May Training Assignment....Walking Our Doodles

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

I think that there are so many of us in this group who are working on getting our Doodles trained so we can ALL enjoy a great walk.  For some it's about just a nice loose leash walk....with no pulling.  For others it's about training a strong heel position and possibly taking our dogs into competition.  For others it's about how to walk two dogs together....without having a nervous breakdown.  So, I think there are many different objectives among the group, but I think most of us would really love to be able to really enjoy our walks...and know that our dogs are enjoying this time too.  So, for May let's share where we are and where we want to go with our "walks".  What are the obstacles?  How are you approaching it?  Do you have training assistance?  What methods are you using for your training?  Most of all let's share our successes and challenges.  I started this "walking" journey with Murphy in the Fall....he was so reactive that for two months the only walks he had were to go out and go potty.  When I started training in earnest, there was still no pleasure in it for either of us.  I'd come home and say to my DH..."where's the joy in this?".  Well we're very far from perfect now, but at least I can say we've found the "joy", and I look forward to our walks and so do my guys.  So, let's have some fun with this...and let's "get walking".

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

Kyoko, this is fantastic!  Didn't it feel great????  I haven't been able to work with Murphy at all this week because of my "bad back", and I miss it so much.  Hopefully I'll be able to get back to it in a few more days....I miss that feeling.  Keep it up....you're doing such a great job!

[Kyoko]

Thank you..... Seems like we are progressing and enjoying every since we quit that school. Although she was such a knowledgeable woman and great trainer for the dogs, there were such pressure.......

[Dori & Rua]

I have been so busy WITH training, that I forgot about posting about training.  So, I was going to add a post to the May's assignment thinking...yeah...we are working on this now.  Then I realized, it wasn't May and that is the second time in the past few days that I thought it was May. 

 

So, I don't care what month it is right now, I am posting about walking.  We aren't regular walkers...it just has been a combination of weather (mostly bad), work and lot's of training classes.  Rua pulls (fortunately, she doesn't pull us with her, but ends up choking herself).  If I put her on a easy walk harness, it is better, but I really want her to walk nicely without it.

 

Right now we are taking a Teen Cornerstone class...going through the basics AGAIN...we keep learning something new each time.  We just started working on loose-lease walking Saturday...yeah.  We learned a number of techniques to deal this...hopefully it helps. 

We also started a "Field Trip" class.  It is 6 weeks and we meet somewhere and work on things like distractions, loose-leash walking, polite greetings, sitting to cross streets and sitting to get pets.  Thursday was our first class...Rua did not like the outdoor shopping mall scene...we were right off the highway and she didn't like all the traffic noise.  She had her nose to the ground most of the time...I couldn't get a "look" out of her even with a treat.

 

Next week we are meeting in front of the dog park (not going in, though) to work on distractions.  I did this before working on recall and Rua did well.

 

Gotta work on "look", too!

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

This all sounds great Dori.  I love the idea of a "Field Trip" class.  I think it's all those distracted "real world" situations that are most difficult for our dogs.  It also provides some great socialization experiences.  Please keep us posted on how this is going....and also please share any "tips" you learn.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

That sounds like a fun class, Dori.  I would like to find things like this to sign up for.  I only see regular boring stuff in our area.

[Dori & Rua]

UPDATE:  Thursday Field Trip and Saturday's Art Festival visit.

 

Thursday we went the dog park and worked wtih distractions in front of the dog park.  Rua did OK (not great, not poor) on sit, sit-stay, down, sit-down-sit, etc.  There was only 4 "teams", so the instructor would take a pair of dogs at a time (on leash) about 20 feet away and have us humans stand close to each other and then "call" our dogs (letting go of the leash when they went running).  When I called Rua, not only did Rua come to me, but the other dog did too (it was truly LOL...I was so focused on little Rua running headlong at me, that I didn't see the pug also running at me).   I am not shy or bashful when I say "RUA COME"...she knows I mean business...I say it with authority (which is obviously what the lady next to me lacked).  Then, she had us humans stand opposite and repeated (this time Rua was paired with a different dog).  I have to say, Rua really shined in that ONE area, at least.

 

We then practiced loose-leash walking.  Across the HUGE parking lot to the playground (kid's equipment).  Rua and I were only 1/6 of the way across while everyone ELSE was actually at the park.  3 steps forward, pull, turn, 2 steps back, repeat!  One the way back, away we went, and guess what...Rua did TONS better.  The instructor pointed out that Rua was FOLLOWING everyone on the way to the playground, hence wanting to pull forward, and she was in front on the way back.  Ah Hah!  Very interesting.  All-in-all, it was a good experience and really helped prepare for our Saturday Excursion.

 

So, Saturday rolls around - we had Teen Cornerstone training at 10, I had a hair appointment right after that (my stylist is 5 minutes away so Rua was in tow), and then, home to change to go to the Art Festival downtown.  It was a beautiful 77 degree day...sunny, but not scorching hot.  Rua and I walked around for almost 2-1/2 hours (with beverage & potty stops, of course).  I was stopped many times by people (adults and children alike) asking what kind of dog she was (fortunately, Omaha is not breed-snobbish), admiring her color and asking if they could pet her.  There was a Nebraska Kennel Club tent there, so we stopped by there and got information on the upcoming Nebraska Kennel Club Dog Show (7/15-17 here in Omaha).  The women there actually encourage me to get Rua involved in the Kennel Club for agility and rally!  I thought that was pretty cool, and that was even after I told her dog looked like a wild pig (it was a Bovier - heck, how did I know...looked like a hairy wild pig to me)!

 

Rua was really great  at the airt festival  - walking with not too much pulling, she didn't bark, growl or lunge, she sat for pets and didn't freak out with all of the people, sounds, or other dogs.  It was funny, though, when we would be walking past a "BIG" dog, and I would see the dog start to pull away from the owner toward Rua and the owner would say "LEAVE IT", like Rua was something they shouldn't pick up!  LOL!  It was such a great day and I was really proud of how well Rua did! 

 

Can't wait for the next outdoor event!

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

This sounds like a perfect training day for you and Rua....fantastic distractions.  Great job, Rua!!!!

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Rua, you are doing a good job, especially with the Come command.

[Kyoko]

Great job!! I am glad that you two had fun!!

 

[Pat and Traveler]

Okay, I confess to having low standards for walking.  Low, but not entirely absent.  When setting out on a walk, with Trav on a retractable leash, we both do stroll, sniff and admire (no, we DON'T sniff the same things--there are tons of flowers around right now :)  It's not a pretty-walk picture, but we both enjoy it quite a lot.  We usually end up at the local park, and there are usually other dogs and people willing and anxious to play ball or chase-me.  Trav gets rid of his high-octane energy there, and on the way home we engage in 'real' leash walking, where he walks to my left, close to my leg.  I want to improve the 'real leash' walking, without giving up the wander-walk we have at the beginning of our expeditions.  He's fairly good, but we really need to work on meeting people and dogs with a calm and consistent behaviour.  I plan to take him to a mall, down some busy sidewalks, etc.  He has done a little lunge at approaching people twice.  Both said they were scared of dogs, and this was really shocking and embarrassing for me.  He wasn't lunging like he wanted to attack, but it didn't look really friendly either.  So after rambling on here, I seem to have clarified my goal.  :)  Good leash walking in high traffic areas.  Ooooops--I did the wrong month thing too!!  This is June, not May!!    

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

I really think that so many are working on a "great walk" with their dogs that we should just continue on with this assignment.  It sounds like you're trying to improve your "real leash" walking even more...I'm just wondering if you're using the retractable leash for those walks too?  When I'm walking my guys in high traffic areas and we meet up with other dogs who are lunging towards us, more often than not they're on retractable leashes.

[Pat and Traveler]

Jane, if I set out for real leash walking, I wouldn't use a retractable leash, nor would I use it in high traffic areas. We really haven't had much experience in high traffic areas, and I think I'd want him to already have had some running done before we practice in that situation.  Oh--also working on his not just lying down when he sees another dog.  He doesn't do this all the time, but just enough so I'd like to like to work on his not doing it at all.