Who says spaniels canโt walk on a loose lead? ๐ฅฐ
A little clip of Stanley practicing his lead walking on one of our walks recently ๐คฉ
The vet said โwalkies are fine but limit runningโ. She didnโt say โno fun trainingโ ๐คญanddd technically we didnโt run! ๐ #dogtrainer #dogtraining #dogtrainingisfun #dogtrainingismypassion #superstardog #dogtricks
What a beautiful super star! ๐คฉ
One of the many joys of being a dog trainer AND a dog walker is being able to take the dogs on 1 on 1 walks with the opportunity to practice skills like this.
You may notice half of the time Tess came to me, I didnโt call herโฆthatโs what we were aiming for by playing find-the-treat games rather than rewarding by handing a treat to her โบ๏ธ automatic recall!
Tess is very easily distracted (or a cocker spaniel, maybe both) but her recall has come along in leaps and bounds (literally- sheโs such an enthusiastic happy girlie!) with her owner and practice on our walks! ๐
Looking to make walkies more fun, fulfilling & tiring? ๐ฃ๐พ
Here are a few ideas that donโt require extra work!
Feel free to share your ideas in the comments too, weโd love to hear them ๐๐
Stanley earned himself a gold star ๐ for not letting the butterfly flying past distract him too much ๐
He was a super good boy on the longline today! ๐ Theyโre such a great tool for learning and exercising safely while building on recall ๐คฉ
Double trouble ๐ but as you can see from their lovely heeling, theyโre not trouble at all ๐
Recall practice!
Today I helped Pippa to choose following me without being asked and she did great- with a very waggy tail throughout ๐ฅฐ
Throwing treats onto the floor for your dog to sniff out is a great way to add enrichment to your walks! ๐ถ
๐๐ก๐ฒ?
๐คฉSniffing releases a mood-boosting hormone called dopamine in the dogs brain, making them feel good
๐คฉThe feel-good hormones released during sniffing promote a calming effect which is great for nervous or reactive dogs
๐คฉEngaging the brain in sniffing games is a great form of mental exercise
๐ถItโs a natural behaviour with so many benefits!
Mental exercise while we wait for walkies-safe temperatures ๐ถ๐ฆ
Ice cream anyone? ๐ถ๐ฆ
Enrichment activities, food toys, and mental exercise are great for keeping pups busy while waiting for a walkies-safe temperature ๐๐พ
Allowing your dog to run up to another dog is dangerous. You donโt know if that other dog is friendly or comfortable with other dogs. Even if they areโฆhow would you react if a stranger ran over to you and demanded to play?
People will say โtheyโre just being dogsโ and โlet them playโ but wouldnโt you rather know your dog is safe and comfortable?
Wolves will minimise their interactions with strangers, and avoid unnecessary encounters with other wolves they donโt know. So why do we encourage our dogs to interact with strangers and teach them itโs okay to run to them? What happened to โstranger dangerโ?
Play is important for development and social skills, but think first. Just because your dog is friendly and wants to play, doesnโt mean another dog does. Furthermore, running up and getting straight to it without consent is blatantly rude, even to a dog. Think if someone you didnโt know came up to you, didnโt say โhiโ or introduce themselves then suddenly reached a hand out onto you. Would you like that?
Every time your dog runs up to another they do not know, you are allowing them to take a risk. It takes one time for them to run up to the wrong dog- that one time could even be fatal. Ask owners if their dog is likely to be comfortable in this situation, allow play with dogs they do know, and if you are going to allow your dog to interact with strangers, encourage your dog to calmly introduce themselves rather than charging first, thinking laterโฆthatโs something you will never regret.
Wally&Friendz Dog/(feisty) cat training ๐
