If you want more of this on walks, read on for tips (Photo: Dachshund wearing a collar and leash looking up at his owner)
This week’s blog is a fun homework assignment. Who is ready to improve their relationship with their dog?
Let’s go!
This week, I want you to move more slowly. We humans are often in a big rush. We excitedly call our dog to the door, leash him up (even though he’s jumping on us and biting the leash,) and then we let him out the door ahead of ourselves.
What happens next?
We allow him into the car in an excited state of mind, where he barks out the window the whole time, paces, pants, and whines…and then we reward him by letting him leap out of the car and pull us around on a walk.
You have to walk the dog you allow out of your front door.
Read.
That.
Twice.
Please.
If you allow your dog to get amped up before a walk, the walk will be a hot mess of pulling, anxious whining, reacting to dogs, reacting to people, and not listening to you. It can also be dangerous for you, the walker, if your dog is zig zagging, wrapping you up in the leash, tripping you, or yanking you into traffic.
If your leash-up routine is a hot mess, your walk will be too (Photo: puppy grabbing and biting his collar)
Homework Assignment:
Take your time before you pick up the leash to prepare yourself for the walk. That does not say: “to worry about the walk and all the dogs you think your dog will react to because she has in the past.”
We are going to live in the moment during this homework assignment. Without talking to your dog, look over at your dog right now.
Is she in a good state of mind right now?
Sleeping?
Calmly lying down nearby chewing a bone?
Relaxed?
This is the mindset that you want to reward and nurture, but you must begin with your own state of mind.
Are you calm and confident right now?
What would it take to remind yourself that you can do this?
Do you need to remember a moment in your life where you felt confident? Perhaps you just received an award at work for leading your team to success.
Maybe you just taught your daughter how to play the piano.
So why do you think that you can’t walk your dog without drama?
You can.
(Photo: woman on a mountain top with her arms spread wide in victory) The moment you start to believe in yourself is when you’ll see your dog’s behaviour shift in a positive direction
Hold on to that positive thought, puff yourself up, and let’s go get the leash.
Wait! Before you get the leash, there’s one more thing that will help you:
Review in your mind what your goal is going to be.
It can be small!
You can decide that this training session, you’re going to wait until your dog is calm before putting on the leash. Dedicate yourself to this process.
I always recommend a quick potty break before you begin, especially if you have a puppy. This avoids accidents during your training session. It also keeps your mindset calm and confident (rather than worried about whether or not your dog needs to pee.)
Now that you know what you’re looking for from your dog (calmness,) it’s time to get the leash.
When you go get the leash, don’t say a word.
Pick it up.
If your dog comes over calmly, clip on the leash.
If your dog comes over like a wild hyena (I’m not walking that thing), calmly set the leash down and go back to whatever you were doing before.
This works.
I teach this to all of my clients.
Some have had dogs who would jump up on them. Others had dogs who would mouth or bite them. Many have had dogs who bite the leash and try to play tug. Other client dogs barked, jumped, and spun in circles. Clients with packs of dogs would deal with mouthing, wrestling, barking, and bouncing against the front door. Some client’s dogs would actually run away from the front hall.
If any of those things happen to you, put the leash back and walk away.
Dogs are very smart.
Once your dog calms down, try this again. Don’t worry about it. Don’t be in a rush about it. You are strong, powerful, and confident and you’re the boss.
Don’t feel badly about being a boss. Dogs require confident leadership. She won’t be mad at you, she will be relieved.
Dogs require leadership. Provide it and you’ll strengthen your relationship (Photo: woman sitting with her legs crossed holding a mug that reads: World’s Best Boss)
It’s the same as the first grade teacher who waits until all the children in the line are silent before allowing them to walk in the hallway to the assembly. If the teacher allows mayhem in the classroom and in the hallway, they will have wild students at the assembly.
Wait your dog out. Believe you can do it. And then go do it!
Post in the comments below how it goes.
Have a wonderful long weekend, Dog Leaders!
Alyssa
Photos by: laurent mandine @laurent38 (Dachshund wearing a collar and leash looking up at his owner,) Nat Chen @nat0408 (puppy grabbing and biting his collar,) Felipe Giacometti @fegiii (woman on a mountain top with her arms spread wide in victory,) Kelly Sikkema @kellysikkema (woman sitting with her legs crossed holding a mug that reads: World’s Best Boss,)