Stress Free Walking

Do you feel like your DOG is WALKING YOU instead of YOU WALKING THEM!!!

I bet you didn’t know that dogs do not pull on the lead because they want to be Pack Leader, Top Dog, Alpha or want to Dominate us.

There is a simpler explanation – dogs love to be outside and the walk can be a BIG bucket filler for par of the day for them.

Us as humans also don’t make ideal walking partners because a dog’s walking pace is much faster than ours. Having to walk calmly beside us (which most people want) when they want to do is run and investigate the environment around them requires building the concepts of Proximity, Disengagement and Calmness.

Did you know that Pulling on the Lead is a combination of lack of Calmness, Proximity and Disengagement. When we look a dog and the struggle they are having (Lead Pulling), we have to think about the three-underlying weakness in the dog’s brain – The concepts that are contributing to the dog’s struggle.

Let’s look at the concepts-

PROXIMITY

This concept s about how much our dogs value being close to us. Are you the fun giver or sexier than the environment that you are in. By hanging out with you should be their first choice and coming back when called and you rewarding them for being by your side.

CALMNESS

Dogs find the outside world very exciting and want to experience it all – this will fill their Bucket quickly and with that their behaviour choice is to pull on their lead. Our reaction to this is to the pulling on the lead may well further compound the situation by putting tension on the lead, jerking movements and frustration. Just putting a lead on to the dog’s collar or harness is a bucket filler for our dogs.

By building a strong sense of Calm helps to increase the size of a dogs Bucket and reduce your dog’s reactions to going out for walks.

DISENGAGEMENT

Having our dog’s have the ability to ignore new objects in the environment is a very important skill to develop. When you take your dog on a walk does your dog pull you towards bushes, grass or other objects? I know my dogs do. Can your dog change directions or is forward they only direction they will do?

Many dogs find Disengagement from the environment very difficult because they find the world offers them many random rewards – sights, smells and sounds.

Now is time to bring sexy back and be your dogs ultimate reward when being on the end of the lead.

TRANSFORMATION PLAN

By Adding the appropriate games to each of the Concept Struggles it will help your dog to overcome their main struggle. So, for Pulling on their Lead, we will focus on PROXIMITY this will allow your dog to learn more effectively when playing games to deal with Disengagement and Calmness.

If you need help with this struggle, send me a message via WhatsApp, Email (info@petsandtraiining.co.uk) or via my page and get booked in on my Transformation Walks Programme.

We are now a Founding Member with Holistic Dog Training Alliance