Post by Admin on Sept 1, 2016 1:26:43 GMT
Working-Walk:
The working-walk is a walk done at heel. The dog walks alongside you, usually on your left side. To teach heel, attach your dog to a leash. Begin to walk. If your dog walks ahead of you (meaning his shoulder is ahead), turn around, say "Heel" and if your dog doesn't heel, say "No, heel!" And give a pop with the leash. Over time your dog will begin to understand the word Heel, and walk at Heel with you. This only took me a few days with my Aussie and 1 session with my chihuahua. Note, my Aussie was a severe puller and my chihuahua learned to heel on her fourth ever walk. Any dog can learn it, there are no excuses.
Sniffing-Walk:
The sniffing-walk is a walk where your dog is allowed to go out and sniff. I like to teach this with leadership in mind... I do not allow my dog to walk ahead of me. I have him walk at heel when he's not sniffing. I also use a separate leash for when he's allowed to sniff, so he knows when it's time to sniff and when it's time to work.
I have him walk at heel until we reach a good sniffing spot. Then I have him sit and look at me in the eyes. I then give him the verbal command, "Okay!" and he is allowed to go off and sniff in that direction. Once he's done, I call him back toward me and have him walk at heel until I find another spot. Then again I have him sit, look at me, and then I give him the verbal Okay command. Then he's allowed to go off and sniff. He's not allowed however, to pull me or lead. I stand on the path while he sniffs, and he has his leash allowance. If he begins walking and all of a sudden feels leash pressure, that means he reached the end of the leash. That's his boundary. But before we even begin walking again, I have him come back to heel. This let's him know that the sniffing is a command. I allow him to sniff, and I also call him back to heel. He also has a leash allowance of about 15 feet where he can sniff wherever he wants. Here's what I do:
1. Walk him at heel, and find a sniffing spot.
2. Have him sit, and then I have him look at me. The cues for these are "Sit" and "Look". Once he's focused on me and sitting, I give him the verbal "Okay".
3. He sniffs around for a bit. I stand in the same place the entire time, so he doesn't think he's leading me around anywhere. Whenever he's out there sniffing, I never move a footstep. If I do, he might get it in his mind that he's leading the walk, and learn to pull.
4. I recall him and have him come to heel, if I want to begin walking again. I then begin to walk, keeping him at heel.
I suggest doing both daily. You can do the working-walk and of course throw in some commands too. Like you can be walking and then surprise your dog by asking him to Sit or Down. And to mentally stimulate him, attach a long line and then give him the command to go sniff. Doing both of these will help physically and mentally relax your dog and fulfill his natural needs to both track and migrate. Walking (doing the working-walk and sniffing-walk) before a meal will be extremely beneficial. Dogs naturally will migrate and track their prey. Doing a working-walk and sniffing-walk before a meal fulfills that.
The working-walk is a walk done at heel. The dog walks alongside you, usually on your left side. To teach heel, attach your dog to a leash. Begin to walk. If your dog walks ahead of you (meaning his shoulder is ahead), turn around, say "Heel" and if your dog doesn't heel, say "No, heel!" And give a pop with the leash. Over time your dog will begin to understand the word Heel, and walk at Heel with you. This only took me a few days with my Aussie and 1 session with my chihuahua. Note, my Aussie was a severe puller and my chihuahua learned to heel on her fourth ever walk. Any dog can learn it, there are no excuses.
Sniffing-Walk:
The sniffing-walk is a walk where your dog is allowed to go out and sniff. I like to teach this with leadership in mind... I do not allow my dog to walk ahead of me. I have him walk at heel when he's not sniffing. I also use a separate leash for when he's allowed to sniff, so he knows when it's time to sniff and when it's time to work.
I have him walk at heel until we reach a good sniffing spot. Then I have him sit and look at me in the eyes. I then give him the verbal command, "Okay!" and he is allowed to go off and sniff in that direction. Once he's done, I call him back toward me and have him walk at heel until I find another spot. Then again I have him sit, look at me, and then I give him the verbal Okay command. Then he's allowed to go off and sniff. He's not allowed however, to pull me or lead. I stand on the path while he sniffs, and he has his leash allowance. If he begins walking and all of a sudden feels leash pressure, that means he reached the end of the leash. That's his boundary. But before we even begin walking again, I have him come back to heel. This let's him know that the sniffing is a command. I allow him to sniff, and I also call him back to heel. He also has a leash allowance of about 15 feet where he can sniff wherever he wants. Here's what I do:
1. Walk him at heel, and find a sniffing spot.
2. Have him sit, and then I have him look at me. The cues for these are "Sit" and "Look". Once he's focused on me and sitting, I give him the verbal "Okay".
3. He sniffs around for a bit. I stand in the same place the entire time, so he doesn't think he's leading me around anywhere. Whenever he's out there sniffing, I never move a footstep. If I do, he might get it in his mind that he's leading the walk, and learn to pull.
4. I recall him and have him come to heel, if I want to begin walking again. I then begin to walk, keeping him at heel.
I suggest doing both daily. You can do the working-walk and of course throw in some commands too. Like you can be walking and then surprise your dog by asking him to Sit or Down. And to mentally stimulate him, attach a long line and then give him the command to go sniff. Doing both of these will help physically and mentally relax your dog and fulfill his natural needs to both track and migrate. Walking (doing the working-walk and sniffing-walk) before a meal will be extremely beneficial. Dogs naturally will migrate and track their prey. Doing a working-walk and sniffing-walk before a meal fulfills that.