May 20 2009
Are you walking your dog or is she walking you?
Taking Rover out for a stroll is most certainly one of the most exciting events in a dog’s day and it should be a nice outing for you as well. However, too often many of us end up with the dog walking us instead of us walking the dog.
My Glory Dog is one of the best-behaved dogs in the world. However, in the first few weeks after we moved to a new state, he had a very difficult time adjusting to his new world, his new schedule and the new “dog rules” in our neighborhood. Where we’d lived before, dogs didn’t go outside unless they were on a leash or in a fenced yard. In our new neighborhood, dogs were allowed to roam and run wherever they pleased — this was very disconcerting to Glory Dog.
I stopped one afternoon at a small convenience store in the middle of no where to fill up with gas. A gentleman in line in front of me turned around and saw the long scratches on my face and my blackened eye.
“You look like you’ve been drug through a briar patch,” he drawled.
“Pretty close,” I answered, remembering the night before when I’d tried to walk the once perfectly behaved Glory Dog and had ended up hanging on his leash for dear life as he drug me down a hill on my stomach and into a wooded area in hot pursuit of some of the neighbors’ dogs who were allowed to roam freely.
“My dog drug me through a briar patch,” I explained.
“I’d a whooped that dog,” he answered with complete seriousness.
I’ve told that story to lots of friends for a laugh. But, in reality, his comment is a serious one. Some people would have punished the dog, rather than re-training him. Others would have taken him straight to the city pound, where odds are he would have died. Behavior problems are near the top of the list of the reasons people surrender their pets to animal shelters.
The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals , provides some great tips for how to train your dog so that you’re walking your pet and your pet is not walking you. If you can’t master the art of a pleasant walk on your own, I strongly recommend seeking the assistance of obedience classes or a skilled trainer who uses positive reinforcement techniques to help both you and your pet learn the necessary skills.
According to the ASPCA:
— Don’t use a retractable leash in high-traffic areas, in areas where there are lots of other people or in areas where there are several dogs off leash. The long retractable leash could get wound around people or pets and create a disaster. Keeping your dog close to you and under your control is best in these situations. Save the long, retractable leashes for parks or for your own yard.
— If your dog chases after wildlife, take your walks when the wild animals are least likely to be scurrying about. Avoid dawn and dusk as these are prime time for wild creatures.
—While your dog is learning to walk on a leash without pulling, every walk must be a training session and walks should be short, frequent and fun.
— Walk at a quick pace. If your dog is moving fast, he or she will have fewer opportunities to find something to chase after or pull after.
— To learn more about training your dog, visit the ASPCA’s Virtual Pet Behaviorist.
