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The minute I go to put on my shoes, or coat Duma knows that it's time for a walk. By the time I grab the leash and turn around he is sitting right there waiting for me to put on his collar. Sometimes he is over excited and not calm at all. On the rare day when this is the case I will stand still, not looking at him, not encouraging him or disciplining him, just waiting till he wants to settle down. The less attention I pay to the over-excited behavior the less the behavior gets fuel for its fire! I snap the collar on and still sitting he watches as I open the lock and then the door. Still sitting he waits for me to clear the threshold of my doorway and I turn look at him and say, okay!" This is his signal that he has permission to come and exit the apartment where he again immediately sits while we do the same thing for the outside door. Then we can truly begin our walk and as we do Duma is focused on me. He used to try and occasionally still tries to sniff the random tree or patch of ground. I do not stop. We come to a tree near the entrance to the park that all the male dogs seem to enjoy taking turns marking. Duma looks at me and I open the lead out a bit and say, "Go ahead" giving him permission to go to the bathroom. I know this may sound harsh that Duma can't use a tree as the urge hits but it's not his decision to make, it's mine. If our pack were moving quickly from one place to the next I would not want my pack taking rest breaks whenever they felt like it as we'd never make our destination. During all this time I am walking with a canine whose tail is wagging and in general is one happy camper! No, I am not a magician, nor someone with mystical canine powers able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. I am an "Alpha" and I am confident in myself and my position in my pack.
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When most of us wake in the morning we go to the bathroom, groom up a bit and head out to our day. For your dog there is not that much difference. When you come home you take off the day clothes, slip into something more comfortable to wear, unwind, cook our dinner and then may take a nice slow walk to burn off the calories. Again, your dog is not much different. When the pack wakes in the morning they do their business and then set out to explore. This is their instinct. They are like the author, wanderers. We are humans, we wake up and grumble (if a work day) on our way to the bathroom, pour coffee, tea or breakfast in us to energize our systems and then we take off to complete our tasks for life. To your dog, you waste far too much time in the morning! So, you've gotten your seven or eight hours and have awoken to Fido licking at your face and moving around your feet doing what can only amount to the anxious pee-pee dance. The very same dance I see my 6 year old do when he is playing something that he thinks is really cool and at the same time has to go to the bathroom. He doesn't want to leave the cool thing but can't keep holding his water, something has to give. A dog needs consistent exercise to keep mentally, physically and emotionally fit and taking long walks accomplish many things. It's great exercise for your dog as well as yourself. It gives your pet a chance to learn social skills and exercise its instinctual habits. Ideally you should have two one hour plus walks per day.
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The Neck Collar
Obviously you have to have the "equipment" to walk your dog before you start. Different collars can bring about completely different results. It's important to choose a collar carefully. All of my animals have neck collars (Collars with a buckle or plastic snap made with nylon and cloth.) yet none of those collars were for walking them, at least not at the start of walking training. Basically the neck collar is a means of having their identification with them. If you look around and think about the structure of your dogs face and their "personality" you can easily match collar to canine. There are dogs bred for harness work. It would make sense not to use a harness in your walk training?
Dogs are most powerful in their upper body particularly across the chest and shoulders and using a device that "harnesses" that energy makes it difficult for some dogs to associate a walk from something entirely different in their minds. If you sit in a park on any summer afternoon and watch some of the owners you can clearly see who is walking who? We'll get back to this in a second . . .
The collars and harness combinations I've seen used and used myself are as varied as the stars. This is also true of leash selections. As I've said a normal run of the mill neck collar is pretty much only useful as a surrogate wallet and nothing more. It is not the collar used for walking until your animal knows what a walk is in accordance with the pack leader.
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Chain Collar or "Choke" Chain
There are choke collars (chain collars) and also collars that are pronged that provide pressure to points around the neck. Of the two the pronged collar is the safest for the animal. A choke collar teaches a dog nothing about walking or behaving on the walk, it only teaches frustration for both the animal and the owner. Again, these are collars that should only function as carry-straps for the dog's I.D. but in short shouldn't be used at all. The pronged collar should only be used for certain breeds obviously and only by those trainers who also are very clear on its responsible use. This is not a collar for the average dog owning individual.
The Martingale Collar is a useful training device. Essentially it is a morph of neck collar and choke collar and provides the benefits of both without the negative characteristics of either. Most of the collar is regular neck collar and then two rungs enclose a ring of chain or cloth that pulls the rest of the collar together to pressure the neck. Because the collars are wide and do not "dig in" they are a safe way of training a dog proper "walking etiquette!"
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Head Collars or "Leaders"
There are the "Head Collars" which use the dog's motion against them. These collars act like a bridle on a horse. When the dog tries to pull his head tucks back and down and your pet does not ever want his head in that position. His pulling creating this action and discomfort and most animals quickly learn with these collars to walk proper without pulling. Originally designed to train dogs with 'strong' pulling instincts there are now a variety of designs that fit many muzzle sizes. I used this collar to teach Duma as he is a pulling dog, quite powerful and has the perchance to pursue the occasional squirrel.
There are several warnings I will offer. First, this is not meant to take away from the eventuality of walking with only a neck collar or without a leash at all someday but only to supplement your own training program with a dog that has a rampant pulling instinct. It is NOT therefore a replacement lifelong collar or shouldn't be. Insure for a proper fit. Although they have a vast range of adjustable size it is in the fine tuning of the collar where you get the best results and least discomfort. Expect your dog to thrash about using both paws to try to remove this strap that crosses his face. Expect him as Zab (A friends Boxer) did to jump in the air at not more than six months old to a height of 6 feet looking like a circus acrobat. This behavior, more in line with someone on some kind of insane overdose should settle out within a short time. Duma and Zab by about the third walk both settled into quite a nice routine.
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The Harness
Harnesses abound. The many styles, colors and sizes give an owner a variety of choices in their purchase. Decide first is a harness going to accomplish what you want it to accomplish? For new walking learners I would say no, unless you've adopted a dog that already knows this training of course. A harness lets your pet utilize the strongest parts of his/her bodies in misbehaving. Again understand the power that canines have in these areas from the neck, down and across the chest shoulder to shoulder. It will make a 65 Lb. dog feel like twice that in a pulling action. I have witnessed inattentive owners pulled to the ground when their dogs took off without warning to investigate something that they sensed or see.
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For the first few weeks your walk time should be scheduled and consistent to gain the most benefit. With proper assertive leadership it should not take longer than this to let your dog in on the routine of your walks. I first get his collar and when he sees this every nerve ending in his body come to life. I do not acknowledge his excitement. I stand near the door and have him 'come' and then 'sit' so that I can put on his collar. Now, as I said he is full of energy now knowing that he's headed to the park so sitting still is not in his repertoire at this time making it difficult to put the collar on. I stand and wait, not looking at him, offering no further instruction until he settled down. Then when he was in front of me sitting and I can put his collar and lead on without bringing on a twisting, turning wrestling match. Once his leash and collar have been fastened he remains sitting while I open the door and then step out turning to give him the okay (I use the word OKAY) to exit our house. I cannot express how important it is for you to exit before your pet. This is the primary goal I just write more than I should. You must enter and exit first! You are the pack leader and you set the pace and decide the direction. Do remember that each dog 'trains' differently and what may be good for Duma may not be good for Zab. Pay attention to your pet and insure that you adjust and provide proper lead training.
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So now you've left the house. If this is a first collar-leash walk for your puppy you may find that they are pulling against you, wiggling around or in general showing their displeasure. Do not do anything. Stand and let the moment pass. When you puppy calms down praise him and start walking slowly. If while your puppy is jiggling around you calm or comfort them it allows them to form an understanding that the leash and collar are bad things and perpetuates negative walking behaviors. Do not comfort, praise or calm your puppy with any regards to the leash and collar. He/she will then associate the leash and collar as something that they are allowed to jiggle around with. It is obviously counter-productive. Praise and praise highly when your puppy walks beside you or comes to you when you call and every single other 'good' action as all of these are ways of eliciting the kind of behavior you want not only on the walks but for his adult canine personality.
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With your full grown or older dog, once you leave the doorway and begin you walk pay attention to your animal. Use a training leash (3ft. Lead) and keep the dog at your side. If he begins to pull, stop. Usually your dog will turn around and look at you. Do not move until he calms down and then give praise and move off in a different direction. By changing constantly your directions when you stop and overall on your walks the dog learns that he must focus on your movement which leaves less time to focus on their own. If his interests fall off of your walk again stop for a moment and let the neighboring animal, bird, cassette tape pass. On your walk keep your pet at your side or behind you. If he moves off in another direction give a small pull on the lead in the opposite direction to keep them on course. This is not a jerk on the leash but a tug that reminds the dog to pay attention to you. If you find yourself having to do that a lot you would do best to modify the equipment you have for your dog, trying a different collar perhaps. If that doesn't work then stop and wait again for your pet to settle out. A short training lead is an absolute essential keeping control of the walk without having to wrap the excess leash around your hand.
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Most of the walk structure comes from you. All your pet does basically is learn to walk in the manner that the pack leader walks. So, this is more about the pack leader than the pack. You, the pack leader, the Alpha must be in the proper frame of mind and heart. A dog as most animals sense what you feel at the very same time you feel it. You'll see this written in a number of times, "Your pet knows how you feel and what you feel at the very same time you experience the feeling." If you become frustrated while walking your pet then they will become frustrated as well so it's another important item for the pack leader to take to heart, your attitude determines a great part of your canines attitude.
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Your dog should be at your side or immediately behind you. Under no circumstances should your dog while on a lead be in front of you. Let me explain your canine's mentality. To them the animal leading is in fact the pack leader. If your dog is in front on the walk no matter what techniques you endeavor to try most if not all will frustrate you and the cycle of empathic feeling prevail. Your dog is at your side or following you because he/she is not the pack leader and does not set the tone or direction of the walk.
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You can most certainly bring treats but think and use the frugally. Many owners have believed they've substituted training for treats but this would not be correct. The minute the treats run out the real behaviors begin. Reward once with treat and praise, then reward with praise, with just a treat and just mix it up at first in order to achieve the behavior in the shortest time. Eventually you wean off the treats and just use praise, then even praise will come with special behaviors taken without command. Your dog will understand that you control the walking and resting, the time for smelling and play and on. This is what a dog's world is! When they walk next to you comfortably give them encouraging words that tell the dog that this is the "behavior" you enjoy and expect.
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