New Leash On Life: Calm For Walkies

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New Leash on Life – calm for walkies
Posted on December 27, 2010 by pawsitivedawgs| Leave a comment

Original posting April 28, 2010

Many people have lovely calm dogs indoors who turn into whirling dervishes when anything walk related is even hinted at.

It is no wonder that these excited and wound up cerrraazzzy canines pull on leash, chase anything that moves, ignore their owner and bark at other dogs. With this level of excitement their inhibitions are lowered and control is not high on the agenda.

We know that the cerrraaazzzy begins before the walkies, with us having to spell the word W-A-L-K and taking care not to jingle the leash in case it sets off the Tasmanian Devil-dog act!

Remember that lots and lots of the calmers we have discussed throughout this series apply here too!

We have written lots about loose leash walking (LLW) so for more on this with step by step exercises check out Train Your Dog Month.

For leash training make sure to use suitable control equipment so as to prevent your dog from pulling – the more he practices this behaviour, the better he gets at it and he’s already pretty good at it! My favourite piece of equipment for leash walking are front leading harnesses such as the one made by Halti; this one has a ring at the front for normal walking and training and a ring in the more traditional position over the shoulders for exercising your dog on a long line for example.
Calm Preparation for Walkies

A new rule must be implemented from today: doggie must be calm for any progress on walkies. This applies from the first step in preparing for walkies and must be consistently adhered to.

Remember that good things come to calm dogs so lets apply that rule here too.

A low, manageable level of excitement and happiness at the idea of walkies is acceptable once your dog is still able to focus on you and he is not losing control by becoming more and more aroused.

For these slightly calmer canines, we simply begin with teaching the dog that the only way to get out on walkies is to be calm. For slightly cerrraaazzzier canines we will need a little more work.

Any action that you take that your dog has learned to associate with walkies can act as a reward so each stage in the getting-ready-for-walkies routine must be earned with calm behaviour. At the start we just want a slight reduction in crazy but as we progress we will get fussier.

As part of our separation exercises we have been working to defuse the meaning of certain leaving cues such as putting on your coat and getting your keys. This can be done for this too – by breaking the connection between these actions and walkies the excitement can be reduced.

Ask your dog to sit or lie down, step toward the dog’s leash. The sight of the leash is rewarding so no treat is needed.

If your dog pops back up, put the leash back and ask for a sit or down again. Repeat until you can take the leash out with the dog remaining in position.

Now attach the leash – again require calm. If the dog pops up, withdraw the leash and ask for position again.

It may take several attempts and many minutes but by being consistent your dog learns an important way to get the things that he wants – be calm.

Once the leash is on continue to require calm to earn walkies. Take one step at a time and each step ask for a sit.

If your dog sits, take another giant step toward the door. If he doesn’t sit take one step backwards and ask for a sit again.

Before opening the front door ask for a sit and eye contact. Step over the threshold and then invite your dog to follow. If he rushes forward, ask for a sit and eye contact again.

Repeat this routine about four or five times before your daily walk so that you get plenty of opportunity to practice.

If your dog is a little more cerrraazzzy start this exercise with your dog crated or behind a baby gate. Show him the leash but if he does the crazy act, walk away from him for a couple of seconds – return when he is quiet and repeat.

By working hard on getting your dog’s focus before walkies we have a better chance of keeping the calm once outside.

The great exercise Jazz up and Settle down is a great addition here too: you can use the sight of the leash for Jazz up and then a calm sit or down for Settle down.
Calm on Walkies

Walkies are very exciting for dogs and being out and about means that his attention may not be on you but rather on all the goings on out and about – even if you are offering the yummiest of all yummies!

You can’t expect your dog to behave the same out on walkies as he does indoors unless you have done lots and lots of work with him. Dogs don’t generalise well so will need to learn the same exercise in lots of different situations and then add that to all the distractions and excitement its easy to see how difficult it is for them.

Always start working on training exercises in the lowest distractions areas such as the kitchen. Get to a point where you no longer need to use lures and are beginning to wean off food treats before moving up distraction levels; once you get outside there are lots and lots of other things that can be used as rewards.

While out on walkies ask your dog for a sit every few steps, especially on the way to exciting or interesting things (such as a favourite sniffing tree or an off leash area). Ask your dog for sit position and eye contact and as soon as he complies take a few steps forward.

By having him earn his access to really great things (what are normally big distractions) he is learning to focus on you a bit more.

Every few minutes while out walking, stop and take a break. Bring a book or newspaper with you and maybe a stuffed Kong for your dog. Have several minutes of calm before continuing.

Practice calm and attentive exercises regularly while out on walks. Work to get your dog into settle position with eye contact. Do this while you take breaks and work only in areas in which your dog is able to concentrate. Don’t expect too much too soon!

Jazz up and Settle down is the perfect exercise for almost any situation. Use this game over and over while out on walkies.
New loose leash on life

Keeping a loose leash for walkies is important for many reasons. First off it makes walkies far more enjoyable for pet and person and walking on a loose leash takes the pressure off the dog’s neck and your shoulders so is much healthier.

A tight, tense leash will cause an increase in tension and reactivity in your dog so it is more difficult for him to stay calm.

A dog out at the end of the leash is not focusing on his person – ask where the dog might be if the leash snapped? So the first thing we need to teach our dogs is to stay with us while on walkies – as Dr Ian Dunbar asks how can we teach the dog to heel if he won’t follow us?

Teaching LLW:

* first off management – have your dog wear a correctly fitted front-connection harness to STOP pulling
* red-light-green-light: once on leash, anytime your dog puts pressure on the leash stop dead and be boring – wait for any action that loosens the leash and then move forward
* prepare calmly for walkies and do one-step-sit to the doorway
* practice lots and lots of follow-me exercise in a secured area or using a long line; start follow-me in the house and then take it on the road.
* default loose leash - your dog learns to correct a taut leash so as to keep it loose
* teach one-step-sit for loose leash walking: get started nice and easy and then up the ante as you progress
* use our calming exercises for collar and leash pressure to help teach your dog that a tense leash means to turn to you for something great - this is especially important for reactive dogs
* Premack loose leash walking – loose leash earns the dog access to smells, greetings, off leash time and fun

Calm after Walkies

Any time (and I mean any and all times) that your dog has been wound up it is essential that he has a period of calm straight afterwards to help to bring him down.

When you get in from walkies don’t just expect your dog to entertain himself; actively work on helping him calm.

Have a frozen Kong ready to go for after walkies and give it to your dog to work on in his crate. Remember, that his crate should act as conditioned relaxer too.

If your dog is still excited when you come in have a couple of rounds of Jazz up and Settle down before giving him a Kong as a reward for settling.

If you are planning to leave your dog alone after walkies, have at least 20 minutes with him settling before you leave.

Teaching your dog to be calm before, during and after walkies will greatly improve his focus on you and minimise reactivity and cerrraaazzzy behaviour.