Dog Walking Etiquette

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The only two guidelines for teaching a dog to walk nicely on a leash are: First, make sure it’s done discreetly or undercover, and second, stay put!

1) Stealthy Footsteps

You should not embarrass yourself in public with an untrained dog. The need for a masquerade. Trainers out and about with their untrained dogs would appreciate this advice. Of course, you can always say you’re teaching a client’s dog while walking around the same block, but that doesn’t cut it after a while.

Walking your dog secretly is a prudent precaution before venturing out into public and embarrassing yourself. The area immediately surrounding your flat is ideal for training your dog because it is comfortable all year, there are few distractions, and no one will ever see you. Make a path for people to follow as they move from one location to another using the furniture. When your dog can walk calmly at your side on a loose leash, it’s time to stroll about the neighborhood.

2.) Stay where you are!

There are just a handful of valid justifications for taking Fido for a stroll: A good walk and sniff are fun for the dog, for you, for both of you, for getting the dog from point A to point B (the front door to the car, or the apartment to the dog park), and so that the dog may “empty.”

Let’s start at the end: d.) taking a dog out for a walk to let it out. The good old dog walk is undoubtedly the most exciting event in urban dogdom, and as such, most dogs will look forward to the beginning of the walk and dislike the end of the stroll. As a result, taking a dog on a hike, hoping it will urinate or defecate, is a typical training mistake that can lead to various undesirable outcomes. Most dogs are more intelligent than humans when it comes to this sort of thing, and they quickly figure out that if they defecate on the sidewalk, their stroll is over. From then on, your dog will probably try to drag the walkout as long as possible. This is already a source of frustration. Worse, because dogs tend to have more patience and resolve than their owners, the dog’s abilities of withholding may transcend the length of the walk. The owner has returned home with a full dog that urgently has to go outside and relieve itself. Because of this, many canines have the terrible habit of soiling the house as soon as they get inside after a stroll. Interestingly, the owner has unwittingly trained the behavior into the pet.

Fortunately, the answer is straightforward. Allow your dog to go to the bathroom outside, but stay put! Just hang out with your leashed dog on the sidewalk outside your building’s entrance. Give your dog a few minutes to generate while you read the paper. It’s no massive concern if the dog doesn’t “go” in that amount of time; go back inside and try again in 15 to 30 minutes. Until then, it’s best to keep your dog under close supervision by keeping it on a leash and close by. It would be fantastic if the dog could relieve himself or herself outside. So, I) exclaim the praises of canine bliss… What a tremendous puppy!!! Is anyone up for a walk? Say “Walkies” again, dispose of the trash, and then stroll with your “empty dog.”

Instead of mistakenly “punishing” the dog by turning around and heading home the second it remembers where it is, continuing the walk immediately afterward serves as a reward for its rapid return. A No Elimination-No Walk policy may turn any dog into a lightning-fast on-command eliminator in just a few days of training.

Whether you’re out for a stroll with your dog because you want to spend quality time together or because you have somewhere specific to be, a pleasant outing requires two things: i.) the dog walks close to your side when requested and sits when you stop, and ii.) at other times, the dog is free to range and sniff without putting too much strain on the leash. There are two leading causes for why so many dog owners have trouble taking their pet for a walk: The dog learns that yanking on a leash is both extremely and intrinsically encouraging because his or her owner is preoccupied with other things or in a rush and ignores what the dog is doing. A taut leash is a kind of telegraph wire, letting the dog know exactly where you are without the dog paying any attention.

The answer is straightforward and similar to what was just discussed. Don’t go anywhere while leash training your dog. For the next few days, make it your only goal to teach your dog proper walking manners. Go outside, and stand about with your dog on a leash while holding a handful of its morning or evening dry kibble in a plastic bag and a good book or newspaper. Put the dog’s antics out of your mind. It makes no difference if the dog leaps on people, barks constantly, or pulls on the leash. Ignore bad manners. Surprisingly, fortunately, the more the dog misbehaves and we ignore it, the more ingrained the positive behavior will become. Your dog is essentially discovering the strategies that fail and the one that succeeds, sitting. Your dog will sit, even if only temporarily, at some point. When your dog sits, please give it a treat and a big step forward, then stop and wait for it to sit again. A single motion will reawaken the dog. The time it takes the dog to sit is expected to be shorter. Once it does, it’ll be good/kibble/a huge step, just like always. Once you’ve done ten or more sits, your dog will sit the second you stop walking. Now that you know the dog has to sit try taking two steps before stopping. Then, after each stop, walk for three steps. You’ll be amazed at how attentive the dog becomes and how little he or she pulls on the leash. Instead, your dog eagerly awaits a pause so that it may sit and demand more dog food. Start by doing each sequence with five steps, then eight, ten, twenty, etc. When properly trained, a dog on a leash walks quietly and carefully at your side and sits happily and on cue whenever you stop. And you did it all with just a few encouraging words of “good dog!” when your dog misbehaved.

The time has come to reap the full benefits of your treks together. Walk your dog on a leash sometimes and off-leash other times (with an appropriate command like “go on” or “go sniff”). When your dog is free to roam, he or she may become leash-restrictive. Just wait till it comes and sits by your side if that happens. This can help your dog get used to sitting next to you when you have to stand motionless because other dogs or people are approaching. Sending good vibes and smiles your way…

Andrea is an evaluator for both the Delta Society’s Canine Good Citizen (CGC) test and the American Kennel Club’s (AKC) Canine Good Citizen (CGC) test, and she holds certifications from both organizations. New York, W, Time Out, Quest, and the Daily News have all named her the finest dog trainer in New York, and she is the director of Andrea Arden Dog Training there. You can reach her at [212-414-9597] or visit her website at [http://www.andreaarden.com]. Her Facebook page can be followed.

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