Don't Walk The dog

11/10/2022

Blue sky for team Top Barks this morning

24/11/2021

Yes, you read that right. I give you permission to NOT walk your dog.

The obvious disclaimer here is that dogs need appropriate exercise and mental enrichment (the amount varies from dog to dog). We are strong advocates for meeting dogs’ needs (physically and mentally).

BUT. There is this idea in our culture of the walk as a “thing dog owners must do,” and sometimes it can cause more harm than good. A few examples:

- your dog is reactive, and walks are filled with explosive reactions and stress for everyone. Suggestions instead: do training exercises in the back yard, get outside your neighborhood to somewhere quiet for a “decompression walk” (and talk to a qualified behavior consultant)

- your dog is terrified of the outside, and shakes and trembles during the entire walk. Suggestion: keep outdoor potty breaks short, and play games indoors. You can try fetch, some wrestling/chase, or even “find it” games. (And talk to a qualified behavior consultant)

- your dog pulls like a freight train on walks and tries to chase every squirrel and leaf and you end every walk with a sore arm and lots of frustration. Suggestion: train your leash walking skills indoors, in your yard, or in another quiet space without distractions! Use a flirt pole, fetch, and other active games to burn off some energy. (And talk to a qualified trainer)

- you’re having a bad day and know that going for a walk is likely to upset you when your dog pulls, reacts, etc

- there are so many other reasons why a “walk” might not be the best option for you and your dog. If your dog is stressed during walks, or you feel emotionally exhausted after them- it’s probably time to reconsider whether a walk is your best option!

Saying no to walks (temporarily or long term) doesn’t make you a bad owner. It means you’re thinking carefully about how to meet your dog’s needs, and your own!

Remember, we still have to meet our dog’s needs for exercise and mental enrichment, and there are TONS of other ways to do that!

But a walk isn’t the only way to do this, and it’s ok to NOT walk your dog.

26/08/2020

Fun with Cyril this morning.

21/04/2020

12/04/2019

Fab session with birdy Bob.
Boy I could take this one home. Ultra keen nose. Birdy as they come but also a pleasure to work with. Bob was bogging off on walks so we have been showing his owners how not to walk the dog.

07/04/2019

Split retrieve with two spaniels.

05/03/2019

Wallace sniffs it out

20/02/2019

Some adolescent bracco going through flight instinct had the joys of a line today.

21/01/2019

Ernie

07/01/2019

Ernie's not getting walked today.

30/12/2018

I have been pestering a client to write down their long term training goals for his dog. Where does he want to get to?
With this in mind I thought I'd define my long term goals for Ernie my pup.

Ernie should walk at heel if asked in all environments until released.

Respond to whistle cues including stop, recall and turn promptly in situations of high stimulation.

To be steady to the flush and fall of birds.

To be mentally and physically stimulated throughout his life.

To hunt well and under control.

To be able to walk into new situations and be comfortable.

To be able to act as a stooge dog if needed for my business.

To have manners in the domestic environment.

To perform well in the show ring.

27/12/2018

So I make no bones here. Ernie is one of the most challenging puppies I've owned. Because he's not easy I've had to look at what I do, tighten up, improve which is good. Part of that improvement is planning more carefully. This morning's plan involved the enclosed dog field and lasted 30 mins. As you can imagine when your mind is focussed you can do a lot in 30 mins, even when broken up into manageable chunks for the pup.
This morning's plan involved introducing him to the dummy launcher which was achieved with no drama. I also wanted to See where Ernies stop whistle had got to and over all was rather pleased with progress. I also wanted to really focus on his turn whistle which is shown in the video.

23/12/2018

Wishing you a merry Christmas From all at Top Barks Dog Training

23/12/2018

Getting the work done

why plan training?

When training dog it’s easy to get off track. Life gets in the way, you
skip some sessions, and your time is spent elsewhere. Because of this I
think it is essential when training your dog to be realistic about what
time and resources you are able to invest. This of course may change
with circumstance but you must have an idea at least of what is
possible. Any training plan has to be fluid and will change with the ebb
and flow of progression but you need a plan none the less. A plan that
will keep you on course and enable you to think of what is needed going
forward. Before you write a plan you must define what you are wanting to
do. What is the finished behaviour? What does it look like? To some it
may be as simple as teaching the dog to sit and lie down whilst to
others it may mean a walk in the hills with a bird driven spaniel.
Everybody has their own destination. I would also ask yourself why you
wanted to do it. How important is it? And write it down. It is important
you don’t lose track of the reason you wanted to train the dog in the
first place. Writing it down keeps you on track, keeps you focused.
Things will go wrong in sessions so it is also key to make some note of
how each session went. This will help in the times where the work seems
to be standing still. Looking back at your notes they may tell a very
different story and act as motivation when things are hard.
You also in the plan need to decide where the behaviours will need to
happen, it is understood that dogs do not generalise learning easily so
training in multiple locations may be essential if you need behaviours
that are strong. It is essential when training a dog to start in the
place with least distraction and define your criteria for success. If
you don’t provide that definition you will never know when it’s time to
progress. So for example the lady who wants to take her spaniel to the
hills, her dog walks perfectly through her village with onlookers
commenting on how good the dog is. Have they reached the criteria to
move forward? If the answer is yes, then they must move on to new
locations providing new challenges and distractions and work to the same
level. They must make a plan to do this, times, duration, exercises to
work on. If you don’t plan there’s every chance you won’t do. So now you
see the importance of defining your criteria for success. Without that
definition the dog will be a superstar in her village for the rest of
its days. For some that would be enough, hence the importance to define
just exactly where you need your training to go. The village is not the
wilds of the hills where the scent of game is abundant.
Plan the next steps logically to give you the most chance of success,
plan your behaviours and also think of the contingencies if the
performance from the dog is not at the desired level. Plan the time you
need to spend and put that time in a diary or calendar. If you can’t
make time, then tailor your plan to allow. Dog training is not a race
and some will never reach the destination they are aiming for but to
give you the best chance of attaining your goals a plan is essential.

22/12/2018

Little session of two minutes with Eric this morning

07/12/2018

Willow the cocker spaniel on her first Don't walk the dog session.

07/12/2018

Eeeeeek a training plan. How many of you use them?

07/12/2018

Don’t walk the dog

That may sound shocking advice to some but hear me out.

When I am out with my dogs I like to be the centre of what is going on.
Having spaniels I know that if I let them make their own entertainment when out then they will do and that entertainment does not involve me.
Many people take their dogs for a “walk” what I prefer to do is take my dogs’ and do some work on occasions. Of course the dogs don’t understand it is work, they just think they are having fun with dad. By working the dogs I keep their focus on me and not the bird flying overhead or the squirrel gathering nuts by the tree.
Many people seem to think that exercise for the dog has to be a route march where the dog gets on and does his own thing. This may work for people and dogs but when you have a dog that doesn’t listen to you whilst out it’s time to ask yourself as a handler “Am I worth listening to?”
Often the dog finds something more interesting than you or realises that coming back to you ends all their fun, so why should they come back? Get angry with them for not coming back and then there is a chance that the dog then becomes scared to comeback which makes matters even worse. To stop this happening you have to set yourself up to win possibly by having the dog on a long line or some sort of flexi lead so that you can engineer the right behaviour and help the dog to make correct choices. A line is also helpful if your dog likes to roam far away. The line ensures that we can reward the dog for the correct behaviour and rewarding the dog in whichever way is going to build value for the handler.
I want to be more valuable to my dog than the dog running in the distance or the rabbit running along the hedge and therefore I need to earn that value in many cases. This means I need to be very rewarding but please don’t think that means I have to stuff my dog full of treats. One of the biggest things you can do is find out what your dog likes and control access to it whatever that may be.
To do this I go out armed and dangerous with as many treats toys and other ideas that I think my dog will love when out. A golden rule of dog training is control what your dog wants and you control your dog. Also think about using the environment as a reward, for example if your dog likes to sniff then let him sniff as a reward for performing a desired behaviour or lay him a trail of something to find with his nose.
Luckily for me my spaniels love food rewards and kill for tennis ball so as long as I control these items then there is a very good chance I control my dogs.
I also like to lots of exercises where my dogs remain still and display self control when life is going on around them lots of down and sit stays as well as leave it games.
When out with your dog consider it may be more beneficial to sometimes work them rather than walk them.

07/12/2018

OK it's about time I added some structure to what i actually do. At the moment I am in the developmental stage of a new programme for distracted dogs. Its called as you may have gathered Don't walk the dog. Here you will be able to follow the development of that programme and the development of the dogs taking part. feel free to share your stories of distracted dogs and lets see if changing what you do can make a difference to the relationship you have with your dog.