Does Your Puppy Run Away When Off a Leash?
This is the first thing you should teach your puppy, besides littering, and the most important one if you ask me.
I see so many people holding even adult dogs on the leash because they are afraid that their dog might run away.
It's a lousy way for you to enjoy each other's company.
To teach your puppy to always keep an eye on you, to never go far, all you have to do is implement a simple yet effective trick.
Take your puppy for a walk and find some quiet place where there is no other dogs or people to distract the puppy.
I prefer to go into the woods, on a secluded meadow for this exercise.
Stay in one place and take off the leash from the puppy.
Observe the puppy carefully.
When you see that puppy has started to go his own way and that he is no longer keeping an eye on you, choose this time to hide from him.
Make sure you choose the place from where you can see the puppy but the puppy cannot see you (I found that hiding behind the tree is sufficient enough for puppies).
From now it's all about the patience and believe me, in dog training, patience is the main virtue.
The puppy will continue sniffing around, finding and observing many interesting things.
Depending on a dog breed the time will come when the puppy will stop exploring "all the world's wonders" and check to see where is he, who is he with? No way he's all alone there in some strange wilderness.
Where are you? You will immediately see and feel his panic.
His head will go up, nervously looking for you left and right.
His ears will go back listening to any sound, movement...
It won't be easy but this is the most important part: Stay put, don't move.
It's heartbreaking I know but the benefits of this exercise are crucial for having a great relationship with your dog.
And please, don't lose sight of your puppy.
After the initial shock, the puppy will begin looking for you.
He will run left and right, his nose will be little on the ground little high in the air? He is picking up your sent.
It is a matter of time (depending on the breed) but your puppy will find you, and when he finally does, be more excited than the puppy.
Hug him and kiss him! Reward your little hero.
You can even spice it up with a little treat.
Let him know that you are the happiest person in the world now that he found you and that you are together.
The puppy will relate to that.
He will be proud of his achievement and the bond between you and your best friend will grow stronger for this experience.
Most importantly however, what this exercise really does, your puppy will now keep an eye on you more frequently.
You will notice the change immediately.
He will not want to feel that scared being without you again.
Do this exercise regularity with your puppy or a grown dog.
Depending on your and your dog's confidence level choose the difficulty of your hiding places.
The more you repeat it, the more you'll notice your friend taking the time to check where you are.
The trickiest part about this exercise is picking up a perfect spot for it.
I found that parks are great places to do them and when the dog is a bit older, meadows and woods are a great place.
Keep an eye that there are no roads in the vicinity.
You should always be able to reach or call out your dog before eventual accident could occur.
I see so many people holding even adult dogs on the leash because they are afraid that their dog might run away.
It's a lousy way for you to enjoy each other's company.
To teach your puppy to always keep an eye on you, to never go far, all you have to do is implement a simple yet effective trick.
Take your puppy for a walk and find some quiet place where there is no other dogs or people to distract the puppy.
I prefer to go into the woods, on a secluded meadow for this exercise.
Stay in one place and take off the leash from the puppy.
Observe the puppy carefully.
When you see that puppy has started to go his own way and that he is no longer keeping an eye on you, choose this time to hide from him.
Make sure you choose the place from where you can see the puppy but the puppy cannot see you (I found that hiding behind the tree is sufficient enough for puppies).
From now it's all about the patience and believe me, in dog training, patience is the main virtue.
The puppy will continue sniffing around, finding and observing many interesting things.
Depending on a dog breed the time will come when the puppy will stop exploring "all the world's wonders" and check to see where is he, who is he with? No way he's all alone there in some strange wilderness.
Where are you? You will immediately see and feel his panic.
His head will go up, nervously looking for you left and right.
His ears will go back listening to any sound, movement...
It won't be easy but this is the most important part: Stay put, don't move.
It's heartbreaking I know but the benefits of this exercise are crucial for having a great relationship with your dog.
And please, don't lose sight of your puppy.
After the initial shock, the puppy will begin looking for you.
He will run left and right, his nose will be little on the ground little high in the air? He is picking up your sent.
It is a matter of time (depending on the breed) but your puppy will find you, and when he finally does, be more excited than the puppy.
Hug him and kiss him! Reward your little hero.
You can even spice it up with a little treat.
Let him know that you are the happiest person in the world now that he found you and that you are together.
The puppy will relate to that.
He will be proud of his achievement and the bond between you and your best friend will grow stronger for this experience.
Most importantly however, what this exercise really does, your puppy will now keep an eye on you more frequently.
You will notice the change immediately.
He will not want to feel that scared being without you again.
Do this exercise regularity with your puppy or a grown dog.
Depending on your and your dog's confidence level choose the difficulty of your hiding places.
The more you repeat it, the more you'll notice your friend taking the time to check where you are.
The trickiest part about this exercise is picking up a perfect spot for it.
I found that parks are great places to do them and when the dog is a bit older, meadows and woods are a great place.
Keep an eye that there are no roads in the vicinity.
You should always be able to reach or call out your dog before eventual accident could occur.
