DD: 010 Leash Training – When your dog is too excited to walk
DD: 010 Leash Training – When your dog is too excited to walk
When walking becomes dangerous…
Taking your dog for a walk should be an enjoyable experience; Comfortable, fun and unforgettable. But for many people, don’t forget all the wrong reasons! Run down the street, stretch your feet, pull your arms out of their nests, twist your wrists and a lot of pressure.
It is really frustrating to see other dog owners walking so well on one side of the leash with their dogs!
A woman I work with told me she had just bought a cup of coffee and was walking with two black Labradors when they spotted another dog and rushed towards it. She grabbed the lamppost at the end, wrapped her hands and feet around it, coffee in one hand and two dogs in the other! This was the last straw… She turned to me for help as soon as she got home.
So how do you go from a hectic situation where your dog gets out of control right from the start to a quiet walk? When it comes to training a highly motivated dog, you have to start from scratch.
A completely different approach
In this podcast, I explain a technique I recommend to dog owners who only have the most active dogs. For most of us, this method is not necessary. At every stage of preparing for a walk, being grounded and waiting for your dog to calm down is enough to regain control when you leave the house.
Before we get started, here’s a free download: the 7 most common mistakes people make when walking their dogs. Just click the button:
Turn off the dog first
Maybe as 20 difficult dogs progress, I will apply this method to drain some of the dog’s energy before trying to control them. Many of these dogs do not walk for long because they are very stressful and dangerous to owners, dogs and the general public.
The method I explained in the podcast is simple but it needs to be implemented correctly or else you won’t get anything fast because it is very accurate and it is easy to miss the target. This is the general idea of what we do.
Standard method
Let me start by summarizing the standard method of calming a dog before a walk. Usually, when we train our dog to remain calm and on a leash, we will only continue walking while your dog remains calm. So we won’t get in unless your dog has calmed down to a reasonable level. Then, unless your dog is still calm, we’re not going down the garden path. Is it simple enough?
To find out how to do exactly that and get off to a good start, watch this video…
However, with so few dogs, that would never happen!
Some dogs are so active that due to their age, personality, lack of exercise, breed, status, and many other factors, it is almost impossible for them to calm down until we are using their full energy.
If you have a lively dog, I encourage you to check out my program – The Dog Calming Code.
Or, if you have a puppy, the Puppy Coach training program is your go-to resource!
Get rid of old habits and create new ones
This method considers taking them for a walk in the park. The very smart and subtle part is how we take advantage of our tired dog and immediately apply some new habits when we get home!
Breaking old habits, forming new ones, and forming new connections and new behaviors is half the battle. Once you start, it becomes much easier to keep improving.
