Should I Let Wolfie Walk Without A Leash

I see other people walking their dogs on the street with no leash.  I am thinking about walking Wolfie without a leash.  How do you do that and is that a good idea?

You might get an idea of my answer by looking at the picture above.  The reason that I am on this subject today is because of a consultation I had with one of our clients this morning.  She told me that she would often let her dog off leash in the front yard.  Things were normally fine, but this morning her dog suddenly took off down the street chasing a truck.  Luckily there wasnt any other traffic at the time and she finally could get her dog back about a block away with the help of a neighbor.  

"This kind of thing has never happened before", she told me.  "He plays next door with the neighbor dog and I can play fetch with him at the park across the street and he always walks right back into the house after me when we are done.  He has seen trucks before and he has never gone after them in the past." 

To cut to the chase, we do not condone having dogs off leash at any time.  The reason is that the real world is full of thousands of distractions that will engage Wolfie.  Since we cant plan and train for each of these unique distractions, we cant unequivocally state that Wolfie wont take off down the street. Since we cant guarantee Wolfies safety, we strongly encourage our clients to always have their dogs on a leash when outside.

We live in South Florida where things are always busy with trucks, crazy drivers, bikes, motorcycles, golf carts, joggers, and a whole bunch of other things.  Now, if you lived in the country or a small town, I would probably answer this blog in a different way.  The reason is that there are far fewer distractions that we have to deal with.  But, this is a topic for a future blog.  For more information, please contact The Best Dog Trainers in South Florida.

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What Happens When Wolfie Wont Come to Me in The Back Yard

It always happens that when ever I need to get Wolfie in from the back yard, he never comes.  I really think it is a game to see how long he can stay away from me and he finally goes in the house when he is fully amused...

See Wolfie way back there?  There is no way that I am getting him in the house any time soon...

The best solution to this is to teach Wolfie to "come".  The only problem is that is going to take you about five weeks to get him to come to you every time you tell him.  We need something now to get him in while he is in "come school".  

Lets first understand what is really happening with you and Wolfie and then find a temporary solution.  You walk outside and yell "come" to Wolfie.  He doesnt understand what that means, but you have gained his attention.  You yell "come" again and become more animated.  He still stares at you, finding you an amusing distraction.  You now become agitated and approach him quickly.  Now Wolfie sees that we are in a game of "follow the leader".  Since you are approaching him, he will take off and engage in the role of the leader.  The whole point of the game is to have you chase him while he avoids you.  The faster you go, the faster he avoids.  Even if you stop and walk back towards the house, he will come after you and turn away at the last second to try and reengage the game.

As you can see, this is a loosing battle that you just cant win.  So what do you need to do to get him in the house if he doesnt understand "come"?  You must find a way where you will remain calm, disengaging, and not directly approaching Wolfie.  If you do this, you will not be "telling" Wolfie that you want to play.

Here is what you do:  (I really love this little trick!)

• Put a 10 foot leash on Wolfie when he is outside.  Let him run around with it so that it becomes uninteresting to him.  Eventually, he wont even know that it is there.
• When you want to get Wolfie in the house, be very calm and slowly approach the handle end of the leash (10 feet away from Wolfie).  
• You are not directly approaching him so you are not sending the "play" signal to him.
• If Wolfie begins to move or run, do not speed up or become animated.  Watch the end of the leash and slowly move towards it.
• If you need to, pause for a minute.  Many times Wolfie will come towards you, bringing the leash with him.
• Once you are at the handle end of the leash, simply put your foot on it.  Now you have him.
• Pick up the leash (keeping your foot on the leash until you have the handle firmly in your hand).
• Give Wolfie the "come" command and give the leash a little tug until he is at your side.
• Give him the "walkies" command and calmly walk him back to the house.

I have "captured" crazy Goldens in 1/2 acre back yards using this exact method.  Give it a try and I am sure you will love it.  For more information, please contact us at The Best Dog Trainers in South Florida.

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Five Great Things a Good Dog Owner Should Do for Their Dog

I really want to be a great dog owner for Wolfie and there are so many opinions and suggestions of what I should do!  Are there some general things that I really need to focus on?

There are bookstores and bookstores full of dog books.  We could spend the rest of our lives just reading about what we should do with our dogs.  Since we probably dont have time for that, let me cut to the chase and give you the five "you really shoulds" for your dog:

1. First, good dog owners walk and exercise their dogs. Most dogs love to run and play. It is both a physical and mental release and helps keep them physically strong and emotionally happy. 
2. Yearly check-ups. Ensuring that your dog has yearly check-ups to help identify any medical problems before they become problems is a very good habit. During the yearly exam, your veterinarian will also determine if your dog requires any vaccines, flea control or heart worm preventative medications. These measures will help to keep your dog healthy and comfortable. 
3. Good daily care. Daily monitoring of your dogs appetite, urinations, bowel movements are a part of be a good responsible dog owner. Healthy dogs have a good appetite, normal urinations, healthy bowel movements and maintain an ideal weight. Any abnormalities should be noted and any persistent changes should be reported to your veterinarian. 
4. Feed a good quality food. Good nutrition is one way a dog owner can proactively make a difference in their dogs health. Over the past two decades, there has been a lot of research and scientific information used to properly formulate dogs foods to optimize health. Many of the foods that we recommend have these enhanced formulas that helps burn fat, develop muscle and promote healthy digestion. They were developed by nutritionists and veterinarians, so these complete, all-in-one diets have the right balance of proteins, fats and fibers to help protect your dogs health. Please do your own research and select a great food for your dog.
5. Daily grooming. Monitoring your dogs nails and trim them when needed, brush his teeth at least every other day and daily brush his hair are important ways to prevent unnecessary problems such as dental disease, torn nails, matting, and needless shedding around your home.

Do these things and your dog will thank you with better health and months, if not years added to their lives.

For more information, please contact The Best Dog Trainers in South Florida.. 

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Never Use an Extension Leash!

I know that I have said this in the past, but after a conversation with a client this week, I just have to reiterate...

Just as it says in the Taylor Swift song, "never, ever, ever..." use an extension leash when walking your dog!  It is unsafe and could end with your dog being hit by a car or truck.

Yes, I have told this to you before, but I now want to share a conversation I had with one of my clients this week.

My client is a Fire Paramedic who has a great puppy and a wonderful love for dogs.  She told me of an incident she experienced about two weeks ago while responding to a call early in the morning.

It was about 6AM and they were heading to an emergency call driving down a major street in Fort Lauderdale.  Ahead of them was a man with his dog.  The dog was sniffing the grass at the edge of the street.  The owner had the dog on an extension leash and really wasnt paying too much attention to the situation.  It was early in the morning with no traffic, so they didnt have the siren on at the time.

Just as they approached the owner and the dog, the dog leaped in front of the oncoming fire truck.  It happened so quickly that the trucks driver couldnt respond and they were sitting so high up, they couldnt immediately see if they had hit the dog.  My client said that everyones hearts were were racing as they looked in the rear view mirrors.

Luckily, they had missed the dog by inches.  My client said that this incident impacted every Fireman and Paramedic on that truck for the rest of the day.  If the dog had jumped one second sooner of they were five feet farther back on the road, the dog would have been killed instantly.

Can I state it any clearer than this?  Please, no extension leashes, period.  For more information, please contact us at The Best Dog Trainers in South Florida.

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