What does a walk with your dog look like? Does she walk nicely by your side, or does she lunge and pull to get to every tree, squirrel, or piece of trash on the ground?
If you are having difficulty on your walks, I want to encourage you to slow down. The best thing that you can do with a difficult walker is to decrease the distance you walk and decrease the distractions that you encounter. The best way to do this? Stick to your driveway! You can teach your dog so much about how to walk politely on a leash from the garage to the road and back again. Here are a few tricks to get you started, and every one will encourage your dog to pay you more attention:
- Change directions every time your dog walks ahead of you. This will make your movements unpredictable, and they’ll start to stay close to keep a closer eye on you.
- Practice sits and downs as you move around. This will encourage your dog to stay tuned in with you because you are asking for more than just a mindless walk.
- Slow down! Dogs naturally move at a faster pace, so slowing your speed down will force them to really think about how they are walking with you.
- Switch up your speed. Speed walk for five seconds, then go to a crawling pace, then a comfortable speed, then… Changing speed is unpredictable (and fun) so your dog will want to stay close to you to watch what you’re going to do next.
Notice that every one of these ideas is fun, easy, and can be done in just your little driveway. The best part? Ten minutes of an activity like this, and your dog will be both mentally and physically tired, which will create a calm dog when you go back inside.
Try it out and let us know your thoughts!