Lead Training

[luvlygal]

Hiya,
Guinness is 13 weeks old and went out for his first walks today.
I took him out for three short walks and on all of them, I noticed that he doesn't stick to walking on one side. I tried holding him back on the lead and walking directly to his side to try and stop him swapping but it didn't seem to work.
He also doesn't know how to approach other dogs and people. He dived into a bush at one point!
This, I don't understand as he lives with 4 people, a dog and a cat with Ferrets in the garden but who knows.
Maybe time will sort it out.
Just really looking for tips on walking, ways to stop him straying... etc
Thanks a lot.
Jenny

 

[Spiritus]

Dogs don't automatically know how to walk on leash. They don't understand that you want them on one specific side. This you have to teach him. One way of doing it is to hold some bait on the side you want him on. Teach him that if he walks on that side, he gets a treat. Eventually you can fade out the treats.

I recommend you get him to a puppy class. He needs socialization. Meeting people and dogs on the street is not the same as meeting people and dogs at home. And, the people and dog and cat and ferrets are "family". Strangers are not. He needs to get out and about a lot now to meet new people, see new dogs (but not necessarily meet them), and just learn about the world. At 13 weeks, he knows very little. You have a window of up to 25 weeks to socialize him to new things and new situations and new people and new dogs. Getting him out and exposing him to as many new things as possible is very important. The more you can socialize him, the better he will be at going into new situations as an adult.

 

[otch1]

Hi luvlygal and welcome to Chaz. Agree with Spiritus, a group puppy class ( Kindergarten) is an excellent way to teach you how to teach your puppy the "basics". There, you'll also socialize your pup with other puppies of an appropriate age, so there's no diving in the bushes during a greeting. Lol. You need to learn how to hold your lead so your dog learns to walk on your left, how to motivate dog to give you his attention during foward motion and how to greet other dogs and humans, on a walk. A class will introduce all of this in a positive, controled environment. Reccommend finding referals for a training class from friends, your vet, people who've had a experience with a particular school and then go check out a class yourself, before registering. Also, when you meet a dog owner with an exceptionally well behaved dog, ask where they trained. My clients have always been my best referals, far better than any advertising I could do. A training class is the minimum investment you'll want to make, when owning a dog you'll have for years to come. Good luck!

 

[luvlygal]

Hi there, thanks for the welcome!
I understand that he won't know what to do immediately and that he doesn't know how to socialise.
I asked my vet about a training class and she could only really recommend one person who, on contacting, is unfortunately fully booked.
Other than that, my friends have all trained their own dogs and my family live to far away!
I myself trained our first dog, George. He's now two and has worked out well but being a Cav. King Charles, he is quite small so walking is quite easy to control.
I think Guinness is going to be a fairly large dog so obviously, good walking training is essential. I don't want to be pulled over on walks or anything!
I've been using books to get some hints. Other than that, I suppose I should look at finding a training class.
Being in full time education and having a weekend job means finding time is hard! I shall try though!

 

[otch1]

With a very busy schedule like yours, set aside 15 min. training time each day, in the evening. Things will be a little "quieter' at that time of day for both of you. Start teaching him "lets go" and "close". You can generally get them to move foward with no problem, but they need to learn that staying close means next to your left leg. Do this at home, indoors, in a hallway if you have it. You'll start teaching him to follow bait, a toy, whatever motivates him to look up off the gound and at you. Before you are moving, get his attention with your motivator, then move. This is important as most owners move first, then try coaxing them to be attentive. There is no movement until you have his attention. When you move foward, before the slack in lead is taken up by his position, turn to your right and give command "close". Pat your left leg and bait him back into position. Lots of praise. When he understands where "close" is you're ready to go try this out in the front of house on sidewalk, where the scents and distractions will be a bigger challenge. Practice this daily until you're into that class. Sounds like it would be worth getting on that waiting list asap, if he's going to be a big boy!