I was on a Home Dog Training session in Cumming last Tuesday working with a new client and her Labradoodle, Shadow. The main issues that we worked on were bad behavior such as jumping, not listening, stealing food, and getting on the furniture. Shadow was a pretty good student and we had the problem in hand pretty quickly. As we were wrapping up the session, my client had one, last question. She was going to visit family in Virginia and was wondering if there should be anything different she would do when walking him. Shadow walked pretty well around the neighborhood in Cumming, but she wasn’t sure about her mother’s home in Virginia.
I was very happy that my new client asked this question because it showed that she had “gotten the concept” of being Shadow’s protector and friend. We didn’t work on walking during our first session because that was not a high priority for her and, as I mentioned, Shadow really didn’t have a problem down here.
I explained that since Shadow already knows how to walk with her here; that will not be the problem when they get to her mom’s house. The problem that my client faces is to maintain her leadership while on the walk by showing Shadow that she is still his leader, protector, and friend. This is done by making sure that Shadow always feels safe and constantly gives her focus in any situation. Although she remembers it or not, my client had already done the same thing when she began walking Shadow in her current neighborhood. She simply needs to quickly repeat the same actions when she gets up north.
Here are some of the tips that I gave my client:
- Walk the neighborhood in the path that you plan to walk Shadow without him. Check for hazards like broken glass, dog poop, slippery ground, barbed fences, etc. that Shadow might want to inadvertently investigate on the walk.
- Make note of any barking dog behind a fence or any dogs that might be roaming the neighborhood. These dogs might charge Shadow when you both are walking or the gate that is currently locked and keeping the other dog back might be left open.
- Check for general activity such as children playing or gardeners with leaf blowers. These noises might adrenalize Shadow.
- Take note of the traffic on the street and your points of crossing. Will you have to “run through the intersection” to miss the passing cars?
- Are there a lot of trees with squirrels and other “woodland creatures” directly on your walk? Her subdivision in Cumming isn’t exactly “the woods” and Shadow might not know how to deal with these new distractions.
- Do you always have the ability to see at least 50 yards ahead of you for anything that might be approaching? Do you always have an alternative path or a way of retreat if you need to change course?
I told her that if she felt uncomfortable in answering any of these questions, she should think about an alternative route.
I then suggested that when she starts walking Shadow, they don’t go on the full walk the very first time. Go on 1/3 or 1/2 of the walk. Turn around and then go back to her mom’s house. This will get Shadow most of his exercise and will allow her to practice her “dress rehearsal” for the entire walk. She will be able to see if there is anything that Shadow is doing that she forgot to take into account. She will have a far better opportunity to maintain control of the situation and affirm her leadership and ability to provide safety to Shadow. Once she feels comfortable with the situation, they should be ready to go for the entire walk.
I also suggested that she take a walking stick with her. Even though she has checked the entire route out and everything looks fine and even though Shadow has already shown that he is secure in her leadership, this is still a new situation and a new environment. If something does happen, she can waive the walking stick or pound it on the ground or against a tree if an aggressor does inappropriately approach.
I reinforced that her goal with Shadow in Virginia over the Holidays at her mother’s house is not to have the entire neighborhood love and play with Shadow. Her goal is to be with Shadow and have him understand that he is safe and secure. Sometimes that just doesn’t take place in a crowd of strangers. Shadow is a great dog and with these simple suggestions, I assured her that they were going to have a great time.
Keeping your dog safe is your most important role as his care giver, provider, and friend. Taking a little extra time to make sure you are in charge of the situation will easily make this happen.
Robin and I hope that you will contact us at (770) 718-7704 it you are in need of any dog training help. We have a lot of good dog training advice at Best Dog Trainers Cumming Georgia. Locate all our phone numbers, text addresses and email contacts at Dog Training Help Center Cumming Georgia.
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