You can start by playing a simple follow-the-leader game the very first day that your puppy is home. Follow him around and tell him what a good puppy he is. Follow him, let him explore and sniff around, making sure it is safe and within his boundaries. After about one week, he will happily walk and follow or walk and be followed on a leash. Every time you take him outdoors, encourage him to follow you the same way you did at home. If you bend down, extend your arms to the side, and use your sweetest voice, he will gladly unstuck himself and run right to you.
When training your dog off-leash, remain in a protected area for at least the first month of training. You can begin to work your dog in the park. Use both the short and long lines so that when you take the drop line off, the dog is still wearing something. After he is working well on drop line, take it off and remind him immediately to heel. If he lags or moves out to the side, make a sharp correction with the tab and then praise him. Work only for a few minutes so that at the time you quit he is still working well. Do not push him into errors. Instead, build the time he will stay with you and obey you smartly without his leash and in this exciting, new environment.
Continue to work on all previous commands and all new safety commands with the regular leash, the drop line, the tab, alternating in no particular pattern. As you work, test your safety devices off leash with the fence bolted. Try the "Drop" on recall, the emergency down, the serious "Come," "No," and "Wait." However, do not work your dog to death or make him into a game.
After months and months of training your dog off-leash in a fenced area, in the park, with the drop line, and with the tab, you have now mastered your dog and his behavior. When you are really confident and you are sure that your dog is sharp and obedient on all the safety commands, begin to try "Stays" and "Comes" from a distance in the park, first with the long line dragging and then with just the tab.
If he is attentive and obedient now, you may begin to work him on the street. Start with a heel exercise while holding onto the leash tab. Drop the tab and heel him for half a block. Before you get near the corner, stop, have him sit, then praise him. Pick up the tab and heel him home. Build his confidence with each session. If you love the idea of taking a quiet stroll with your off-leash dog on a busy city street, you are well on your way toward that goal. You have to keep working with the tab on your dog's collar and your full attention on him. Soon, this kind of practice and pleasure will become second nature to both of you.
Remember to stop your puppy whenever he mouths or bites on his leash. Firmly say "No" and take the leash out of his mouth without playing tug-of-war. If he persists, repeat the word "No" followed by a firm but gentle tug upward with the leash to free it from his mouth. The handler should always be thinking ahead and anticipating what the dog might do next. It is a skill easily acquired if one becomes disciplined enough to pay constant attention to the dog. Without good timing, training degenerates into a question of strength.
Below are some final points to keep in mind about training your dog off-leash:
1. Your dog does not have to be off leash every minute of an off-leash walk. If you meet a friend, see a great store window or find some other tempting distraction, snap the leash on your dog until you can once more give him your full attention.
2. Always keep a leash with you, even when you plan to keep it off the dog.
3. Once in a while, remind your dog that you are the leader of the pack. The best nonviolent way to do this is with the long "Down" (one-half hour).
4. Never expect great concentration from your dog when he is all pent up and needing exercise. Always give him a good run before off-leash street work.
5. When seeking fine control, don't forget to play some games and have some laughs.
6. When training and behavior starts to look messy, don't be afraid to go back to square one and tighten everything up again, on leash.
Article by Kelly Marshall from Oh
Apart from human society, wild dogs will fight - sometimes to the death - to maintain or achieve the alpha status. Losers are occasionally expelled from the pack entirely.
But in any human-dog pair the human has to take the leader role. The alternative is property destruction, human frustration and usually a maladjusted dog. Naturally, that's sometimes easier said than done.
Pups display early in life the tendency to want to lead or acceptance of a subsidiary role. For those who insist on being alpha, several techniques can help adjust the dog's behavior. But first you have to identify it.
Put the pup on its back with a firm hand placed in the middle of the chest. No need to press hard, just enough to keep the dog from wiggling away. Monitor the strength and length of time the dog takes to submit, signaled by pulled back paws, averted eyes, and general relaxing.
Most individuals will struggle at the unfamiliar position and submissive role. The strength of the struggle and the length to relaxation will vary from breed to breed - Golden Retrievers may submit relatively quickly, where terriers may never stop struggling.
Dogs learn by cue and repetition so to assist curing excessive assertiveness lean your face close to the dog's and growl, bark or even shout when required. Don't expect completely satisfactory results the first few times, but gradually most will learn to accept their secondary role.
Variations have the person stand or kneel in front of the dog, then lift it at the chest using one or two hands. Most dogs, especially dominant ones, dislike this but they quickly learn who the boss is. Alternatively, grasp both front paws and lift up. Don't be too aggressive. The goal is to encourage acceptance of their role, not to punish.
For dogs inclined to leap up on people, there are several useful techniques. First, attempt to tell the difference between dominance and the desire for affection. Many dogs leap up on you so that they can get closer to your human face. Dogs want to be at your height so their eyes are at your level. Eye contact and rubbing your face with theirs is used by them to encourage bonding and establish social roles. They may just be trying to 'tell' you something. Kneel down and allow non-biters to get close to your face.
Keep enough eye contact to establish dominance by waiting for them to look away. Do your best not to blink. When the dog accepts its role, praise lavishly with ear rubs and leaning your forehead into the dog's head. Keep your head held higher however until your role is well-established.
For those who need extra discouragement, try the following. Watch the dog's face and body carefully for tell-tale signs signaling an imminent jump. Discourage the behavior with voice commands ('stay' or 'down') and a palm thrust out and down into the dog's face. If they're already in mid-flight, raise a knee slightly into the dog's chest, to keep them off and put them off-balance, NOT to pummel the dog or throw it backwards, except in emergencies.
Establishing your alpha role with them takes patience and commitment and repetition. Assertive dogs will test you throughout their lifetimes. Always be prepared to defend your role.
Both Nick Clipton & Jane Saeman are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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