Date of publication: 14:30 (17.02.2023)
A walk with your dog is an important part of your life. Even if it is only because the owners spend an average of 40 minutes a day on this business. Let's calculate how much time a working person has in a day (spoiler: it's always less than we'd like).
Let's say you sleep 8 hours and work 8 hours a day. So, only 8 hours are left for personal matters in the day. Take 40 minutes away from this time, and you will have less time for TV shows, family communication, etc.
If so much time is spent on walks, they should bring joy. I am sorry if this process causes you discomfort.
Our post today will focus on how to make a walk more enjoyable for everyone with minimal effort.
Let's talk
If your dog weighs less than 300 grams, you can simply drag him along on a leash. No matter how strongly he disagrees with the chosen direction, his protest will not make much difference. The problem with such tactics is that we only consider our comfort at the moment. Long-term consequences can be very unpleasant:
The dog is in worse contact with you
There will be a lack of information for your dog, so he will compensate at home by testing the strength of your furniture,
Due to the constant tension, the dog will be overexcited and cannot get to know other dogs, since a tense leash will cause conflicts
What should I do?
Take your dog on a walk to socialize with him. Instead of pulling to the side, ask them to move away. As an example, we would use the following words: come, go around, pass, and move away. Sign language is a native language of dogs.
The dog will almost certainly listen to the body if you say one thing with your voice and another with your body. In this example, you call the dog to you while the body and head are turned toward him. This body position indicates not to approach an interlocutor in the dog world. The dog's instinct to follow is turned on when you run away during the recall so that words and body language do not conflict with each other.
Strengthen your position.
As a basic principle of learning, if a learned behaviour is reinforced, it will be repeated more and more often. Otherwise, it will fade away. A learned behaviour is one that the dog did not inherit at birth. Each dog, for example, has a built-in mechanism for picking things up off the ground. Whether reinforced or not, the dog will vacuum the ground. Sagging leashes, approaching on command, and not running away are all learned behaviours. It is likely that the dog will repeat those actions more often if we reward him for them. Someone likes that a dog stops before crossing the street. Treating him with tasty treats at these moments will lead to more and more of them. As a result, walking will become more enjoyable
What should I do?
Take something tasty . If your dog responds well to regular food and is happy with it even on the street, you can not invent anything and just pour the feed from the pack. It will be necessary to find something more desirable if he is just a routine necessity for her, not something that makes him go "wow, food". The following behaviours can be reinforced: - a calm and slowing down state (including a slack leash) contact with the owner (the dog passed by, stopped waiting or looked inquiringly) fulfilling a request (the dog was asked for something).
The biggest mistake is to go for a long walk if walks are still giving you trouble (such as a dog that constantly pulls on the leash).
At the beginning of our walk, we are usually full of energy and willing to drag a whole kilometre to the park, heroically overcoming your dog's quirks. However, after 15 minutes of walking, the forces have already dissipated. In consequence, we get the following: - Irritability and dislike for walking the dog - the dog's nerve gets stronger with each walk.
SEARCH
Dogs are intelligent and active companions. Usually they are for any type of activity, except, of course, a hunger strike. Their wild ancestors also picked up food from the floor. Search games will help.
You will not be able to wean the dog from picking up food from the floor, but you will be able to deal with the picking need legally. The contact with the dog on a walk is significantly improved by joint activities. What are we going to play? Stuff pieces of conventional cheese into the bark of a large tree at a level that the dog can easily reach. Encourage your dog to look for chees, cheering and rejoicing with him when he finds one.
Exit quietly
It is important to teach your dog a calm exit if you want to walk with her comfortably. The rules are simple: - we don't go anywhere with a dog who is on edge - we act calmly, don't twitch and don't pull the dog all the time we talk calmly, we use words and body language to help - we reinforce every nanosecond of calmness the first time can feel like an eternity but with practice it becomes routine. Exiting will take at least 10 minutes in the beginning. You will be able to exit more quickly after daily practice.
Our team will be happy to help you if you are still having trouble walking your dog