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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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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