe it or not, it can get better. All you need is help from somebody who understands how dogs think and what makes them react in certain ways.
You’ll notice I’ve used the term “reacting badly”. Not every bad reaction is one of aggression. Some dogs are very afraid of other members of their species. They might react by showing fear – tail between the legs and running away if they can.
In some cases, your pet may get in a muddle by being too friendly and too exuberant with other dogs and get snapped at whilst saying hello.
Socialisation not only teaches dogs how to live in the human world. It teaches them how to behave around other dogs too. Puppies learn much of their doggy body language whilst still in the litter with their brothers and sisters. But that learning needs to continue once they join their human family.
If you and your dog are experiencing problems when meeting new dogs there are some training techniques that can help. For safety’s sake they’re best practiced with expert supervision though.
Talk to a dog behaviourist for advice before you start trying to correct reactive behaviour.
Poor recall
I can still see that video in my head. Remember Fenton chasing a herd of deer through Richmond Park while his poor owner shouted and shouted for him to come back.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GRSbr0EYYU
It’s so important that your dog can enjoy free time off the lead but be trusted to come back the second you call him – no matter what else is going on around him. Good recall could save a dogs’ life.
Recall can be taught at home. Often the dog will respond brilliantly in the house or in the garden but as soon as he’s distracted by big world sights and smells he switches his ears off and ignores his owner.
Training is brilliant for recall. Just like lead pulling, it’s about teaching your dog that the reward for behaving well is so much better than any alternative. Fenton’s deer chasing will have given him a rush of endorphins (a bit like the feel-good factor we experience from a physical exercise like playing sport). That endorphin rush made his behaviour self-rewarding. So there’s a strong possibility he’ll want to do it again. IF Fenton knew there’d be a fab reward for returning to his owner – that video might never have been filmed.
A tactical approach to recall training – even in a seasoned non-listener – can bring speedy results. And a qualified dog trainer can help you achieve that.
Jumping Up
It’s great to meet a friendly dog. I love it. But I don’t appreciate having muddy paws landed on my clean work clothes uninvited. And I don’t like that “ooooofffff” moment when a hefty pooch jumps on my tummy before I’ve braced. Neither do I like seeing dogs jumping on small children.
A dog walk should be a sociable event. It’s great to stop and chat, to let people admire your pet and when your pet greets them nicely you feel sooooo proud. If you’re battling to persuade Fido to put all four paws on the ground, it’s not easy to make conversation and the dog walk becomes arm-achingly disappointing. Don’t let that happen
A dog can still make new pals without making a nuisance of himself or hurting anyone. He just needs to learn to curb his enthusiasm. We call that impulse control and there are a number of ways to teach and reinforce it. Your friends and family can help you to practice the techniques and your dog will enjoy the mental stimulation of learning new ways to say “hello”.
Resolving problems and enjoying your dog walking
When you have a calm, polite dog by your side, you feel awesome. When other people pass compliment on his manners and his temperament you feel even better. No dog is perfect, but any dog can improve and the team at CK9 are here to help you do that.
Call us – tell us what it is about your dog’s behaviour that spoils your walks together. We can help you to overcome problems so that you can really enjoy time spent with your canine companion.
Contact CK9 Dog training https://www.ck9training.co.uk/contact
Helpful Information
Training walks for adult dogs https://www.ck9training.co.uk/adult-dog-services/adult-dog-training-walks/
Training and life skills for puppies https://www.ck9training.co.uk/training-your-puppy/
Dog behaviour consultations https://www.ck9training.co.uk/dog-behaviour-consultations/ 
Copyright © 2024 CK9 Training
Copyright © 2024 CK9 Training