Ten Natural Steps to Training the Family Dog: Building a Positive Relationship by Matthew Duffy

Author:Matthew Duffy [Duffy, Matthew]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781456526306
Published: 2011-01-20T18:30:00+00:00

Lightly drag your feet across the floor when scuffing the dog’s toes. Use just enough bump with your knee to drive the dog back.

If your dog tries to outmaneuver you by jumping in front or running around you, draw in your leash and swing him back in place as you keep on track the best you can. It is paramount in this exercise that we convince the dog that he cannot affect our course of action. As always, look for opportunities to soothe and praise while you walk through this process. Your dog is a friend. Try not to lose sight of that while forging this follow-the-leader relationship. Remember, it’s a game, a game that you will win sooner rather than later. And the walking exercise can actually be fun, especially if you look at it as a contest. I do.

I usually tackle this concept with the dog in lesson one, just as soon as I have the dog’s attention and have coaxed him into following along. The approach is simple. Walk very slowly with your dog parallel to an unobstructed stretch of an interior or exterior wall so that the dog is between you and the wall on your left side, no more than two of the dog’s body widths between your left shoulder and the wall. (A length of chain-link or privacy fence instead of a wall works well, too.) Leading with the right leg, turn 180 degrees into the wall, just in front of your dog’s nose so that you are now walking in the other direction, and the dog’s proper position is on your left, away from the wall. Your dog likely will not move into his proper position but will instead block your progress. Move into the dog with your right shoulder actually against the wall, and work your way along the wall, bumping your knees into the dog’s nose and chest while scuffing his toes with your feet. You must keep driving into the dog, up the wall until the dog yields by backing out of the way to your left. To gain anything from this exercise, a handler must not stop until the dog yields and the way is clear for the handler to choose another direction. Make sure at first you execute this technique very slowly so that stumbling, stepping on the dog, or failing to progress forward are not options. If you happen to run out of wall or fence, which sometimes happens with strong, determined dogs, persist alongside furniture and if you have to, navigate corners. Don’t hurt yourself or the dog, but forcing a yield here is critical in developing a leadership role with your dog. You will probably find out just how important this exercise is when you experience your dog’s determination not to give ground.

I can’t help but admire most dogs and their tenacity to win or influence. I believe any handler will have greater success if he views this exercise as a game or a challenge.

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