17/10/2025
Morning Tips and WEEKEND CHALLENGE!!!
Lead Walking !!!
Lead walking is a lost art these days. No one seems to want to do it.
Get a dog, take it to the feild, let it off and shout “it’s ok he is friendly”.
That’s the norm these days.
We then see case after case of reactivity, anxiety, bad manners and poor recall and more behaviours that extend from this.
Main one being everything else is more fun then the owner.
Dogs not knowing how to switch off.
Dogs over adrenalised.
Dogs going missing.
Did you know, your dog doesn’t learn it’s social skills being off lead with other dogs daily.
Did you know that most dogs that go to the same parks and fields daily are actually nervous or anxious.
This is because they don’t go anywhere else. So any new environment is way to over stimulating and can be overwhelming.
This brings me to lead walking. Lead walking is one of the best things you can do with your dog. It’s a bonding exercise. Done correctly you can reduce so many behaviour problems in your dog.
I refer to lead walking done right as going out with your partner, holding hands, calmly just taking the world in and enjoying each other’s company.
It’s not a race, it’s not a stressful ordeal, it’s you 2 as one.
So the weekend challenge is simple. From now until Monday, NO MORE PARKS OR FIELDS.
That’s right. I want you to focus on lead walking, going for a stroll, down the seafront, round your block, through a high street etc etc just go for a bloody walk.
My late daisy I could tire out in 5 minutes with a tug toy and obedience. She would come back exhausted, content and relaxed after a 40-60 minute lead walk, where as she would often need 2 hours if she was free running doing her own thing.
If you have a puppy up to around 16-20 weeks you should or will probably be working on the Puppy Leas walking. Just letting the pup take it all in, so continue this but go somewhere new with your pup, hang out with your pup, let them explore the world and just have fun, you wmd the pup and nothing else.
16weeks plus (depending on your pup) you should be looking to progress to Lead Walking 101. Go for a nice structured street walk, be one with your dog, remember why you got a dog in the first place, enjoy the journey, enjoy knowing you are with your dog.
If you find yourself struggling by all means strip it back, remove distractions, but also remember the 24 hour challenge we did.
It’s easy to fall back into old habits of talking to much, having human conversation, repeating ourselves over and over, losing touch with how dogs communicate with us. So never be afraid to Shut up, say less, do more.
Remember this as a universal rule when it comes to dogs.
ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THEN WORDS.
So will you take on the challenge ???
You will see a calmer, more relaxed, more tired dog as a result, you will be more tired but it will be worth it, but most importantly you will be bonding with your dog.
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