How Do You Walk Your Dog?

[Nekhbet]

*sigh* I'm not talking about your dog Huski. Why is it when I comment you immediately think my entire post was directed at you. Walk them however makes you happy, I have my way and I use it on many dogs, not just my own.

Put them to the side, and by this I do not mean a formal heel, and it helps then focus on their owners, listen and learn more effectively.

thats what I wrote before maybe you missed it. I have not seen a dog that walks ahead of its own accord (I dont mean commanded to do it) be reliable IMO. Maybe from the owners perspective they are.

[SkySoaringMagpie]

So - how do you walk your dog? always at heel? bit of free reign? what's best?

What is best is good manners. I don't need a dog to be at heel on a walk, I just need them to be:

a) on a loose lead; and

b) responsive to what I ask them to do.

I think free reign is a bit of a furphy. The dog can sniff and access other environmental rewards providing it is polite about it. And I want them to access those environmental rewards (appropriately) for selfish reasons - the more they are thinking while reading their peemail, the more they are likely to crash out for the night when I get them home.

[Black Bronson]

It's true in my experience, it's a quicker, easier process to teach a dog to walk nicely at heel. Reactive and high-drive dogs (especially) should learn to walk at heel, when asked, with lots of distractions. But it's not the only position I would like my dogs to walk and I want them to be paying attention (not just with their eyes) when they are anywhere, not just beside me.

I agree Aidan, and when trained to walk at heel and conditioned that way, that's how they walk naturally.

[Black Bronson]

I lwt my dogs walk where ever they like as long as they dont pull and get tangled with each other. The way I see it, the walks are for their benefit and enjoyment so I may as well let them sniff and investigate what they like.

I am a bit confused though. What does a walk have to do with training? When we train, we train, I am not sure how their positioning on a walk would affect their training?

You have to train a dog to walk properly on a leash and the training continues during walks. Allowing dogs to sniff and investigate what they like teaches the dog that being overcome by distractions is ok. Depends what you need from your dog I guess

[corvus]

Verbal directions?

The only reason your dogs know where to go is from constant commanding until something works - so really they are not paying attention because they want to, it is because they have to. I mean when the dog consciously pays attention to your body language and follows you without having to be constantly told - and that cannot be done if they are ahead, then they have their own agenda unless you have specifically encouraged walking ahead (why I dont know I find it hideously annoying).

Well, not quite. I like verbal directions, so I set out to teach them by the absorbtion method. :p I'm a verbal animal, so I figured if I'm going to verbalise at them all the time they may as well respond appropriatedly to it. I would say they barely pay attention at all. They just sub-consciously follow the suggestions. But it's still control, ain't it? If I want their active attention it's not a problem to get it. But like I said, I don't often walk them alone so we are pretty lax about what they do. It doesn't bother us so we haven't trained it. We just want them to come close when asked and leave things when asked and walk on a loose leash, so that's what we concentrated on. As far as I'm concerned, those things alone would be "control". Just depends what you want. I reckon if my dogs walked at my sides I'd still spend a lot of time telling them to leave the bird carcass/dirty tissue/possum poo/dead rat/chicken bones that I often don't see in time, anyway. I'm better than OH, though. ;)

[Black Bronson]

Dee I don't think that having your dog walk beside you always hinders their enjoyment, most of the time Micha walks beside me and Daisy often does too. My point is tha letting your dog walk a little in front does not mean you have little or no control, or that your dog should keep his head up and only scent on command the whole time. Like I said I understand why some people do it, but it does not mean it's necessary for all dogs :p

I don't see any benefits especially if also training for competition, to have several walking positions???. I like to to have only one position and condition that one position which can never confuse the dog. We do a focused heel of course, but the position is the same. Mine actually won't walk on the right and if they end up there, they duck around behind me and assume their trained spot

[Black Bronson]

I can think of plenty of instances where working dogs need to be in front - sled dogs, tracking/SAR dogs, police dogs, PP dogs would all work in front of the handler at some stage but the handler still has control.

I'm talking about the average pet dog. And when you think about these dogs they have a reasonable degree of charge of the situation and a lot of training behind it so really it is not applicable in this discussion.

I see what Nekhbet is saying but it depends on a lot more than just where they walk.

Yes it does depend on more then where they walk but I have a belief that being out in front is not a desirable position - and when it comes to clients dogs with problems the proof is in the pudding. Put them to the side, and by this I do not mean a formal heel, and it helps then focus on their owners, listen and learn more effectively. Particularly when every out of control, narky turd dog I meet is always out in front of its owner as well it doesnt help my opinion.

I used to walk 4 dogs at a time up the country roads, all on lead and they were 2 on each side. Cars, horses, roos, nothing meant me being dragged over and considering I had combined weight of about 140kg on the leads they could have easily done it. Let them get ahead, competition ensues. Keep them at my side (and that is not a formal heel, that is simply do not walk so your body if further forward then mine and stay near my side nicely)

Verbal directions? I talk to mine all the time. This way, come on, quick, this side, stop, wait, hold up, hang about, leave it, no playing on leash!, cross the road.... I didn't even reward most of it. Some of it has translated moderately to off leash walking as well, that which is useful. It's not bomb proof by any means and it all disappears if a cat runs past, but then we have other things for those situations that do work.

The only reason your dogs know where to go is from constant commanding until something works - so really they are not paying attention because they want to, it is because they have to. I mean when the dog consciously pays attention to your body language and follows you without having to be constantly told - and that cannot be done if they are ahead, then they have their own agenda unless you have specifically encouraged walking ahead (why I dont know I find it hideously annoying). If I change direction my dog is there, if I slow, they slow too, if a cat shoots out or a dog lunges at us we stay calm and ignore it. I dont have to talk to my dogs constantly, the only time they get spoken to is to be commanded into position if needs be or verbal praise for behaving. It makes recall easier since they are already choosing not being made to pay attention and being rewarded for it. I let them have a sniff here and there but if I let my Malinois put her face to the ground we would be tracking for kilometers. A dog doesnt have to have its face pressed to the ground in order to smell what is going on by the way, their noses are sensitive enough to pick up most of the scents walking nicely.

Maybe I'm just speshal. I much prefer my way of walking, calm dog, easy walk, high level of predictability.

I agree

[huski]

I don't see any benefits especially if also training for competition, to have several walking positions???. I like to to have only one position and condition that one position which can never confuse the dog. We do a focused heel of course, but the position is the same. Mine actually won't walk on the right and if they end up there, they duck around behind me and assume their trained spot :p

I don't see how My dogs are taught a formal heel position, when I ask Daisy to heel I am giving a command, she knows exactly what it means and where she needs to be. I don't have "several walking positions" - there is no command associated with walking, there's just walking. I like the leash to be loose and generally walk with the dogs to my left side out of habit. I don't let my dogs zig zag all over the path walking miles ahead of me, I let them walk perhaps a metre or so in front unless I want to bring them in closer then I do so. Often they walk next to me anyway.

Almost daily I walk down to our local sports oval to do training, yep that means casual walking where I might let Daisy walk a little in front of me (still on a loose leash) and I can get her walking in formal heel position with a single verbal command. You said you saw some videos of Daisy - does she look confused to you because I am quite confident she is not even remotely confused ;)

I honestly am baffled that people are making such a massive deal out of those of us who aren't so strict on our walks, so I don't make my dogs walk in a specific position the entire time, who cares when they are still under control and responsive to my commands.

ETA: I am getting the impression you think my dogs do what they like on walks, which is very far from the truth.

Edited May 14, 2010 by huski

[huski]

*sigh* I'm not talking about your dog Huski. Why is it when I comment you immediately think my entire post was directed at you. Walk them however makes you happy, I have my way and I use it on many dogs, not just my own.

Put them to the side, and by this I do not mean a formal heel, and it helps then focus on their owners, listen and learn more effectively.

thats what I wrote before maybe you missed it. I have not seen a dog that walks ahead of its own accord (I dont mean commanded to do it) be reliable IMO. Maybe from the owners perspective they are.

I am not talking dramatically far ahead of me, I am talking no more than a metre with the leash still completely loose.

I am simply refuting your generalised statements that any dog who is not exactly walking beside their owner is not calm/under control/responsive to the owner's commands. You are talking about dogs who do not always walk precisely next to their owners, my dogs don't always do this, therefore you are including them in your generalisations.

What do you deem as reliable? my dogs MIGHT walk SLIGHTLY ahead of me, but stop when I stop, turn when I turn, stop if the leash goes tight, sit when I stop walking, respond to my command to look/heel/down etc when I ask them too. I'm not sure how much more control is required under your definition of reliable

Edited May 14, 2010 by huski

[corvus]

I don't see any benefits especially if also training for competition, to have several walking positions???. I like to to have only one position and condition that one position which can never confuse the dog. We do a focused heel of course, but the position is the same. Mine actually won't walk on the right and if they end up there, they duck around behind me and assume their trained spot

Sorry, not trying to be argumentative, but out of interest I find it's the human that gets confused more often than the dog. ;) Dogs are awesome at figuring out rules (like "I can jump on the bed without permission only on mornings where someone has got up for a while and then gone back to bed"). As long as you're consistent about when you expect which position. When Erik graduated from sleeping in a crate I was telling my friend I thought he'd be better at working out the complex rules of when a dog is allowed on the bed in our house better than I could ever be at deliberately teaching them to him. I said "He'll figure it out on his own in no time". He certainly did just that, and added "at 5am once gentle barks have partially awakened humans" and "at 5:30am when the alarm goes off if I'm not already up there" to the list of criteria for safe bed self-invitations. :p I find it amazing that they can be so sensitive to criteria.

Sorry, maybe that was a bit OT.

[Jigsaw]

Why do you have two logins Aidan? That's just confusing..

It's stupid, but I just couldn't figure out what I was doing wrong with my password on my laptop. I made both logins substantially similar, no deception. Although if I ever say anything really stupid I'll blame it on the other Aidan.

OT but thank goodness you've posted that explanation. I've been quite confused lately, because these Aidans sounded so freakily similar. Was thinking maybe you had a clone or stalker!

[Black Bronson]

I don't see any benefits especially if also training for competition, to have several walking positions???. I like to to have only one position and condition that one position which can never confuse the dog. We do a focused heel of course, but the position is the same. Mine actually won't walk on the right and if they end up there, they duck around behind me and assume their trained spot :p

I don't see how My dogs are taught a formal heel position, when I ask Daisy to heel I am giving a command, she knows exactly what it means and where she needs to be. I don't have "several walking positions" - there is no command associated with walking, there's just walking. I like the leash to be loose and generally walk with the dogs to my left side out of habit. I don't let my dogs zig zag all over the path walking miles ahead of me, I let them walk perhaps a metre or so in front unless I want to bring them in closer then I do so. Often they walk next to me anyway.

Almost daily I walk down to our local sports oval to do training, yep that means casual walking where I might let Daisy walk a little in front of me (still on a loose leash) and I can get her walking in formal heel position with a single verbal command. You said you saw some videos of Daisy - does she look confused to you because I am quite confident she is not even remotely confused ;)

I honestly am baffled that people are making such a massive deal out of those of us who aren't so strict on our walks, so I don't make my dogs walk in a specific position the entire time, who cares when they are still under control and responsive to my commands.

ETA: I am getting the impression you think my dogs do what they like on walks, which is very far from the truth.

Why does the dog move ahead of you Huski, what is her focus to do so??? As far as confusion goes, consistancy is what I am talking about and we train the dog to walk at heel no exceptions. I don't want the dog to think it's ok to walk ahead a bit, I want the dog to learn that when we walk together, we do it one way only. You don't have control with a dog out front for example, my dogs have low threshold to aggression if challenged. If the dog is out front and another dog passing in the opposite direction takes a sudden lunge, my dog could bite before I have time to correct him. At heel I have him close and can keep him calm and focused on me. The control between the two walking positions in that instance is massive.

Depending on the dog, there are times if the dog is ahead of you, control is greatly reduced from that of a heel position. Another time was a snake crossing a path in front of us once. I saw it and jumped back with the dog at heel ;) . If the dog was up front when I saw the snake, he would have been on top of it and could have got bitten. Dog's up front doesn't give you better control or match the control in all circumstances and is the reason why I like to walk at heel

[Bubitty]

I am a bit confused though. What does a walk have to do with training? When we train, we train, I am not sure how their positioning on a walk would affect their training?

With me, I was finding that the laissez faire way of walking seemed to be carrying over to Honey's heeling.

She was not realising that heel meant by-my-heel so then, for example, a stand signal was difficult because she was too far forward of me.

I feel I need to maintain consistency to reinforce her training.

The longer we train together Im sure it will all fall into place and maybe then I can revise the casual walking.

Also I walk her with the kids a lot, so quite often we arent walking at a fast pace and having her stay back with me is very helpful.

Ahh I see Dee. Bitty goes all zombie when asked to heel so I guess for me it would feel pretty strange to have her go all zoombie for an hour on a walk.

[Bubitty]

Sorry, not trying to be argumentative, but out of interest I find it's the human that gets confused more often than the dog. :p Dogs are awesome at figuring out rules (like "I can jump on the bed without permission only on mornings where someone has got up for a while and then gone back to bed"). As long as you're consistent about when you expect which position. When Erik graduated from sleeping in a crate I was telling my friend I thought he'd be better at working out the complex rules of when a dog is allowed on the bed in our house better than I could ever be at deliberately teaching them to him. I said "He'll figure it out on his own in no time". He certainly did just that, and added "at 5am once gentle barks have partially awakened humans" and "at 5:30am when the alarm goes off if I'm not already up there" to the list of criteria for safe bed self-invitations. I find it amazing that they can be so sensitive to criteria.

Sorry, maybe that was a bit OT.

Ohh I thought I was the only person who had strange rules about what they can or can't do. My lot have it down pat in terms of what is allowed when and what is not always allowed by allowed under certain situations. There are the "This is something you can NEVER do kiddo" and the "Yes you can do this but only while Mummy is cooking and not at any other time" etc

[Primedogs]

I am another who lets the dog walk in front, sniff ect. He doesn't pull on the lead, doesn't trip me up, keeps an eye on me and if I call his name I can mostly get his attention straight away so for me this works for our walks.

I can see how for some dog's being at the side for the duration of walk works but for me currently it doesn't as at the moment I am working on trying to make the heel posistion a fun place to be, where if I ask him to be there I get all his attention. So while I'm teaching this I'm only asking him to be there for a small amount of time, sometimes only taking a few step's before before releasing him to what ever he wants to do for a little while. So I think that if he was in this position for the duration of the walk I might struggle with him in getting the attetion and happieness in being in that posistion.

[Loves Dogs]

Hi there,

When I had 1 dog it seemed ok for her to walk out in front on a tight lead. She was out of my way and the lead didnt slacken so her or I tripped on it. Problem is now I have a younger boy aswell that is bigger then her and they challenge to walk infront of each other. This ended up dragging me down the street and hurting my back across the shoulders. If I told Kuta the female to stop pulling she would for a bit but then end up doing again not long after. My boy doesnt get that a yank on the lead means stop pulling and just pulls stronger so I have now put both of them on haltis and allow them to walk out in front with a looser lead. These things are amazing in controlling pulling and after an annoying couple of walks with both of them head diving trying to get them off, they now adjust their walking speed to suit me. I can now walk both of them together with complete control at a pace that suits me. I tried the food and the checks but nothing worked as quick and affectivly as the head collars. Good luck with it. PS my 2 are staffies and they were like little steam trains I reckon if I had a slead and lived in the snow they would have been great!