Loyal to leather If it’s possible to be in love with a dog leash, than this would be nothing short of true love… For years and years, I’ve been loyal to the leather leash. Afterall, a nicely worn leather leash is about as comfortable as in your hand as big fuzzy slippers on your feet. I’m also a big fan of using a waist leash to walk your dog, specifically if you are teaching loose leash walking skills. I’ve relied primarily on the leather Convertible Service Dog Leash offered by J&J Supplies as my go-to waist belt for training and running… until now. A new generation of leashes In my constant and relentless quest for tools to make managing unruly dogs easier, I found the exquisitely feature-heavy Ruffwear Front Range Harness, which was named as one of the best no-pull harnesses by The Whole Dog Journal this year. But, even more exciting than that, I … Read More
Livin’ the Free Life?
There’s no doubt we want nothing but the best for our dogs. Sometimes what we term as “the best” for our dogs can often be translated to what allows our dogs maximum freedom, particularly at home. For example, freedom to run in a fenced yard, freedom from having to be in the crate while we’re gone, freedom to go in and outside through a doggy door whenever they want are all highly desired by pet parents. Indeed, there’s no timelier discussion as we just celebrated our country’s freedom and independence. The Importance of Freedom Lots of reasons come to mind why we set goals of freedom for our dogs. First of all, freedom equals fun, and who doesn’t want to have fun? We want to run, play and bask in the sun in our time off. What dog wouldn’t want that, too? Freedom for our dogs often means convenience for … Read More
Q&A: Help! My Dog Jumps on My Grandchildren!
Question: We have a 2 year old poodle that drives our grandchildren and other visitors crazy when they come into the house. She jumps and will not leave them alone until I get a hold of her. She also licks people continually if you let her. Any suggestions on how to break these behaviors? Cathy – St. Louis Answer: Hi Cathy, Thank you for your question… Over-exuberant jumping on guests is an extremely common problem among dog owners. Whether you have a miniature poodle, a standard poodle or a “malti-poo,” jumping can be an annoyance for your guests, or worse, very dangerous, especially for children and elderly guests. Dogs jump not because they are trying to “dominate” your guests, but because jumping has worked effectively in the past in ultimately getting what they want… their immediate attention! It will be important to warn your guests that your dog is in … Read More
Multi-Part Series: Loose Leash Walking – Part 3
Welcome back to the multi-part series on loose leash walking with your dog. When it comes to training your dog, walking politely on leash is one of the most difficult things to train. Your dog has had lots of practice up to this point of pulling and getting to where he or she wants to go, and so the behavior of pulling has been well-rehearsed and solidified over a period of time. Don’t despair! There is hope! It will take time and patience, but it is possible to convince even the heaviest of pullers that being right by your side during walks is a better option. Of course, there are several different methods you might use to accomplish this. If you haven’t read the previous entries on loose leash walking, you may want to read them here first: Part 1 and Part 2. Alternative Method 1 – Capturing Method In … Read More
Multi-Part Series: Loose Leash Walking – Part 2
Welcome back to the multi-part series on training your dog to walk on a loose leash. As mentioned in Part 1, it’s important for you to decide what your training goals are before you start training. In many situations, owners are content to put their dog on special equipment, like a no-pull harness or a head collar to minimize pulling. Some owners would like to be able to walk their dog eventually on a regular collar, without any special equipment. If you fall into the latter category, then read on! Terminology Before training begins, it’s important to review some training terminology. Positive training techniques often rely on the use of a behavior marker. A marker – usually in the form of a sound – identifies for the dog the exact moment that they did something correct, and signifies that some form of reinforcement or reward is forthcoming very soon. This … Read More
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