deltoid Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 Now our puppy is vaccinated we've been taking him for walks. We've previously done loose lead walking just in our backyard and he is good with the idea there. In the outside world though there are lots of things to sniff. Most times he doesn't pull on the lead (he does on occasion and I simply stand still and wait for him to come back by my side, or if he is really persistant I pick him up and carry him for about 5m and put him down again which usually works). My problem is that sometimes he catches the scent of something and will just lay down so he can smell it. Standing still doesn't work because it just allows him to smell the spot for longer. What should I do in this situation? I make plenty of stops along the way on the walk to allow him to sit down and rest I'm also only taking him on very short walks (probably 400m if that). I don't really want to be dragging him along. This week is his first week walking, I've been taking him out for one before and after work each day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SmoothieGirl Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 Try offering him another more interesting scent - food. Find a treat he values and lure him away from the scent, stick the treat near he end of his nose, get him and moving and reward. You can then add a cue word to this, I use either leave ot this way, depending upon the situation snd what I want from puppy or dog. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red Fox Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 Teach him a reliable leave it command -first at home then slowly add distractions until he is solid. Learn to read his body language and get in with an "ah, ah" or "leave it" before he becomes totally engrossed in the scent, then the second he switches his attention back to you praise, praise, praise! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deltoid Posted March 9, 2011 Author Share Posted March 9, 2011 Thanks guys, I will try those tips. 99% of the time when he is engrossed sniffing something I will put a treat up near his nose and that will encourage him away and that works. I was just wondering if there was another trick to avoid having to lure him. I have been starting to teach him leave at home so I will start trying that with him. He is quite well behaved otherwise when we are out and about. I usually stop on the corner when there are a few cars around and do a little bit of training with him as well to get him used to listening to me when there are distractions around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 I was just wondering if there was another trick to avoid having to lure him. yep- keep walking. behaviours on walks are not dictated by the dog- they are dictated by you. he stops & sniffs /pees when YOU say he can. No argument walk him for 20 mtrs or so ..talking, maybe showing a toy .. and after he has walked nicely without sniffing, then stop and use a word like "free' .or "sniff"... and let him have a minute to sniff etc. then.. "heel"/"walk" ,whatever, and off you go again That way he gets to have a sniff.. but needs to concentrate on walking nicely as well Dogs wandering along lazily sniffing everywhere is one of my 'don't likes' , sorry . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
W Sibs Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 what pers said... just keep walking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deltoid Posted March 10, 2011 Author Share Posted March 10, 2011 what pers said... just keep walking. Ok, so dragging him away is fine? I've been doing this most of the time anyway then using the lure when he is really persistent. But he is a little dog and in a harness so I can easily pull him away I just wasn't sure if that was the right approach or not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 you don't 'pull him away'..because you shouldn't have stopped in the first place you just keep walking at a constant pace, chattering away brightly ,and if he wants to stop and be caught up and made uncomfortable for a second or three, that's HIS problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
W Sibs Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 you don't 'pull him away'..because you shouldn't have stopped in the first place you just keep walking at a constant pace, chattering away brightly ,and if he wants to stop and be caught up and made uncomfortable for a second or three, that's HIS problem. You kinda also have to make that you're more fun and more interesting to follow too. So, yeah, talking to him, praising him what an awesome pup he is and how awesome he is walking along (he doesn't understand you but he understand your enjoyment)... when you stop, pat and praise him for doing an awesome job walking and then reward him for some "free" time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deltoid Posted March 10, 2011 Author Share Posted March 10, 2011 you don't 'pull him away'..because you shouldn't have stopped in the first place you just keep walking at a constant pace, chattering away brightly ,and if he wants to stop and be caught up and made uncomfortable for a second or three, that's HIS problem. You kinda also have to make that you're more fun and more interesting to follow too. So, yeah, talking to him, praising him what an awesome pup he is and how awesome he is walking along (he doesn't understand you but he understand your enjoyment)... when you stop, pat and praise him for doing an awesome job walking and then reward him for some "free" time. Yeah, I have noticed when I praise him he will look up at me with a happy look on his face like "YEAH, I'm doing it, I'm awesome" but then he gets distracted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jazzy4 Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 Teach him a reliable leave it command -first at home then slowly add distractions until he is solid.Learn to read his body language and get in with an "ah, ah" or "leave it" before he becomes totally engrossed in the scent, then the second he switches his attention back to you praise, praise, praise! i can't enforce the "leave it" command enough, it is good when walking a puppy and they come across some dropped food (that you would not know what it is, let alone where it has been) and they try to eat it, god knows what they could get by eating the dropped food. i used to walk back & forth up the front of my house for weeks, holding a treat in my had that my puppy liked, i would get her to walk a few steps & then give her the treat, this got her used to staying by my side, the better she got, the further we walked till we went right around the block, she does tend to try to go off on her own path/scent finding mission - rarely now, but i correct her with "leave it" & she is quickly back at my side, good luck with your walking Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red Fox Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 what pers said... just keep walking. Ok, so dragging him away is fine? I've been doing this most of the time anyway then using the lure when he is really persistent. But he is a little dog and in a harness so I can easily pull him away I just wasn't sure if that was the right approach or not. One thing you can do if you are not quick enough with the leave it command (or have stopped for whatever reason) and the dog becomes engrossed in a scent, is to apply pressure gradually on the leash (not yank the dog off it's feet!). Then as soon as the dog 'gives' to the pressure praise and reward. He'll soon learn to come along with only a slight tug. Little pops (corrections) on a flat collar may be useful too but would be pointless on a harness. And no you don't want to be dragging him along the footpath but you dont want to be stopping for him either Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deltoid Posted March 10, 2011 Author Share Posted March 10, 2011 And no you don't want to be dragging him along the footpath but you dont want to be stopping for him either Haha, yeah when I say 'dragging' I don't mean literally. He is only a little guy, I don't want to hurt him. I gently apply pressure so he doesn't get a jolt and then gently pull along and he walks with it, I don't drag him along the ground :rolleyes: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeamSnag Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 I was just wondering if there was another trick to avoid having to lure him. yep- keep walking. behaviours on walks are not dictated by the dog- they are dictated by you. he stops & sniffs /pees when YOU say he can. No argument walk him for 20 mtrs or so ..talking, maybe showing a toy .. and after he has walked nicely without sniffing, then stop and use a word like "free' .or "sniff"... and let him have a minute to sniff etc. then.. "heel"/"walk" ,whatever, and off you go again :rolleyes: That way he gets to have a sniff.. but needs to concentrate on walking nicely as well Dogs wandering along lazily sniffing everywhere is one of my 'don't likes' , sorry . Agree.. just keep on walking! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fuzzy82 Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 I have taught my dogs to not pull towards a scent, they sit facing it and look back at me, and I release them with 'go sniff'. I did this by simply asking them to sit any time they started pulling towards a scent and then they started doing it on their own. My dogs walk around sniffing everything in reach, I don't care. The only reason we are walking is for their mental and physical stimulation, so it seems unfair to demand that they walk next to me most of the time. That being said, they do walk next to me on cue, I just don't ask them to on walks. The only requirement on walks is that they walk on a loose lead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dandybrush Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 i agree with persphone i didnt dictate the walk from an early age, im just now trying to teach raz he pees/stops when i say...its a slow process, something i should have started along time ago Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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