Walking In The Woods With My Dog

I don’t get up in the woods a lot, but when I do, I love taking my dog for walks in the hills.  I love having him off leash and having just a great time with all the great smells and “woodsy-things”.  What do I need to know to keep the whole thing safe for my dog and myself?

It might just be me, but I love the opportunity to have my Sheppard and Springier Spaniel up in the woods; up a back road; hanging out with us at a rustic cabin.  They love going out and are very good at staying nearby and listening to my commands.  We have a great time and everyone is kept happy and safe. 

Please understand that this is not something you can do right away with your dog.  It might be something you may never be able to accomplish with your dog.  In order to accomplish this, you must take on a specific and possibly lengthy process in order to assure your success.  As I stated earlier, some dogs are just too high strung or too easily distracted to engage in this activity.  Let’s look at some of the things we must do.

Before we even think about getting up to that backwoods cabin, we must perform a good amount of work back at home:

• You must work on on-leash and off-leash recall/come.  Your dog must be able to return to your side when you command him from up to twenty yards.  You must be sure that he can do this while there are natural distractions commanding his attention and even when you can’t directly see him.
• You must be able to have your dog sit and stay while you walk thirty yards away.  He must stay there until you release him and he must run straight to your side.
• You must gain off-leash attentiveness control where your dog is walking near you without a leash and always change their direction, based on any change in your direction.
• You must practice the “drop” or “leave it” command with your dog so that he will not place anything harmful in his mouth.
• Your dog must be able to instantly sit and give you focus on command.

These are a lot of things to accomplish, but they are the minimum needed to assure a safe walk in the woods.  Now, let’s think about our walk in the woods.  Here are some things to think about:

• Before you take your dog for a walk, go out alone first.  Follow the course you plan to take, looking for poisonous plants, areas where you may experience animals, areas of standing water, steep inclines, tight spaces, etc.  Pick a path that minimizes these issues in order to maximize your ability to keep your dog as safe as possible.
• Place a leash on your dog before you start.  You don’t have to hold the leash, just let it drag behind him.  If you need to step in quickly, it gives you one more tool to safely control him.
• As you walk, always scan the area for anything that might distract him or draw him away from you.
• Keep your dog engaged and focused on you by calling him to you, having him stay as you walk a short distance down the trail and calling him to you, encourage him to walk next to you by patting your leg as you walk, etc. 
• If you see that your dog is tiring, finish your walk.  You don’t want him to just stop or “decide to take a shortcut home”.
• Never let your dog wander off in high grass or through thickets.  This just increases the possibility for fleas and ticks.  Oh, by the way, make sure that all the proper flea and tick medicines have been applied.  Also, consult with your vet if any additional medication might be needed for the area you will be visiting.
• Take your own water for the walk.  Standing water is not good and you are never sure what might be upstream in that pretty country stream.
• Have your dog return to you immediately and hold the leash if encounter a person or animal on your walk.
• When you return from your walk, check your dog for any fleas, ticks, burrs, etc. 
• If he still has some energy, play fetch around the cabin for a few more minutes before you come in.

Once you and your dog get back inside the cabin, you will probably see him take a long and very happy nap.  If you have any further information or clarification, please contact Your Great South Florida Dog Trainers.

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Wolfie Seems Afraid of Me What Can I Do

I am not sure what it is, but Wolfie seems afraid of me.  Hell always stay away from me and never comes!  What can I do that wont make the situation worse?

Unfortunately, we see this more times that we would like.  All doggie owners try to be good doggie owners, but sometimes we just blow our stacks.  We get mad, yell & scream, and sometimes whack our "best friend".  Bad experiences can leave very strong impressions with dogs and can last a long time.

So we messed up.  What can we do to make it right with Wolfie?  

One way is to practice an exercise called "V Feeding".  This is a process where we use small treats or kibble to entice Wolfie to come to us, feel safe, and then allow him to move away.  The entire point of this exercise is that we are allowing Wolfie to feel safe the entire time.  Here is what you do:

1. Get some small treats (Zukes Doggie Treats are perfect) or Wolfies kibble.
2. Have Wolfie about eight feet away from you.  Throw a goodie to the left of Wolfie about seven feet from you.  Allow Wolfie to go and get it.
3. Now, throw a goodie to the right of Wolfie about six feet from you.  Allow Wolfie to go and get it.
4. Repeat the left and right process with the food, moving Wolfie closer and closer to you.
5. When you have Wolfie about three feet from you, kneel down low to see if he will come to you.  If he does, that is great.  If he does not, that is not a problem.
6. Now, start throwing goodies to your left and right at increasing distances from you.  All you are doing here is reversing the process where you had Wolfie come to you.
7. Once Wolfie is about eight feet away from you, praise Wolfie in your high voice.  Stand still for a moment or two and then walk away.

Repeat this process two or three times a day.  What you are doing is to remove the notion that you are "the boogie man" in Wolfies eyes.  Coming and going from you is a pleasurable experience.  After about one week, toss the goodies so that Wolfie is right next to you.  Continue that for a week and then start to slowly pet Wolfie when he is right next to you.  (Remember that you are kneeling down low when you are doing this.)

Do not pet Wolfie by extending your hand over his head.  Show him the back of your hand and slowly move it along the ground towards his chest.  (If he flinches, do not press the matter.  You will try it again the next time.)  Once you reach his chest, slowly rub him.  Make sure that he is looking at you and you are looking at him.  Next, slowly move your hand around to his back and continue the rubbing.  

What we have done is to "reintroduce" yourself to Wolfie in a non-aggressive way.  We have allowed Wolfie to come to the conclusion that you will not harm him.  You will then have the opportunity to regain his respect and focus  and he will once again feel safe and secure around you.  For more information, please contact The Best Dog Trainers in South Florida.

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Wolfie Seems to Think He is the Boss

I just dont understand it.  I work with Wolfie on Come/Sit/Stay.  I play with Wolfie.  I walk Wolfie.  But it seems like he still thinks he is the boss.  I think I am doing everything right, but something must be missing!

Remember the old phrase  "Walk a mile in my shoes"?  Well, this is the problem that you are having with Wolfie.  Yes, you are providing him education, exercise, and bonding.  What you dont understand is that Wolfie sees the world through a canine perspective.  He judges you as if you were a dog and not a human.  You must understand his perspective to understand how and why he does what he does.

So why does Wolfie act like he is the boss?  The reason is because you are constantly telling him that he is!  You dont know that you are doing this because you view the world from a human perspective and your actions reflect that.  From Wolfies perspective (the canine point of view), you are constantly implying that he is the boss.

Here is what you are doing, why Wolfie believes he is the boss, and what you have do to...

It is a typical Saturday afternoon and you are sitting on your back porch reading the paper.  Wolfie comes up to you and sticks his nose in you hand asking for a pat on the head.  You think nothing of it and give him a big pat and maybe even throw the ball for him.  You have just told Wolfie he is the boss.  Since he is the boss, he can do whatever he wants because you will always comply.

In a human family, anyone can have an idea and the family can respond.  Nobody implies anything about leadership about the act.  We (humans) thought it was a good idea and did it.  Now, in the wolf pack you have the canine alpha leader and the rest of the pack.  The only one that tells the pack what to do is the canine alpha leader.

As soon as Wilfie said "pet me" and you did, you submitted to his demand, placed yourself in the role of the pack, and promoted him to being the canine alpha leader.  We (humans) do this all day long.  We are constantly telling Wolfie that he is the boss.  Since he is the boss, he can do whatever he wants.  This normally equates to a misbehaved dog that is always annoying us.  So what can we do to fix this?

You must always make sure that it is your idea and not Wolfies.

When Wolfie comes over to you and wants to be petted, ignore him.  In a moment or two, he will turn away.  At that moment, you can call him to you and you can tell him that you want to pet him.  It is now your idea and when Wolfie comes to be petted, he has placed himself as the pack member and you as the canine alpha leader.

This sounds like a simple thing to do, but in reality, it is very difficult.  The reason is that (we humans) really dont care whose idea it was.  Dogs do care whose idea it was because that equates to leadership and ultimately their general safety.

So, if you want to be on the way to having Wolfie well behaved and understanding his position in the pack, you must always initiate, you must always begin, you must always implement your idea.  For more information, please contact us at The Best Dog Trainers in South Florida.

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Wolfie Walking With Me Through The House

Sometimes Puppy Wolfie and I might be in the kitchen and I want him to come with me into the family room or my back office.  I dont want to go and get a leash or use treats.  How can I just get him to come with me?

What you are really trying to do is to have Puppy Wolfie  "stick with you" when you go somewhere else in the house.  In some respects, it could be equated to "walking off leash", but I still want him contained in the house.  You can think of it as "walking off leash  light".  Again, this is best taught when Wolfie is a puppy.  Here is what you do:

You first want to teach Wolfie "come".  I have reviewed this before, but let me give you a quick review:

• Put a leash and collar on Puppy Wolfie.  
• Step to the end of the leash, stoop low, and say "come".  (Only say "come" once.)
• If he doesnt come, give a slight tug on the leash and guide him to you.
• Praise him with a high tone when he gets to you.
• Repeat this process until you dont need to give him any tug (guidance) to go to your side.
• Get a longer lead (15 feet) and repeat the above process, first at 10 feet and then at 15 feet.
• Now you will drop the leash, walk 10 feet away from Puppy Wolfie, turn, stoop low, and say "come".  If he doesnt come to you, use the leash at 10 feet and 15 feet again (you have progressed to quickly).  Repeat this process until he is going to your side on a regular basis.
• You have now created a unique command (come) with a consistent and repetitive result (get by your side).

It is now time to ramp it up and have him be with you as you walk through the house.  What we really are doing is to create a "come while I am moving" action.

• Start with Puppy Wolfie by your side.  Start to walk.
• Bend over slightly, say "come on", tap your pant leg, and be animated.
• Puppy Wolfie should now follow you based on what you had previously taught him.

Dont move too fast.  If Puppy Wolfie is a little hesitant about walking with you, stop every few feet, stoop, say "come on", pat your let, and get animated when he approaches you.

Again, all we have done is to create a "come while I am moving" exercise.  We have done it just after Puppy Wolfie has mastered the "come" command so the actions are fresh and only slightly different. If Puppy Wolfie can master this command while he is young, walking off leash outside will be far easier to teach as he gets a little older.  For more information, please contact us at The Best Dog Trainers in South Florida.

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