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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Your New Puppy Pool Safety

I just got a new puppy and I want to make sure he is safe in the back yard.  What sort of things should I do to make sure he is OK around the pool?

The first thing that I always tell my clients is that their dog doesnt have to love the pool, he just needs to know how to get out of the pool if he ever falls in.  

We have to remember that dogs still have that innate canine mentality and perspective.  To them, the pool is the same thing as a lake or stream.  The bank is sloped and they have the ability to walk out anywhere along it.  Unfortunately, a "pools bank" is a straight wall.  You can not easily get out where ever you want.  There is usually only one or two places where you can easily exit a pool.  Since Wolfie doesnt understand this, he will be splashing and clawing at the pools side, never being able to get out.  He will eventually tire and possibly drown.

What we must do is to train Wolfie how to locate the exits to the pool and what he must do to get out.  Here is what you do:

• Put Wolfie on a leash and gently place him on the first step in the shallow end.  Sit with him and even have some of his toys there.  Give him some treats.  What we are doing here is to introduce the pool to Wolfie so that if he does fall in, he doesnt become so scared that he cant focus on the exits.
• Now have Wolfie jump out of the pool from the first step.  Praise him when he does it.  If you need to guide him with a little tug of the leash, that is fine too.  We are teaching Wolfie the first step of getting out of the pool.
• Now hold Wolfie and slowly move him away from the first step and around the pool.  Always do this slowly and NEVER let go of him.  We want to make sure that Wolfie is building a larger perspective of the pool while still feeling safe.  Always end "your little trip" back at the shallow end step and then guide him out.  Praise always follows.
• Move Wolfie about five feet away from the shallow end step and let him loose in the water.  Use the leash to guide him back to the step and then out of the pool.
• Repeat the above process until you can be at the other end of the pool and Wolfie will return to the shallow step and then out of the pool. 

I want to emphasize that you should move slowly through these steps.  The longer we give Wolfie that ability to feel safe at each step of the process, the better he will learn.  Also, I would suggest that you keep distractions to a minimum while you are working on this.  Having crazy kids or other dogs around could easily detract from the learning process.  For more information, please contact us at The Best Dog Trainers in South Florida.

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How Do I Keep Wolfie From Going Nuts With The Pool

It is getting warmer now (South Florida, what a stretch!) and we are spending more time in the pool.  If we keep Wolfie inside, he jumps at the glass door.  If we let him out, he barks all around the pool or jumps in on top of us and just drives us nuts!  What can we do?

All Wolfie is doing is copying what you are doing.  You run out the back door, all excited about getting in the pool.  You jump in the pool, splash, scream, and have a great time.  If you leave Wolfie inside, he simply wants to get out to have fun too.  If he is outside, he wants to be a part of the action.  You havent directed Wolfie to do anything different.

What you must do is to direct his actions in a direction you desire when you are in the pool.  The process is called socialization and it is accomplished through providing him the appropriate direction while you are in the pool in a consistent and repetitive manner.  Here is what I suggest:

1. You need to build standard activities for Wolfie when you are outside and not in the pool.  The best activities I suggest are the fetch games.  This will get Wolfie excited to run after things that are directed away from you.  He then needs to return them to you and surrender them to you in a calm and respectful manner.
2. Now, you are ready to get in the pool.  Enter the pool without going crazy.  Have a family member bring Wolfie out on a leash and sit by the pool.  Be sure to have some toys for Wolfie and even some treats so that he has something to do while you are in the pool.  Slowly swim around (without going crazy) and have the family member with Wolfie to redirect his attention back to them and the toys whenever Wolfie gets a little to distracted with your actions in the pool.
3. As Wolfie stays calm with you in the pool while you are calm, slowly increase your activity while the family member with Wolfie continues to redirect his attention back to them and the toys if Wolfie becomes a little too excited.
4. Once this is accomplished, allow Wolfie to wander freely with the leash.  If he starts to get too distracted with your pool actions, have the family member who "had the leash" reacquire the leash and redirect him.
5. Once Wolfie is calm with you in the pool, you can begin to interact with him in a mutually "fun way".  Remember "Step One" where you worked on fetch games?  Now, lets do that with Wolfie.  The one difference is that you are throwing the toys for Wolfie while you are in the pool.  You direct Wolfie to return them to you at the side of the pool where you can throw the toys again.  

You now have a way to play with Wolfie in a consistent manner that he will understand.  You have shown him how to be with you while you are out in the pool and you have also shown him how you will play with him while you are in the pool where he doesnt have to jump in on top of you.

Please note that this training tip does not address keeping Wolfie safe while he is in the pool.  Please look for other articles in this blog to cover that issue.  For more information, please contact The Best Dog Trainers in South Florida.

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How to Start the Great Relationship Between Your Dog and Your Child

I have a three year old son and a six month Golden Retriever.  I know that they really like each other, but how can I start to build their relationship so that my son will be a life-long dog lover?  Some of my adult friends are scared of dogs.  They tell me that it is because of some incident that happened when they were young and they can never get over it.  I just want to do what is right...

It is almost a universal law that little boys and puppies love each other.  They are both full of energy, want to play & explore, and have a natural trust of almost everybody and everything.  We need to take these qualities and create an environment where your young son and your little puppy, Wolfie, can build a bond of friendship, respect, and rules.

Before I go any further, I want to be crystal clear that you can never leave your young son and Wolfie alone.  You must always be in control of the situation no matter how well you think they are getting along.  Just one quick mistake can critically damage the relationship and put a fear of dogs with your son.

There are multiple training steps that you will need to accomplish to build your sons bond with Wolfie.  We would like to discuss one socialization and obedience technique that is great for both your son and Wolfie.  All we want to accomplish is to have a little "walkies" with your son and Wolfie.  This doesnt have to be a perfect march where Wolfie is buy his side.  Think of it as more of a "stroll around the yard".

First, you must do your homework to make sure that Wolfie is socialized with the leash.  This means that he doesnt go crazy every time he sees the leash.  He cant grab it in his mouth and run away with the leash.  You must be able to click the leash on him, drop the leash, and Wolfie will not pay attention to the leash whatsoever. 

Next, you must be sure that Wolfie can understand what a "walkies" is all about.  You must work with him so that he calmly walks by your side when you are the person walking him.  Walk him past any distractions you have in the back yard that might make him bolt or jump.  Make sure that he doesnt constantly have his nose to the ground looking for things or is constantly stopping and digging.  He must be well behaved for you before you pass him off to your young son.

Now we are ready.  First of all, make sure that Wolfie has his collar properly fitted around his neck so that he can not slip out of it.  Next, click a 20 foot training lead to Wolfies collar.  (This is going to be for you and will assure that proper safety precautions are in place.)  

Have someone bring your son up to Wolfie.  Have him calmly pet Wolfie until they are both calm and focused on each other   Have someone hand your son a 3 - 4 foot leash and have him click it on Wolfies collar.  (The reason that I suggest a shorter leash is to minimize it dragging on the ground and getting Wolfies feet and body tangled in it.)  Help your son, if needed.  Make sure that your son actually clicks it on himself.  This helps to build your sons sense of accomplishment and allows Wolfie to see who is taking charge. Give them a minute or two to continue petting and acclimating to the situation.

It is now time to have your young son walk Wolfie.  Remember, this is more of a stroll than a walk.  All we want them to do is to calmly walk around the yard while your son is guiding.

Ask your son to begin walking and to give Wolfie a little tug to show him where to go.  You will also be right there with the training lead, helping with the tug and providing guidance to Wolfie, as needed.

Ask your son to go wherever he wants.  Remind him to guide Wolfie with him and to always pay attention to Wolfie.  In the background, you are using your training lead to keep Wolfie next to your son and to correct/enhance his guidance with Wolfie.

Be very aware of any areas where Wolfie might want to run and go after something (duck landing in the lake, squirrel in the tree, bikes in the road).  Ask your son to stop and have Wolfie sit.  You can assist in this command and should also put Wolfie on a short leash in case he wants to go after that distraction.

Give your son massive encouragement and praise for being such a great dog owner.  Ask him to pet Wolfie often and to say "Good Doggie".  Do not give Wolfie treats during the walkies because this might create an inappropriate distraction and too much excitement from Wolfie.

Spend up to 20 minutes a day performing this little exercise.  Do it when Wolfie is in a "quieter moment".  Make a big deal about it during the day with your son so that he sees it as a great "play date".

As I said, this is just one exercise you can perform to build up the lasting bond between your child and dog.  We all have that wonderful, mental picture of the little boy with his fishing poll and his dog, walking down a dirt road to their favorite fishing spot.  This is what we are trying to accomplish here. For more information, please contact us at The Best Dog Trainers in South Florida.

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