Mastering the Walk

How many times has there been a beautiful day and you want nothing more than to enjoy a nice walk with your dog? It’s a perfect fall morning, you lace up your shoes, put your jacket on and get the leash to head out the door. But the minute you walk out (or your dog bolts out) your idea of a picturesque fall stroll goes from just that to a horror film of you being drug down the street.

I get it, I’ve been there. And the worst part is that my horror film monster weighs 15lbs.  Okay okay, so maybe he doesn’t drag me the same way an 80lb dog would, but my shoulder is killing me by the time we make it around the block!  Not to mention the anxious whining when we get ready to head out the door- it could drive me to insanity!

So I started thinking, what causes this behavior!? Rooster is so well behaved. Inside, in the backyard, with the horses…he’s near perfect. Oh wait, but how often do I actually put a leash on and walk him?  Rarely.  Living on a horse property he gets plenty of free roam exercise, but it’s not often I actually put a leash on him and walk the neighborhood.  So it only makes sense when I do, that he’s just so excited he can’t even think about behaving.

Then when we get back, and all I can think about is how I never want to go through that again (can you relate?). That’s when the lightbulb went off for me.  This needs to become boring and routine for him in order for him to not get so excited and to behave better.

So I would first ask, are you walking your dog every day?  If you are, what does your routine look like when you get ready? Do you ask your dog if they want to go for a walk? Do you get them excited to run out the door? If so, I would first challenge you to rethink how you prepare for your walk. Stay calm, nonchalant even, and just clip on the leash. Ask for a wait and walk out the door- that’s the first step. 

If your dog is so excited you can’t even clip the leash on, you may want to take it a step back and just start reconditioning.  Let him wear the leash around the house when you are home, without actually going anywhere, ruin the excitement of it- so to speak.  Then when you are ready to leave, pick up the leash, ask for a wait at the door and walk out.

If you’re like me and each walk has been such an ordeal that you rarely do it, I want you to first do this for me- commit to a walk every day for at least a week.  Make it boring and part of the normal routine. 

Okay, so are you ready?! Promise me you’ll commit to walking every day for the next week.  I’ll be here every step of the way if you run into trouble. And, I’ll be working on the exact same stuff!

Tomorrow I’ll be sharing some of my favorite tools that can help immediately make your walk more pleasant.  For some dogs it takes more time than just a switch of a tool, but you’d be amazed at how much easier life can be with the right equipment!

I’m so excited- let’s get going!