These new habits will help improve your relationship with your dog (Photo: Habits to be Made written in green neon lights)
Last week, we kicked 3 bad habits to the curb. Bye!
This week, we’re focusing on three habits that we should add right away.
Reward calmness - you get what you pet. Reward calmness and you’ll get a calmer dog. Calm dogs are easier to live with than excited dogs. Excitement leads to many of the behaviours you don’t like (barking, humping, mouthing, nipping, biting, jumping up, dog fights, chasing the cat, stealing and chewing inappropriate items, and more.) Calm dogs are also easier to walk. Can you say: goodbye, leash reactivity?
Most people forget to reward this state of mind, and only reward pushy, mouthy, jumpy, hyper behaviour. You get what you pet. (Photo: person petting a napping Mastiff.)
2. Clear Communication - Write down a list of commands that your dog knows. Work on expanding the list. The more things she knows how to do, the better your relationship will be. The list will also help anyone who lives with you and your dog to use the same commands. This avoids confusing your dog. She may not be a selective listener after all.
Pro Tip: Be sure that “leave it,” “drop it,” and “come” are on your list. These three commands are a must for dog owners.
Bonus points for writing down your goals as well (Photo: a hand writing a checklist on a piece of paper)
Recall - Recall saves lives. Practice recall at every mealtime. You can practice with your dog’s leash on at first. Then use a longline. Then practice in your yard or on your deck (with a leash or longline.) If you never practice recall, how will you call your dog off that skunk, away from that bunny poo, or away from that busy street?
Practice how you play. On game day (the day a car is about to run your dog over) you will be thankful for having practiced recall every day (Photo: Golden Retriever mix running toward camera through a field of grass and orange flowers)
These new habits will make your relationship so much better.
A calm dog is easier to walk, so now you can enjoy your walks with your dog again. No more pulling, lunging, and barking on walks.
A dog who understands what is being asked of her, has a job to do, and is being taught new things (engaged) is a joy to live with.
Recall saves lives. Practice it daily because one day you’ll need it.
Have a wonderful weekend, Dog Leaders!
Alyssa
Photos by: Drew Beamer @drew_beamer (Habits to be Made written in green neon lights,) Upsplash Images (person petting a napping Mastiff,) Glenn Carstens-Peters @glenncarstenspeters (a hand writing a checklist on a piece of paper,) Peter Schulz @visionaryconcepts (Golden Retriever mix running toward camera through a field of grass and orange flowers,)