Should You Let People Pet Your Dog?

Let's start with the short answer. "No."

Why not?

Would you let a stranger approach and grope your children? No? Well then maybe a stranger should also not reach for your dog until you and your dog have a chance to get comfortable with that person.

Remember, it's not only for dogs that are unsure or shy but also those that would rehearse jumping up and other frustrated greeting behaviours. If you don't want your dog to rehearse unwanted behaviours, make sure you set up interactions so you can train what you do like.

Dogs do not live in the same world we live in.

Am I crazy for saying that? Not really. Humans experience things mostly visually, we see and make decisions based on that. Dogs, on the other hand, live in a scent-oriented world. Until they can freely sniff and explore a new thing/person/ situation without feeling pressured or stressed, they are often not able to make calm decisions based on visual input alone.

How do you effectively stop people from approaching and touching your dog?

If you say: " No please, no interaction" Will people do what you ask?

People hear what they want and are often already approaching your dog's space before they ask if they can interact. Many do NOT listen to instructions and will follow up with: "Oh but all dogs love me." or "I know what I'm doing."

Using words like "Please do not pet my dog" and "Maybe do not approach" are not strong enough for people to listen.

Be a force of nature! Guide your dog behind you and say the following 6 words: "Dog in training, need extra space" People will understand that you need a bit of help and will be more willing to support you!

Don't forget you can always step in front of your dog to cut off the approach to help keep distance between your dog an people you are not ready to interact with.

When is it ok for a stranger to pet your dog?

Let your dog choose who they want to go see and interact with. They need to be able to give consent. This is a crucial step that ensures your dog is not put in a situation they are uncomfortable with.

Start by asking the stranger to turn around, and stand still. This takes away the pressure of an unsolicited approach. Let your dog sniff the backs of the legs (if they want to approach) and they will tell you if they like the person and want more, or are good to leave it at that!

If your dog is indicating they like the person, use the five-second rule. Pet the dog for 5 seconds then take your hands off. Does the dog stay or turn back to you and ask for more? If the dog wants to engage further, great! 5 seconds more. Do they wander away? Good, that means they have had enough.

We often like to do too much touching, often too invasive and too controlling. Give the dog more freedom to move away. Even if the dog was ok with a sniff and a brief touch, that doesn't mean they want your face in their face and a full-body hug.

Make strangers respect the dog's space

This will prevent additional stress for you and your dog. That stress could lead to unwanted behaviour such as jumping up, nipping or shying away and could undermine the bond of trust between you and your dog! Keep in mind everyone has their own personal bubble and they have the right to decide who comes into that space. Or they are so excited that they throw themselves at people and we just don't need to rehearse the dog not respecting other people's space. It all depends on what your dog is comfortable with and ready for. But the gist of it is DON'T BE AFRAID TO SAY "NO".

If you need help with inappropriate greeting behaviours, teaching people what to do to greet in a more appropriate manner or helping your dog feel more comfortable around other people, please reach out to us for lessons or classes.

Why Does My Dog Pull on the Leash?

What is the number one reason that dogs pull on the leash? PULLING WORKS!!! How Frustrating for us! If we teach dogs that we will follow as they pull, then yes they will use this behaviour to get what they want in life.

Dogs may pull on the leash when they are excited and happy. They genuinely want to go see or greet or go sniff. We also see pulling when dogs are anxious and worried, they may want to quickly see or sniff the thing to end the suspense, assess the danger, or maybe want to pull away from it. Often dogs are overstimulated, they can no longer think about options, and the instinct to go see takes over. This also includes dogs that are reactive to other dogs, people, cars, skateboarding children, or have a very strong prey drive and the need to go after the bunny, cat, squirrel etc takes over completely!

The result is a dog that knows one thing:

It works!!! Pull, and you get to go where you want AND, your people follow!

Pulling and getting what they want is a very functional relationship for your dog.

Now, don't get me wrong some dogs are more sensitive and they don't like leash pressure so they don't pull much or ever, but most are more than happy to pull to get to see a friend or eat the tasty thing on the ground or to go sniff what they want.

Are we failing our dogs? Is it too late to fix this?

Your dog does not magically come preprogrammed to not pull on the leash.

it is NEVER too late to train polite leash walking skills, but this is certainly a skill that is easier to learn before it becomes a problem. Can you imagine their frustration about learning to walk on a leash? They are busy doing happy dog things and exploring and suddenly they are brought up short by the leash.

Remember dogs are great problem solvers! Ok so let's try pulling towards what I want. Hey, that worked! Just like that, they have learned how to pull to get what they want.

How do we fix it?

What not to do:

• Do not let the dog pull you around. If this is something that gets them what they want they are more likely to repeat this action. Remember, if they can't focus on you, you probably need to do some training in a less stimulating environment first. You are asking too much.

• Do not scold, punish, poke or yank the dog around. This only achieves causing you and your dog frustration. Using aversives may appear to solve the problem but in the end, it is not doing much for your dog's desire to walk nicely on leash. Rather, it will very quickly destroy your relationship and diminish your dog's joy. Dogs may even become aggressive or fearful, as there is a chance they will associate the discomfort and possible pain with seeing the dog, human, car, cat etc.

• Being sporadic with the rewards will potentially make the situation worse, after all, if your boss did not pay you well, would you still want to do the job?

• Do not work train for too long when first learning. Two minutes training intervals are best for success.

• Don't use a flexi leash where dogs have to put pressure on the leash to pull the leash out, thus teaching them to pull through resistance.

Simple and effective steps to stop unwanted pulling:

• Set aside time for your dog to go sniff and explore on a long line or off leash if appropriate. This allows your dog more freedom of movement and will greatly reduce leash frustration for both parties.

• We MUST meet our dog's natural needs to run, play, explore, socialize, eliminate, chase toys or food tosses, sniff to their heart's content and maybe play with their friends, sniff the bushes, and just be a dog!

• Remember, humans walk to get from A to B. Dogs walk with us because we make them. Make sure we take the time to let them enjoy what they want on the walk too! You can get much more cooperation if you both are getting something you like out of your adventure! The more chance to sniff the more your dog will enjoy the walk! Sniffing is what dogs do! It is soothing and calming for them, so let them enjoy their walk!

• Don't take your dog out for controlled walking when they are bursting at the seams with energy (play a little bit first).

• Reward handsomely for great choices!

• Play leash walking games to make good leash skills fun for your dog!

• Reward not only with food, but play and a chance to explore!

• The more you reward with an opportunity to go see and explore, the more your dog will look to you for these opportunities!

• Reward all check-ins! Reward them with a treat at first so they understand the connection, but frequently the reward can be to "go see".

• Keep sessions short and sweet!

• Know your dog's limitations and abilities, a bunny running in front of your dog's nose will not likely be something they can resist at first.

• Find a reward that your dog cares about and use it as an incentive for walking close to you without pulling. High-value treats, toys, or real-life rewards!

• Use proper gear (Blue-9 Balance harness works well with one or two leashes) and know how to apply it without causing your dog discomfort. Dogs that pull should not be walked on a collar as this can be dangerous and damaging to their neck. The gear is not there to control the dog, we need to train them. The gear is the emergency backup.

• If your dog pulls ( leash is tight = pulling!!!) STOP going forward. If they are calmly standing allow them to look. If they are stuck for more than 10 seconds or escalating invite your dog to change direction or come away to do something else.

• Do talk to your dog and communicate to ensure they know what you like by marking rewarding great choices.

• Manage or prevent unwanted behaviour when possible. If not help them stop the rehearsal by interrupting the unwanted behaviour and inviting them away from the problem.

• Grow the skills, one step at a time ( literally!)

• Practice where you are likely to succeed (lower distractions) at first. Build up gradually to more challenging environments.

• Practice as you mean to go on!

Remember, your dog was not born to walk on a leash. This is a skill they need to learn, like anything else some dogs are faster to catch on than others. Not every dog loves leash walks, but we can help make it more pleasant for them by training and making sure to meet their needs and give them the freedom to explore when appropriate.

If you need help Best Paw Forward & DAWG offer Leash Walking Skills classes to show you how to teach your dog to walk on a loose leash, not because we make them, but because they will want to!

If you found these tips helpful, let us know!

Why won't my dog come when called?

Why do some dogs believe that Recall is in essence a punishment and refuse or are slow to come when called ????

Most times we tend to call the dog when we want their "fun" to end. No more sniffing, playing, exploring, and having to come to you. They have to give up all of that and what do they get in exchange?

Tips to make your recall better!

Reward with what they really want. A single treat? Really? Do you think that is magically going to make your dog want to come each and every time? Think again! You need to reward them with what they really want in life! It's not all food either! Playtime with another dog, real fun play with you, a chance to jump in a puddle, chase a squirrel or bunny there are so many things your dog may be WAY more interested in than that plain dry boring biscuit you give him. We need to SPICE it up! Better treats, ball, frisbee, tail teaser wand, and above all: INTERACTION WITH YOU. The sky should be the limit when it comes to rewarding the fantastic response of coming when called!

Did you train for it? Start in an environment with little to no distractions. Teach your dog what your recall cue is and what they will be rewarded for Looking at YOU!!!. Then build up. Remember you start at level 1 at home, in the kitchen with a dog that would do anything for the reward. Then level 2 maybe the living room. Now can you do it without a treat or toy on you? Can you reach for the reward AFTER your dog looks at you? That is a reward instead of a lure, BRAVO! Can you call from one room to another?

There are several parts to the recall:

1. Your cue. What is your cue? A Whistle, word, their name? Make it a new fun and exciting sound if your dog HARDLY EVER responds to their current name or recall word. "Spaghetti" or "Chocolate" are good and fun words to start fresh with.

2. Pair the new cue with the reward, 10 times first, with a lot of fun and praise before trying it at a small distance.

3. Get a positive response, When your dog orients towards you, say YES or GOOD at that moment!

4. Bring out your reward and let your dog volunteer to come to you to claim it.

5. Let the dog come within touching distance (proximity) in order to eat the treat or play with you, or better yet, make a combo reward of food, play and praise from time to time!

6. Next step: to be able to secure the dog by reaching for the harness, or collar, or ask for a voluntary "leash up" reward big time, AGAIN!!

7. Release to go back to play or sniff with a cue like "Free", "All Done" or "Go Sniff" then repeat the recall again. This way your dog learns that the fun is not over each time you call.

Practice on a long line to prevent failure in the training stages, Make it way more fun to come to you than it is to stay away!

Special note: recalling the dog is not always the best solution. For example, if the dog ran across the road calling it back across may not be safe! In that case, think about using an emergency down. You may want a verbal and hand signal to increase the chances of success.

If you have made changes and are still struggling with your recall, remember, your dog is only doing what we have taught them to know and will always do what suits them best! If NOT coming to you when called makes the fun last a bit longer, then your dog may well decide that it is worth it! Scolding or punishing once you have your dog close to you after a failed recall, will NOT help you to make it better, if anything, it will be less likely your dog will want to come to you at all next time!

Best Paw Forward / DAWG expert staff is here to help you. We offer classes and mini-seminars for Recall Rescue training to help even the most independent dog WANT to come to you!

Bestpaw.ca 250-729-3900 bestpawdogtraining@gmail.com